"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." - Ephesians 2:8-10
Martie and I drove to Atlanta from Houston over Thanksgiving. We had planned the trip for some time and looked forward to spending time with our daughter. I did not know that in the process I would be re-taught a spiritual lesson. You see, I am a task guy. I get things done. That is in contrast to being a relationship guy. You know the one that would rather sit and talk about doing something than actually doing it. Getting things done may seem like a good thing, but only in the context of relationship. Not in the absence of it.
Our daughter asked if I would build a couple of things for her new "digs" in Atlanta. Well three things. No four actually. The list has been growing. A hutch and two bed benches for linen storage for starters. I built them at home with the help of a friend and then we drove a rented pickup to Atlanta. Someone asked me why I just didn't buy the furniture. My reply? It was not about the furniture, but who made the furniture.
The Spiritual lesson? God doesn't want us to do something for Him. He wants a relationship with us. And in the context of that relationship we do things with Him. That is where the fourth project comes in. So, we arrive, unload the "projects" and set them in place to the delight of our daughter. A day later, the other shoe dropped. Would I build a table for her home office with her help. All of my "power tools" were back in Houston. That meant that I would resort to hand tools. I am not a finish carpenter. That means that it would be functional, but not perfect. I told her that I measure with a micrometer and then cut with an axe. You don't want me to build a space shuttle! But that was from my perspective but not from hers. We put the last touches on it today and will call it "done" - well almost. There is one more thing that she will do by herself after we leave.
If I am honest, I struggled with wanting to "re-do" some of the aspects of the table. Fine-tune it. But she is happy with it. Because we made it together. So I am going with what she calls the "perfect imperfections". Sometimes we can become so focused on the "doing" and wanting to be perfect that we neglect the "being" and resting in the relationship.
Dr. Henry Blackaby said, "You have heard it said 'don't just stand there, do something' but God is saying 'Don't just do something, stand there'" In other words, find your joy in being a child of God and not proving that you are worthy to be a child of God. You are saved by grace through faith and not works.
Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.
By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone
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