“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness and into his wonderful light.”
– 1 Peter 2:9 –
Have you ever thought about how much God loves you?
How about how much He loves the whole world?
With sin ever present in front of us, it can be hard to see the goodness of God. But there is light in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the blessings before me. And I’ve been wondering – “am I doing enough?” I am wife to a wonderfully supportive husband, mother to two amazing kiddos (of which I homeschool my kindergartener) and I serve in my local church. And yet your first inclination may be to console me and say, “of course, Rebecca. You’re doing enough! More than enough!” But if so, why do I feel such a pressing in my heart for something more? Why has James 1:27 continued to stir in my heart – the mandate to care for orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being stained by the world?
Many people may view such a question as a harmful, guilt-filled, self-shaming idea. Perhaps people interpret the question, “am I doing enough?” as a sign of self-loathing that should be consoled and adjusted. But as I sit thinking this through, I believe I should consider this question that has been stirring my heart a blessing.
Now, for clarification, we are not saved by our works. Ephesians 2:8-9 is clear on that. There is no amount of good that we can do to win over God’s heart. If we are in Christ, we already have His love, His favor and His forgiveness. We do not have to work for it.
But this desire for more – maybe it’s not dissatisfaction with self or life. Maybe it is just an indicator of greater love that is growing deeper in our hearts for God. There is nothing good in us on our own. We are sinful broken people. But because of Jesus Christ, God places in our hearts desires for righteousness. And perhaps we should consider those desires as blessings and callings from Him. Perhaps we should not suppress it with self-consolation that we are already doing plenty of work for God. Maybe HE wants more. Maybe WE want more.
John 3:16 – arguably the most well known passage of Scripture ever – has been very clear to us. God loves the world! If He didn’t, Jesus wouldn’t have left the throne. The Father wouldn’t have sacrificed His own Son. God loves us. And everyone around us. And we who have received Christ, we who are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation and God’s special possession have opportunities every day to shine His light into the darkness around us. We are called to declare His praises to all people. To our spouses and our children. To our co-workers and our neighbors. Even to ourselves as a means of reminder that He is still good, and always will be!
I desire more, friends. More than my regular routine. More than I’ve decided is the life I want to live. I want more of Him. Dare not suppress that desire in me!
Because my desire for more is not so that I will feel a better sense of self-satisfaction.
My desire for more is because I want to see the glory of God ruling and reigning in every corner of the earth I step foot in. I want to declare His goodness to all peoples – across the table and around the world. I want to care for the orphan and the widow in their distress. I want to keep myself unstained from the world. I want to live humbly as God’s special possession, to declare His glory everywhere.
How about you?
Sincerely,
Rebecca ❤️
REBECCA GAROFFOLO 