A Minute In It - Created For a Purpose

A minute in God’s Word will change your life. Take a moment to read the text below and then answer the questions at the bottom of the post.

8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork [masterpiece], created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:8-10 (NIV)

What cannot save us?
What does save us?
What does it mean to be a masterpiece? God’s handiwork?
What were we created for?
What does it look like in your life to be God’s Masterpiece?

Designed By......

For every house has a builder, but the one who built everything is God. Hebrews 3:4 (NLT)

Everywhere you look, you see designer labels. What is a designer label? A prestigious marquee that notes who the designer of the item was. For example, BMW, Versace, Armani. And what is the definition of a designer? A designer is the person who plans the form, look or workings of an item before it was built.

I started thinking about all the designer labels we see. Registering what they represent is almost subconscious. For example, when you a BMW emblem, you don’t have to stop and think “Oh, let me see, that stands for BMW.” You just know. Same with a MK on shoes or clothing. We pretty much know that stands for Michael Kor.

We’ve seen it so much, it is immediately recognizable.

So, why are we, as children of God, not immediately recognizable? When someone sees one of us or talks to us, why don’t they walk away saying “Oh, I recognized their Designer. It was God.” More often than not, people are left wondering who made us and why.

We know that God made us in his image (to look just like him) and we know that he added all these wonderful traits to the mix (love, joy, peace, patience kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.) Then, he poured his unconditional love into us so we could be bold and brave. To make it truly amazing, he created each one of us different. Each one of us brings to the table something unique that no one else can offer. A one of a kind designer creation. Finally, to top it off, he marked us priceless.

Makes you wonder……when people encounter us, why don’t they know who our Designer was? Maybe we are wearing the wrong label.

A Minute In It - What An Imagination!

A minute in God's word will change your life. Sometimes, we need to remember that we are special. Take a minute to read the passages below and ask yourself the questions in the passage and the questions at the bottom of the post.

Job 38
8 Who kept the sea inside its boundaries
    as it burst from the womb,
9 and as I clothed it with clouds
    and wrapped it in thick darkness?
10 For I locked it behind barred gates,
    limiting its shores.
11 I said, ‘This far and no farther will you come.
    Here your proud waves must stop!’
34 Can you shout to the clouds
    and make it rain?
35 Can you make lightning appear
    and cause it to strike as you direct?
36 Who gives intuition to the heart
    and instinct to the mind?
37 Who is wise enough to count all the clouds?
    Who can tilt the water jars of heaven
38 when the parched ground is dry
    and the soil has hardened into clods?
Job 39
5 Who gives the wild donkey its freedom?
    Who untied its ropes?
6 I have placed it in the wilderness;
    its home is the wasteland.
7 It hates the noise of the city
    and has no driver to shout at it.
8 The mountains are its pastureland,
    where it searches for every blade of grass
13 The ostrich flaps her wings grandly,
    but they are no match for the feathers of the stork.
14 She lays her eggs on top of the earth,
    letting them be warmed in the dust.
15 She doesn’t worry that a foot might crush them
    or a wild animal might destroy them.
16 She is harsh toward her young,
    as if they were not her own.
    She doesn’t care if they die.
19 Have you given the horse its strength
    or clothed its neck with a flowing mane?
20 Did you give it the ability to leap like a locust?
    Its majestic snorting is terrifying!
21 It paws the earth and rejoices in its strength
    when it charges out to battle.
22 It laughs at fear and is unafraid.
    It does not run from the sword.

Can you fathom the imagination of God? All he has created and all he has done and nothing is the same. If God is that ingenious, couldn't he manage your life?

A Minute In It - Finding Your Strength

A little time in the Word every day changes you. Take a few minutes, read these verses and ponder the questions at the bottom of the post.

To whom can the holy God be compared?
    Is there anyone else like him?
Look up at the sky!
Who created the stars you see?
    The one who leads them out like an army,
    he knows how many there are
    and calls each one by name!
His power is so great—
    not one of them is ever missing!
Israel, why then do you complain
    that the Lord doesn't know your troubles
    or care if you suffer injustice?
Don't you know? Haven't you heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God;
    he created all the world.
He never grows tired or weary.
    No one understands his thoughts.
He strengthens those who are weak and tired.
Even those who are young grow weak;
    young people can fall exhausted.
But those who trust in the Lord for help
    will find their strength renewed.
They will rise on wings like eagles;
    they will run and not get weary;
    they will walk and not grow weak.
Isaiah 40:25-31 (GNT)

Who do you compare God to? When you look at the stars or the ocean, do you see them as God's handiwork? When was the last time you went out into nature to ponder God's greatness? What characteristics of God do you see in this text? What does it say will happen when you put your trust in God?

Created To Be......

This weekend I was watching a show about a group of people that rescued wild animals, rehabilitated them and then released them back into the wild. On this particular show, they rescued a bobcat. Cut little thing but he was fierce and he was only 8 weeks old. The commentator said "Even at 8 weeks old, he knows he's a bobcat. There is no doubt in his mind."

A bobcat knows he can climb trees. He knows that he should hunt at dawn and dusk. He knows that he mainly eats rabbits and hares but he can also eat rodents and even adult deer if he gets hungry enough. He can bring down an animal several times his size. He knows where to make his home and he knows how to protect his territory.

Made me think of us. God created us for so many things. What do we know about who we should be? So, I looked it up. Here are some of the things the Bible says we were created to be and do.

Be fruitful and multiply and govern the earth.
Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground. Genesis 1:28

Praise God!
They are the people I made for myself, and they will sing my praises! Isaiah 43:21 (GNT)

Obey and serve God with all your heart.
Obey the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart. Remember the great things he has done for you. 1 Samuel 12:24 (GNT)

Share what you know about God.
In the same way your light must shine before people, so that they will see the good things you do and praise your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:16 (GNT)

Love God with everything you have.
Jesus answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. Matthew 22-27: (GNT)

To share God's plan of love with everyone
I know. My task is to bring out in the open and make plain what God, who created all this in the first place, has been doing in secret and behind the scenes all along. Through followers of Jesus like yourselves gathered in churches, this extraordinary plan of God is becoming known and talked about even among the angels! Ephesians 3:9-10 (MSG)

There are more but these are a good start. You see, bobcats are born knowing who they are and what they are supposed to do. We were created to be close to God, to worship and serve him. When we don't, we become restless and start filling our lives with other things trying to fill that yearning in our souls. It doesn't work. Maybe it’s time to get back to basics and learn to be what we were created to be – in a relationship with God.