1 Corinthians 6:12 You may say, “I am allowed to do anything.” But I reply, “Not everything is good for you.” And even though “I am allowed to do anything,” I must not become a slave to anything. This sounds like something that my little ones would say, “I can do anything I want!” And we say things like that, too, especially because we have the forgiveness of Christ. I think that I’ve used that excuse as a rationalization once or twice. But Paul makes it clear that, even if I’m allowed to do anything, not everything is good for me to be doing and indulging every whim can make me a slave to that want or desire. Some things, like pornography and drugs, are obviously like this. A little of “anything I want” often leads to an inability to say “no” later. But, it’s the more subtle things that I have to watch out for – buying things that I want, but don’t need, or eating when I’m bored instead of hungry. Those are things that catch me up sometimes. And, yes, there is grace when I make mistakes, but it would be nice to not need that grace quite as often! I’m definitely a work in progress!
Jeremiah 1:5-6He said, “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my spokesman to the world.”“Oh Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I can’t speak for you! I’m too young!” There are two things that stand out here to me. The first is that God appoints us for a task before we are even conceived and born. Before time exists for us, God has a purpose and a plan. He’s thinking, “I will make Amanda to do this because it’s important, and she is perfectly made for it.” He knows my purpose before I’m formed, so while I’m being formed He can equip me perfectly for that task. If I need strength, He can add a little extra strength. Or if I need to be able to speak, He can give me what I need to accomplish that. We are each made exactly the right way to do exactly what God planned for us to do! And because He knew what that was before He made us, we are truly beautifully and wonderfully made, precisely as He planned, being exactly what He needed and wanted. There are no accidents. Second, I love Jeremiah’s excuse – I’m too young! He could have said a million things, but he speaks from his heart and tells what he believes is his big obstacle – his age. God, of course, says that’s not a problem and that since God is on his side, he has nothing to be afraid of. We all have obstacles that we believe could keep us from doing what God has planned for us. But we forget, God already knows all our excuses and knows that compared to Him, they are nothing! He made us just for this job and since He knows everything, there are really no excuses.