Awaken Our Hearts

"Therefore we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power, that the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ."
(2 Thessalonians 1:11,12)

How often do we discount the Lord's interaction in our lives? Do we make Him a reality OR do we consider Him to be just a nice concept? I realize these sound like ridiculous questions, but I feel the need for us to think about this.

God has CALLED us as His children.
He has CALLED us to represent His Son, Jesus, in a fallen world.
He has CALLED us to be a Light in the darkness.

These were not our ideas nor are they part of OUR plan! This is God's mandate: that we would fulfill His purposes on this earth.

Paul is saying, "Church of Thessalonica, I am praying that you are living your life in such a way that God is pleased and deems you worthy to receive His inheritance as His child. I want you to consider Him who made you for His good pleasure and for His divine purposes."

So, I guess I am saying the same thing...

When we make decisions do we consider whether or not Jesus will be glorified in our actions? Do we consider if our choices will "fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness" in us? Will our actions exemplify the work of faith in us so that the power of the Holy Spirit is revealed?

These are tough question, aren't they? I know. I thought the same thing, but I believe these questions are from the Lord because He wants us to examine our hearts. We live in a time that we must count the cost of our discipleship. We live in a time where we must INTENTIONALLY consider our God in all things. We cannot organize our lives in such a way that places God in His own category, separate and isolated from our moment-by-moment existence.

It is time that we move past this generic knowledge that He is El Elyon - the God Most High - and begin to WALK in that truth and all of its implications.

Either He is God...or He is not.

We can't have it both ways.

Ouch! That hurt, didn't it? Let's pray for one another.

Father God, We don't especially enjoy the times of chastisement, but, Father, I know that Your motive is love. You want to be our Lord, not just our Savior. You want us to understand the harsh realities of the times in which we live. You have shown me that You must be the Lord over ALL my life so that I can live victoriously for you. This is how Your children will endure the days ahead - not just dutifully warming our church pews every Sunday - but recognizing that You are GOD!! You are Master of the Universe and...You are a jealous God Who requires loyalty from Your children. I am so thankful that, again, Your motive is love. It is born out of a Father's heart. But, Lord, I truly believe You want us to heed this message because we must allow our faith to mature. Awaken our hearts to love You more, Lord.