Tuesday, April 9, 2013
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I think in a way, life is kind of like 365 deaths and resurrections every year. You know, you go to bed at night. It's kind of like you die, and then you come back to life the next morning. Now I know some mornings those resurrections look a little doubtful, like they may not happen. There's the sound of a buzzer, or a bell, or a radio going on, and then no signs of life. But eventually, sooner or later, there are signs of stirring and the dead person returns to life—another new start in a lifetime full of new starts. Whether or not you find those early moments of your day a little tough, I think I've got something that just might help you get out of the gate each morning.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Something Worth Getting Up For."
Our word for today from the Word of God is found in Ephesians 2:10. I think this is I guess I'd call it a cosmically exciting verse. Listen to this: "For we are God's workmanship." Well, that's pretty good, but he's not done yet. "…created in Christ Jesus…" Okay, it's getting better. "…to do good works." All right. "…which God prepared in advance for us to do." Now, think about this. The Word of God is saying that you are uniquely crafted by God. You're His workmanship. All the experiences, the education, the people, even the hurts of your life (maybe especially the hurts of your life) have shaped you for some special assignments from God. He's given you gifts that will enable you to go and make a difference in your world. You have "make a difference" equipment that God has literally built into you.
And now this verse tells us that there are, throughout your life, assignments specially prepared for you to do. I can't do them; they were prepared for you. Now, he doesn't say great works. He says good works. We're sometimes waiting around for some giant thing to do. "I want something big to do for God." He says, "I just want you to do a lot of little good works."
See, God is daily bringing into your life people that He's planned for you to touch; to help with what you know; to help with what you can do. He's daily setting you up for a cup of cold water that you were destined to give in His name to someone. Or a compliment, or a word of encouragement that you were destined to give, an insight that maybe will lift someone's load or change their life. A pre-destined contact with someone who needs what you uniquely can give them.
So when you're starting a new day and resurrecting from the night before, you don't have to say, "Oh, here we go again! Seen one day, seen them all." Uh-uh! No way! You can wake up and say, "This is the day the Lord has made." Not, "This is the day the boss has made, or the weather has made, or that my husband or wife has made, or my kids have made, or my To Do List has made. No, "This is the day the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it!"
Right now God is maneuvering your life and someone else's so that they will intersect at just the right time; so they will come together for His glory today. But you can miss it. You have to look for it. You have to expect it in each new day, because God promised "good works that were prepared in advance for you to do."
Today you will discover the good works He's prepared in advance for you to do. That should help you resurrect each morning. That daily destiny? That's something worth getting up for.