Apples and Oranges

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you...” "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you," says the Lord, "thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope." (Jeremiah 1:5, Jeremiah 29:11)

We can sometimes feel because of words, situations or actions that we are less than what God thinks we are. This is just one ploy of the devil to minimize who we truly are in Christ. And all we need do is cast that negative thought out of our mind, in the name of Jesus!

I am in awe of how great my God is, how much He loves me. I'm reminded that there was a day when I found out His name is Jesus! He is my all in all. He is my Creator. He called my name. He showed me the Way to salvation. He gave me a perfect peace (that sometimes gets disturbed by words, situations or actions...but which He also restores!). He has given me a hope and a future and His Spirit. Most importantly, which is a difficult thing to understand, but I believe by faith alone, He is alive and lives IN me, in my heart and soul. The God of this huge universe desires to be as close as that!

I had such occasion recently where seeds of this dreadful and toxic doubt occurred. But I'm so thankful for this merciful God who longs to remind me who He has said I am in Him.

I received three very unexpected kind and encouraging words in church last Sunday. As I gave thought to them later I heard the still small voice, "This was to show you how much I love you." We should never consider ourselves losers in the Lord! But we are to consider ourselves, instead, loved by the Lord (who also disciplines). He has taken the time to call me to Himself and unless I absolutely disregard instruction or walk away from Him, I am His. And so are you.

Had I been able to do so at that very moment those words were "spoken," I would have fallen to my knees in worship but I was in my car...! All I could do, which seemed so small a thing, was to thank Him and praise Him as I drove.

I'll tell you, I wish I had more powerful words to vocalize instead of just writing. But for now I must stay content with prose, I guess. But it makes for a very difficult time when blogs run through my mind while I'm in my car! Even a recorder causes me to stammer and sputter, stutter! No fooling.

We do serve an awesome God. He does not expect each of us to fill the same shoes. He does not compare apples with oranges. While both might be sweet they have very different flavors...and so do we. HE has created us and although we will be in a process of sanctification our entire lives and might occasionally miss a mark, He does not throw the baby out with the bath water. We are none perfect. I'm thankful He does not get frustrated with our misplacements and determine to turn His back on us. No, He works stuff out in us. He perfects as we go along. Only He will always stand beside us.

He desires to change hearts, lives and desires, to become His workmanship...in order that all might be blessed and be in step with His heart for each person. His heart that sees who we truly are. In Him we can be an apple or an orange...for Him! He has a unique new person in store, one that He will cultivate, prune and grow into what WE are meant to be in His kingdom here on earth and again some day in heaven. Again, His name is Jesus. Praise the name of Jesus.

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