January 6 I Friday

Genesis 16-17

Matthew 5:27-48

“His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness.”    —2 Peter 1:3

We can have something and not know that we have it. The problem is not the possession of something, but knowing what we have and understanding what we have. Imagine we go to a dealership, point to a car and say, “I would like this car.” And then we add, “Now, I need an engine to go with it.” The dealer would tell us, “No, don’t worry about that. There is already an engine in there.” “Oh, really?” we respond, “Then I’ll need some seats!” The dealer answers, “There’s already seats in there.” And we say, “Okay, well, I’ll need a steering wheel.” The dealer goes, “There’s already a steering wheel in the car.” Then, we question, “What about airbags? I need airbags!” The dealer tells us, “Everything you need to take this car down the road is in the car. It is all wrapped up in one thing.”

       Does this interaction sound a bit foolish? Some Christians talk to God like that, asking God for things that we already have in Christ. For example, Scripture never encourages us to ask God to guide us. Proverbs 3:6 tells us, “In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths” (NKJV). God does not have to tell us in advance what path to take, but we can trust Him to direct our path. As the Spirit comes to live in us, He has come to guide us.

       Another example, we may have a difficult relationship with someone and ask God to give us love for this person. With the Holy Spirit in us as a Christian, we do not need to ask for love. Paul writes, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love…” (Galatians 5:22). In other words, we can stop asking God for what will be His fruit or what He is going to express in us. Instead, we should respond, “Thank You, Lord Jesus, I do not like this person. I cannot stand him and do not get on with him. He probably does not like me either and I may deserve it as much as he does. Nonetheless, thank You that You live in me and You love this man.” When we are with this person, allow the Spirit of God to express in us love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control—His fruit of the Spirit. Instead of asking God for these things, may we approach God with thanksgiving because we have everything we need in Christ; as He is in us, He is the source of all these things.

       May we live in the richness that we have everything we need for life and godliness in Christ!

Prayer: Lord God, thank You, for You are the Source of all things. May I live in the richness of knowing that I have everything I need for life and godliness through Jesus Christ alone. Amen!