Well, last week's devotional was certainly a bold one, wasn't it?
I'm getting used to this new expression of my writer's voice, I must say, because, ever since my "social media reboot" experiment, I have been posting nothing but, nothing but, nothing but stuff about God and what He's doing in me!
I'm not saying, by any means, that I'm super spiritual now, just that I am trying to be oh so careful what I let stick to me, as I described in the last post...
Sure it looks like the crush is sticking to me because I talk about it a lot. But what you've got to realise is that the reason it is here in the place it is in, is to do a work that only God knows what that is...
I mean, yeah, I have dropped a few hints along the way about where I'm headed, but that's only because God in His infinite wisdom has chosen to let me glimpse a sample of where I am headed!
I praise Him for that!
I have to, it's the only, natural thing to do!
God didn't have to show me where I'm headed, the sort of family home that I'm going to be building, but He did. Now all I have got to do is take my seat at the dining table and await for the feast to assemble all around me!
Assembling the Pieces
So, back to our little discussion of the term identity, which Merriam-Webster classifies as the following: -
- who someone is;
- the name of a person; and
- the qualities, beliefs, etc., that make a particular person or group different from others
Interesting...
The first two were actually one point, but I thought I'd separate them for the purposes of exploring them further.
So identity is "who someone is"...
Identity is "the name of a person"...
Identity is "the qualities, beliefs, etc., that make a particular person or group different from others".
Your Baggage is Not Your Carriage
What was it I said last week about labels?
Didn't I suggest that you should be careful which labels you let affix themselves to your life?
Your life is going to be an adventure, that's for sure. It's just a matter of whether you sit back and enjoy it, or whether you complain about the things that you are stuck with dealing with at the moment.
I cannot complain, nor will I ever (ED - at least he will try not to!) do so at what I am going through simply because it's a far better place than I was yesterday and it's going to get even better until the day that I die!
The path of the righteous is like the morning sun, shining ever brighter till the full light of day. Prov 4:18 (NIV)
Now, of course that verse is referencing eternity when it says "the full light of day", so what I'm getting at here is that it says that, according to this verse, my path is "like the morning sun, shining ever brighter".
In other words, it's not worth getting down about because... well... it's getting brighter!
To quote an old Oasis song: -
In other words, it's not worth getting down about because... well... it's getting brighter!
To quote an old Oasis song: -
It's getting better, man!
Heehee, I'm sure that was not what they had in mind when they wrote that song!
What I'm getting at today is the fact that the things that you consider your character flaws or things that you think make you unqualified, actually are/can be what God uses to qualify you for His will!
It was the Apostle Paul who made a point of mentioning it in his second letter to the Corinthian church: -
Three times he said he pleaded with God to take it away, this messenger of Satan, this thorn in the flesh, but what did God say? He said that His power was sufficient!
His power was sufficient...
That means that... wait for it... it was designed that Paul should carry around this weakness in order for Christ to show Himself strong through it!
Wow!
Let me take that to my situation, to my crush on the most lovely young lady I've ever seen that has currently been burning away now for over a year...
God said "My power is sufficient", so therefore, He was saying to Paul: -
So let me get this straight, though I crush like a grape in a winepress, like... ah forget the analogies!
Though I crush so bad over her, God can still use me???
What does that say about Him?
It says that He is not bound by our limitations!
It says that God can actually use the very things, the very assets to our character, to our struggles for His glory!
How amazing is that!
The fact that God is not constrained by what we are constrained by shows that He is all-powerful and is able to do more than we could ever ask for, hope or imagine, just like it says in Ephesians 3:20!
So, then, as next week brings us to the fiftieth episode of "60 Seconds of Faith" what I want you to do is to have a think about the very character traits that you possess. Whilst you're at it you may want to have a look at the very events that have gone on in your life that you think limit you from being effective for Christ also.
Understand this; that as you realise that God can use those events, those traits, for His glory it will hopefully begin to show that even though you struggle with this or that problem, He still reigns and He can still move today!
Watch the skies!
What I'm getting at today is the fact that the things that you consider your character flaws or things that you think make you unqualified, actually are/can be what God uses to qualify you for His will!
It was the Apostle Paul who made a point of mentioning it in his second letter to the Corinthian church: -
Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness." 2 Cor 12:8-9 (NIV) emphasis addedDid you see that?
Three times he said he pleaded with God to take it away, this messenger of Satan, this thorn in the flesh, but what did God say? He said that His power was sufficient!
His power was sufficient...
Dis/Qualified?
That means that... wait for it... it was designed that Paul should carry around this weakness in order for Christ to show Himself strong through it!
Wow!
Let me take that to my situation, to my crush on the most lovely young lady I've ever seen that has currently been burning away now for over a year...
God said "My power is sufficient", so therefore, He was saying to Paul: -
Don't worry about what you think disqualifies you, Paul. I can still move and work through your limitations. I AM the One who is sufficient for you, therefore, the very thing that you think disqualifies you, is the very thing that actually qualifies you because My power will be manifest in perfection in these moments!Wow!
So let me get this straight, though I crush like a grape in a winepress, like... ah forget the analogies!
Though I crush so bad over her, God can still use me???
What does that say about Him?
It says that He is not bound by our limitations!
It says that God can actually use the very things, the very assets to our character, to our struggles for His glory!
How amazing is that!
The fact that God is not constrained by what we are constrained by shows that He is all-powerful and is able to do more than we could ever ask for, hope or imagine, just like it says in Ephesians 3:20!
Final Thought
So, then, as next week brings us to the fiftieth episode of "60 Seconds of Faith" what I want you to do is to have a think about the very character traits that you possess. Whilst you're at it you may want to have a look at the very events that have gone on in your life that you think limit you from being effective for Christ also.
Understand this; that as you realise that God can use those events, those traits, for His glory it will hopefully begin to show that even though you struggle with this or that problem, He still reigns and He can still move today!
Watch the skies!
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