. . . you may be partakers of the divine nature . . . —2 Peter 1:4
We are made “partakers of the divine nature,” receiving and sharing God’s own nature through His promises. Then we have to work that divine nature into our human nature by developing godly habits. The first habit to develop is the habit of recognizing God’s provision for us. We say, however, “Oh, I can’t afford it.” One of the worst lies is wrapped up in that statement. We talk as if our heavenly Father has cut us off without a penny! We think it is a sign of true humility to say at the end of the day, “Well, I just barely got by today, but it was a severe struggle.” And yet all of Almighty God is ours in the Lord Jesus! And He will reach to the last grain of sand and the remotest star to bless us if we will only obey Him. Does it really matter that our circumstances are difficult? Why shouldn’t they be! If we give way to self-pity and indulge in the luxury of misery, we remove God’s riches from our lives and hinder others from entering into His provision. No sin is worse than the sin of self-pity, because it removes God from the throne of our lives, replacing Him with our own self-interests. It causes us to open our mouths only to complain, and we simply become spiritual sponges— always absorbing, never giving, and never being satisfied. And there is nothing lovely or generous about our lives.
Before God becomes satisfied with us, He will take everything of our so-called wealth, until we learn that He is our Source; as the psalmist said, “All my springs are in You” (Psalm 87:7). If the majesty, grace, and power of God are not being exhibited in us, God holds us responsible. “God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you . . . may have an abundance . . .” (2 Corinthians 9:8)— then learn to lavish the grace of God on others, generously giving of yourself. Be marked and identified with God’s nature, and His blessing will flow through you all the time.
Journal DJR
Good Morning Lord
Recognizing your provision for us … in everything. That is the first step. I love it when I am able to recognize your provision in a seemingly difficult situation. It makes it so much easier to find you and your purpose when I am living in expectancy and gratitude and curiosity. When I am not in that kind of mindset, and some circumstance jumps up … I tend to fight it and try to conquer it naturally. And it’s really hard to get supernatural results with natural methods. So I wind up stressed out and causing pain for myself and others…… Not a good plan. Well, it’s not planned. That’s the point. Those pesky circumstances just sneak up and jump on me. It seems my best plan is to do my best to stay grateful, expecting, and curious about what You are going to bring next and how you are going to work all these messy circumstances for good (Romans 8:28) Then when a nasty circumstance surprises me, I’ll have the right mental context to allow your supernatural light to shine thru me to the world that is watching. … And if I stumble away from that space … I know it’s the place I need to get back to … and it’s good to know that I am always welcome there.
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