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Isaiah 45, Romans 9:20 – Are you satisfied with the way God made you?
Surrendering to the will of God is often not easy. There are times when we won’t know why, but it is the only place to be.
All of us want to be part of the cool group don’t we? The pharisees wanted the approval of men more than they wanted the approval of God. Aren’t we often that way too? The praise of men often leads to the condemnation of God.
Proverbs 2:16 – Don’t fool yourself with the idea that you will have plenty of time to get your life right with God. We never know when God will call you home.
The time between the age of 15 and 30 or so can feel a lot like Charles Dickens said, “the best of times and the worst of times.”
All of us face these questions in our younger years. Does God have a plan for my life? If he does have a plan for me, can I trust him?
1 Samuel 9:2, 1 Samuel 10 – Saul was a special man. He stood out from everyone, he was tall and handsome. When they went to anoint him king, he was humble… bashful… hiding. Saul also had some issues, he was proud, he was impatient and these things lead the kingdom being pulled from him and given to David.
Who did God replace Saul with? A young shepherd boy, “a man after God’s heart.”
God doesn’t see us in the same way that those around us do. God looks past the masks, the bark, the fluff – right to the place where he sees exactly who we are on the inside.
Sometimes God has to use the little guys and girls with the crippled legs or arms. Why? Because the big handsome guys and girls are too busy being the “pretty cup” and aren’t useful to God.
Our teen years should be the years when we are preparing for a life in service to God. Are we thinking about that? Or are we thinking about things that aren’t nearly as important?
1 Corinthians 4:1 – God created you and he gifted you. It doesn’t really matter who our parents are. God is asking you to be faithful. God can and will use those who have an obedient heart.
We need to learn to desire Gods plan for our life. When God called David to be king, David resigned his own plans and gave them up for God’s plans.
Jeremiah 29:11 – How can we trust God’s plan for our lives? Gods plans for us are always good ones. When God says he wants to use us, we need to live as if God has already given us the assignment. It may take surrender of something that you really really like.
When God opens doors, we have a responsibility to walk through them. Often we find that things that we thought we couldn’t do are really the things that God has designed us for.
Every man. Every woman. Every boy. Every girl. All can be a child after God’s own heart. All we have to do to get started is surrender to God and let him open the doors for His honor and his glory.
A great variety of nails is necessary for building a complete house. The same is true in building the kingdom of God. There is a place and a use for each of us, with our own unique experience and talents.
What kind of a cup do you want to be? What kind of a nail are you?