God blesses everything we do by the power or His wisdom, guided by His Spirit, and in the very center of His will for us. Relying on our natural abilities, our common sense, our intelligence, or our own strength and energy will not result in the wisest decisions we could make. The choice is simple, really.
Our Daddy God is all-knowing, all-powerful, and all-seeing. In fact, He knows the end from the beginning (Isaiah 46:10). He knew everything about us before we were even born (Jeremiah 1:5). He knows every decision we will ever make; and if we will trust only on Him, He influences those decisions by His Spirit.
He knows us better than we know our self (Luke 12:7), and He provides our needs better than we could ever imagine (1 Corinthians 2:9-10). Our only goal in life is to live, move, and have our existence revolving around His perfect plot for our life (Acts 17:28). His Spirit even exchanges the rough edges of our personality with His fruit (Galatians 5:22-23).
God wants to work through us and in us, and He has special blessings planned for us (Ephesians 2:10; Jeremiah 29:11). He has the answer to all our questions, as well as His wisdom for all our decisions – even whom to marry, what vocation to follow, what church body to join with, what ministries we should pursue, the friends we make, and down to the minutest detail such as what we should eat and drink (1 Corinthians 10:31).
Walking in His will is effortless. However, following our own plans and goals can be daunting and produce fear and stress. Following His peace within our spirit is the only way to know if our decision is His or ours. Human accolades and trophies are hollow, but God’s opinion of us is infinite.
Looking at our life from an eternal perspective gives us more peace and joy than trudging through each day in a finite frame of mind. We store up treasures in heaven (Matthew 6:20) by walking in tune with the mind of Christ in us. Once we make the decision to walk away from our self-centered lifestyle, we enjoy the riches of God’s presence within us.
Prayer:
Father God, thank You for showing us that chasing our own dreams is like trying to grasp the wind. We end up battered and bruised. Yet, walking in Your ways is like flying above the clouds, high above the tragedies of this world. We are safely tucked under the shelter of Your wings (Psalm 61:4, 91:4), and You give us a fulfilling and restful life regardless of our circumstances. We willingly surrender to Your perfects plans for us.
Although our name may never be famous, our accomplishments never acknowledged, and our choices never lauded on this earth, our rewards will be in heaven when we face the judgment seat of Christ. If we trusted in Jesus as our Savior, He already paid our sin debt, but at the judgment seat, You will applaud our willingness to make Jesus the Lord of our life. Help us to love and to serve You with our whole heart, soul, and strength (Mark 12:30).
Thoughts for the Day:
Like Joshua, we choose to serve the Lord, and we encourage our whole household to follow our example. Joshua knew that pursuing life’s riches was a waste of time but living in the center of God’s will is a place of blessing, purpose, and fulfillment. Our Father God honors those who honor His Son with our life.
- Joshua 24:15, Matthew 6:24; John 12:26
