So I am praying. The verse for today is a repeat from last week. Is this His answer to this opportunity? “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8)
He never changes. I am to be like Him, changed to be like Him. That speaks of stability, but not necessarily standstill. The process of being transformed is not boring or always the same. That is, He might change me with a sermon, a line in a song, thoughts in a book, the words of a friend, circumstances, even a vivid dream. Jesus Christ is always at work and when I pay attention, I can see Him in every situation. Sometimes people do things that call for a Christ-like response. Sometimes my mind is challenged to think like Jesus, to choose words that He wants said, to do things that are out of my comfort zone.
In this case, it isn’t about money. I can afford the machine. It is about time. If I am going to have it, it will mean being more thoughtful about how I waste time doing things that are ‘busy work’ yet not important. I will need to pray more, and wisely use not just that machine but my time and energy. This might seem simple for some people, but for those with easily scattered minds, it means more reliance on Jesus than ever.
The Spirit pops a phrase into my mind about numbering my days. This passage is more than relevant for I am already past eighty:
The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away. Who considers the power of your anger, and your wrath according to the fear of you? So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom. Return, O Lord! How long? Have pity on your servants! Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us, and for as many years as we have seen evil. Let your work be shown to your servants, and your glorious power to their children. Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands! (Psalm 90:10–17)Those last lines are saying to me that Jesus can use this opportunity to show His power to me and to my children, granting not only favor but establishing my work? I looked up the idea of being established and am amazed again by what God is saying about His favor. The word is used to express the action of being determined, firmly rooted, and spiritually and emotionally strong. It is about being well-grounded, filled with the hope of what is to come, and implored to encourage others. It also expresses a certainty or firm decision, like being determined as when Jesus “determined to journey to Jerusalem” (Luke 9:51).
I can see that this is not about having a new machine as much as it is about having the right attitude towards moving forward with the burdens on my heart, doing what I can for others, and being open to greater challenges. The woman who offered it is also a Christian and she wants my skills shared with others (many Christians and some who are not there yet) in this complex where we live, and using this machine well could be part of that. It is an opportunity to be more like Jesus.
Another writer tells me to step outside my comfort zone by doing things I’ve never done before. Obedience-based actions will shape my character and deepen my faith as God increasingly forges me into the image of the radical Jesus found in the pages of Scripture.
PRAY: Again Lord, You surprise me. I know now why You have put this in my path. It isn’t about using the thing but about being like You in the process. You are giving me a greater open door to “let Your work be shown to Your servants” — not my work but the work of You in me. This is a bit scary, but my heart knows what You want from me. Again, I am amazed — and blessed.
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