WEEK 19, Day 5, Friday, 7 May 2021

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Observations from today’s readings and today’s S-WOD, Friday, 7 May 21:

1 Corinthians 7:21, 24 — “Were you a bondservant when called? Do not be concerned about it. (But if you can gain your freedom, avail yourself of the opportunity….) So, brothers, in whatever condition each was called, there let him remain with God.”

We tend to worry too much about our circumstances and not enough about how we are responding to our circumstances. We tend to worry too much about where we are and not enough about who we are and why we have been placed there by God for his purposes. No matter where we find ourselves or how we got there, we are surrounded by opportunities to both glorify God and enjoy His presence. Whether in a palace or a prison, we can proclaim and testify to the glory of God and experience the joy of fellowship with Him.

The Lord has placed us in our current situations for His purposes. If we can improve our conditions, then that is great. However, we need to make the most of the opportunities God has placed in front of us today, where we are now. If we are not careful, we can become so concerned with what we don’t have or where we wish we were, that we fail to appreciate what we do have right in front of us in the place where God wanted us all along.

Consider the lives of people like Noah, Joseph, Moses, David, and the many other people we have read about who God used mightily. Would you want to change places with Noah who witnessed the destruction of all civilization; or Joseph who was sold into slavery by his own brothers, then wrongly accused and cast into prison indefinably; or Moses who spent forty years in the desert as a fugitive with a death sentence over his head and then another 40 years in the same desert trying to lead millions of weak-willed people who more than once conspired to kill him; or David who spent much of his life running for his life or in battle, eventually running from his own son who led a rebellion against him? None of them would have chosen the paths down which God led them; but if they had chosen their own paths, they would not have developed the character and competence that made them so usable by God, nor would they have experienced the close relationships with God that they enjoyed. It is exciting to know that God has placed you in your current circumstances on purpose. Remain faithful with today, and see what develops for tomorrow.

“Cross” Fit S-WOD (Spiritual Workout of the Day) – 7 May 21: “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.” (Ephesians 5:15, 16) Today, see all your circumstances as an opportunity to grow closer to Christ, to walk the Him, to serve Him, to glorify Him, to proclaim Him, and to enjoy Him. Trust God with your situation (along with your mistakes and failures), and have peace and joy. Nothing can separate you from the love of God, and He will work all things (even bad things) together for good, according to His purpose, in perfect love, and to conform you to image of His Son, Jesus.