Most
of the people living on this earth see God as a restrictive task master, and they
do not want to hear the preaching of His Word or to have friends that proclaim
the name of Jesus Christ (Psalm 2:3).
Many
are afraid that if they choose Christ, they will lose friends, popularity,
vocational success and even some of their self-esteem.
The
tragedy of this viewpoint is that it is a ploy from Satan to keep people from
experiencing for themselves the bountiful benevolence of our protective Father.
He
does not want us to reap the consequences of our sin; therefore, He provided
Jesus to take our punishment. Then, He gave us His Word to direct our paths
away from destructive behavior.
Each
individual is basically the same as every other person; yet God graciously and
continually meets our diverse needs through His glorious riches (1 Corinthians
4:7).
As
we sit still before the Lord each day, listening for the direction of His
Spirit, we hear His voice, and we benefit from His loving care. He develops, for
our ultimate good, every plan that He has for us (Romans 8:28).
As
members of the Body of Christ, we gain deeper and more genuine friendships than
ever before, we experience fewer trials because we are no longer reaping the
consequences of our carnal behavior, and we gain more security and peace due to
our intimacy with our Creator God.
Prayer:
Father
God, thank You for providing us with all of our gifts and abilities through
Your saving grace. As Your Holy Spirit builds in us the character of Your Son,
Jesus, we can bear more fruit for Your Kingdom (Romans 8:29). We serve You
because we love You and we appreciate all of the wonderful blessings that you
pour out on us each day.
Thank
You for pruning us, so that we bear more fruit for You. Help us to keep You as
our focus. You deserve all of the praise for all that we are, everything that
we have and what we accomplish with our life (Ephesians 2:10). When people give
us praise for our deeds, we thank them for their encouragement and inwardly
turn the praise back to You.
Thought
for the Day:
The
work of the righteous is peaceable, and our service is confidence and quietness
forever, because - Isaiah 32:17
