Eph 2:8-9 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.
I love getting the word delivered to me every morning. You learn the word by reading it. You learn about God’s love and grace by applying it to your life. Well, at least I do.
I was thinking about the verse as I was driving into work. I had just been telling someone yesterday about my story, about just a small portion. I think because I’ve been thinking about this book thing, and how I was given the direction by God that someday I would write it, and it’s starting to really seem like a reality I’ve been thinking about the greatness of God when He came down and just wrecked my heart in a good way.
There is but opening my heart and my arms that I could have ever done for my salvation. It’s all Him. It’s hard to remember that He is not only in the big things, but also the small every day things. Like how He opens the hearts and doors for a cheaper price for the Winter Retreat or how there wasn’t any open weekends to go to Cedar Point, and then there was. Hmmm… It’s never me. Even when I explain to someone about how gas prices do affect the prices of our groceries but not as much as the media would like us to believe or why outside rearview mirrors (OSRV) fold (I mean, besides me, who cares about that stuff!). I am smart, even when no one listens to me, and sometimes it’s because they are intimidated by me (which really is funny to me!). He created me for such a time as this.
I have been listening to a message for the last couple days from Elevation Church (it’s taking me forever to get through them all because I listen to them 3, 4, 7 times each) called Frustrations of a Fixer. I’d really recommend it (there actually hasn't been one that I wouldn't recommend). Anyway… there is a part when Pastor Furtick talks about how when we need to be filled by anyone else, we are broken, that our affirmation should come from God not from anyone else because other people's affirmations will just "leak out". I instantly thought of an sugar cone filled with a mini-marshmallow. (did you know that is a way to solve your leaky ice cream issues, stick a marshamallow in the bottom… and what a treat when you’re at the bottom). I never think of God as little, but He certainly is in the little details of everything. And He can fix our leaking... people try to love us but like an ice cream cone with a hole in the bottom, all the good stuff leaks out!
Pastor Furdick talked about how if your affirmation isn’t coming from God, it doesn’t matter how many times people say “thank you” or “you’re awesome” it will NEVER be enough, but if you get your confidence from God, it will ALWAYS be enough. Isn’t it true?! He is enough. In a list of thank you’s someone is always left off, not on purpose, but it happens. This lead me to think about this verse again, but in a slightly different way… it is by His grace that we can even do our works. It is by His love, His grace, His sacrifice, that we can do anything… there is nothing that we can boast about… and in turn, nothing that anyone needs to say thank you to us for, it’s all Him.
I wish I could tell you that I never want to hear another thank you… because truthfully, I want to know that what I do does matter, but I always want to turn that thank you to me into a Thank You to Him.
I'm working on hearing Him say "Well done My good and faithful servant" and letting that be enough.
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