One of the most liberating choices we can make is something called – acceptance. God knows who you are. He knows your situation. He equips you with spiritual gifts. And, in accepting His will on this day, you will find GREAT joy. Learning to be the best YOU that you alone can be shows spiritual and emotional maturity. There will be those who have more money around you. Will you allow jealousy to take over? Your friend will get a promotion you thought you deserved. Will you let resentment fester like infection in a wound?
Evil lives in comparison and envy. “Why isn’t my life like his?” is a question that has no good answer. In acceptance of the will of God, we can discover our potential in our current situation. We will stop dreaming about being someplace that looks more desirable. Literally millions of Americans pull up stakes, on average, every 5 years to start over in a new town, with a new career. Marriages fail, often not because of dysfunction, but from discontent. We do not put a high value of life-long commitments to our family, our work, our community. Nearly everything has become disposable.
Do not confuse acceptance with resignation. Some heave a big sign and just ‘give up’ but they continue to wish they were someone different, living in some other place. Genuine acceptance leads to excellence because it brings contentment and willingness to 'bloom where we are planted!'
Will you accept the place God has given to you today? The source of our joy is not our circumstance. Our security and our peace comes from the Lord. Pursue Him! Turn your heart to know Him. "A single day in your courts is better than a thousand anywhere else! I would rather be a gatekeeper in the house of my God than live the good life in the homes of the wicked. For the Lord God is our light and protector. He gives us grace and glory. No good thing will the Lord withhold from those who do what is right. O Lord Almighty, happy are those who trust in you." (Psalm 84:10-12, NLT)
There is a powerful lesson about just being ourselves in the story of David’s battle with Goliath. The young teen showed up at the battlefield with provisions for his older brothers. When he heard the Philistine hero insulting the Lord, his faith kicked into high gear. He asked to take on the giant. King Saul invited him to come and present his plan. David told him "The Lord who saved me from the claws of the lion and the bear will save me from this Philistine!” Saul finally consented. “All right, go ahead,” he said. “And may the Lord be with you!” Then Saul gave David his own armor—a bronze helmet and a coat of mail. David put it on, strapped the sword over it, and took a step or two to see what it was like, for he had never worn such things before. “I can’t go in these,” he protested. “I’m not used to them.” So he took them off again. He picked up five smooth stones from a stream and put them in his shepherd’s bag. Then, armed only with his shepherd’s staff and sling, he started across to fight Goliath." (1 Samuel 17:37-40, NLT) David could not fight in Saul’s armor but he could succeed when his was exactly who and want God wanted him to be.
You cannot live in another’s blessing, use another’s gifts, either. God has called you and equipped you. What has God given you? Where has He placed you? Paul, writing to a younger preacher named Timothy, urged him to avoid the trap of fighting with others to be 'top dog,' and about the lure of having more. He said, "godliness with contentment is great gain." (1 Timothy 6:6, NIV)
Let the Lord use you - starting right where you are, just as you are.
Faithfulness today leads to tomorrow's promotion!
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