OUR EFFORTS VERSUS REST IN GOD!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SUNDAY JULY 28, 2024.

SUBJECT: OUR EFFORTS VERSUS REST IN GOD! 

Memory verse: "And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God." (Romans 6 vs 13.)

READ: Romans 12 vs 1 - 2:

12:1: I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.

12:2: And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect Will of God. 

INTIMATION:

To lead a life pleasing to God requires our own efforts on one part, and relying on the Holy Spirit leading on the other part. The apostle Paul, in the passage we read, states that we are required to dedicate everything about us; our possessions, time, energy, efforts, and our members and faculties (our heads, hands, and tongues, our minds, emotions, and attitudes) all of them to God as a living sacrifice, holy, devoted, and consecrated (sanctified) and pleasing to God, which is our reasonable, rational, intelligent service and spiritual worship.

In our memory verse, the apostle Paul uses the term “instruments of unrighteousness,” and “instruments of righteousness.” The terms figuratively refer to a tool or a weapon. It is indicative that our skills, capacities, and bodies can serve as a tool or weapon for many purposes; good or bad. In sin, every part of our body is vulnerable, and can be used to commit sin. In Christ, every part can also be an instrument for service. It is the one to whom we offer ourselves for service that makes the difference. 

We are like lasers (beam of concentrated light having immense energy) that can burn destructive holes in steel places (used for destructive service) or do delicate cataract surgery (used for good service to save life). We are required to give yourself completely to God, asking Him to put us to good use for His glory. God wants us daily laying aside our own desires to follow Him, putting all our energy and resources at His disposal and trusting Him to guide us. We are to do this out of gratitude that our sins are forgiven.

God has good, pleasing, and perfect plans for His children. He wants us to be transformed people with renewed minds; transformed into a new person by changing the way we think, live to honor and obey Him. Because He wants only what is best for us, and because He gave His Son to make our new life possible, we should joyfully give ourselves (everything about us) as living sacrifice for His service. 

However, It is possible to avoid most worldly customs and still be proud, covetous, selfish, stubborn, and arrogant. Only when the Holy Spirit renews, re-educates, and redirects our minds are we truly transformed. Therefore, we should earnestly seek the leading of the Holy Spirit to help us conform to that which God Wills for us.

Christians are warned not to copy the behavior and customs of this world that are usually selfish and often corrupting. Wise Christians decide that much worldly behavior is off-limits for them. Our refusal to conform to this world’s values, however, must go even deeper than just behavior and customs; it must be firmly planted in our mind. God made it clear that obedience from the heart is much more important. We are to serve and worship God totally with our body, mind, and spirit. We are not just to be physically and emotionally dedicated to the Lord, we are to be rationally and intellectually dedicated to Him as well. 

Our part in working with God is when we give this reasonable service of dedicating everything about us to God; making the conscious choice to follow after holiness, giving Him our mind and will. God's part then, is to give us His grace and Spirit to help us offer this reasonable service. The grace of God doesn't just fall upon us, we must choose it, earnestly covet it, and His grace cannot be wasted.

There is a delicate balance to be maintained between rest and effort, just as there is between casting our care upon God and casting our responsibility upon Him. Casting your care on God is good for God desires you do so. However, it should be backed up by prayer and faith, which is our responsibility, not God's. If you and I want to stay in balance, then we are going to have to stay in close fellowship with the Spirit of Truth. 

True holiness is a combined effort between us and the Holy Spirit. It requires a clear understanding of His part and our part, and a delicate balance between the two. Many believers keep the care and cast the responsibility. This is wrong! Cast the care, and enter God's rest, but be ever ready to fulfill your responsibilities empowered by the Spirit of grace.

Prayer: Abba Father, give me the grace to avoid carnality, helping not to live according to the dictates of the flesh, but according to the leading of the Holy Spirit. Endue with the spirit of grace to live forever for You, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!