God Allows Us to Be Partners With Him

"When He had come to His own country, He taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished and said, "Where did this Man get this wisdom and these mighty works? Is this not the carpenter's son? Is not His mother called Mary?... So they were offended at Him. But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house." Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief. (Mt. 13:54-58)

God can do anything. I know that, but this verse brings to my mind the partnership aspect of spiritual life that we gloss over a lot of times. Jesus, the son of God went to his home and tried to minister to the people there. He tried to do great works and miracles, but because they knew him as a youth, they assumed that he was simply the same person that he had always been...the carpenter's son.

When Jesus tried to teach and minister as a Rabbi, they were offended, and didn't want to believe that he could do miracles -- and consequently, no miracles came.

In Genesis 1:28 man was charged to subdue the earth. In short, God gave man the earth on which to live and manage. This, in essence forms the covenant by which God operates in our lives as well. Because He has given us free will to manage our lives here on earth, He doesn't always step in when it is obvious that He should or would.

He is available to us and He presents His ways and commandments as the instruction manual for us to follow - both to gain entry to His heavenly kingdom and to live optimal lives during our earthly lifetimes. However, it is ultimately up to us to determine how much access we will give to Him.

Will we simply pray from time to time and ask for His help? Or will we live lives of complete trust on Him, sometimes risking everything knowing that He will come through for us with a miracle?

God obviously wants the latter because He continually seeks to get to know us and when we do come to Him, He is a loving parent with such a deep deep well of love and affection for us (parenthood itself is the gift of a glimpse into the type of love that God has for each of us). He knows our characters more intimately than we will ever know them because He created us in a specific and special way. He wants to help us have a life that will bring out the very best in ourselves even if that involves tremendous trial and difficulty.

But, in order to do all of that, we need to willingly let Him into our lives. We need to open our hearts to Him in prayer and accept His free gift of Jesus and the Holy Spirit. If we reject Him or limit Him in some way shape or form, than miracles will not occur there. It is not because God is limited in power or scope, but it is because He is honorable to His original covenant to man. He will allow man to sort out and manage the world even though it brings us to the edge of destruction. But, at the same time, He presents Himself ready to assist us if we would simply believe and pray to Him.

Lord Jesus, thank You for this most timely of messages and reminders. I have learned so much about You through Your word, but at the same time, I need constant corrections to get myself back on track. I know that I need You in ways that I haven't been praying for, and I pray that as a family we will seek You daily. Shape our lives Lord, make us into the people that You want us to be. Help us to face our challenges and overcome them. Help us to be people after Your own heart.

In Jesus name, AMEN.