Verse of the Day 8/12

Verse of the Day 8/12

2 Thessalonians 1:11-12 To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, ¹² so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.    English Standard Version (ESV)

In reading today's verses two words jumped out at me.  One was "resolve" which is defined as "decide firmly on a course of action".   The other word is grace, which we see a lot in Paul's writings.  I've shared John Piper's definition before and I'll share it again today.   "Grace is not simply leniency when we have sinned. Grace is the enabling gift of God not to sin. Grace is power, not just pardon."

How many times have we "resolved" to do something only we don't end up doing it, getting it done.  It may be due to the lack of drive, energy or resources to accomplish the goal, or it may be laziness or perhaps even a change of heart, but for whatever reason what was resolved, fades away.  New Year's resolutions often fall into this category.

As for the things that we "resolve" to do in fulfilling Christ's mission in and for us, it is not simply our own efforts, drive or resources that we are to rely and draw upon, rather it is His grace, which is sufficient for us to accomplish His purposes.  This grace has been in us and for us in the past, it is working for us now and it will be effective into the future, for the rest of our lives.  Piper writes, "So, grace is an active, present, transformative, obedience-enabling power....Therefore, this grace which moves in power from God to you at a point in time is both past and future. It has already done something for you or in you and therefore is past. And it is about to do something in you and for you, and so it is future — both five seconds away and five million years away."

May we be "resolved" to follow in the grace, the enabling power that only He can provide.

I'm reminded of the hymn "I am Resolved", we'll close with a few of the stanzas.

1. I am resolved no longer to linger,
   Charmed by the world's delight,
   Things that are higher, things that are nobler,
   These have allured my sight.
   • Refrain:
     I will hasten to Him,
     Hasten so glad and free;
     Jesus, greatest, highest,
     I will come to Thee.
2. I am resolved to follow the Savior,
   Faithful and true each day;
   Heed what He sayeth, do what He willeth,
   He is the living Way.

--   In Christ,  Mike    Folllow the Verse of the Day blog at http://mikesvotd.blogspot.com  Ephesians 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins,  in accordance with the riches of God's grace.  NIV  

2 Thessalonians 1:11-12The Message (MSG)

^11-12 Because we know that this extraordinary day is just ahead, we pray for you all the time—pray that our God will make you fit for what he's called you to be, pray that he'll fill your good ideas and acts of faith with his own energy so that it all amounts to something. If your life honors the name of Jesus, he will honor you. Grace is behind and through all of this, our God giving himself freely, the Master, Jesus Christ, giving himself freely.