Jesus had the pleasure of hearing our Father say, “This is my Son in whom I am well-pleased.” That is a lovely goal to reach toward for us – to be well-pleasing to our Lord. Our works do not save us, but they are evidence of our faith (James 2:18). Our God of peace brought us from spiritual death due to Adam’s sin into a vibrant life of service for Him.
He is the Great Shepherd of His sheep, and He makes us able to accomplish every good work to do His will. He not only saves us, but He also called us for His purpose as well. He actually works in and through us what is well-pleasing in His sight, which gives us purpose and fulfillment in our life (Hebrews 13:20).
He is our alpha and omega, and He will complete the work He began in each one of His Saints (Philippians 1:6-7). He brought us into the world, not so that we can accomplish our own goals and dreams, but because He wants to work in our life so we can carry out His purpose for us through the grace given to us in Christ Jesus (2 Timothy 1:8).
God proclaimed that David, son of Jesse, was a man after his own heart, because David desired to do all of God’s will (Acts 13:22). God also raised up a faithful priest who lived according to what is in God’s heart and mind (1 Samuel 2:35). In both these instances, these men fully surrendered their life to God.
They turned every aspect of their life over to God for Him to care for and to direct, and we can do this too. He lets us know exactly what He needs from us for His glory through our life. Once we fully surrender our life to Him, He directs us to do His specific will each moment of our day (Ephesians 2:10).
In all our time on this earth, we accomplish through God’s Spirit within us what God planned for us to do on a daily basis before we were even born (Psalm 139:16). With our last breath of life, we can then proclaim that we finished the work that God created us to perform (John 17:4-5). We follow God alone, not the expectations of others.
Prayer:
Father God, we want to live like King David when he followed all Your will for his life. You created us to do specific things for You, and we want to fulfill Your plans. We recognize that You have a calling for each one of us, and we totally surrender our life to You to accomplish this work in and through our life (2 Timothy 1:8). Your calling is our path in life; Your purpose is our vision (Proverbs 29:18). We want to accomplish events that have real value and worth for promoting Your Kingdom in the earth.
Anything else we spend our spare time doing is merely useless activities (1 Corinthians 3:12). You give us a fulfilling future and a hope that transcends our days on this earth and spreads out into eternity (Jeremiah 29:11; Job 14:5). You call many to walk in Your ways, but only a few choose to do Your will (Matthew 22:14). You fashion our days for us, and the number of our days are already predetermined by You (Job 14:5). We live to give You all the honor and glory that is due to Your name.
Thoughts for the Day:
Most people would rather control their own life rather than to submit and surrender to anyone else – even to our God and Father. This prevents them from enjoying His fullest blessings and walking in their true purpose and destiny. He equips us to climb the highest mountains of trouble and to traverse the deepest valleys of trials, and He gives us His joy through them all.
- Hebrews 13:21
