Something More than You Think You Are

Something More than You Think You Are 

by David Brenneman 

"So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure." Philippians 2:12-13 .

"And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.  For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;  and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified." Romans 8:28-30.

"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them." Ephesians 2:10.

We have an extremely limited level of understanding concerning our true self worth in our lives.  We don't fully understand our status and position in the Kingdom of God within continually being in the Word of God to gain that knowledge and understanding.  

We often define ourselves based on our successes and our failures.  We often, realistically, blame circumstances for the outcomes we experience.

Sin nature has a lot to do with our interpretation of life.  It's within all of us and does it's level best to thwart the work of God in Christ. 

We really can't trust our personal perceptions without first going to Jesus for clarification.  We are to trust in the Lord with all our hearts and to not lean on our own understanding.  In all our ways to acknowledge Him so that He would make our paths straight. 

The Apostles ripped a guy for trying incessantly to make crooked the straight way of the Lord.  

I may not understand what's going on but I must trust in God, His wisdom, timing and purpose for whatever I am going through.  

Adversity, as Dr. Charles Stanley puts it, is only going to last as long as it is necessary for God to accomplish His purpose in our lives. 

More often than not that purpose is to keep our eyes on Jesus.  To look to the Author and perfecter of our faith. 

Turn your eyes upon Jesus isn't just a wonderful song it's a way of life. 

I tend to read all that I do each evening for over an hour, the study Bibles and devotionals.  I take it in not knowing what all God will do with it.  But if I don't consume it, then I will never know what it will eventually do in my life.  If I don't take in those readings then there's nothing for the Spirit of God to really work with. 

The point of eating physical food is nourishment for the needs of the physical body.  We don't understand fully how a hamburger and side dish translate to energy and all but we know that without eating we lose energy etc.

Our perception of us as spiritual beings has to be on our minds. 

We are who Jesus says we are since He will fully reveal that in the near future.  We are either saved or unsaved.  We are either the beloved of God or the accursed.  We are either growing in the character of Christ or we aren't.  We are either being a light shining in a dark place or we are the darkness.  We are either engaged in growing in Christ or we are skating by in only doing the bare minimum. 

We either take up our own cross daily and follow Him or we aren't. 

We either embrace the love of God in Christ Jesus for us or we choose not to.

These ways of thinking are important.  We need to understand that whatever we make a priority will make us grow closer to Jesus or keep us farther away.  When we choose things of this world over time spent with Jesus we certainly do not choose wisely.  

"But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ.  More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead." Philippians 3:7-11

Does this describe your priorities in life?  Do you choose to spend time with Jesus either in prayer or in the Word of God or both?  

You are meant to be more than what you think. 

All New American Standard Bible Scripture Excerpts used by permission. (C) 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by the Lockman Foundation. A corporation not for profit.