Try to take charge of what is in God’s hands, and you will become frustrated and anxious. Neglect to take charge of things God has placed in YOUR hands, and you will become depressed.
I’ve gotten confused over the difference many times, and perhaps you have too. Understanding the difference can change everything about your happiness, peace, and success in this world, your relationship with God, and more.
If you need to lose weight, God won’t take the fork out of your hand. If you need to get out of debt, He won’t make your credit cards evaporate. If you need to spend time with your family, He won’t “beam you up” to be with them. There are things that are totally up to you!
The first thing to learn: He’s God, and I’m Not! (Tweet that)
That foundation is pretty powerful. Your eternal salvation, the running of the universe, the future, your past – God has made provision to deal with all of that. And He has promised to be with you every day, in every small and large aspect of your life, today and forever. (Mat 28:20)
Once you know that, here’s the second thing to learn: Under God, It’s Up To ME! (Tweet that)
He has given you executive authority over your life and a significant part of His kingdom. He created mankind to govern. (Gen 1:26) He calls us kings and priests, under the supreme King and Priest, Christ Jesus. (Rev 1:6) God expects you to govern the part of His Kingdom that He has put within your care, and He has fitted you to do so.
How freeing it is when you own that idea! You get to decide, under God, so much more than you realize. You get to experience the fulfillment of wrestling with the decisions, and seeing the fruit of your labor. You can’t control everything, but your choices DO have consequences. Big ones.
Here are some things God has put you in charge of:
- Your lifestyle. You get to decide what you eat, how you care for your body, when and how you rest, what you do or don’t put into your body, how you present your physical appearance, and more.
- Your time. He has given each of us 168 hours a week. Nobody has any more than you do. You get to choose how you spend that time – complaining and wasting it, or learning, enjoying, and helping.
- Your money. Yes, YOU get to choose how much money to make, how hard to work in making it, how much to give and to whom, what to spend it on, and how to invest or save it.
- Your attitude. Good and bad things happen to each of us, and each of us responds differently. YOU get to choose whether to be angry, depressed, courageous, kind, generous, bitter, or loving.
- Who you spend time with. Who said you have to spend your time around people who make you miserable? You get to choose to spend your time with people who are uplifting, who appreciate what you can give, or who you can help.
- What you give, and who you give it to. All of us give things: financial or material goods, attention, love, time. You are in charge of who and what flows from you to others.
- Your family. No, you can’t control anyone else. But He gives you responsibility for the people closest to you, to nurture, love, encourage, and help them in life and in their spiritual journey.
- Your life legacy. What will be left after you are gone? You get to choose the work you do, and the impact you make on others. You can choose to leave the world a better place.
- What others believe about God. If you call yourself a Christian, you are the biggest advertisement for God to those who don’t know Him. You can choose what others think of God because of you.
- Your worship. Yes, each one of us worships someone or something – money, fame, comfort, other’s opinion. God hopes you worship Him! But He won’t force you. That’s your choice.
Doesn’t that make you feel just a little bit awesome? It should! Take charge of what is in your hands today.
Your turn: Have you discovered something you can control that you didn’t realize before? What difference has that made for you? I’d love to hear from you in the comments below.
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