Do you ever feel you can’t do any better in life because you are the way you are? Do you ever say, “Well, that’s just the way I am.”
You might have a bad temper that keeps getting you in trouble. Peter could relate.
You might have have a real appreciation for beauty that sometimes causes you to appreciate it too much. Love and lust might be hard for you to separate. King David could relate.
Are we doomed by how we are made? And if we are victims, who did it to us? Our parents? Siblings? School teachers? Spouses? Or … God?
God creates us with our personalities and natural interests. He had something specific in mind for us to do here on planet earth. And He’s not going to take it back. You are as He created you to be!
“God never changes His Mind when He gives Gifts or when He calls someone.”
Romans 11:29 (GW)
“God has made us what we are. He has created us in Christ Jesus to live lives filled with good works that He has prepared for us to do.”
Ephesians 2:10 (GW)
What about those people who are not doing good works? Did God create people to be “bad?” No! He created us to do good works.
However, satan would like us to do “bad works.” He cannot create. He cannot change what God has created. But he tries to make full use of what he can do.
He can distract. He can tempt. He can rejoice when we make a wrong choice. He can accuse. He can shame. He can try to make us believe God will never take us back.
He cannot change us, but he can cause us to change our view of life and everyone in it.
Peter was created to be passionate. Whether he was chopping off the ear of the Roman soldier or preaching about His Lord and Savior, Peter was passionate. The difference was in his focus. God wanted Peter to use that passion to be The Rock, not Rocky!
David was created to be a man who was awed by the beauty of God’s Creation. He would write the most stirring Psalms of The Bible. But David could not resist the beauty of Bathsheba. David, described as a man after God’s Own Heart, stumbled when tempted. His quality of loving beauty was right. His focus on another man’s wife was wrong.
And finally we come to the man, who is credited with writing much of The New Testament — Paul, once known as Saul.
Saul was a terrorist, who specifically targeted Christians. He passionately pursued what he believed was his calling.
However, after his encounter with Jesus on the Damascus Road, his view, both physically and spiritually, was forever changed. His passion took a new direction and Paul changed countless lives for God’s Kingdom.
Take a few minutes and look at yourself.
Make a list of what you observe about yourself.
Appreciate God’s Creative Design of you.
Don’t categorize any trait as “good” or “bad.” Simply ask yourself whether everything you see in yourself is being used to The Glory of God.
If it is, praise God!
If it isn’t, ask God what you need to do to come in line with His Perfect Will for you.
“For we are God’s Masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago.”
Ephesians 2:10 (NLT)
When you begin to see the world as The Creator does, you will discover your view of other people changes too!
