Judges 19-21

Luke 7:31-50

“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!”       —1 John 3:1

When was the last time we experienced the anticipation that who we are, what we do and where we are is important to God’s kingdom and His purpose? Do we deeply know and believe that what we are doing and how we are spending our time is making a difference—an eternal difference to God? Each morning, are we filled with the sense of knowing that God has woken us up with something good and significant planned for us? Just how often do we just stop to feel His pleasure as we do our work with excellence and seek to be a person of integrity? If we do not know the answers to these questions, may we take some time to reread and reflect on them.  

When the Father fashioned us in our mother’s womb, He gave us specific gifts that He chose to give us and He did that as an act of love. However, we have to be careful with how we describe ourselves as we do His kingdom work. Some of us would call ourselves God’s instrument in this world, but we must remember that we are first and foremost His sons and daughters. Paul tells us, “So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith” (Galatians 3:26). We are not pawns on God’s chess board to accomplish some great cosmic purpose. We are beloved in His eyes and are much more to Him than the means to accomplish His end.

One way to understand our relationship with God is to think of it as a parent, who is a woodworker, with a child. The parent takes great pleasure and pride in creating beautiful things out of wood, such as furniture and carvings. The child, watching the parent create art day after day, would ask if they could come alongside and help. Although the parent could accomplish any task needed without the help of the child, the parent allows the child to help. Little by little, as the child becomes more involved and skilled at crafting the wood, this fills the parent with great joy. Similarly, our sovereign God can accomplish all of His purposes without us, but in His love for each of us, He invites us to come work alongside Him in all the good things that He does.

One of the greatest setbacks is to get squeezed into the world’s mold by thinking in terms of productivity and earning. It is a lie that tells us we have to somehow earn everything we get in life. But the bottom line is we are God’s children, and we can join our Father in His kingdom work.

Father God, thank You that I can join You in Your kingdom work. Help me be someone who does work with excellence and integrity.