Can Do part 1
The verse on my heart for this Rant series is Philippians 4:13, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." And the title of this Rant series reflects the attitude of an overcomer. A "can do" attitude. But, fair warning, at some point in the next few days I plan on touching on the idea that even though I CAN do all things, I really really shouldn't. But that's for later. For today I want to focus on the idea that nothing is out of reach. Everything is available to us. Everything, in fact, has been PROVIDED for us. We have been given all things that pertain to life and godliness. We have been blessed with all Spiritual blessings in the heavenly Christ. What we need is to understand what we have, and what we're capable of. And, in a nutshell, we are capable of ruling and reigning as kings and priests on this earth (see Revelation 5:10). We can do it. And, in fact, well... look at Romans 8:19 (English Standard Version), "For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God." All of creation is waiting for us to do what we can do. For us to BE who we really ARE. The earth is waiting for us to rule it and reign it. That was God's original mandate to man, "The LORD God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it" (Genesis 2:15 NLT). And notice that ruling and reigning doesn't have anything to do with controlling and dominating. It has to do with tending and keeping. Watching over the gift we've been given. Being good stewards. The Apostle Paul writes at length about how we don't really own anything but we are stewards. Jesus talked about this idea too. 1 Peter 4:10 even says, "As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God." Which really hits it home that we are stewards OF THE MANIFOLD GRACE OF GOD. The most important things we've been given don't really have much to do with material possessions. They are mercy, grace, forgiveness... and love. All of those aspects of love that we are to "put on." We put them on by giving them away. By getting comfortable with them. And we get comfortable with forgiveness... by forgiving people. We are ABLE to forgive people because we are forgiven. But we really begin to understand what that means when we do it. When we use what we've been given... by giving it away. Freely you have received, right? Freely give. That, more than anything else, is what we can do. We can love. "I can love all people through Christ which strengenth me." And don't forget HOW He strengthens us. Don't forget what that strength IS. The joy of the Lord is our strength. And what could possibly make the God who is love more joyful than love? He loves us so that we can love Him by loving each other. Understand-- He loves us because He loves us. Because He IS love and there is nothing else He could do. He created us so that He could express Himself, His love, to us, and in us, and through us. But because of that great love we can truly live. Because to live is to love and to love is to live. So we can do it... because HE is doing it. He lives in us. We live in Him. He loves us. We love Him. And each other. It's all about love. That, more than anything else, is what we can do!