Wasn't it great to have everyone there on Thursday? It may have been the only time this summer that the entire group will be together. And what a discussion! It is certainly obvious by the passionate responses to the homework that we all love the Lord. We may not agree on every theological question but we can openly share where we are in our walk with the Lord without fear of insult or injury. For those of you who did share your thoughts and opinions, testimonies and stories, I thank you.
So, Day One's homework definitely caused us all to really consider what we believe, why we believe it, and the Scriptural basis for that belief. I am sure that is part of God's plan for this study, to help us remember that His inspired Word is the only Truth we have to stand on. Whatever your beliefs about election, I think we can all agree that God's plan is sovereign and He intends for us to share the gospel message with everyone. I, for one, am thankful that I don't have all the answers because I would be that much more accountable. In the context of the lesson, election is all about our purpose in life. God created us for a specific purpose. There are some who, after college or mid-life, set off on a voyage of self-discovery to determine their purpose is in life. God has already done that for us....all we have to do is ask Him what it is. He will reveal His plan to us, then, we must submit to it. Granted, we may not be the anointed King of Israel, but our purpose is just as significant as David's.
Day Two helps us to remember patience. As we studied, the time lapse between David's anointing and his installation as king is 22 years. Would we have the patience to wait that long for God to fulfill His will for out lives? All the while, God is preparing David for his life as king. Priscilla Shirer calls us to have a God-consciousness or God-Awareness so that we may more fully live within His will. Even in the mundane, everyday decisions we are encouraged to have a God-aware response. Anyone else challenged by this? Anyone else ready to be changed by this?
In Day Three we realized that God is faithful to complete what He has called us to do. Here is the key: surrender. We have to surrender to God's plan, trust Him, and lean not on our own understanding. How hard is that??? I consider myself pretty smart, okay no laughing!!, I feel capable of handling a lot of situations but God's Word tells me that He knows better, that His ways are not my ways. We must be faithful to release, to let go of the control, and the "I know better" attitude that gets in the way of God's doings.
Day Four, Established by God, really hit home to me. It made me realize that God, who created the entire universe from the stars to the starfish, who established the earth and the planets in their order and spins them on an axis, also created little ole me. The same power and awesomeness, the same creativity and craftmanship, created me to fulfill His divine purposes. Wow! So what am I waiting for???
Positioned for a Purpose, the title of day five, maybe the most common source of questioning in our walk with the Lord. Why would God let this happen? Why is this happening to me? What am I doing here? As we look more closely at David's life, we see that God didn't haphazardly call David to the position of king and David wasn't the only one who benefited from his placement. (Obviously, we're still reading about him!) God used David to reveal and fulfill His divine purposes. Did David know it? Probably not, at least not all the time. Do we know it when God is using us as a conduit to present His grace? How different would we live our lives if we considered every encounter with every person an opportunity to be the conduit of God's love and grace? I don't think I'd recognize myself! And wouldn't the world be a better place for it?!
Ladies, I love spending time with you, but even more than that, I love growing in depth and scope of faith with you. I am praying that the Holy Spirit will work on us so hard during this time that we would be able to see a difference from the beginning of this study to the end. I pray that each of us will be a conduit of God's love and grace and that this time of study will lead us to seek after the Lord each day.