We always seem to set limits don't we? We set them for ourselves as to how much we can take and before we burst. We set them for others as to how far we will allow them to go. We have speed limits. Now, those are for our own good. They are for our safety. They prevent us from going to fast and crashing. But are the limits we set for ourselves good for us?We limit God with our own limitations! We limit God with our own plans that we so like to control. We want to set the bar high enough that we know we can make it over, but not too high as to scare us into going over. We can set limits with our weekly income. We make a budget. We try not to go over, but there are those emergencies that bring us to the brink of cashing in what we had saving. Going over scares us. It's almost like we stand as close to the edge as we can. We want to see over. We want to see the beauty, but we are afraid of falling. Is that really a way for us to live?
For me, it isn't. I don't want fear to hold me back. I am learning the limitations I set for myself only keep God from doing His will and way in my life. If I set limits, than what more can He do in my life than what I am willing to allow? It is almost as though I tie His hands. When I do, all He has for me, stays waiting, or is lost. He wants to use me for His glory. He wants to bring honor to His Father through my life. But if He cannot, then He will use someone else. Someone who is a willing vessel. Someone willing not to set limits, but allow God to set the bar high. We know that we cannot reach those heights alone, but with Him? With Him we can reach heights we never even imagined.
So what happens really? When we set those limits. Those, "I will do this, but I won't do that", we not only hurt ourselves, but others who were going to reap from the blessings God was going to work through us. God wants to use ALL His children for His glory. He doesn't just have a few chosen for His work. He instilled in each of us gifts that no other has. He has placed others in our path that will benefit from those gifts. He sees beyond today. He sees beyond that bar that we think is impossible to jump. He sees beyond that mountain we are climbing. He sees past that valley we seem to get stuck in. He sees our past and uses those moments to create our future.
When we allow fear to control us, we lose out on much more than we ever expected possible. I don't want to get to heaven one day and see all those blessings God had for me, but I never got to receive or give to another because of my lack of willingness to follow. In order for me to follow Christ I must be willing to give up my control. Which do I really have control? No! My life. Each breath is in His hands. He holds the key to unlock my future. A future in heaven, but what about today? I set my eyes on heaven, but I must allow my heart to feel while here. I must allow my eyes to see the needs of others. I must allow my feet to move to His call. I must allow my ears to hear His words to fill my heart with passion to be a witness of God's grace and love.
We seem to have limits for everything, but with God we need to throw out that measuring stick, and just know without a doubt God has set before us a life that is filled with purpose and planning. Planning that He worked on before our birth. There is no one better to trust with our life than the God above who created us.
We set limits on how much we are willing to give. On how much time we are willing to invest. What if God did that for us? With a love like God's can there be any limits? He is willing to invest whatever time He has for me. He was willing to give all He had for me, His life. He was willing to give at whatever cost it took so that you and I could have life. There are no limits to His love or how far He is willing to go for you and I. So, we need to stop setting limits for ourselves and God. We just need to let go and watch all He can do with excitement and wonder. In praise and glory we can not only watch Him work, but take part in His ministry He has set before us.
Are you willing? There are days I am willing, and others I think my time is mine. But He continues to teach me that my life is not my own. I need to be willing. Not just on my time, but think of my time as His time. If I totally focus on Him and not myself. My flesh. I will do more for His kingdom than I ever knew possible. But with Him all is possible, right?
Get ready my friends. Stop measuring God by what we are willing to give, and may we begin to give according to God's measure!
Philippians 3:12-14 "I don't mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers ans sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us."
Philippians 4:13 "For I can do all things through Christ, who gives me strength."
