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A boost to our spiritual lives
There is a worship conference held yearly in California that my husband and I have attended twice now. It has done more to jumpstart my spiritual life than anything in my recent memory. The following is a short summary of one of the sessions featuring speaker Louie Giglio.
He began by welcoming us into God's story. Acts 17:26-28a states: “From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. For in him we live and move and have our being.” We did not choose where or how we were born. God, in His inestimable wisdom placed each of us where He wanted us in order to bring Him glory.
God created the world as we know it in six days and then made the seventh day one of rest. When He tells us to remember the Sabbath day of rest, He wasn't doing it only for physical rejuvenation. He wants us to pause to remember God, and how He created everything by Himself, without us. He is “I AM”, the self-existent one. All the universes and tiny atoms were spoken into being by Him. We can learn so much by putting that in perspective, a point touched on in a later paragraph.
He doesn't need any of us to do anything. He can do it Himself. And, He didn't create humanity because He was lonely and needed someone to talk to. He was perfectly happy with the Son and the Holy Spirit in heaven. We can't fathom how big and smart and glorious God is, but He invites us to get to know Him. He invites us to have a role in His grand scheme on earth in the redemption of His people.
So, knowing what a great God there is, and remembering what He's done for us, why do we argue with Him about our part in the story? Why do we try to make God fit into OUR story, the one WE have planned. When we pray, why do we ask Him to bless OUR plans, instead of just saying YES, I will do whatever You want me to do? When Moses was invited to be a part of God's story to free the Israelites from the Egyptians, he tried to make excuses (I stutter) and ask God silly questions (Who will I say sent me?). But God revealed Himself in a way that was to be remembered throughout all generations. God is the “I AM”. In essence, God was saying, “Moses, you ARE NOT, but I AM. You are not able to deliver My people, but I AM. You can't do this, but I AM with you to make this a success.” Now, if Moses had declined God, God would've found another willing heart to accomplish His purposes. He didn't actually need Moses. But He chose Moses to play a small role in His ultimate plan of redemption, and God received glory from Moses' willingness to obey. God's purpose and plan was and still is more important than what Moses, or we today, think.
We need to wrap our minds around the truth that we are infinitesimal. We are so very small. We are specks, tiny nothings. This is not to make us feel worthless. This is to make us feel privileged that the huge God of all time and space has descended down to us in unconditional love to make us part of His family and His story. What an awesome privilege!
My husband and I are making a concerted effort to apply these truths to our lives. We know we were placed together on purpose for a purpose, and we seek wisdom every day in going about God's business for us. It's a wonderful thing when God reveals things to us as a couple that we can work together on in our lives.
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