Do we give God any opportunity to work in our lives? Are there areas where we say, “Don’t touch!” to God?

Proverbs 14:23 All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.

In our lives, how much do we get right? If you’re like me, I think I should be rewarded when I am patient and hold my temper and my tongue. Really? Being patient should be a by-product of being a child of the King. As we walk with Him, we become like Him. He is patient, therefore, we become patient. Why should we be rewarded for doing what we should be doing all along? Jesus told this parable:

Luke 17:7-10 “Suppose one of you had a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Would he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, ‘Come along now and sit down to eat’? Would he not rather say, ‘Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink’? Would he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’”

Becoming like Him is hard work. We say we love Him, but are we willing to “put in the hours?” I know it’s intimidating, especially when we know that we will never be “perfect” this side of heaven. Just remember two things:

1. Jesus loves us and is crazy about us! He loves us just the way we are, but He loves us too much to leave us as we are. Gratitude and humility are the keys to enjoying God.
2. Our memories will oppose us in our endeavors to become like Him. They return unbidden to remind us of what we were and what we have done–and of what we are capable of doing. The best weapon against them is PRAISE. In our praise, we proclaim Who He is, we tell of His mighty deeds, we thank Him for all He has done for us, and we pledge ourselves anew to Him, His kingdom, and His work.

It’s okay to feel unworthy. Just remember that HE doesn’t think we are!

Luke 19:10 “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.”

James 4:10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up.

Let’s rejoice today in such a great Savior!