“God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters” (Romans 8:29 NLT).
Most of us had big dreams when we were young. We wanted to become something great. Maybe it was a baseball player or a ballerina or the president. For most of us, that dream looks a bit different today. In fact, you may even think you’ve missed out, that you didn’t become what you hoped to become. But here’s something you need to know: You have been called to become something significant. Or more precisely, you’ve been called to become like someone significant. The Bible says, “God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters” (Romans 8:29 NLT). You’re called to become like Jesus. That doesn’t mean you’re going to become like a god. We’ll never be little mini-gods. That’s not going to happen. But God does want you to become godly—to become like him. He wants you to take on the characteristics of Jesus, who is loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, self-controlled, and gentle (you may recognize these as some of the fruit of the Spirit found in Galatians 5:22-23). Will that kind of growth happen overnight? Absolutely not. Will it happen easily? Nope. But you’ll get there. The Bible promises us this: “I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns” (Philippians 1:6 NLT). Next time you think about the fruit of the Spirit and get discouraged at how far you still have to go, remember this: God isn’t finished with you yet! He is still working to make you more like Jesus.
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“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment” (1 John 4:18 NIV).
You’re capable of far more than you understand right now. You just need someone to believe in you. Here's some good news for you: Someone already does. When someone believes in you unconditionally, as God does, it releases you to take great risks. You have unfulfilled dreams in your life because you’ve been scared to death to go after them. You’ll die with unfulfilled dreams unless you let one truth really sink in: God loves you unconditionally. No matter who you are and no matter what’s in your past, God believes in you far more than you believe in yourself. That means fear doesn’t have to stop you anymore. The Bible says, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment” (1 John 4:18 NIV). Think you’ve blown it? Ready to throw in the towel on your dream? God’s love says to not be afraid to give it another shot. Maybe there was a time in your life that you worked on a project, but needed help from someone to help you finish it. Your heavenly Father is telling you that today. You may have messed up. You may feel as if your dream is dead. But God says to you today, “It’s okay. We can start over, and this time I’ll help you.” And when God says he’ll help, you can do anything. “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28 NIV).
You’ve messed up. You’ve sinned. You’ve made bad decisions. We all have—all of the above. But guess what? None of those failures have changed God’s call on your life one bit. The calling God gave you at birth, the one he reaffirmed when he saved you, is a calling he gives you forever. It’s permanent. Just look at Paul. Before he became a believer, Paul went into people’s homes, dragged them out into the street, and threw them into jail. He writes in 1 Timothy 1:12-13, “I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service. Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief” (NIV). But none of that changed God’s call on Paul’s life. And nothing can change God’s call on your life, either. In fact, God wants to use the pain from your past for his glory today and in the future. God never wastes a hurt. It all fits into his plan. He can take your mistakes, your sins, and even the sins of others who’ve hurt you and work them all into his plan of redemption. The Bible says, “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28). “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?”(Romans 7:24 ESV).
Have you figured out yet that you’re often your own worst enemy? Your own reactions, fears, and inadequacies can cause you to act in foolish ways. We need to be saved from ourselves because there are things we don’t like about us—things we wish we had done differently, things we’d like to change. But we can’t change them, at least not on our own power. We need an outside power source. You may be saying, “I can change.” Unfortunately, you can’t. At the start of each new year, you may make a list of resolutions, but by the end of January, that list sits in the trash. Why? Because you can’t change on your own; you need God’s power. You need a Savior—someone who can make the changes you can’t make yourself. If you’re honest about it, sometimes you feel like your life is out of control. That’s a pretty common feeling. Welcome to the human race! The apostle Paul felt that way nearly 2,000 years ago. He says this in the Bible: "Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord...” (Romans 7:24-25 ESV). That’s the answer! You may be looking for that one thing that will give you fulfillment and meaning and peace in life. But if you’re not looking to Jesus for salvation, you’re looking in all the wrong places, and that’s why you’re frustrated. Some of us think that if we could just get married, or get a certain job or a promotion, or attain a certain level of wealth, or have a baby, or watch our children graduate, things would be better. A lot of people are looking for salvation in a self-help book, therapy, a fad, a diet, or a vacation. But that’s looking in the wrong places. The answer is not in your circumstances. It’s not in a place or a program or a pill. The answer is a person: Jesus Christ. You were made by God and for God, and until you understand and accept that, life is never going to make sense. “When a fool is annoyed, he quickly lets it be known. Smart people will ignore an insult” (Proverbs 12:16 GNT).
You will encounter people who create so much frustration that you ask God, “Please help me show them extra grace.” Who are these people in your life?
Many people have developed unhealthy responses to frustration. They might avoid difficult people, but denial only delays the problem. It doesn’t solve it. They might try to make them happy, but some people will never be happy. No matter what they do, it’s not good enough. How can you respond like Jesus? Consider the fact that God has put these people in your life to be “heavenly sandpaper.” Although you are irritated, God is using them to take off your rough edges. God is more interested in your character than your comfort. Learn to look past their behavior to see their pain. Hurt people will often hurt others. They’re full of fear and insecurity. Maybe they’re shouldering a pressure you don’t know about. Instead of dismissing these frustrating people from your life, look at them as a gift from God to help you become more like Christ. Frustration reveals something in you, and you can give this to God by having a change of heart.
Frustration also gives you the opportunity to show grace to others. One of the reasons God has forgiven you is so that you can reflect this forgiveness to others. That can’t happen if you don’t get frustrated! “At that time Jesus prayed this prayer: ‘O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding these things from those who think themselves wise and clever, and for revealing them to the childlike’” (Matthew 11:25 NLT).
Jesus wants us to be like little children because we need to remain teachable so we can mature and understand God’s plans. Children are eager to learn. They’re not defensive. They don’t say, “I don’t need to learn to walk. I don’t need to learn to talk. You can’t teach me anything about reading.” They know that they don’t know it all, and they’re eager to learn. That’s how Jesus wants you to be: willing to listen, eager to learn, open to suggestions and corrections from others. Teachable people understand that it’s impossible for anyone to know everything about every subject. You don’t have time in life to learn everything from personal experience. It’s wiser to learn from the experience of others. The Bible says in Proverbs 15:12, “Conceited people do not like to be corrected; they never ask for advice from those who are wiser” (GNT). Pride, at its root, is insecurity. Because of pride, people act like they know it all. Does that sound familiar? When you’re afraid to show that you don’t know how to do something or how to answer a question, it may be a signal that you’re not teachable. If you get defensive when someone corrects you, it may be a sign you’re not teachable. You have a choice: Will you be humble and open to learning, or will you live in prideful denial? Will you be teachable or unreachable? God is for you, and he’ll support you as you learn new things. And like a child growing to maturity, you can keep learning—that’s God’s desire for your life. “'God opposes everyone who is proud, but he is kind to everyone who is humble.’ Surrender to God!”(James 4:6-7 CEV).
We often make plans without even consulting God. Then we pray and ask God to bless our plans, even though we didn’t ask him to take part in them. We just assume that our plans are his will. Then, when our plans don’t happen on the timetable we want or they don’t happen at all, we get angry with God. That’s called pride, and God hates pride. There are probably a lot of people you wouldn’t want to oppose, but you really don’t want to be opposed by God. There’s no way you’re going to win that one. When you’re prideful, the Bible says you’re in opposition to God at that very moment. In fact, you’re operating as an enemy of God anytime you get full of pride. That’s how serious it is. So, what does it mean to surrender yourself and your plans to God? Romans 6:13 says, “Give yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life, and surrender your whole being to him to be used for righteous purposes” (GNT). Surrendering means saying, “God, I’m going with your plans for my life, not my own. I’ve got plans, I’ve got dreams, I’ve got goals, I’ve got ambitions, but I know that you put me on this earth for a purpose, and I’m going to intentionally choose your plan for my life instead of my own.” Surrendering to God is the best path to success because instead of him becoming part of your plan, he will make you a part of his plan. |
AuthorTaken from Daily Hope by Rick Warren. Categories
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