Celebrate Where God Has You Right Now
As I was doing my morning devotional and prayer this morning, God placed something on my heart that I wanted to share with you. I hope it encourages you, as it did me. The Lord truly encourages us as we spend time with Him.
I am an a-type person. I like to have all the details, know the plan, and strive to be better. These can be used as strengths at certain times, but also can become great stumbling blocks in my relationship with the Lord.
I struggle at times to trust God’s plan and allow Him to do the heavy lifting. I then grab the reigns, try to jump in the driver seat, and do things in my own strength. When I start striving in this way, I lose sight of all that God is doing around me and in me. I can quickly start consuming faith, as if it can be earned or controlled. Like it is Amazon prime 2 day shipping. More, more, more. Now, now, now. Go, go, go.
That is so opposite of the truth. This is something I am daily surrendering to God. Allowing Him to change me in these areas - to trust Him with all the details, to help me to realize His great love for me, and to see all that He has already done in me. I am learning to stop striving and abide. To rest in Him and be led by Him step-by-step.
You see, when we are always striving to become better and do more, we lose sight of where we are RIGHT NOW, in the PRESENT moment. We lose sight of all God has done for us, and is doing in us. Don’t get me wrong, it's amazing and essential to become more like Christ, but when we do it in our own strength and for the wrong reasons, we lost sight of the present blessings and what God is doing in the moment. It could sound like: “I will be happy when God delivers for me on that promotion”, “When we get pregnant”, “When I am healed”, “Once I have become free of my past”, “When that person finally says, ‘I’m Sorry.’
When we sit back and reflect, we realize how incredibly far we have come. I love that song, Better Than I Used to Be by Mat Kearney. Today, let’s intentionally focus on how far we have come. We may not be where we want to be, but we are exactly where God wants us to be. He delights in every detail of our lives and has gone before us and prepared the way. We are already victorious through Christ.
“Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10)
So, my dear friend, celebrate all that God has done for you and is doing in you! There is so much we may not fully see, but He is working and doing great works! Let’s just praise Him for who He is. You truly are a masterpiece created in Christ Jesus. Rest in where He has you. Reflect on the growth He has brought you to and through. And most importantly, give Him the Glory for all He has done.
I miss that one a lot. I fail to give Him the glory for the good works and how He is changing me - day by day. Brick by Brick. Piece by Piece. He is creating something beautiful out of our brokenness and the ashes in our lives.
“So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image. (2 Corinthians 3:18)
“Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.” (Ephesians 3:11)
And let's not forget this critical point: We are not made right by good works, but by God’s grace and faith in Him as our Lord. We all fall short of the Glory of God. We will never reach God’s perfection and standard.
“For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God's glorious standard.” (Romans 3:23)
But, thank you Jesus that you gave your life for each of us, so that we have a way out of our sinful nature and shortcomings - that because of your death on the cross, we are forgiven and be raised to new life in you!
We all have weaknesses and shortcomings, but through our faith in Jesus Christ, we have freedom in His grace and love. We can walk boldly and confidently into His calling on our lives and trust He will give us all we need to do the tasks ahead. He is our strength, shelter, provider, and hope. That we don't have to be perfect to be used by God. God equips the called. He uses broken people that recognize their desperate need for Him and His grace.
“My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:9-11)
Love to you my Friend! Rest in His love, power, and grace today! Hand Him the reigns and trust that He knows best :) I am leaning into these truths today as well.
Let’s do this together in Christ,
Jess
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