Grace, not Force

What is it about worrying which takes over so many of us?

We think that with all our fretting, we are actually accomplishing something.

The truth is that we think that we must do something, because we do not believe that God is doing something for us, or that He is working behind the scenes taking care of everything on our behalf.

Such is the result of living with the idea that God is based on our conception of Him, rather than resting in the truth that He is taking care of all things for us.

The above revelation has been very difficult for me, since for so long I have grown accustomed to forcing everything to fall into place.

I am since then learning so much about the grace of God, and how His favor opens more doors than my labor or the fears and fervors of men.

This has been so difficult for me to accept, yet we must recognize that in the Beginning, God created. . .everything, then planned our redemption before man fell:

"According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:" (Ephesians 1: 4)

and

"Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you," (1 Peter 1: 20)

and also

"And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world" (Revelation 13: 8)

We do not need our efforts, but we need to see His efforts at work in our lives:

"27To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: 28Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus: 29Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily." (Colossians 1: 27-29)

He is working in you and me (Philippians 2: 12-13). We are not trying to conjure Him up, and we should never succumb to sense of aloneness in our situations:

"31What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? 32He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?" (Romans 8: 31-32)

and also

"Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God." (1 Corinthians 2: 12)

It's about the grace of God working in our lives, which we receive because of Jesus!