Prepared In Advance.
Purpose
What are y’all cooking today??
What are you cooking? Kevin, I thought this was a blog post, not a cooking class, well that’s why you thought!
Kidding.
Have you read Ephesians?
Is anyone reading this still trying to find their purpose in life?
If God prepared works for us that means we have to cook them.
Let’s read:
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
Ephesians 2:8-10 NIV
So it says by grace we are saved. So it wasn’t our choice! It wasn’t by anything we have done to be chosen by God! But it is through God’s grace and mercy that we are saved. It’s through the blood of Jesus! It’s through the Cross! I don’t know why I was chosen. You don’t know why you were chosen. But we know it’s by God’s LOVE. Imagine where you would be right now if it weren’t for God! Imagine where you would be if it weren’t for the word. Imagine where you would be if it weren’t for his love and truth!
But then it says for we are’s handiwork created in Christ Jesus to do good works. The amplified Bible says we are his workmanship, his own masterwork, his work of art. Imagine that! God made you just exactly who you are! That’s why we have to love our personality, we have to love the way we look, uh oh, I’m setting someone free today! You don’t have to want someone’s else life, or someone else’s looks because God made you with the exact talents and gifts you need in order to do the work he prepared for you! In order to live in your purpose!
I WAS NOT GOOD AT RECEIVING AND ACCEPTING GIFTS. And it took me so long to accept God’s love for me. It took me so long to accept that God made me set apart. It took me so long to accept that God gave me specific talents and gifts to use for his purpose. It took me so long to believe and accept that he loves me no matter what. It took me so long to accept that he has an exact plan for my life and wants me to prosper.
Yes he predestined us.
Yes he knitted us before the creation of the earth.
But he gives us free will to choose our will over our fleshly desires
And like he says to his son (the brother of the prodigal son) All of mine is yours
“‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours.”
Luke 15:31 NIV
So everything that is God is ours.
We just have to claim it.
Everything that is God is ours we just have to work for it
There is a difference between works of flesh and works of spirit but obviously, God gave us a brain hands, and feet. He wants us to go get it and get after it.
In order for Jacob to get his blessing, the father told him to go “hunt” some game for him. Before David was prepared for the battle of Goliath he had to kill the lion and the bear. Before Noah got his blessing he had to make the ark. Before Rehab was put in the faith hall of fame she had to hide the spies. Before the lady with blood for 10 years was healed she had to reach for Jesus’ cloak. Before Moses parted the Red Sea God said to Moses why are you praying and crying to me just raise your staff!!
“Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on. Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground.”
Exodus 14:15-16 NIV
We won’t live an all-star Christian life just by praying. Living a life of legacy will include being courageous, taking on fear, taking on action, being disciplined, being diligent, working hard, and a lot of God’s grace.
He gave us everything we need in order to run the race he prepared for us.
If a father told his son on Saturday “I want to sleep in a little bit in the morning but there is breakfast in the cabinet and fridge you just have to make it”. And then the sons on Saturday morning pray and cry saying why Father have you forsaken me, please I want breakfast. (This is how some Christians are) well in reality God put everything in front of us. It’s already in our cabinet. He already prepared it. All we have to do is cook it.
What are you cooking today?