“So we keep on praying for you, asking our God to enable you to live a life worthy of His call. May He give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do.” (2 Thessalonians 1:11 NLT)
What do you believe “a life worthy of His call” should look like? We may not know everything Paul meant by these words, but there are a few things we know for sure. First, it’s God enabled. It’s a life dependent upon the God of heaven to enable us “to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do.” Which begs the question: “What is your faith prompting you to do?”
Again, Paul’s words give us clues. We know they’re going to be good things prompted by faith. That rules out anything the devil desires of us. It also rules out anything not prompted by faith. What does that mean? It means a lot of things we end up doing with our life aren’t motivated by God, but by selfish desire. How can we know for sure what we’re doing isn’t driven by selfish motives?
Largely by who benefits most from our good works, but also by how it affects us. All of life is a creative tension between bitter and sweet, pleasure and pain, joy and misery. Obviously, we’d prefer only positive things to enter our lives, but that’s not how life on this planet works. On some levels it’s like only wanting sunshine. I love the sunshine, but sunshine without rain makes for an environment where only very hardy plants survive.
The challenges and trials of life create moments that will either shape us or shake us, and which one we choose depends on our focus. And yes, it is a choice! We can focus with fear and trembling on the pain, death, violence, crime, hatred, and all the other negative things that fill our world. Or we can focus on the goodness of our Father in heaven who is making all things new and beautiful.
Admittedly, allowing the Lord to shape us isn’t simply a one-time choice, it’s more like a moment-by-moment series of choices. Loss is one of Satan’s most usable tools for it catches us in our most vulnerable moments. Without question, loss shakes us, but by God’s grace it can also shape us.
Each of us experiences tragedy, heartache, pain, frustration, anger, death of a loved one, friend, someone close to us, or in another form such as the loss of a job, relationship, income, and on and on it goes. And the irony is, each loss catches us by surprise. It’s like “Whoa! Where did this come from?” And it knocks us for a loop. But why?
Peter spoke to this in 1 Peter 4:12-13 when he wrote: “Dear friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you. Instead, be very glad – for these trials make you partners with Christ in His suffering, so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing His glory when it is revealed to all the world.”
One thing I’m learning is that as Jesus followers it’s not only our responsibility, but our privilege to experience suffering and loss. Why? Because we grow exponentially in our pain when we accept it and embrace it as Jesus did. The Lord uses our trials to shape us and mold us into His likeness because there are things we learn in pain and suffering that can be learned in no other way.
Don’t allow the enemy to rattle you when you’re faced with challenges you have no resources to meet. Instead, turn with open hands to the Giver of every good and perfect gift, and trust Him to meet your need and to bring good out of every attack the devil launches against you. The Lord didn’t make it out of this life alive, what makes us think we should?
Food for thought.
Blessings, Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 