Our Part…

Quote:

“Maybe the best definition of what a great partnership or

great love is when people make each other grow in a

better direction than they would have grown on their own.”

~Brit Marling

Scripture:

So the Lord God formed out of the ground every animal of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called a living creature, that was its name.

~Genesis 2:19

Perspective:

Something I hear often in the Christian community is, God is good!  Yes, He is!  He has wonderful attributes that we cannot duplicate or even fully understand.  He is sovereign, meaning He is the supreme authority and all things are under His control.  He is omnipotent, He has unlimited power and is able to do anything.  He is omniscient, or all knowing, there are no secrets we are able to keep from God.  He is omnipresent, He is capable of being everywhere at the same time.  He is faithful, or steadfast, He does not change and so we can count on His promises today and forever after.  He is good, meaning He is righteous, He does the right thing no matter how we behave.  He is merciful or forgiving, even though we don’t deserve it much of the time.  And, God is gracious, He is love, He deals with us out of love rather than based on our worthiness.  If God has all these magnificent attributes, then what is our part in this broken world and in our own life?

God doesn’t need anything from us in order to exist, but He chose to partner with us in managing our self and planet Earth.  Now it is up to each of us to decide if we need God and if so, what we will do with that need.  Will we be faithful to Him and trust Him over our own fears?  Will we be obedient to Him since He knows best?  Will we be a light in this dark world, not because it is required for our salvation but simply because we realize all God has done and is doing for us?  Will we praise Him through life’s peaks AND valleys as we look forward to eternity with Him?  Contemplate what you are doing now and what you are willing to do from this moment forward…it is not a question to be taken lightly! 

The good news is, God does not expect perfection from us.  Knowing we are NOT perfect, He sent Jesus to Earth to die for our sins, so we could be saved despite our sins.  There is a gap, one we can feel, between perfection and our actions.  We typically do one of two things to relieve the tension this gap causes us at our core; we either choose to lower God’s standards by manipulating the meaning of His word or we choose to try harder to meet His standards.  We must remember, God loves us in spite of this gap, knowing we will never be perfect in this life.  Although we will never close that gap in this life, we can do our part and ultimately find peace and joy despite all the darkness and turmoil, we can be a light on Earth, an ambassador for God if we choose  to!

God gave Adam the job of naming the animals and birds AFTER He created them, He carried out the supernatural part and then asked Adam to name them in order to begin His partnership with man.  He partnered with Noah to build the ark.  He partnered with Moses to free the Israelites.  Then, God partnered with Mary (and Joseph) to bring Jesus to Earth, to save us from death.  And, in reading the Bible, many, many more partnerships can be seen in God’s work.  All those He partnered with had to have faith in Him to execute their parts.  He will not do our part, which must be done first for God to respond; He responds to our faith in Him.  Your work and cooperation with God will release His attributes and blessings in your life.  In fact, even though God sent Jesus to die for your salvation, you will not even be saved unless you do your part!  You must confess with your mouth and believe with your heart in order to be saved (Roman’s 10:9).   

He may call you to do things that feel  impossible to you, but they are far from impossible for Him through  you.  What is your biggest need right now?  What miracle are you hoping for?  What can YOU do to partner with God to meet your needs and work toward your goals?  Have you prayed to God and asked Him to reveal your part to you?  That is certainly the best place to start!  Then, make sure you spend time being still, listening for His response, a step we often neglect to do.  Don’t just talk to God, listen for Him to talk to you, as well, after you pray and throughout each and every day.  This devotional is the beginning of a series all about your part, what YOU can do to partner and cooperate with God.  In the weeks to come, I will talk about what God’s word says about effort, grit, perseverance, resiliency, responsibility, risk, intentionality, consistency, and self-efficacy.  Although we lack control in many areas of life, these nine factors we do have control over.  So, commit to exerting control where you do have it, rather than dwelling on, complaining about, and battling factors you cannot control, like what other people choose to do and what happens around and to you.  

Life Application:

>What can you do to help your needs, hopes, goals, and dreams become a reality?  Wishing will not work, and although prayer is helpful and part of our obedience to and trust in God, taking action and partnering with Him is even more effective and a step He asks of us!  Write down your greatest needs and wants below.  Then write down what YOU can do to help them come to fruition, step by step, praying for God’s strength to do what you must day in and day out!