I Give Him Glory

“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”  Romans 8:28

It has been a while.  I have to confess that a lot of my time has been wasted recently.  I am currently taking steps to change that now that God has revealed the problem!

A week ago today I was enjoying a wonderful weekend at my friend’s home.  Spring Break was coming to a close and me and two of my friends were ending it in style, complete with staying up into all hours of the night like good college students!  Me and my other friend got home pretty late Saturday night.  I was pretty much on top of the world after such a wonderful time hanging out with people I love.  But my mood fell to the floor after receiving a message on my apartment phone.  My mom had been trying to get a hold of me and since I currently do not have a cell phone she had to deal with leaving a message.  I could tell she was upset, possibly had even been crying so I immediately called back.  I got the news then that the man who had been my team leader in Colombia and my ABF (or Sunday School) teacher had passed away that day.

I was shocked.  I was very close to physically getting sick, it took everything out of me.  I went to my home church the next day and tried to help comfort others who were grieving as well.  The rest of the week at school was fine until Thursday, the day of the funeral.  It suddenly hit me that this had really happened.  I spent a one hour chapel crying for 45 minutes of it.  My amazing friends supported me and allowed me to be sad.  I cried even more at the funeral and came home feeling overwhelmed.

The next day I began to rethink my life.  I have been so selfish and have not really loved God or people.  Maybe that seems a little harsh because I do love God and I do love people, but not the way God has commanded me to.  Then today I was overwhelmed by the understanding that only by God’s grace am I even still alive.  I have ten fingers and ten toes because that is what will allow me to do what He has called me to.  While He was speaking light into a void and formless world, I was in His mind as well as everyone else.  As He hung on the cross taking sin upon Himself, I was on in His mind as well as everyone else.  He accused Jesus of my sins and transgressions because it pleased Him.  It pleased Him because He knew that if He did it He would be able to have a relationship with me.  He was longing for me from the very beginning.  So many days I withhold the relationship from Him.  I rush through my day hardly giving Him a glance or a prayer.  I may be holy and blameless in His sight, but I often challenge that gift He has given me.  He deserves me, I was bought with a price.  I long for Him, because He is good enough to me to keep me breathing and to have a plan and a purpose for my life.  I long for my King!

Today I am thankful that God took David Shaver.  I am thankful that I have been to five funerals in the last two years.  I am thankful that I have gone through a very difficult time recently.  See because God gets the glory, and when God gets the glory everyone benefits.  That’s the beauty of Romans 8:28.  God works everything for good because He is glorified when He does.  When God is glorified I benefit, everyone benefits.  Do not exalt yourself above the Lord, for He must humble the proud.  Remain humble and exalt the Lord and everything will work out in the end.