“Approved to God”

December 15th, 2015 by JDVaughn Leave a reply »

 

Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. —2 Timothy 2:15


If you cannot express yourself well on each of your beliefs, work and study until you can. If you don’t, other people may miss out on the blessings that come from knowing the truth. Strive to re-express a truth of God to yourself clearly and understandably, and God will use that same explanation when you share it with someone else. But you must be willing to go through God’s winepress where the grapes are crushed.
You must struggle, experiment, and rehearse your words to express God’s truth clearly. Then the time will come when that very expression will become God’s wine of strength to someone else. But if you are not diligent and say, “I’m not going to study and struggle to express this truth in my own words; I’ll just borrow my words from someone else,” then the words will be of no value to you or to others. Try to state to yourself what you believe to be the absolute truth of God, and you will be allowing God the opportunity to pass it on through you to someone else.
Always make it a practice to stir your own mind thoroughly to think through what you have easily believed. Your position is not really yours until you make it yours through suffering and study. The author or speaker from whom you learn the most is not the one who teaches you something you didn’t know before, but the one who helps you take a truth with which you have quietly struggled, give it expression, and speak it clearly and boldly.
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Journal DJR

Good Morning Lord,
Initially this seems like admonition to work hard, study hard and strive for excellence … in our own power. As you know and we’ve come to acknowledge… that builds our kingdom, not yours. And doesn’t work out well in the end. After talking it through, it seems that the key is whether the working, studying and striving is the main course … or whether it is a by product of a surrendered life. One that is connected and curious to see what you have next … pre committed to obedience and waiting for your leading. Then it’s a whole different ballgame. And a whole different kind of excellence and professionalism.

I’ve told you…
(“don’t worry about how to respond or what to say. God will give you the right words at the right time. Matt 1-:19)

Not worrying about it doesn’t mean that I don’t want excellence. But I do define it differently. Sometimes it will look the same, but sometimes, because I see a much bigger picture, the circumstance that I promise to work out for good… doesn’t look so good right now.

The other huge difference is whether your efforts are coming out of your own stress, anxiety, and willpower or from your surrendered life. If you are experiencing that peace that passes understanding in stressful circumstances, it’s a pretty good indicator that we are connected, the surrender and curiosity and obedience is working.

Yes, when all that is working, Life is indeed good. Help me live there more of the time. All of the time!

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