Embrace the Within no. 206
“Now to him who by his power working in us is able to do far beyond anything we can ask or imagine, to him be glory in the Messianic Community and in the Messiah Yeshua from generation to generation forever. Amen” (Ephesians (Eph) 3:20-21). God is awesome BUT sometimes we choose to believe He needs us. God wants us BUT He does not need us. He does not need me to complete His work. He allows me to participate in His creation and His plan.
When I can get too caught up in the work I am doing, I take time to recognize that my work is not necessary. Nothing I write or do is going to make any difference without Him. I spent plenty of years banging my will against life with little to no real success. I might have been successful from outward standards BUT that wasn’t the success I was looking to find. It was fruitless, pointless, “I may speak in the tongues of men, even angels; but if I lack love, I have become merely blaring brass or a cymbal clanging” (1 Corinthians (1 Co) 13:1). And I clanged away day and night. And my clanging not only got on the nerves of others BUT it got on my nerves as well.
I was banging and clanging all day like “. . . a tale/Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,/Signifying nothing” (Macbeth V, v, l. 25-27). BUT I lacked love. I wasn’t bringing the Good News out of love. And that makes all the difference.
Talking about God’s love and grace and mercy is going to get negatively labeled as ‘sugar-coating’ the Word. BUT everything I know about love and grace and mercy is from Him. So I am going to coat everything in love and grace and mercy. Because Jesus layered on the love and grace and mercy thickly. The love and grace and mercy that Jesus brought was for those seeking Him. That is where the sugar flowed freely. The condemnation and judgment flowed on the religious folks that lacked love and grace and mercy. They needed to get the sugar bowl.
I no longer clang all day long. I give glory to God who deserves that glory and thankfulness for His love and grace and mercy. The God that does all things with me even though He doesn’t need my help. He wants my help. And that makes it even better. Because I don’t have to worry about doing anything right. He makes everything right.
Grace and Shalom to your home.
I love you. I forgive you. Have a blessed and abundant day!
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