In thinking and living lately, I've been reminded of the fact that there is a mystery in God's work in our lives. We need to work out what God works in, but to think we can figure all that out is simply not the case. We should be glad to not really get exactly what God is doing. It's important that we just rest assured in God's goodness in our lives, in working in us what is pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ our Lord.
When I start to think my works or anything else depends on me and on my knowledge, that's when I really end up getting nowhere. But when I begin to trust in God and in his good work in me to really move and change me, that's when I begin to see his hand, inexplicably, in a true sense, in my life.
There have been a number of major issues in my life over the years that I had to come to realize that there was no hope as long as I thought that in a sense it depends on me. Instead I had to come to see that it all depends on God, but then from that, as I begin to experience his good work in me, then inexplicably I begin to move, think and live in a direction that before I could not achieve.
Now I have to keep reminding myself of this, and so keep seeing God's help to the helpless, God's grace to a sinner, and his work making any of my works possible.
Can you relate to this? And how?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
12 comments:
This resonates with me this morning. I always want to know exactly what's going on...I spend way too much time "problem solving" for God. As if.
A good reminder to me today.
Llama Momma, Yes, it must be that in some ways we try to take the place of God in our lives, as you point out here. I know this is surely true of me.
Ted, yes this resonates. I just wish I would live it out much more often. Most of the time I depend on my "strength" (which is of course an illusion) instead of His.
Brad, I hear you.
yes, i relate to this. sometimes the hardest thing to do is to rest in the Lord.
Nancy, That reminds me of the scripture, "Make every effort to enter into that rest." Quite a warning there about falling into unbelief if we don't do so. And our hearts becoming hard in unbelief.
Also here.
thanks ted, i will read and reflect on those books. nancy
Ted, I completely agree. I'm preaching tomorrow on God's grace and mercy from the Letter of James. Yes, that's right--from the NT letter that we most often think of as having to do with our works. But God's grace is the beginning and end of it all. And his mercy is there for us in the end because we're not going to stand in his judgment on our own.
Zephyr, Thanks for reading and for your commment. Your blog looks interesting and it looks like you've been doing some work lately on James. I've begun to get into my Greek New Testament again, and that would be a good book to pore over again.
..not that I've really pored over it before.
Ted, thanks for checking out my blog. I'm new to the blogosphere, so I appreciate it. Regarding James, I've done two major research projects in James and lots of smaller studies in the letter over the last 9 years. I actually need to get back into it so I can finish a thesis, but I've been busy with other ministry assignments over the last 7 months. My blog will probably eventually be focussed primarily on James, but not yet.
Post a Comment