God’s will accomplish His plan…

 

When puzzled by what is happening around me, or in the lives of others, I need to remember the important truth behind all of God’s dealings with us. Nothing is random. Nothing escapes His notice and nothing can thwart His purposes. The worst I can do is prolong His goal for me. The best I can do is see it and cooperate with it.

This is HIs goal:

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. (Romans 8:28–29)

See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure. (1 John 3:1–3)

The end result of what happens to me and to all God’s people is that we will be like Jesus. The process can be hastened by cooperation, by making that my goal also. But I cannot fake it, put on a show of having arrived, or even think that is true. I need to keep growing and changing.

I also have to remember that this isn’t just about me. It is about the witness of God’s people to a world that needs to know Him.

Today’s reading begins with: “All the dealings of God with the soul of the believer are in order to bring it into oneness with himself that the prayer of our Lord may be fulfilled.” In this prayer Jesus asks that the Father works:

“That they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. (John 17:21–23)

This glorious purpose has been the heart of God for His people from before the foundation of the world. It is called a mystery yet was accomplished in the death of Christ and made known by the Scriptures. It is also an actual experience by many of God’s people, but not all. This goal is not hidden it nor is it impossible. However, as the reading says, the eyes of many are too dim and their hearts too unbelieving for them to grasp it.

This goal is behind many events in life as the Lord works to open eyes and shake up how we think and live. He wants me to realize my sin, my weakness, all areas of resistance to Him so I will think and act more like the One who lives in me and desires my perfection.

Everything in my life is supposed to lead to union with Christ and this amazing transformation that reflects His image to an unbelieving and needy world. When something happens that upsets my hopes and plans, trying to fix it instead of letting it do what God intends only slows the process. If I resist and keep on resisting Him, the change will eventually happen but too late to have value in this world. Not only that, I will not experience the rest and peace that He died to give me, His abundant life in this life.

PRAY: Jesus, I realize that many Christians are not into this kind of radical surrender. Sometimes they pray as if You are a genie in a bottle giving wishes out for comfort and prosperity and all good, but temporary things. Forgive us for wanting You to be our servant instead of surrendering ourselves to Your purposes. How often do I need “your peace in my storms” to realize that being like You IS the abundant life You want for me.

Abundant life beats robbing banks . . .

What would it mean If, when I became a Christian, I was a bank robber and knew that God did not want that, but refused to obey? Or what if I was always cursing? Or gossiping? Or entirely selfish about everything? Most people would mock my claim of faith or at least dismiss it as delusion.

This happens. The Bible says in Christ, all things are made new, but like an out-of-shape lazy person joining the army, he is instantly a soldier but it takes time and effort before he looks and acts like one. Bootcamp, training, and much noise from his sergeant are needed, plus a concerted personal determination to get into shape and change his attitude.

God knows what we are like. Some will be gung-ho about their new life, yet some Christians need constant reminders of what they have and how they are to respond. I tend to identify with the slackers more than the keeners. Yesterday’s verses reminded me that God’s “divine power has granted me all things that pertain to life and godliness” and I cannot ignore that and live as if I don’t have what I need to be like Jesus. For that reason, these next verses are also good reminders that God gave me all I need, so use it!

For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Therefore I intend always to remind you of these qualities, though you know them and are established in the truth that you have. (2 Peter 1:5–12)

Peter is talking about spiritual disciplines. I call them ‘places of grace’ because the disciplines do not give me ‘all things’ but doing them puts me in places where God can work in my heart and life. He is restricted when I disobey Him, just like the maturity of a persistently bratty child is restricted. Disciplines like prayer, Bible study, worship and fellowship with other Christians put me in places where I can hear God and am more likely to obey Him.

The above passage could be written like this: Because God gave me all I need and I believe this is true, then I must act like it and learn more about His gifts. One of them is self-control so I don’t need to continue in my silliness. Another is persistence. Another is godliness with affection and love for my brothers and sisters in Christ. It isn’t that these qualities save me, but they show that I am saved and they make my life useful to God. If I don’t use what God has given me, then I’ve forgotten what He has done, but if I keep on in spiritual disciplines and obedience, I will not fall back into those old ways. I can walk into heaven with my head high rather than being ashamed of how much life I have wasted.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Jesus, I know this. I also know that I need reminding. That is one reason I’m in Your Word every day and thinking about Your promises, relying on what You say rather than my old way of thinking. You have not only given me all that I need, You have made life an exciting adventure, an abundant life just as You promised. I’m sure that nothing compares to the delights of walking with You, even robbing banks — had I tried that! 

Today’s thankful list . . .

- God kept me out of lots of trouble before I believed in Him.

- He still does!

- Finally figuring out how to get an old laser printer to do a new job.

- Relaxing with my hubby.

- Panini cheese sandwiches.

- time change that gives an extra hour of sleep.

How to have peace . . .

Today Chambers says, “There are times when our peace is based upon ignorance . . . .” because we are oblivious to the stuff that we are doing against the will of God.

This reminds of those who ask me if or when I’m going to go after a doctorate degree. My most recent response was, “I am not ready to learn more —I haven’t caught up to what I know now.”

Ignorance can be bliss. A pastor friend used to say, “What I don’t know won’t convict me.” This was tongue in cheek, but it is true. If God had shown me all the sin in my life when I was first saved, I may have committed suicide!

Being convicted of sin is painful for those of us who love Jesus and want to reflect His goodness and purity. We are not proud of our sinful old nature. However, there is a cure for the pain of guilt. Besides confessing, repenting, and cleansing God speaks of in 1 John 1:9, Jesus offers an inner peace that is beyond understanding and does not rely on ignorance.

In fact, this peace is for those who have awakened to the facts of life. Our ignorance has been chased away by the Word of God and the Holy Spirit. God has used the experiences of to increase our awareness of reality as well. Regarding His peace, two passages come to mind:

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” (John 14:27)

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6–7)

The interesting thing about this wonderful peace is that it no one can snap their fingers and create this wonderful peace. It is an amazing sense of God being in control — and because that is true, then we do not have to be anxious or fearful about anything. This peace comes from Jesus Christ and is put into my heart and mind — yet at the same time, it requires my cooperation.

Jesus says, “Let not your hearts be troubled . . .  or afraid.” Some people actually enjoy being in a dither. It is their lifestyle. I’ve experienced this in a small measure and if my memory is right, I was in that state as an attention-getting device. Others may do it for different reasons, but regardless of the motivation, Jesus says I need to be willing to let go of worries and fears, rather than allowing them to fuel me up with distress.

The other requirement is prayer. Worry does not go away by itself. I must pass on to God the things that upset me, trusting Him to take care of them and expressing that trust in thanksgiving. Then He pours His amazing peace into me, amazing because it does not make sense to have peace when life is full of so many anxiety-creating circumstances. But it does make sense because Jesus also said:

“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

The peace of the world depends on being in an ideal situation. The peace of Jesus Christ depends on abiding in Him, full of faith and being filled with His Spirit — who graciously gives His children His almost unexplainable peace.

He will clean out the crud

It is Tuesday. We are in Flagstaff, Arizona. Last night we phoned eleven hotels before we found one with a room left, their last room. We are in a suite so picked up a can of soup at a convenience store and heated it for a late supper. There is no dishcloth, no towel racks, and we have either heat, air conditioning, or off. The table is too high and the chairs are too low.

Both of us were tired and I was irritated. We drove too far yesterday. We plan to stay here two days but it is supposed to blizzard so it might be wise to get out of the mountains and into the desert. Still, our suite is brand new and this location is beautiful.

I tried to be thankful and not crabby. Trusting God for a safe journey worked out. Trusting that we would find a place to sleep worked out. After answered prayer for these and other things, I asked my hubby how he liked being married to God’s spoiled brat! But the trouble with grace and blessings, is that when the Lord isn’t pampering me, I find out how easily I take Him for granted.

So now I read this: “Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.” (1 John 3:2–3)

This is a rebuke of sorts, and a blessed promise. One day I will see Jesus and be like Him. That is an incredible expectation and fills me with joy. He will do it and I will forever be with Him. But, right now I am not like Him – did He get crabby and irritated with such minor things? I’m certain He did not. Did He take the Father’s care for granted? I’m certain He didn’t do that either.

So here I sit like a pouting brat who should be spanked. I don’t think He will do that either, but He does expect something of me -- because I hope in Him, I am to purify myself as He is pure. That means getting rid of, or at least saying no to, the grumpiness and irritation when things are not as comfortable as I want them to be. I am thankful for this place, for the stalwart man I’m married to, and for so much more. There really isn’t anything to grouse about, except that I’m still such a child – when I should be more mature.

A bit after the above verses, I read this and again am both rebuked and blessed: “No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God.” (1 John 3:9)

God put His Son Jesus Christ into my life; He abides in me! Because that is true, then I cannot continue forever being a self-centered brat. The new life of God eventually will crowd out the old life of me. How exciting! I look forward to the day when sin is gone and I no longer act so childish.

The rebuke is simple . . .  why is it taking me so long to stop pushing against the inevitable and just cooperate?

Jesus cleans His dwelling place

When we moved to California for the second time, finding a house to rent became a challenge. We had a price in mind, needed a location close to my hubby’s workplace, and I wanted something reasonably clean. We finally found one that fit the first two, but it needed a lot of elbow grease. After we took possession, I spent many hours scrubbing to bring it to my standard of clean.

God’s goal for His people is that together we are united under Christ and growing into a holy temple. (Ephesians 2:19–21) We are called a temple because the Lord Himself dwells in us, and by His very presence, our lives are changed. Like that house, when He first moves into a human heart He finds lots of work to do. We are defiled by sin, and realize it because His very presence shows how far short we fall from His standard of clean. But we cannot do the cleaning. That is His job.

However, in the process of making His church holy, He does ask our cooperation. The Bible says things like this, “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.” (Romans 12:1–3)

From those verses, I know that God wants me to think differently so I can determine God’s perfect will. Part of that correct thinking includes dropping my pride because it interferes with faith and godly discernment. It is like dirt, but pride is only one area to be scrubbed.

My life used to be just like that of others who have no faith. I didn’t see myself as a sinful person, but once the Light of the world entered my life, He revealed the dirt in the corners and all over the place. He began to scrub, telling me, “You must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity.”

Instead, He told me, “Put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” (Ephesians 4:17–24)

In other words, “I’ve shown you the dirt — now the goal is to get rid of it!”

But while Christ deals with my sin, I tend to block His cleansing efforts. Just writing that line seems so foolish, but sin is like that. I can want to be holy and clean, but that old way of life does not depart easily. All Christians fight with it, moan over it, lament our inadequacy to ‘clean up’ and struggle to walk by faith. We are declared justified by grace (not anything we do) and told to walk in that truth. Jesus does both the saving and the clean-up, yet we must “hold true to what we have attained” and remember that He has changed who we are and where we live. He says our “citizenship is in heaven” and from heaven “we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 3:15–20)

He also says, “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.” (Colossians 3:1–4)

All this is tremendous motivation, yet I continually find myself in a war. My spiritual enemy does not want me to cooperate with Jesus. Rather, Satan prefers that I listen to his lies and follow them. This is why I read the word of God daily, and why I join with other Christians often. Each of us fights this battle and when one goes ‘down for the count’ or adds more dirt to their lives, the rest are there to remind and encourage each other about the saving and cleansing power of Jesus — and His desire that we do not stay like we once were, or like those who do not know Him, but become holy just as He is holy. He wants the dwelling place to match the new Owner and Tenant!