From the Edges – God’s Perspective of Us – Part 2 Morning Devotional

From the Edges – Morning Devotions
God’s Perspective – of Us – Part 2
Pastor Calvin Cook – July 31, 2024
Scripture focus – James 1: 12-15 Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.13 When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14 but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. 15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

One contemporary Christian writer suggests that: Life is a test, Life is a trust, and Life is a temporary assignment. Maybe in God’s view of you, God is asking you to prove your faithfulness. Maybe asking you to be an example of the words you have been speaking. Maybe today God is asking you to give up something that has controlled and marred the relationship that God desires to have of you.

Remember the story of Abraham from Genesis. God asked Abraham to offer his son Isaac in a sacrifice. (I know we gasp at this.) Yet in the end through Abraham’s faithfulness and trust and being willing to give up that one precious gift he experienced so much more. Think of Adam in Eve in the Garden. The one thing that they were asked to avoid they did. Though be it from temptation of the evil one, it created a void and division from God that has not been changed these thousands of years later. We allow 1or 2 or 1000 things to take place of our genuine relationship with God. What must God think of this?

What if we moved so close in our relationship with God that we fully believed that God is always watching. Our response to people, how our problems have been created, our successes and how we achieved them, our conflicts, our health and how we live healthy lifestyles in the body that has been entrusted to us, and so much more. You might not be ready to hear this, I know I’m not, but the truth is God sees all of this and more.

Here is the good news! God wants you to pass on these things that the world and the prevalent evil of the world says is OK. Not only pass but endure and overcome. We know the final pages of the story, don’t we? In the midst of everything, grace is greater! Say that with me – God’s Grace is Greater than anything else.

God’s perspective of you is greater than what you think of yourself. You are the beloved! You have been bought for a price! What is before you are much greater than the things of pain that is behind you. But….. we must move into God’s neighborhood so that when we as James 1:12 says receive the crown of life that has been promised to those who love him” we will see it was all worth it.