No Self-Made Man

Read: Psalm 100, 101, 102, & 103

"Know that the LORD Himself is God; it is He who has made us, and not we ourselves." Psalm 100:3

Examine:

A phrase that is often used in this country is "He is a self-made man." In this verse David speaks to the sovereignty of God debunks the myth of a self-made anything. Regardless of what culture says no man has made anything on his own. It all comes from God and the original purpose of anything accomplished by man is to bring glory to God.

Apply:

Knowing the truth of this verse means four things for me. First, I need to relax. I put a lot of pressure on myself to perform at my best. I become consumed with the direction of my life and the progress I am making. I want my life to matter and I want to achieve big things. I press, I push, and I wrestle to keep driving towards a goal. These are good traits, but they are not ultimately the determining factor in my success. God is. I definitely need to work hard and get after it, but more than that I need to allow myself to loosen up and enjoy the ride.

Second, I need to listen. There is no way I can read the Bible and come to any conclusion other than God speaks continuously to His people. There are times when I play a victim and say that God is not speaking to me; but that is bull. God speaks. He is my shepherd. He is continuously there and He is always leading and directing. I need to learn His voice and make it a practice to listen for it more.

Third, I need to respond. There is no more critical aspect of being discipled by God than me responding to His voice in my life. He does not talk to hear Himself speak, nor does He speak for no purpose. He does not mumble, chatter, or issue useless words. If the God of the universe speaks and I recognize His voice; I for skippy sure better respond to what I hear.

Finally, I need to praise. I often praise God for the circumstances of my life. This means my praise is limited by what I experience as being good. The problem with this is my life is rarely all good. There are always struggles and failures; problems and issues; success and setbacks. Life is rough. This world is messed up and things do not always make sense. Be that as it may, God is good. He has planted inside of me an incessant desire to offer Him praise. The attributes of His character are always worthy of my praise.

Pray:

Relax. I stare at that word like a man starring at a piece of abstract art. I know that there is beauty and truth in it; I just can see it. Please open the eyes of my heart to know what it means to work hard and relax in Your sovereign control over results.

Listen. Over the past ten years I have come to recognize the normal ways You speak to me. I hear Your voice in my life with regularity and I am grateful for it. Please keep growing me in my ability to know that still, small voice of Yours in my life.

Respond. Your presence in my life will always lead me to a crisis of belief. In those moments I have to choose to say yes and move forward. You have never called me into something unless it was clearly beyond my comfort and ability. I always wrestle with my yes and struggle with moving forward. I pray that I continue to find the courage and strength I need to not delay in getting after what You lay on my heart.

Praise. This is the one I am prone to get wrong. There is definitely a time and a place to praise You for the things that You do in my life but more than that it is always good to just praise You for You. I ask that You open my heart to experience Your character in a way that is tangible and real enough to demand my praise. Push aside my doubts, my selfish fits, and my never ceasing uncertainty and allow me shout with joy for who You are.