God Wants Inspiration

2 Timothy 2:24 NKJV And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel (strive - KJV) but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient

It's been said that God is looking for inspiration, not perspiration. I agree. It's so easy to be 'busy' for the things of God, but busy in things that God never led you to do. One of the difficulties in any believer's life -- in any church's life -- is to be busy, busy, busy, but never really busy in what God wants or desires. I once it heard it illustrated this way: "What if you spent your whole life baking your best friend the perfect apple pie, to only find out when you finally present it to him, he doesn't like apple pies at all but prefers the cherry pies at the corner store?" There would no doubt be a sense of "why did I waste all my time?"

Misplaced effort has plagued believers from the very beginning. It's not that effort and serving Jesus won't be tiring, it will. Often the Bible describes service as a 'labor of love.' The word labor literally means "to work to the point of exhaustion." Misplaced labor almost always ends in 'burn out,' with doses of frustration, anger, and sadness thrown in along the way. It's simply not good to strive. Those that strive to make things happen often get to the end and wonder, "why did I waste all my time?"

It's important that we learn to recognize whether God is in something or not. If He's in it, then He will inspire us in our service. If He's not, then we have to let it go rather than strive to make something happen that God doesn't want. Remember, it's in His time that He makes all things beautiful!

In Love,
Pastor Ed

Response
It takes grace to forgive one who has offended, and humility to be the one to ask forgiveness. Two most important attributes we must have if we are truly God's.