Read: Ephesians 2:8-10
“The Lord gives and the Lord
takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord today.”
- Job 1:21
God is in the sanctifying
business. When we submit our sin cursed life to Him, He moves right in by His
Spirit. He conforms our life little by little into the image of His Son, Jesus
Christ (Romans 8:29). He
uses trials and temptations, people and situations in our life to hammer out
our dents and scratches, and to cover us with His righteousness until we shine
like the sun (James 1:3; Matthew 13:43). We learn with each instance that He has our best interest at heart.
Though a situation is unbearable or grievous at times, His love sees us through
each one. We soon learn to find joy in these negative circumstances (James
1:2).
God even uses positive
situations, such as success at work, praise from others and love for our family
to test us (Proverbs 27:21).
That does not seem possible, but He wants to see what our motivation is in
life. Are we taking the credit for what we achieve or are we giving Him all of
the glory (John 12:42-43)? God
gives us everything we have, whether we are Born Again or not (1
Corinthians 4:7). He also maintains the
right to take it all away again (Job 1:21). Are we motivated by our ego or by the Spirit of God?
We often spin our wheels in
an attempt to impress God with our spirituality and good deeds. In reality, God
does not want sacrifices and burnt offerings. He wants a humble spirit and
contrite heart (Psalm 34;18; 51:17; Matthew 11:29). More than anything else, God wants our praise and
gratitude (Psalm 100:1-2). We
are His people and He likens us to the sheep of His pasture (Psalm
100:3). He is our nurturing Shepherd
through every aspect of our life. As we live a surrendered existence, He
accomplishes His will through us.
God resists the proud (James
4:6). He stands against them and thwarts
their efforts. Conversely, He transforms the humble into the image of His Son (Romans
8:29). He made us and He has the right
to use us according to His purpose (Ephesians 2:8-10). We find great fulfillment in following God’s will for
our life. He uses the foolish things of the world to confound the wise (1
Corinthians 1:27). The Good News is that
we no longer need to strive to impress God or anyone else.
When we consider the life of
Biblical characters, they all had flaws. Not one of them was above reproach.
Yet, God chose to work through them and to accomplish great things for His
Kingdom. We are clay in the Potter’s hands. He creates from us whatever He
desires in order for us to accomplish all that He has for us during our
lifetime (Isaiah 64:8; Colossians 1:16). As Born Again Believers, we are already dead and our life is now hidden with Christ in God (Galatians 2:20).
We are not the conductor of
our own life anymore, because God purchased us from the slave block of sin with
His own blood (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). He takes us out of the bondage of the counterfeit philosophy of the
world, changes us from the inside out and uses us for His purposes. He makes us
joint heirs with Jesus and gives us a place of royalty in His Kingdom as the
bride of Christ the King (Romans 8:17; Revelation 19:7-9).
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, You give us the
ultimate life with a fulfilling job, adequate housing, nurturing marriage, fulfilling
ministries, peace and joy that surpasses all human understanding and reason,
and Your family as our friends and relatives. You abundantly provide for all of
our needs according to Your riches in glory (Philippians 4:19). Remind us to be thankful for Your provision and
submissive to Your will for each moment of the day.
Thought for the Day:
The
conversion of one life has universal and eternal effects. Thank you, Tosha, for the use of your photo.
