Some of us desire Egypt (bondage to sin) because we’ve yet to develop an appetite for Canaan. We want the spiritual benefits, but don’t crave spiritual things. Our relationship with God is based on what He does for us and what He gives us in this life. We crave blessings more than we crave the God of those blessings.
Life is good when God is giving us all that we ask for. But when God says “no” or “not yet”, we revert to complaining and whining like ungrateful, spoiled children. We treat God like He’s a Shuga Daddy, instead of our Heavenly Father. We adore Him what what He does, but not for who He is. There’s no real pursuit for an intimate relationship with God.
We want to be close enough to Him to benefit from Him, but not close enough to be used by Him. We treat God like He’s supposed to bless us. We leave no room for God’s sovereignty. Our every wish is supposed to be granted upon request. We haven’t understood or accepted that we can pray, but we don’t get to dictate how, when or if God answers our prayers.
Like the children off Israel, we ask the Lord to feed us. He blesses us with manna. Now we’re complaining because we expected or preferred the meatpots and figs we had when we were in Egypt — too spoiled to appreciate that we are fed! He didn’t have to give us that!
We will always struggle desiring to go back to Egypt or fail to appreciate Canaan, as long as we have a Canaan deficiency in your spiritual diet. You won’t crave what you won’t develop an appetite for. And truth be told, for way too many of us, the things of God are more like snacks and appetizers, but not the main course. O, taste and see, that the Lord is good!
We sing “Your grace and mercy brought me through. I’m living this moment because of You”.
Grace is what we identify as unmerited favor — favor we don’t deserve and can’t earn.
When Paul highlights the grace of God being the reason he is what he is, he not only recognizes how good God is, but he is also recognizing just how undeserving and unworthy he was. Paul took a survey of the magnitude of how God was using him and he surveyed how he persecuted the Church of God at one point in time.
Paul says that he is the least of the apostles but he also says that he worked more than them all. Paul’s assessment is quite different than what we hear today; perhaps even different than how we world assess what we deserve for all of our hard work. Paul says “I’ve done the most, but I deserve the least”. Nowadays, we say “I’ve done the most and I deserve the most”. We qualify ourselves by our efforts and by our works.
Paul is letting us know that when he thinks about all the wrong he’s done against God and His people, the fact that he labors so hard in the Kingdom of God is an honor and a privilege. It’s not that he has to labor so hard. It’s that he gets to labor so hard for the Lord.
What humility! Just think what the body of Christ would be like if we all had this type of humility to serve in the Kingdom of God. We wouldn’t have church politics, church celebrities or superstars. And we probably wouldn’t have so much dissension and drama because everyone would be too grateful and too busy serving and glorifying God because we were all just so honored to do so.
Paul says ,”But by the grace of God I am what I am”. Paul isn’t attaching grace to what he has. It’s not about the job, the house, the car, the promotion, the degree or the money. It’s about who he is and who God has allowed him to become.
Can we do the same? Can we say, “By the grace of God I am what I am?” We often hear “I am who I am.” or “This is just the way I am.” So what exactly are we that we are giving God credit for? What about us, are we attaching to the grace of God? Does it bring us glory or does it bring God glory? I know He’s done some great things for you, but what are you allowing Him to do through and in you?
Paul reflected on how God was using him in spite of him. I said before that Paul surveyed how bad and undeserving he was and he surveyed how good and gracious God was to him in spite of his badness. Paul felt that he was the least of the apostles because he didn’t work with Jesus during His early ministry and he opposed the church. In Acts 22:7, Jesus asked Paul “Why are you persecuting Me?”
Now may not be able to identify with Paul as persecutors of the church. But at one point in time, we were ALL the enemies of God and lived outside of His will and call for our lives. Ephesians 2:1-3 says “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formally walked according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too ALL formally lived in the lust of our flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath.
So Paul recognizes that not only was he a son of disobedience, but he persecuted those that chose to obey and live for jesus. Paul understood Philippians 2:13. For it is God who works in you both to will and to do what pleases Him. By God’s grace, Paul could say he was who he was.
If it weren’t for God sparing my life, I wouldn’t be who I am today. If it weren’t for God showing me the way, I wouldn’t be who I am today. If it weren’t for God transforming my mind and my way of thinking, I would have never committed myself to preaching and teaching the gospel of Christ to save many.
If it weren’t for the grace of God, I would have never transitioned from being a persecutor of the church to being a promoter of Christ. If it weren’t for the grace of God, I wouldn’t be who I am today.
And His grace toward me won’t be in vain. I won’t abuse this grace by straddling the fence between holiness and carnality. I won’t abuse this grace by picking and choosing when I want to represent Jesus as His ambassador. I won’t abuse this grace by bringing shame on Christ or His church by unrighteous living and unholy talk. I won’t be a persecutor of the church in hypocrisy.
Therefore, as you reflect on who you are today versus who you were before, are you humble enough to give God credit and glory for your progress? Or are you still talking about that job, that degree, that promotion, that whatever you feel like you deserved because of all of your hard work?
Paul said I work hard but I still don’t deserve this grace or favor God has on my life. Keep in mind that the enemy will play on us whenever we experience increase in our lives. He’ll provoke us in pride, arrogance, self-glorification, self-righteousness and entitlement. He’ll have us really believing that we pulled our own selves up by the bootstraps with our knowledge, our skills, our determination, our education, our money, our status, our notoriety, our strength.
That degree of pride and self-sufficiency will set us up for disappointment because the money, status, degree or whatever it is we credit our success to might satisfy us, but it doesn’t have the ability to sustain us nor save us.
Paul said that he was the least of the apostles. You know it’s not really a good thing to compare yourselves to others. But in this case, Paul comparing himself didn’t lift him up and it didn’t pull him down. He expressed this from a place of humility.
When we get caught up in comparing ourselves to others, it either pulls us up or it pulls us down because it’s rooted in pride and self-sufficiency. It’s not God-centered. This is why it didn’t pull Paul in either direction. Both his good and bad made him even more grateful for the grace of God, because God was using him in spite of him.
Do you realize that God is using you in spite of you? He’s using you in spite of having once been a son or a daughter of disobedience.
–In spite of your gossiping tongue. –In spite of the fact that you are a complainer. –In spite of the fact that you’re still using profanity. –In spite of your judgmental ways. –In spite of your selfishness and laziness ……. In spite of……
So whether you are working hard like Paul or hardly working in the Kingdom of God, you are a benefactor of God’s grace. And even on your best Holy Ghost filled day, you absolutely do not deserve anything good from God — not His grace, mercy, blessings or His love. But thank God that He gives it to us anyway. And it is by His grace, I am what I am!
John 4:15 Please sir, The woman said, give me this water? Then I’ll never be thirsty again, and I won’t have to come here to get water.
Interesting how when the woman asked Jesus to quench her thirst, Jesus brought up her men or husband problems. He basically introduced her to her thirst quenchers. He wanted her to know that she had been looking for love in all the wrong places. She had been looking for something in those men, that they never meant to be for her. She chased but couldn’t catch. She searched but couldn’t find. (Just like Gomer) Her problem wasn’t the fact that she was thirsty. Her problem was where she was trying to quench her thirst. She had a legitimate need but was meeting it illegitimately. Jesus had to expose her to herself because He wasn’t about to volunteer Himself to be Hosea at the house waiting on His harlot to come home. Jesus said, it’s just some things I flat out refuse to share.
Jesus is basically about to let her know that He was what she was trying to find in all those men. He was her life giver. He was her sustainer. He was her provider. He was her worth. He was her beauty. He was her value. He was her true love.
Matthew 5:6 Blessed is the man that thirst and hunger after righteousness.
Just think if we have more of a thirst for righteousness than we had for men, our desire for a husband and companionship couldn’t become our demons. Your desires can become your demons when they’re out of order.
Jesus said, Before I give you My water, you need to stop drinking over there. But I understand that in order for you to stop drinking over there, you have to realize that you had been drinking over there in the 1st place. Furthermore, I need to you recognize and understand that their water can’t do for you what Mine can do for you. You drink My water, you’ll never thirst again. But if you keep drinking their’s, you’ll stay thirsty.
I once bought a brand new set of mattresses. A friend of mine helped me get them to my apartment. After I set up my bed and anticipated the new nights of comfort, I moved my old set of mattresses into the dining area until I could discard them. I layed in my bed for two nights. But I was still adjusting to the new level of comfort.
Before I would wake up in pain and my body would ache. I spent years flipping the mattresses, attempting to add addition support and trying to position myself to minimize the pains of sleeping on the old mattresses. As a matter of fact, the level of discomfort was so familiar to me, that I was having thoughts that there was something wrong with the new set.
When I woke up in the morning, I would get out of the bed still expecting to feel the discomfort in my rib cage and my back. But I didn’t. I felt great because I slept well. For the 1st time in a long time, I had relief.
Sounds ideal, right? Why in the world would I still be anticipating pain when I’ve been given comfort?
Lessons:
* Some of us are still holding on to the old set because they are familiar; storing them in the dining area of our hearts. When God blesses you with comfort, let go of the pain. Throw that joka out! It may be familiar, but it’s not favorable.
* Some of us are sabotaging the new found comfort in our lives because we are so accustomed to the pain. Don’t allow Satan to make your today pay for what yesterday did to you. You’ll never be able to fully embrace the new, holding on to the old.
* When God blesses you with new comfort, peace and mercies, embrace it and don’t allow Satan to stain the new set with the blues of the old set. Today is a new day with new blessing. Your yesterday is behind you.
* When the pains of the past start to suffocate your ability to enjoy the new peace and comfort of today, remember, that the past was designed to prepare you to appreciate the present.
* That pain and that season was just a chapter in your book, not the entire story. It’s ok to turn the page and write a new chapter for your life. You get to choose whose stays and who goes.
If you’ve ever been to a movie theater or play, you sit in the audience as one of many. If you’ve ever attended a sports events, you sit in the stands as one of many. If you sit in the private corridors of your home, watching television, you’re still one of many.
We sit as spectators, observing. Oftentimes, as we finish watching, we get up with thoughts, assessments, reviews and opinions of what we just watched and observed. We say “That was good!”, “That was a waste of my time.”, “I wouldn’t mind seeing this again!”, “It was too long.”, “I hope they have a part two.”
As we go through life, we formulate our own opinions, assessments and review pretty much everything. And if we’re not careful, we’ll start believing that our personal opinions about everybody and everything has to known. And every now and then, we get a rude awakening that what we think about people and things really doesn’t matter as much to others as it does to us or as much as we’d like for it to. And our opinions and assessments, get lost in the crowd, right along with what everyone else thinks. Nevertheless, we still formulate our own opinions.
We then, position ourselves in houses of worship with this same approach. We become spectators, observers, watchers, and critics, leaving with our own personal assessments and opinions. “That was good!” “That went too long.” “I can’t wait to come back again.” “It doesn’t take all that my.” “People act like they don’t know the Lord has been good.”
As servants, the preacher preaches. The singer sings. The usher serves. The greeters greet. And whatever else is done, is done. We say “He can really preach.” “She can really sing.” “They’re so good as greeters.” And even we ourselves, receive the affirmations from others as we do what we do.
The applauds, the shouts, the affirmations and the recognitions of a job well done, becomes our gauge for how well we’ve served. And as we seek to show our own approval of how others serve, we shout “Amen!”. We say “Great job!”. “I’m coming back to hear you again.” “You’re really good at that.”
Being in the audience, or even on the stage, has deceived many of us into believing that our opinions matter. We’re blinded to the fact that we are the ones on the stage when we assemble in the presence of the Lord. It doesn’t matter if you’re in the pulpit or sitting in the pews. We’re all being observed by an audience of One. And the only assessments, opinion, thoughts and reviews that matters of us, is God’s.
In the book of Leviticus, God makes it clear that He determines what should be offered up to Him as worship and He determines if what we offer is acceptable or not. God doesn’t consult the opinions of others or listen to see if the majority thinks the way He does, when making a judgement to accept our offerings of worship or not. God doesn’t observe the crowd to see who else is liking what we do or how we do it.
God is literally the only one in the audience. He’s not just watching what we do. He assessing and discerning our hearts. He knows when our “Amen” is sincere and intelligent. He knows when we sing songs and are more concerned about sounding good than we are concerned about the lyrics. He knows when we’re clapping, shouting or standing just because everyone else is and we want to be seen as engaged as everyone else. He knows when we’re sitting there as the Word is preached, but our minds address in something or someone else. He knows when we scrolling through Facebook and not the scripture. He knows when we’re having a conversation via text messages when He’s trying to have a conversation with us through the preached Word.
God knows and He’s not impressed just because we showed up. He’s not impressed just because we dressed up. He’s not impressed because we got lots of amen’s as we preached or taught His Word. He’s not impressed because people stood up as we sang that song. He’s not impressed how long you’ve been committed to that work or service at church. He’s not impressed.
As an audience of One, God’s opinion about us is the only one that matters. He’s not looking at the quality of our performance. He’s looking at the posture of our hearts. And He decides if what we’ve offered up to Him as worship is acceptable or not. He’s assessing our lives and about to give us His final review.
As our show comes to an end; as the final buzzer sounds; as the credits of our lives start to roll across the screen, God will give us His final assessment of our lives. He will either say “Well done!” or “Depart from Me!” The Audience of One has spoken.
Preparing for new beginnings… Don’t just get busy. Get devoted!
A new year is about to begin. If the Lord wills, we will live to see it. This is the time that many will recommit, revisit, start or make resolutions. Particularly, for the child of God, many of us will make a resolution to get busy in the Kingdom. That’s great! But I want to challenge you to not just get busy in the Kingdom, but become devoted to the Lord. Purpose and mission is the prelude to devotion. Becoming devoted will keep you connected to God, not just the church.
For many, our New Year’s zeal will start to fade because we’ve simply added something honorable to our to-do list of Christian mechanics, but we never connected to the God given purpose of why we do what we do. Just getting busy (mechanics) will seldom create the passion to stay committed for the long haul. But purpose does.
God created us on purpose for a purpose. We should strive to walk in that purpose and with God as we posture hearts as His servants. Let this mind be in us that was also in Christ Jesus. Be intentional. Don’t settle for just going through the motions of ministry. Be full of purpose and passion. And as you minister to others in whatever capacity you choose to serve (or have been chosen to serve), that ministry will minister to you. When you commit yourself in devotion to God (not just getting busy), you don’t just give God your hands, you give Him your heart.
When you gain a sense of satisfaction or peace in your life assuming the worst in someone else’s life, it’s not ok. That’s not real inner contentment or peace. When you see a snapshot of someone’s happiness on social media or otherwise, and you choose to dismiss it, assume the worse or focus on the possiblity that something could still be wrong — instead of celebrating or expressing some form of happiness for them, you’re being motivated by a spirit of jealousy and discontentment. Particularly, when you don’t know what’s behind their closed doors. In order for you to be ok with your own life, you have to assume the worst in someone else’s life.
Some of us need to learn contentment and how to have genuine happiness for others even when it’s not our turn. You don’t gain that by trying find reasons to dismiss someone else’s happiness and contentment. So… No! It’s not ok to feel better about your life assuming the worst about someone else’s. If that’s your method, you’ll only become more discontent with your own life and more critical and fault-finding of others.
When you look at someone else and choose to think the worse just to feel better about your own life, your heart is not in the right place. That mindset won’t bring you a sense of contentment with your life. It’ll only pull you deeper into your own unfruitful thinking.
What if that image someone shows of their own happiness is actually real? What if they really are as happy as they seem? What if they really do have a great relationship? Has your own discontentment convinced you that no one else can actually be happy with their lives since you aren’t?
Learning contentment is a journey you’ll have to go on by observing God in your life, not by observing others. Yes. It could always be worse for you and for others. But it could also be better for you. Just like it could be better for those you prefer to think the worse about. Being able to celebrate the happiness of another person, inspite of the lack of your own happiness, may be the key that unlocks the door to a change in how you feel about your own life. And that new attitude could be the key that opens the door to a change in your life.
Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.” Genesis 2:18
This biblical definition of suitable in this verse actually means “opposites”. The idea is establishing relational/martial harmony by identifying, understanding and appreciating the differences between the man and woman and how those differences work together to operate as one (not in the things that make us compatible, similar or alike).
It’s like a two piece puzzle. Both pieces are completely different, but fit one another perfectly because they were designed to do so. The same with the man and woman–two different pieces of a Divine puzzle designed to fit together in order to make the big picture plain and clear. The picture brings this verse to mind: Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man nor man of woman…1 Cor 11:11
These differences have to first be embraced physically–which isn’t usually an issue for heterosexual couples. We easily like and appreciate the physical differences. The softness of a woman compliments the hardness of a man very well. But coming to understand the mental, emotional and social differences takes intentional efforts–which, unfortunately, many don’t/won’t do.
In order to not become frustrated at the opposite sex (for being the way God made them) you have to understand why they are the way they are. And when you don’t understand them, you just accept them. I’m talking about creative makeup, not character development. There are some Divine creative characteristics that are innate for both.
A woman needs to feel security and she needs attention. If a man doesn’t understand that and resist or neglect giving her security and attention, his relationship with the woman in his life will be problematic. Likewise, a man needs respect. If the woman in his life doesn’t understand that and resist or neglect giving him respect and honor, her relationship with her man will be problematic.
We don’t need the samethings because we weren’t designed to need the samethings. We’re “opposites” in so many ways. When you don’t have an understanding of the differences, you struggle accepting them. You won’t appreciate what you won’t accept. And if you struggle accepting the differences, you’re going to stay frustrated dealing with the”opposite” sex.
Unfortunately, for too many, instead of accepting and learning the differences, they chalk up relational friction as it being a problem with their significant other. They’re the problem–not their refusal or neglect of their s/o’s individual needs not being met in the relationship. We have to understand that the man and the woman just don’t tick the same way. It’s good when a man studies womanhood and when a woman studies manhood. It prepares them to meet one another’s needs, minister to their spouse or s/o without becoming frustrated (by the extreme differences/opposites).
A helper “opposite” of him doesn’t sound ideal because we’re set on looking for how we’re alike, the same or “compatible”–which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. But that just scratches the surface of relational harmony between a man and a woman. Compatibility addresses our pleasures. But suitability addresses God’s purpose.
Romans 12:2 (NIV) Do not be conformed to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will. As people of God, when we make the transition from being a sinner to being saved; from being a child of Satan to being a child of God…. Our relationship changes with God, but it also must change with the world.
Jesus, Himself said in John 17:14,16 …they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
Jesus is letting us know that once we enter in this sanctifying relationship with Him, the world should no longer determine the kind of person we are.
In John 17:17, Jesus lets us know that the thing that sanctifies and separates us from the world is the Word of Truth.
In Romans 12, when Paul instructs us to “be not conformed to this world”, he’s reminding us and letting us know that the world has left God out. The world moves to the beat of its own drum. The world doesn’t consider what the Lord has to say about a matter. The world is its own god.
You can transition out of the world into the Kingdom of God and never be transformed. You can be saved and still think like you’re unsaved. You can be saved and still act and behave like you’ve never met Jesus as your Lord and Saviour.
This transformation that Paul is speaking of, takes intentionality. In other words, if you’re not pursuing a transformed life, you’re not being transformed. This transformation happens from the inside-out. You can’t just change some habits and call that a transformation. It starts in the mind.
A transformed mind leads to transformed desires. And transformed desires lead to transformed behaviors.
The transformation is of the mind 1st. Then it starts to manifest outwardly. The Word of God calls us the light of world. It calls us the salt of the earth. Both can influence what’s around them. Light exposes darkness and salt preserves or slows down the decaying process. For us to walk in the power of our light and salt nature, we must be transformed. We can’t expose darkness when we’re still in darkness. And we can’t help preserve anyone when we’re decaying under the weight of our own worldliness and sinfulness.
The word “conform” means to take the outward shape of. If you pour water into a bottle that shapes like the letter “J”, the water will take the shape of the letter “J”. Paul is telling us not to take the shape of the world just because we’re in it.
The word “transform” means transfigure or metamorphosis. It’s a caterpillar being transformed into a butterfly. Paul is telling us not to take shape of the patterns of this world. If we don’t think like the world, we won’t act like the world. This is why we have to have the transformation of the mind.
Romans 12:2 makes it clear that this transformation will only happen by way of our minds. It says that your mind must be renewed. This word “renewed” is an interesting word. In our English language, when we put the prefix “re” at the beginning of a word, it means “again”. (resubmit, reorganize, reconstruct) This is not teaching us to think the way we’ve been thinking again. This is teaching us to have a renewal or a change of heart and life. It’s to make fresh or new. And this fresh and new mind and life is only accomplished through the power of God and His Word.
You can’t accomplish this kind of transformation on your own. It’s not a decision to be a better person. This transformation is a direct result of what happens when we consistently submit to the will, way and word of God. It is God literally pouring out of us what we’ve allowed Him to pour into us. And it starts with what we allow Him to feed our minds.
When the Word of God flows into you, the Word of God flows ou of you. When the world flows into you, the world flows out of you.
There’s no short cut or way around this transformation process. For us to have the mind of Christ, we must allow God to feed us what’s on His mind and what’s in His heart on a daily basis. If our minds aren’t transformed, then we won’t be transformed because this is from the inside out-in.
So, why can’t I just choose to be a better version of myself? Why can’t I just live a moral life? Why can’t I just be a good person to attain this transformation? It’s for this simple reason. We were born in the flesh. The flesh won’t let us be great. The bible teaches us that the flesh wars against the spirit.
We are both flesh and spirit. And we all must commit ourselves to bringing our flesh man under the subjection of our spirit man. But even then, if your spirit man isn’t under the subjection; the influence; the control of the Holy Spirit, you will still take the shape or conformity of the world.
On my best Holy Ghost filled day, within myself, I do not have what it takes to please God within my own natural abilities. The bibles teaches “it’s God that works in us, both to will and do what pleases Him”. God is working in us so that we can live lives that please Him. This means that we must be willing and submissive to allowing God to lead us, guide us and tell us what to do. Otherwise, we’re just like the world—marching to the beat of our own drums.
When we obeyed the gospel of Christ by believing in Him and being baptized in water for the remission of our sins, God gave us His Spirit. And His Spirit lives in us daily. We can submit to His Spirit or we can resist His Spirit working in us. It’s like having strength in our physical bodies. If you don’t use it, you become weaker and weaker. Even to the point of not being able to use your strength at all. The same can be said about the power of the Holy Spirit living in us. If we don’t submit to it, operate in it or use it, the Holy Spirit’s influence becomes weaker and weaker in our lives. Even to the point of it being inactive.
Romans 12:2 says that once we have this transformed mind, we will then be able to test and approve what God’s will is. You know how children are once they become teenagers — especially young adults. I have both—a teenage and a young adult. They think they know more than they do because now, they have a little knowledge and a few more experiences in life. I just look at them, shake my head and think to myself “You don’t know nothing!”
Well, unless we have been intentional about being transformed by the renewing of our minds, the Word is indicating, “We don’t know nothing!” We don’t know how to test and approved what God’s will is. We may have some worldly wisdom, but that’s not enough to know what it takes to please God.
How can you test and approve what God’s will is when you don’t know His will? How can you know the will of God when you don’t read and study the Word of God?
Being able to test and approve what is the will of God is being able to examine or distinguish the difference between what God says “yes” to and what He says “no” to. What does God approve of?
When we think like God, we live in a way that pleases God. Pleasing God should be our ultimate goal.
Some of us are laughing at what makes God weep. We allow ourselves to be entertained by things that grieve the Holy Spirit. We don’t think much of it because it’s only entertainment and we’re not doing what we’re laughing at or being entertained by. But as lights in this dark world, we’ve be called to represent the mind and heart of God in the world. And if we’re laughing when God is weeping, it’s evident that we have some work to do.
Paul encourages us to offer our lives as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God. But we must realize that to become living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, the starting place is our own transformation. This can’t be accomplishment by just being a member of a church or by attending church. Neither can it be accomplished by morality or good deeds.
As people of God, we must be transformed. Our ability to please God depends on it. Our ability to influence the lost depends on it. Our ability to point people to the saving grace of Jesus Christ depends on it.
Romans 12:2 MSG Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what He wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to it its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you. Let me add: God brings the best out of us because He’s put the best in us — His Spirit. And submitting to the inner working of His Spirit is what will transform us so that we will be able to best and approve what God’s will – His good, pleasing and perfect will. *Tressa Jo
Did you know that it was about you, but it’s not always about you? We often hear, whenever we’re going through a hard time that our hard time isn’t even about us. But God is very intentional about every experience we have. He’s not going to allow what you must go through to benefit others without it benefiting you.
Everything that you go through in life is 100% about you. God will use every single circumstance, struggle and problem to benefit you. It may not feel good while you’re experiencing it, but it will work out for your good. This includes your struggles and your mistakes. The Bible teaches us that ALL things work together for the good of those that love God and are called according to His purpose. Do you love God? Have you been called according to His purpose?
While everything is about you, everything is never ONLY about you. The circumstances of your life that God has strategically orchestrated for you to experience will benefit you. However, as we steward those circumstances, us being living testimonies, they will also benefit those that stand in witness of us. Each season of your life will prove to be evidence of God’s grace, love, and mercy for His own.
This is why we should always be mindful of our call in God. He uses us as vessels for His glory. He is glorified in and through our lives through the good times and the bad. Remember, God is intentional enough to make it all it about us. But He’s just as intentional in making it about others. For our growth and God’s glory.
BeyondSeeLevel 