DAILY WORD – THURSDAY 02 FEBUARY 2006

AND WHAT UNION CAN THERE BE BETWEEN GOD’S TEMPLE AND IDOLS? FOR YOU ARE GOD’S TEMPLE, THE HOME OF THE LIVING GOD, AND GOD HAS SAID OF YOU, “I WILL LIVE IN THEM AND WALK AMONG THEM, AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE.”  (2 CORINTHIANS 6:16)

The number one idol in today’s westernised society is SELF!

Let’s face it, some days we fall into the trap of serving the great ‘I’ instead of the great ‘I am’.

The first sign of pressure and we moan and complain about our ‘lot in life’, often if it’s a really tough day, wallowing in self pity with the ‘why me’ question.

Yesterday Bernard challenged us with the question ‘are we willing to go where God tells us to’, and he used the example of going to some remote area on the mission field. But sometimes we are not even willing to respond to the prompting of the Holy Spirit in regard to the smallest thing. How often do we sense that we should phone someone just to see how they are, only to say to ourselves we haven’t got the time and will do it later, the only problem being that ‘later’ never happens?

All too often if we are really honest, we quickly obey the Lords promptings when it suits us, and find every excuse under the sun to avoid the issue when things aren’t going our way.

And then we ask the question “Lord why aren’t you using me?” The Lord is looking for us to be faithful in the little things before He will entrust us with the big things. Sometimes it’s just about continuing to praise Him in the worst of times, because He has promised to turn everything to our good if we love Him and trust Him.

And then there’s the great excuse of I’m not good enough, strong enough, intelligent enough etc. The big ‘I’ again; it’s not about us and our abilities, its about the God of the universe who lives in us, empowering us to be His vessels of hope and blessing in this lonely world.

We waste so much time trying to ‘get it all together’ in order to do something for God. He doesn’t need our abilities, rather we need His! We are not saved or sanctified by what we do for God, but by what we let Him do in us. How often don’t we, when things are good, say to ourselves ‘look what I’m doing for the Lord’, like we deserve a ‘Noddy Badge’ for good behaviour. When will we understand that God doesn’t reward us for our ‘good behaviour’ but blesses us because we walk with Him in covenant relationship, our behaviour being a reflection of His presence in us?

Oh that we could, once and for all time, lay down that old man called SELF! But let us not despair, today or on the days we ‘miss’ it, for we have a powerful saviour who has promised that ‘from glory to glory’ He is changing us!    Trust Him, even when nothing makes sense!

NEVER ALONE, NEVER ABANDONED, NEVER FORSAKEN ---- JESUS IS HERE FOR YOU TODAY!

Have an empowered Thursday.

Much love

Chrissy

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