Romans 8:15-17
God’s Spirit doesn’t make us slaves who are afraid of him. Instead, we become his children and call him our Father. God’s Spirit makes us sure that we are his children. His Spirit lets us know that together with Christ we will be given what God has promised. We will also share in the glory of Christ, because we have suffered with him.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
I confess …I turn down a lot of invitations these days. I am simply not interested in joining a club, participating in certain groups, or attending certain social activities. It’s not that I have commitment issues…or that I am an introvert or asocial. Sometimes the person(s) who are inviting will say, “You will have so much fun! You will really enjoy this”…or the ultimate, “You will be so blessed!” Yeah…maybe…but I will also feel obligated to continue to attend/participate. The activity will become drudgery, and NOBODY will be blessed by that!
If we are truly honest, a lot of us do this with God. When the Holy Spirit comes calling, we say, “I see what you are offering – and it sounds great on the surface. But over time, it could become hard work – or even boring or uninteresting. My relationship with you could become an obligation more than an honor…and I would not be serving you for the right reasons.” And we pull away.
I’m not going to lie…there will be times when serving in God’s Army isn’t exactly tea and roses. There will be days when you don’t want to smile and “play nice”…times when you don’t want to open your Bible and seek God’s word and will…worship events that you don’t want to attend…and people you don’t want to serve in the name of Jesus. But in these instances, if we do it anyway, we will essentially be “suffering with Christ” in a small way. I can assure you that JESUS did not want to be nailed to a cross for a single one of us…but He did it anyway.
There are things in our life in which we have every right to refuse to participate, for whatever reason. Some of them very well may make us feel like slaves. But serving God and surrendering to His will is not one of them. He is our Father…we are His children. He loves us beyond anything we can ever imagine. Nothing or no one will ever compare. What God calls us to do will bring blessings beyond what we could ever dream…and glory because we did these things for Him.
So refuse a lunch date…decline the offer to join a study group, fitness team, or even a social club…turn down that invitation to a party that sounds less fun than being waterboarded! But don’t miss out on the Holy Spirit’s invitation. Don’t say “No!” to the One who offers EVERYTHING! Jump in with both feet and say, “Yes! I’m ready, willing – and thanks to the power of Jesus – ABLE to do whatever you ask!”
©2016 Debbie Robus
God’s Spirit doesn’t make us slaves who are afraid of him. Instead, we become his children and call him our Father. God’s Spirit makes us sure that we are his children. His Spirit lets us know that together with Christ we will be given what God has promised. We will also share in the glory of Christ, because we have suffered with him.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
I confess …I turn down a lot of invitations these days. I am simply not interested in joining a club, participating in certain groups, or attending certain social activities. It’s not that I have commitment issues…or that I am an introvert or asocial. Sometimes the person(s) who are inviting will say, “You will have so much fun! You will really enjoy this”…or the ultimate, “You will be so blessed!” Yeah…maybe…but I will also feel obligated to continue to attend/participate. The activity will become drudgery, and NOBODY will be blessed by that!
If we are truly honest, a lot of us do this with God. When the Holy Spirit comes calling, we say, “I see what you are offering – and it sounds great on the surface. But over time, it could become hard work – or even boring or uninteresting. My relationship with you could become an obligation more than an honor…and I would not be serving you for the right reasons.” And we pull away.
I’m not going to lie…there will be times when serving in God’s Army isn’t exactly tea and roses. There will be days when you don’t want to smile and “play nice”…times when you don’t want to open your Bible and seek God’s word and will…worship events that you don’t want to attend…and people you don’t want to serve in the name of Jesus. But in these instances, if we do it anyway, we will essentially be “suffering with Christ” in a small way. I can assure you that JESUS did not want to be nailed to a cross for a single one of us…but He did it anyway.
There are things in our life in which we have every right to refuse to participate, for whatever reason. Some of them very well may make us feel like slaves. But serving God and surrendering to His will is not one of them. He is our Father…we are His children. He loves us beyond anything we can ever imagine. Nothing or no one will ever compare. What God calls us to do will bring blessings beyond what we could ever dream…and glory because we did these things for Him.
So refuse a lunch date…decline the offer to join a study group, fitness team, or even a social club…turn down that invitation to a party that sounds less fun than being waterboarded! But don’t miss out on the Holy Spirit’s invitation. Don’t say “No!” to the One who offers EVERYTHING! Jump in with both feet and say, “Yes! I’m ready, willing – and thanks to the power of Jesus – ABLE to do whatever you ask!”
©2016 Debbie Robus
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