2 Timothy 2:24 “The Lord’s servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone” James 3:13 “Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.” Psalm 91:4 “For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.” A good sign that the Holy Spirit is at work in us is reflected by the state of our heart. Humility does not come naturally to our human nature, however a humble heart is used powerfully by God (Pr 22:4).
To submit ourselves completely to His Spirit, is to say that we are lost without Him and that only by His power can we mature as His children. God loves us so much, but so often we close the door in His face because we think we know what is best or we’re afraid of what He has for us. Why is that?? I know as I matured as a new Christian I felt really convicted to turn from some of the activities I was involved in. I was really scared and found it extremely difficult and alienating because I thought I was going to miss out on some things many other people seemed to enjoy.
However, by taking that step of faith and trusting in God, I have seen His love at work in my life. My eyes were opened to a beauty I had never experienced or seen before. The irony in not following God out of fear of losing what we think is valuable, is that we are in fact losing out on the most valuable treasure one can ever have – a close relationship with God. God’s wisdom is infinite and He does know best. If we dare to trust Him in that fact, we will see why He places boundaries in our lives. They are not to stop us from experiencing blessings, but rather to guide us to them! “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart” Psalm 37:4. People often tend to measure their worth on how ‘good’ they are.
The irony is that until we realise that our deeds are like dirty (Isaiah 64:5) without God’s work in our lives, we will not allow God to produce in us the true good deeds that will impact eternity. It’s by humbly submitting to God each day that good deeds are inspired and produced by a right heart with God, and not just superficial lip-praise and talking the talk (Isaiah 29:13). The deeds are a sign of the work of God within us and proof of our salvation. These deeds are not fuelled by arrogance and pride, but rather an attitude of love and gratitude, faithfuling serving Jesus who sacrificed His life for us! As we mature, we see more clearly how much God loves us and how faithful He is. We can move forward with confidence because we know God is in control and working in all things for our good, whether we see it or not (Rom 8:28). To know the sincere compassion of God in our hearts (Ps 103:13-14) will cause us to outpour it onto others. It is inevitable. However if we stifle God’s work in our lives through unconfessed sin, disobedient living, fear of loss, bitterness from unforgiveness or anything that takes priority over Him, we must not expect God to transform us. Unfortunately too many Christians settle for this unfulfilled, fruitless life… what a tragedy! Do you see the fruits of kindness, goodness and faithfulness blossoming in your life? If not, what are the unconfessed sins that are stifling God’s work in you? As God’s children, we have direct access to the fullness of His power (Col 2:9-10).
Let’s humble our hearts and allow God’s power to work within us and the changes will come. Let’s also make sure that we always strive to encourage each other on our journeys to full maturity in Christ.
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