Here Today

"God must be huge. He must be our foundation."

I WROTE a piece long ago called “God Is My Salesman”. I meant every word. I don’t check stats or read sales charts or pay to advertise, although I have advertised. I don’t hold other people’s methods of sales against them. But one fact rises up in me today. I passed a promo for what is supposed to draw attention to an environmental issue, and I’m all about protecting special places. But this one used what is sin in their promo. This isn’t about who or how or what, but that what is done through Christ will last.

All our self-effort is bird wax. God sees the sparrows, every single one, and knows their hatching, their lifespan, and their deaths. No animal life born on this planet is ever lost after it has ended. This is a misunderstanding of God’s nature. But my point is, He sees these tiny birds, these are the words of Jesus in Matthew 10:29, and He sees me and you, knows all our thoughts and intents, the words we say and the ones we don’t. And what He’s asking of us is commitment and submission. Commitment to the process of healing of our soul and our bodies, commitment to the path He’s placed us on, commitment to what He’s given us His creativity to do. And submission to His will in it because, as I just said, He knows us intimately and what He sets in motion will be perfect and awesomely blessed if we’ll walk it out.

What is done in the flesh will manifest things for only a time. I put it this way because there are those who it seems did nothing for God and yet have great substance. What they have, though, is friable. It is transparent in the light of the stature and character of God and in most, becomes selfishness instead, even if framed in the finest hallway. Self-appointed work done outside of God’s Presence and outside of His wisdom is always unstable. Because when we’re IN THE SPIRIT, listening to Him, submitted to Him, nothing He does makes God small. God must be huge. He must be our foundation.

“Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.” (Matthew 7:24-27)

True submission to Him means giving up everything we would choose to do. Jesus was submissive on earth to the will of the Father (Philippians 2:8), and He still submits to Him, for the Father is greater than all (John 10:29). But now, Jesus is King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the name above every other name (Ephesians 1:21). He reigns in human flesh, as restored to the Father’s right hand (Hebrews 1:3), but He reigns as Jehovah and Elohim, the Creator who was in the beginning (John 1:1). He lived a life of submission, though, even to the point of death, and that is why He reigns.

“And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” (Philippians 2:8)

“I am giving myself completely to you for their sakes so that they can truly give themselves to you.” (John 17:19 UDB)

God knows all things. His timing is perfect because He knows all things. His method of working is perfect because He knows all things. So WHAT and HOW and WHO He uses and works through us and on our behalf will come to perfect fruition because nothing He does is half-hearted, contains any hint of doubt, or any chance of error. Our submission, our commitment to His process, guarantees a happy, healthy life. To do otherwise, to draw our own path, to design our own ending, is like rewriting the how-to-assemble product instructions. There is only one way to live life and Jesus conceived it (John 1:3) He then died to heal it. All other methods of product assembly will fail and fade like the grass, which is here today and gone tomorrow.

“Those who live with the selfish nature in charge have their minds bent on self-indulgence and selfish pursuits; but those who live in harmony with the Spirit of truth and love have their minds focused on living in harmony with God’s principles of truth, love, and liberty.” (Romans 8:5, Remedy)

“A person's life is like grass—it blossoms like wild flowers, but when the wind blows through it, it withers away and no one remembers where it was. Yet the LORD's gracious love remains throughout eternity for those who fear him and his righteous acts extend to their children's children,” (Psalms 103:15-17 ISV)

“Bless the LORD, My soul, and never forget any of his benefits: He continues to forgive all your sins, he continues to heal all your diseases, he continues to redeem your life from the Pit, and he continually surrounds you with gracious love and compassion. He keeps satisfying you with good things, and he keeps renewing your youth like the eagle's.” (Psalms 103:2-5 ISV)

Photo by John Salvino on Unsplash


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Suzanne D. Williams, Author
www.suzannedwilliams.com
www.feelgoodromance.com