Today's Scripture Reading (May 20, 2024): Ephesians 1
I remember
the art of picking teams in grade school for some sports contest. I was one of
the lucky ones. I was seldom chosen first, but I was also usually not picked
last. I was picked somewhere in the middle of the pack, and I was okay with
that position on the field. The worst moment for some kids came at the end of
the process. At this point, someone often said something like, "I don't
want them; you can have them." Sometimes, these players could be a
surprise. I remember one pick-up football game (not soccer) where a girl was
picked last, and she deserved her position for most of the game. She wouldn't
do anything; she just stood there. Finally, the other team decided simply to
ignore her. I wanted to get her involved in the game. So, I told her to stand
beside me, and when the players ran out to run their routes, I was going to
pass the ball to her, and I just wanted her to run downfield as far as she
could until someone touched her. The first part of the plan went perfectly; all
of the players on both sides ran away from us, and I tossed the ball to this
girl, who had some empty space through which she could run. That is when the
surprise came. This girl could run. She made her way down the field, juking one
way and then the other, and no one on the other team could touch her. She ran
the length of the field, scoring a touchdown, leaving me asking why she hadn't shown some of
that potential earlier in the game.
Paul tells
the Ephesians that they were chosen. Not only were they selected, but they were also predestined according to His
plan. God has a purpose for them. There was something that they were called to
do.
We often
misunderstand what predestination means. For some, it means that we are
determined to be either Christians or sinners by God's choice before we were
born or even before we were conceived. But that doesn't make any sense. In the opening
of his gospel, John says, "There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a
witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might
believe" (John 1:6-7). That doesn't sound like somehow
God has worked out which of us are going to heaven and who is destined for hell.
Others think that
God knows which of us will accept his offer of life and who will refuse the
offer, and while that may be true, I don't find that much better than destining
some for heaven and others for hell. I see God here telling us that each of us
is predestined according to his plan for a job that only we can do. I believe
that God keeps pouring out his blessing at every stage and in all the
circumstances of our lives as he continues to supply us with his predestined
purpose, all of this according to his plan.
We can also
stop the blessing as we continue through our lives. I think this happens more often
than we realize. Whether it is a lack of faith, a lack of trust, or whether we just
have a predetermined way of how God will respond in certain situations and
refuse to adjust to his will in our lives, we put a stop to the blessing of God.
For whatever reason, we shut ourselves off from the blessings of God while we
keep doing the work we think he is asking of us. Our attitude is that we can do
this in our power. And it doesn't take long for our tanks to drain.
The result is
we burn out. We are still doing the work, but our passion is gone. We complain
that our spiritual lives are like empty dry husks. We feel overwhelmed. We must
be reminded that God has chosen us for a purpose at every stage of our life. But
we also depend on his blessing to do the job he has called us to do.
Tomorrow's
Scripture Reading: Ephesians 2
Personal Note: Happy Birthday to my
wonderful daughter-in-law, Michelle. I hope you have a great day!
No comments:
Post a Comment