Cathy's Corner

Cathy’s Corner

 

            I was reading in my Bible when I stumbled across this at the bottom of the page in the commentary. I really like what it said and wanted to share it with you.

 

            God’s Work In Our Lives – All people possess an inward desire that their work should have meaning and permanence. If man’s work is not to be lost in the vastness of eternity, however, it mush conform to the work God has designed for man. This work for the present day can be known only from God’s Word.

            According to the Word of God, the initial work of God is for us to believe in Jesus Christ. Apart from entering into this vital relationship with God, man cannot even begin to work for God. After coming to know Christ, the new Christian discovers God’s program for the present from the Scriptures. It is, first of all, His work in the Christian himself. Regeneration is only the beginning of God’s work in the believer. It actually introduces a process of becoming like Christ which God promises ultimately to bring to perfection. The Christian’s cheerful obedience to God’s will as revealed in His word helps speed this work along.

Second, no Christian can overlook God’s work in the world. Jesus’ command to spread the good news of the gospel to all men appears near the end of all four Gospels and at the beginning of the Book of Acts. God’s method is that men proclaim the gospel and that the Holy Spirit convict.

            Finally, God’s work is in and through the church, the organism ordained by Christ for this age. God works in the church through the spirit and through spiritually gifted people to strengthen and bless it.

 

What struck me was that all men possess an inward desire that their work should have meaning and permanence. How many “good” people do we know or know of that are doing good things, help people and truly want to make a difference in lives? But it is all in vain and lost if it doesn’t conform to the work God has designed for us. If we don’t read God’s Word and follow His guidance then we really don’t know what it is we are supposed to do for Him. And if we don’t have the relationship with Him that we are supposed to have with Him, we can’t even begin to work for God. Once we have that relationship with Him, He works in us and through us and regenerates us for His purposes. That’s only the beginning. He then begins to conform us to become like Him. Now that’s the hard part - all of those things we go through where He is shaping and molding and making us like Him. Just think of how hard you have to work to mold and shape a piece of play dough into what you want it to be. You pinch off a piece here or there, you smash it into the table to flatten it, you roll it, bend it and all kinds of things until you get it to be what you want it to be, that perfect piece you created. It’s not easy being made into His image.

God wants to use us to tell others about Him and spread the good news of what He did for us. He tells us to go and tell and it’s up to Him to convict the person we are telling, not us. He uses the church (the people) to serve His purposes. He gifts us each with different gifts and talents to be used by Him so that He can strengthen the church and bless it. I just love how God has it all worked out and how we all fit together in His master plan. We are all being used by Him and are all being made perfect and in His image if we have a relationship with Him. What a blessing it is to know how God works in our lives.  

 

Have a great day in the Lord!