Good morning. It’s Thursday, January 27th, 2022. Thank you for allowing me to do life with you as we read God’s Word together. Sometimes the Scriptures we read fly right over our heads, and we don’t understand its meaning, so we pass it by and move onward. After all, we have a whole chapter to read, and we can’t get way-laid with one stubborn verse that defies our comprehension! But let’s stop on one today. Join me, and let’s break bread together … the bread of life. Read on …
Today's Reading:
Exodus 17,18,19,20; Acts 3
Scripture
“For you first, God raised up His Servant, and sent Him to bless you by turning every one of you from your wicked ways.” (Acts 3:26)
Observation
Blessings — we all love to be blessed.
- “I was blessed with this car that someone gave me.”
- “I was blessed with a free trip to Hawaii.”
- “Somebody blessed me with some money!”
We’ve defined “blessing” as a positive, beneficial, unmerited gift. That may be one definition, but one definition does not equal the exhaustive definition. There’s so much more! Take the word Grace: we’ve learned the Twitter definition as the “unmerited favor of God.” Good, but surely not all-inclusive. Often, our experience limits us to a one-dimensional definition, leaving a very shallow foundation upon which we confidently stand and believe to be sufficient! When we settle for a one-dimensional understanding of God, we set ourselves up for a disaster.
Application
In the book of Acts, blessing is defined as God … turning us from our wicked ways. That’s right — blessing disguised as correction! A detour. A disciplinary action, a reprimand, even a failure! But … whatever turns us from our wicked way is indeed a blessing, isn’t it?
God’s blessings will often come wrapped in “struggle paper.”
One of Jesus’ goals in our lives is moving us towards likeness — and like a sculptor, bringing a piece of wood into the likeness of what he has in mind will require wood being removed! So there are hours of cutting, shaving, and taking away anything that does not resemble his desired outcome … leaving a pile of discarded chips, even good chips, on the floor.
Inside each of us hides the image of Christ, and our Master Sculptor’s goal is to remove anything that keeps His image hidden. I know we’d rather have God just glue on the parts He needs, but instead, He removes excessive wood: faulty branches, broken pieces, crooked places, and bruised parts. In the end, even what we think is good wood will lie in the “throwaway” pile.
As I submit to the Sculptor, I’m finding that the greatest blessing is not an add-on. Instead, it might just be a “removal-of.” It’s not a free car or another gift card — it’s likeness to Christ! This only comes through me submitting to the Divine Sculptor as He frees His image from this lump of clay.
Prayer
Father, how thankful I am for Your blessings! Help me recognize them lest I find myself fighting against Your best.
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