ready and willing

Saturday, May 11, 2019 (6:11 a.m.)

Holy God,

(6:41 a.m.)

Okay. I’m ready now. And willing.

Yes Father. Ready and willing to be thankful. Grateful. Filled with appreciation. Mm. Yes.

I didn’t want to come here saying empty “thank You”s just because I’m supposed to. I want to give You the praise and glory You so rightly deserve.

Thank You Father. Thank You that You are good.

Right here I stop to say, “WOW!” Wholly. Completely. “WOW!”

Yes Father. You continue to amaze me with the ways You get my attention.

A desire to learn more about glorifying You, I turned to 1 Corinthians 10:31. Wanting more understanding I read Freedom to be Used Constructively; 10:23-11:1. Illustrated Bible Handbook.

Quoting it here, I find myself in awe and wonder of Who and All You are. “Paul now returns to his basic theme. Freedom is to be used for the benefits of others (24).” You knew we would be in need of Your Truth. And You provided. Thank You Father.

Continuing, “In his summary, Pauls suggests that ‘rights’ are really irrelevant. God has called each of us to live for His glory. God gains no glory by our being right. He is glorified when we do not seek our own good but the good of others (31-33). In choosing the way of love we will be following the path in which Paul walked - and he tried only to follow close behind Jesus our Lord (11:1).”

Yes Father! Following this section over to a comment in The Life Recovery Bible I read more about Paul’s desire to balance our tendencies toward legalism with a genuine love for others. Thank You Lord that You were behind his teachings.

“The balance can be found by being willing to give up any of our rights that might cause others to fall while also not forcing our standards on anyone else.” He did not teach or preach codependency. No. He strove for healthy relationships. Interdependencies!

“Paul sought to please others for the specific purpose of leading them to salvation. If [when] our actions are governed by our love for others, we will be well on the way to developing strong relationships and overcoming the problems that drive our addiction or compulsion. God will also use us as powerful instruments to help other hurting people.”

What could be better than that? Being used by You to help others. Yes Father! Be glorified in my thoughts, my words and my actions this day.

Holy Blessed God, how I thank You. Truly!

Use me. Exactly as You know is best. For Your glory. And the good of others. Thank You Father. I love You. Amen.

(457 words ~ 7:25 a.m.)