Aug 01 2024 Checks and Balances
God knows us better than we know ourselves. Jim Smith, a dear friend who had a profound impact on my life used to say it this way, “God wired you up. He made you—He ought to know how you best function.” Do you believe that? I do. Before Jesus ascended to Heaven, he prayed for his disciples, “As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified” (John 17:18-19 NIV). Sanctify means simply setting something aside for its originally designed purpose. In other words, God has an originally designed purpose for you and for me. He not only wired you—so he knows how you’ll function best—but he did that with a plan and purpose in mind for you.
If God has entered your life through Christ, it wasn’t just so that He could “punch your ticket” so you can go to heaven. If that was true, you’d no longer need to be here on Earth. So why did God leave you behind after you accepted Jesus into your life? It’s because God has a plan for you! Look back a verse 19, “For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.” Part of being sanctified means participating in His plan on this earth. The more you are in step with His plan, the more fulfillment you’re going to find in your own life. The further away from that plan you are, the more frustration you’re going to experience in your life. God wired us together and wants to work with us so that He can accomplish His purposes through us.
Check Yourself
The Christian life is all about relationships and the primary relationship is with God (Matthew 22:37-40). The next relationship is with yourself—not in a self-important, self-centered, out-of-balance kind of way. But ask yourself, “Is there any area in the physical dimension of my life where I do not have proper control? Is there any area that is not in obedience to Christ—any area where I need to check myself?” Think about that for a minute.
As Christians, I think we tend to deny our humanity. Many years ago, Jim Smith called me into his office and said, “John, one of the things you struggle with is you’re not in touch with your humanity. You don’t want to fail, you think you can’t fail, you think you have to do everything right.” I acknowledged he was right. From there, Jim helped me understand that Jesus died for our bodies, as well as for our souls. Christ died that you and I might be whole people—mentally, socially, emotionally, physically and spiritually.
Let’s talk about some specific things as they relate to our humanity. Is your money under God’s control? That’s a physical thing. Are your material possessions under His control? How about your sex life? Or your thought life? Is your use of time under God’s control? Are you in need of a change of pace—to build rest into your life?
Often, we’re guilty of trying to separate our faith from the practical things of everyday life—but if you really know God or spend time in His Word, you know there is no more practical manual for everyday living than the Word of God. Dear friends, it works. As my wife Punky says, “The Word works when you work the Word.” You’ve got to spend time in God’s Word to know how to apply it to your everyday life, and then do what it says. It’s a simple as that!