Many
moons ago, I attended a church where sharing testimonies was a regular
occurrence. And oddly enough, after
hearing these testimonies, rather than feeling uplifted, I would often feel
deflated – even dejected. I would think
to myself, “That person must be extra special to God.” or “God must love him in
a special way.” For quite some time, I
became convinced God loved others more than me or believed they were somehow
more special to Him than me, because I didn’t have these tremendous testimonies
to share as well.
But then I read Romans 8:28 –
“And
we know all things work together for good to those who love God,
to
those who are the called according to His purpose.”
In this one verse, I realized several errors
in my thinking: First, these people had
such amazing testimonies to share - not because God loved them more than me -
but because they loved Him more than me.
Secondly, God demonstrated His power in their lives because they
were using their calling to fulfill His purpose rather than their
own. I was called but pursuing my own
cause. Thirdly, they were praising God
for the “good” He chose for them rather than the results they desired. I was missing God’s hand of mercy and
blessing in my life because I was waiting for a “good” that satisfied my desire
– not the “good” of being conformed into the image of Christ (see Romans 8:29).
If you find yourself questioning
God’s love for you, surprise-surprise, the problem may be your lack-luster love
for Him. If you are wondering where His
power is, the problem may be you are pursuing your purpose rather than
His. If you are lacking a testimony, the
problem may be you desire a result rather than a relationship.
Romans
8:28-29
And we know that all things work together for good
to those who love God,
to those who are the called according to His
purpose.
For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son,
that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.
Suggested
Prayer
I
praise You and thank You, Lord, for Your Word promises every good gift and
every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from You, the Father of
Lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning (James 1:17). I pray You would create in me a heart that adores
You and pursues Your every purpose and desire.
Give me eyes to see Your hands at work in my life; ears to hear Your
voice clearly; and a tongue that is quick to testify of Your greatness! Cause being conformed into the image of Jesus
Christ to be my greatest desire and end result. What a good and perfect gift You are!
In
Jesus' good and perfect name, I pray…Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment