| Good morning everyone, Our theme for this month: “Personal Responsibility” Our Bible verse for today: “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” Psalm 139:23-24 (NIV) Our thought for today: “Ask God to show you what needs to change” Does it surprise you to learn that God might want something to happen, even want it very much, and yet He chooses to leave that thing undone until and unless we get busy and do something about it? It’s true. There are actually many instances like that – which is a bit surprising considering that God is Omnipotent (all-powerful) and He can do anything He wants any time He wants in any way He wants, and He doesn’t need us to do it. And yet, in many cases He waits patiently for us to get off our duffs and do something about the very thing that He Himself wants done, and which He could accomplish in an instant and with no help from us. Why does He wait for us to get with the program and get busy? The answer is “personal responsibility”. There are things that God wants us to take responsibility for and which He refuses to do for us. He will help us with those things once we get moving and start doing our part, but He won’t force the issue and He won’t simply wave a magic wand and accomplish the thing for us. For personal improvement is one of those areas. It’s true that God wants you to be your best. It’s also true that He could turn you into the best you, simply by willing it to be so. But He doesn’t do it like that. Instead, He requires us to put some effort into it. He isn’t going to magically turn you into a spiritual pillar of strength if you never bother to pray or read your Bible. He isn’t going to give you the physical vitality of Caleb (Joshua 14:10-11), or the long life of Methuselah (Genesis 5:27), if you don’t bother to take care of your health. He isn’t going to give you the riches of Solomon if you’re financially irresponsible with what you already have. God wants us to make an effort and to take some actions to do the right thing and to accomplish what we are able to do for ourselves. In the days and weeks to come we’ll explore many of the ways in which God has revealed to us, in the Bible, things He wants us to take personal responsibility for in different areas of our lives. For today, it would be good for each of us to make David’s prayer in Psalm 139:23-24 our own prayer. I encourage you to spend some time with the Lord and ask Him to reveal areas of your life that need some work. In upcoming devotionals it’s likely that your issue will be one of the topics we focus on. God bless, Pastor Jim |
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