And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food.”
--Genesis 1:29
Even though some people try to deny and ignore it, deep within every person is a craving to seek and to know God. We were given a God-consciousness at our creation; God implanted some of Himself in each and every one of us. That’s why humans are the only creation of God that seeks Him and has an inner need for Him.
For example, one way we are like God is that we are called to reflect His dominion over the earth. God has all power over creation. He can tell lightning when and where to strike and command the seas to do His will. We have a small part of this power that God gave us to subdue and rule the earth.
Another way we are like God is that we have the capacity to make choices. Unfortunately, because we’re all sinful we have made wrong choices, but sin has not canceled out our capacity to accept or reject God’s commands.
Giving us the gift of choice was a risky and costly decision for God, because it cost Christ His life. But it was worthwhile for God because He wants us to choose Him, not be programmed by Him. He loved us, chose us, and saved us, and He wants us to love and choose Him.
The bottom line is you and I were made for God. He wants us to make the choice to accept His Son as our Savior so that we will be with Him forever. If you haven’t done so already, I challenge you to do that today.
Christ paid a high price for our free will. Have you made the choice to accept His love and sacrifice by placing your faith in Him?
by Dr. Paul Chappell
“And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always even unto the end of the world. Amen.”
Matthew 28:18–20
The work that God has called and commissioned us to do in the world for Him is not undertaken in our strength and ability, nor can it be done on our own authority. We must regard ourselves as God’s servants, operating under the grant of authority that He has given to us, if we are to carry out our tasks for Him. Whenever we feel inadequate to the challenge, we must return to Him as our source for everything.
The great missionary Hudson Taylor wrote, “It makes no matter where He places me or how. That is rather for Him to consider than for me; for the easiest positions He must give me grace, and in the most difficult, His grace is sufficient. It makes little difference to my servant whether I send him to buy a few cents worth of things, or the most expensive articles. In either case he looks to me. God’s resources are mine, for He is mine.”
It was no accident that Jesus based what we call the Great Commission on the power that His Father had given to Him. It is not in our own name that we work, but in His. And when we do His work in the authority of His name, we have every right and reason to believe that He will empower our work. We have the enduring promise that He will always be with us, no matter what challenges we may face. This is His strength for His work.
Today’s Growth Principle:
When we operate in God’s authority, we have confidence that He will supply grace to meet every need.
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