Arise from the dead . . .—Ephesians 5:14
Not all initiative, the willingness to take the first step, is inspired by God. Someone may say to you, “Get up and get going! Take your reluctance by the throat and throw it overboard—just do what needs to be done!” That is what we mean by ordinary human initiative. But when the Spirit of God comes to us and says, in effect, “Get up and get going,” suddenly we find that the initiative is inspired.
We all have many dreams and aspirations when we are young, but sooner or later we realize we have no power to accomplish them. We cannot do the things we long to do, so our tendency is to think of our dreams and aspirations as dead. But God comes and says to us, “Arise from the dead . . . .” When God sends His inspiration, it comes to us with such miraculous power that we are able to “arise from the dead” and do the impossible. The remarkable thing about spiritual initiative is that the life and power comes after we “get up and get going.” God does not give us overcoming life—He gives us life as we overcome. When the inspiration of God comes, and He says, “Arise from the dead . . . ,” we have to get ourselves up; God will not lift us up. Our Lord said to the man with the withered hand, “Stretch out your hand” (Matthew 12:13). As soon as the man did so, his hand was healed. But he had to take the initiative. If we will take the initiative to overcome, we will find that we have the inspiration of God, because He immediately gives us the power of life.
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Journal DJR
Good Morning Lord, We hear the phrase, No Pain, No Gain, in secular society, especially in Sports and Business. But it seems to contain some truth spiritually as well. It seems that when we struggle to overcome, we become owners of a truth that cannot happen just with academic study. But there remains the question of today … Was it just our struggle on our own initiative? … or were we struggling for you? On one level, it may not matter. The lessons gained from experience and struggle are in a different class than those learned academically … whether they were of your inspiration or our own.
It is in the process of your life that we connect and you get to know me and trust me. So those who “play it safe” and never step out and risk will miss out on some of what could have been. So do your best hear my inspiration and then step out in your best effort at obedience. Of course you will miss sometimes. It’s the way to learn. Just keep coming and remember to keep the focus on our relationship. I will always be there for you.
Proverbs 14:4
New Living Translation (NLT)
4 Without oxen a stable stays clean,
but you need a strong ox for a large harvest.
So we dont want a “clean stable” because it leads to a small harvest. Of course our parents and our leaders are always pushing us to clean rooms and clean paperwork and clean lives. Nothing wrong with clean but it’s better as an outcome than as an objective.
True, if you keep “Connection with me” as the objective, the messes and misses of your life will work out and you will see them become the building blocks of what we are building together.
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