Day 2590 of the 7 day Bible verse challenge.
Ephesians 2:10 NIV
Yesterday we discussed how easily we forget who we are and what we have inside of us. Odds are we've never had to look for the strength that God has given us. Sure, we've all endured some rough days. But how bad were they? Were they life-changing or simply inconvenient? Have our trials been enough to bring us to our knees in search for the power our faith holds? Or are they just enough to maybe encourage us to send up a quick prayer to help distract us for a moment?
The fact is that while what we've gone through may have been painful or challenging or uncomfortable, none of it has been enough to break us. That’s because whether we've taken the time to notice it or not, God has been with us every step of the way. That's the gift we receive when we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior. We receive the promise that He's with us. Not that we'll never struggle or face another tough day. But that He will be there with us ready to help us keep going and make it through when those hard times come.
The thing that we have forgotten a long time ago is that God created us to do more than get by. He created us for more than what we've chosen to do. We settled for doing things our way. We chose to seek our desires. We set our hearts on chasing what we wanted. We turned back from following Him for fear of the difficulties that it would bring and decided to sit on the sidelines hoping that something good would come our way, close enough that we could grab it without having to leave our comfy seat.
But God created us in His image, and yet we traded that in for an image that more closely resembles the world we're living in. An image of those who whine when life is hard. An image of a people who are selfish beyond belief. An image of a kind of arrogance that cannot see the brokenness that we all have because of sin. An image that can't humble itself until pushed to the utmost limit where humility is all we have left. But thankfully, there's redemption in the Son!
He sent Christ to bring us back from where we'd gone. He sent Christ to help us see that we were created for more than what we've chosen to settle for. He sent Jesus to open our eyes and remind us that we all have a chance to do something good, something that matters, something that helps bring God glory and fulfills His purpose for our lives. That's why we have to stop forgetting who we are and why we're here.
It's not about us. It's not about what we want. It's not about going only as far as we're comfortable going. Our lives are a story that was written to testify about the goodness of God and the faithfulness that He has for those who rely on Him and His strength. He created us to do good things, and while we took a few years to wander off and do other things, we still have the chance to turn back to Him and give Him whatever we have left.
The amazing thing is that it doesn't matter what we've done. Doesn't matter how long we've been running in the wrong direction. Doesn't matter how many years we've wasted chasing our own selfish ideals and whining when we didn't get our way. What matters is that in Christ we have the opportunity to come back to doing something good. We have the opportunity to let go of what we've been and what we've done and take Him up on His original plans for us.
There is no too far gone. He has never given up on the plans He has for us, and He sent Jesus to prove it. He can still do good things with us, in us, and for us. We just have to stop trying to find our identity in all these other places that only leave us angry and bitter. We need to turn back to the One who authored our identity and sent His Son to show us just how important we are to Him. Only in Christ will we ever find the life that we're looking for: A life of fulfillment, peace, accomplishment, and a hope that simply never gives up. Time for us to stop giving up too!
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