And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. – 1 John 2:17
I woke early this morning, and I was praying. That’s what I called it. What I was really doing was worrying over balances
in various monetary accounts while bringing to the Lord’s attention that I had
been pretty faithful and generous lately in giving to His work. It was as though my words were written on a
screen in my head. The word ‘I’ stood
out and, though I didn’t see it, I knew there was a question mark by it.
I’ve heard time and again that I am merely a steward. Everything I have, the Lord has given
me. I am giving back only that which is
His. What do you give the God who has
everything? That was part of God’s
response, but it went beyond that. Who
is this ‘I’? Is it not written that ‘I’
have been crucified with Christ, that ‘I’ no longer live but it is Christ who
lives in me?
It’s not just, What have I got to give? But WHO is doing the giving? I’m not giving to God; God wants to give through
me. And money or whatever is the least
of it. It is being available and yielded
to do His will.
Mostly, in my case, I think it is getting my arguments, reasonings,
rationalizations, and desires out of the way to clear the channel for God’s
blessings to flow. Why should I worry
and stress about things when it is clear that God is the One moving and working and
doing all this? I know already from
experience, some of which I know I have related, that the Lord has never put me
in hole He didn’t already have a plan to get me out of. He has put me in some tight spots. They seemed that way to me going in. In reality they were simply narrow doorways
opening into new broader vistas.
There is a narrow way we have to pass through. The will of God can be an extremely strait,
restrictive passage, but it is a passage to something. It’s not a place where we will have to
live. We are going to live where this
tight, constraining corridor takes us.
We’ll have plenty of room there -- until we come to the next doorway,
and there will be another.
What we learn in passing through the strait gates of God’s
will is how worldly accretions have built up on us, like barnacles on a ship’s
hull. It all has to be scraped off now
and then. There are some things we have
to leave behind when passing through the narrow way, and we are better for
it.
2 comments:
Thanks for this, Dwaine.
Gotta pluck the I from my Aye before i can see clearly.
God does, indeed never put us in a place or situation we don't need for some reason or another (usually to learn some wisdom).
Now, I do know that I get myself into situations that ain't part of God's plan.
I know, I know, hard to believe but it's true.
Thankfully, God can use that to help me lose myself to find myself in Christ and learn or relearn truth.
Reminds me of the folks who whine about entry-level jobs not having "living" wages (although I haven't seen the millions of people starved to death because they are allegedly unlivable wages, but I'm sure they must be out there somewhere in unmarked graves).
Sure, it ain't no fun workin' hard to barely get by, but it does build character if one doesn't turn to bitterness or develop a victim mentality, and God can truly work some miracles when we turn to him in those tough patches.
Also, it's never meant to be permanent. With very few exceptions, it's simply a very small part of ones journey in this life.
It's not hard for me to believe because I do the same thing. Good words, brother.
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