Even if my own track record is faulty or untrustworthy, I’m wired to think myself safer with my own hands on the steering wheel. Isn’t that what drives our incessant need to know the future and to manage everything in our lives? We call it planning purposeful, and proactivebut if we’re honest, it’s often our belief that we know better than God and could orchestrate circumstances better than Him if we only had access to all variables. • I could avoid pain and suffering if I only knew what will happen next. • I could avoid relationship conflicts if I could manage others’ perceptions of me. 93 I could avoid frustration if I could just make sure my husband does it my way. • I could avoid failure if I make sure I make the right decisions. What we are really saying when we try to control and manipulate the circumstances of our own lives is this: I can avoid having to trust God if I can simply trust in myself. powerWe are naturally bent toward believing ourselves to be all wise, all ful, all capable. We know our own track record, and yet, we want the reins. If a faulty view of ourselves results in a fatal belief about who is in control, then a right view of God and His sovereignty can shape our hearts to trust Him alone.
The psalmist does not mince words: Our God does all that He pleases. And while we may not consider them idols, our safety nets of control, strategy, manipulation, and wearing ourselves thin trying to keep all perceptions and plans going our way… well, they fail us and show themselves to be hollow forms of security-man-made idols that cannot save or secure. When we serve those, we become like them. Friend, when we are tempted to serve the idols of control and self-assurance, let us remember them for what they are-false and deceiving masters. Let’s turn instead to our sovereign and faithful God, who does all that He pleases to bring Himself glory while He demonstrates His steadfast love. When we place our need for control within His hands, we become reflections of His glory and steadfast love
I think we worship our own reputation more than we realize. Our pursuit of success and our skirting of failure are really campaigns for authority and in our own lives. We grasp for self-centered security and deny dependence and power weakness. A quick tour around the subjects represented in my personal library reveals my own fight against messing up or missing the mark: how to manage excess weight sleep training parenting teens making a lasting marriage secrets and tools used by successful people financial planning battling your anger • how to read the Bible But no matter how many books I purchase or strategies I employ, the fact remains that I fail on a daily basis in these areas and more. You see, the temptation for me (and perhaps for you) is to strategize my way to never fail
Failure and shortcomings remind us that we are not saviors of our own lives. They keep us tethered to the humbling reality that in order to receive the of God, we must begin by believing we are in desperate need of it. Have you messed up within relationships? Do you know the sting of demotion? Have you known the shame of not doing what you said you’d do? Do you fear and worry about disappointing others? I have and do regularly. If your hope is in Jesus the Savior, these daily failures and inconsistencies do not define you before a holy God but drive you to gratefulness for His saving grace that doesn’t leave you there. God allows us to feel the weight of our shortcomings so that we might behold the abundance of His grace. But the apostle Paul instructs us to consider God’s grace rightly: “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?” (Romans 6:1-2). We embrace and welcome failures, not as an invitation or license to sin but as surrender to a holy God, who loves us enough not simply to point out our failures but to free us from the shame of them
Have you known the shame of not doing what you said you’d do? Do you fear and worry about disappointing others? I have and do regularly. If your hope is in Jesus the Savior, these daily failures and inconsistencies do not define you before a holy God but drive you to gratefulness for His saving grace that doesn’t leave there. God allows us to feel the weight of our shortcomings so that we might behold the abundance of His grace. you But the apostle Paul instructs us to consider God’s grace rightly: “What shall then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?” (Romans 6:1-2). we say We embrace and welcome failures, not as an invitation or license to sin but as surrender to a holy God, who loves us enough not simply to point out our failures but to free us from the shame of them. Do your weaknesses and failures leave you feeling condemned, or do they lead you to the throne room of God? Do they cause you to grovel or give thanks? Paul again reminds us what is ours in Christ: There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do
. Then, slowly but surely, I fell in love with serving a home-cooked meal to a table of guests. Those were the days before readily accessible online recipe archives, when aspiring cooks dog-eared magazines and smudged cookbook pages with molten lava cake batter. I couldn’t wait to try out new techniques (brown butter!), discover new ingredients (crème fraîche!), or refer to a simple mixture of carrots, onions, and celery as mirepoix. So fancy. The skies of the culinary world opened up, and the savory seas of homemade chicken stock parted; I was smitten with the kitchen. So, who then was that woman yesterday afternoon who stood in front of my refrigerator and bemoaned yet another meal that needed prepping for the seven guys who live in my house? There is a difference between culinary curiosity and consistently serving meals day in and day out at the table. One showcases skill and amuses the palate, and the other-while able to do the same-is most often a display of dedication, perseverance, and sacrifice.
God is more glorified when our broken hearts and weathered hands match in true worship than when glossy declarations of our lips and big displays of our religiosity make more of our own physical resources than of His mercy. Our offerings-big and small, feeble bodies and strong-will always begin with our heart worship. That’s where the Lord sets His gaze: “The LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). So, for the young and old, the flabby and strong, the in shape and in progress, the ones who turn heads or the ones who disappear in a crowd: God sees you. He receives you as you are. Take your eyes off of your physical weaknesses and imperfections, friends, and set your eyes on the great view of God’s mercy, again and again. The perfect offering has already been given in Jesus (He was the spotless lamb). You and I are welcomed, blemishes and all, because the good news of redemption will always be our why in worship and our how in offering up our lives.
Sometimes we’re surprised when our desire for holiness grows cold, our pursuit of God wanes, and our likeness to the world catches up with us. But it shouldn’t take us by surprise if we are not intentionally and continually renewing our minds with the Word of God. We do not passively become wise in discernment or worshipful in our everyday lives, and we don’t automatically become living sacrifices without a deliberate choice to respond to His love with obedience. A new pattern takes time to establish and grows when love—not duty— is our motivator. As the old hymn reveals, “Love will make obedience sweet. How, then, do we love God, and in turn, grow to be more like Him? My friend Jen Wilkin puts it this way: “The heart cannot love what the mind does not know.” Our minds, renewed in and by the Word, direct our hearts… and our hearts, in turn, affect who we become: We choose a posture of humble gratitude and turn to God’s Word. We practice that posture again and again. We begin to see a pattern of the wisdom and worship Paul speaks of in Romans 12:1-2.
Time with the Lord is not a magic pill, not a formula, not a duty, certainly not an “easy button,” and not akin to burning incense to appease a distant god; it’s simply what we’re created for a relationship with Him. Functioning apart from the fuel of His presence is like taking a cross-country road trip with an empty gas tank. It brings to mind another story of one who chose time with the Lord, and one who chose what seemed more “productive”—the familiar account of Mary and Martha hosting Jesus in Martha’s home: Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.” LUKE 10:38-42
Being a “doer” is putting into action our heart posture. All the productivity and perseverance we strive for find their fuel in our perspective on true rest. When we see how much we’re provided for in Christ, we can be fruitful for His glory because He’s fruitful in us, and we can rest because His rest is productive. In our present cultural glorification of busy, we can choose to see our to-do lists, calendars, and schedules differently. It’s not that Jesus didn’t expect work to be done, meals to be made, and tables to be set; He simply called Martha to recognize opportunity for best in the midst of all that was good. All work, no matter how needed and useful, becomes anxious toiling if not fueled by our most-needed sustenance: rest in the Lord. The psalmist says it this way: Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked. PSALM 84:10 NIV • Rest is where we remember that He is God and we are not. • Rest is where we remember that He holds all things together without our help. • Rest is where we remember that God created the time restraints and limitations we rebel against. We might think we can’t afford to take time for rest, but really, we can’t afford not to.
Has staying ahead of the game in all areas of your life become a normal pattern for survival? Have you forgotten that though you’re a bound bricklayer by birth, you’re now a freed child of God through redemption? It’s a simple reminder we all need: We weren’t made for 30-hour days when God only gave us 24. We weren’t designed for self-sufficiency when God created us to need a Savior. We can set aside all our tools for building our own kingdoms and rest in Him who invites and equips us to be a part of His. Rest is for the ones who stop running, stop fighting, stop trying to scrounge up enough straw to be pleasing to their master. When we surrender our own brick-making tools and go with Jesus, God, through Christ, is already pleased with you and me. There’s no building better or higher or faster that will endear you to Him. All He asks is for us to lay down our bricks and rest in Him.
If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in the world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world. No amount of finding our place here on earth will satisfy the longing we have to find our place with Him. We can stop looking frantically to our past, our future, our left or right to feel fully at home-we won’t find it here on this dusty earth. So this is the perennial reminder my heart needs: I was made for another world, but given a specific amount of time, things, and people to carefully steward and bring along as I journey home. Steward well and travel light. Not feeling quite at home is the very thing God uses to draw us to abide with Him. Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.” JOHN 14:23 Do you see? God chooses to make His home with us when He invites us to abide in Him. It’s a home of intimate belonging and a place of security that doesn’t fluctuate with the market, upkeep, or resources. It’s a home we can’t lose, a longing we can’t fill otherwise. We can’t buy it, rent it, or earn this home; we’re simply given the keys when we humbly ask Him to simply move in. Abiding in Christ is our key to making our home with Christ.
The meaning of the original Greek word meno, which is translated as “abide” in the New Testament, means to stay, to remain, to be true to, to persevere, to keep walking beside, to get in close, to dwell, to be near, to not perish, to withstand. It means to physically stand your ground. It means not to wander away or give up your resolve. It means to stay engaged and endure. It means to keep in step with Christ and not yield to the world. Abiding is active-it’s a choice, and it doesn’t happen passively. Abiding may sound like a gentle concept, but John writes, throughout his teachings, that abiding is a deliberate pursuitone that’s costly, causes us to discern, assures us in the midst of doubt, and keeps us persevering with Christ and with one another as we walk lightly-aliens in a foreign land. And here’s my real-life definition: If home is where the heart is, then what we love determines where we will be most steadfast. Abiding is loving Jesus above all else so that we find no other place to be than by His side. Social media will not feel like home. • A bigger house will not feel like home. Secret sins will not feel like home. Titles, degrees, and status will not feel like home. • Addictions and controlling habits will not feel like home. • Though we often place our focus on keeping His commandments, worrying that we aren’t doing everything we’re supposed to, John reminds us that abiding in His love and keeping His commandments go hand in hand. We can’t follow Him apart from being led by His love for us.
Perhaps your faith has grown weak. Maybe your aspirations for the growth and security of your personal kingdom have caused you to turn your focus to what you can create rather than on the Creator. God’s Greatness in our eyes If so, it is not too late to redirect your mind and heart as Job did. The full display of God’s greatness in creation is right before us if we will simply lift up and recognize that we are but a “finite creature who has no wisdom to run this world and is utterly ignorant of 99.999% of its processes
Paul was challenging the Colossians not to find motivation for diligence in approval or acknowledgment from others but to find it from continually beholding, in their hearts, their true Master and the eternal treasure waiting for them as children of God. Paul could have encouraged the believers to replace their ordilabors with more spiritual work, more significant acts of service, or better positions of influence, but he didn’t. He simply encouraged them to be faithful-right where they were in the work before them, powered by the desire to serve God alone. nary Friends, what we choose to behold in the midst of tedious tasks and unrelenting responsibilities in the day to day, and what we believe about the God who puts us there, determines whether we see the daily reappearance of dirty dishes and unwashed clothes as a purposeful provision or a nuisance. When we look to the God who provides the blessings and the work that accompanies them, today’s tasks become opportunities to praise, to give thanks, and to remember the One we aim to please. “And whatever you do, in word or deed,” Paul says, “do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Colossians 3:17).
So learning to love what must be done-what is assigned for you to do, what circumstances you have to traverse-is not a form of self-help, attitude adjustment, or esteem building. Rather, it’s choosing to do what Peter saw believers doing-preach to ourselves the truth of how we’ve been rescued and then respond with rejoicing in the here and now. If faith in Christ means that we are new creations in Him, is it any wonder… … that we begin to love what He loves? … that what He calls valuable, we learn to find worthy? that when the Scriptures tell us that we can do all things to the glory of God, including the things we don’t desire to do, the things not according to plan, the harder-than-we-can-stand things, the unwelcome pain… that when they tell us “whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31), we can and are empowered in Christ to do just that?
What we choose to repeat at home, practice within our families, and speak about daily directly affects our knowledge of the presence of God and our ability to recall God’s faithful works. God’s greatness and great story of redemption doesn’t just appear within our families by default. It is made known in and through us by deliberate praise and practice. And when the LORD your God brings you into the land that he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give you with great and good cities that you did not build, and houses full of all good things that you did not fill, and cisterns that you did not dig, and vineyards and olive trees that did not plant and when you eat and are full, then take care lest you forget the LORD, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
