ABOUT BEING YOU

[Margaret Wright]

 

Consider Peter’s words to the crippled man of Acts 3: 6, ‘Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.’ And the miracle as Peter ‘gave’ what he had and then the man ‘jumped to his feet and began to walk’ (v8).

Now relate it to yourself… ‘you.’ You cannot be Peter; in fact you cannot be someone else. You are you! And you cannot give what you do not have. You cannot give a dollar if you do not have it.

God made you the way you are As his child he has been training you and arranging all your circumstances and situations. He is gracious and is still working in you and through you is outworking his good pleasure.

So it is important to realize that you don’t have to try or strive to be like someone else! You only have to simply yield to God’s ways and be led by him step by step. Don’t try to go ahead of him… all you need to do is to follow him as he must always be in front!

Jesus is your model and your example, so be pliable in his hands for he is making you too to be a fisher of men as you follow him. God made you and saved you to submit to him. So do not resist. Be yourself – just be you…but be yourself to the praise of his glory where you are and in what you do.

God has a masterpiece plan just for you and how you are. And he is working it out in you, so you must not get in his way. You can either yield to God or hinder his outworking. So don’t hinder his work, his plan for you – or you will be sidetracked.

Today God is searching for channels – people just like you. Those who will learn obedience the way Jesus learned – by being fully submitted to God’s divine plan for him. Likewise your role is to not follow the pattern of man or men but to always follow God.

God is training you to be a follower, so he could make you a leader! Obey his specific instructions remembering that to do so you will need to spend time with him, praising him and knowing his will by studying his word.

Six challenges 1. Are you in love with his gifts more than with him?
2. Are you in love with the ministry more than with him?
3. Are you following your ambitions more than his plans for you?
4. Are you permitting anything to distract you from him?
5. Are you allowing him to bring you to the place of being utterly abandoned to his will?
6. Are you willing to be stripped of all you hold dear and still follow him and count it a privilege?

God desires you to be an empty vessel so he can fill you with himself and trust you not to make shipwreck of your life when the going gets tough. God looks at your heart and its attitude towards him. Trusting in his sovereignty will surely bring to pass his purposes in you and through you to others.

All spiritual blessings in Christ have already been bestowed on you. Do you know them and that you have them? If you can answer ‘Yes’ then you are like (not are!) Peter and you can give to others what you have. In doing so you shall bring glory to God and extend his kingdom by giving them what you have!

And what do you have? The power of the Holy Spirit and the authority of the wonderful name of Jesus!

Margaret Wright