Created for His Good Pleasure by Os Hillman
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By Os Hillman
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"For
we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God
prepared in advance for us to do." Ephesians
2:10
Eric Liddell was an Olympic
runner from Britain who won a gold medal in the 1924 Paris Olympics. He was a
man who had a deep commitment to the Lord and had future plans of being a
missionary. In the meantime, he knew God had given him a special gift to run,
and he often said, "I feel God's pleasure when I run."
He spent years training for the
Olympics. He passed each hurdle and qualified for the Olympics. Finally, the
day came for him to run in the games that were held in Paris. There was only
one problem. One of his running events was held on Sunday. Liddell refused to
run on Sunday, believing it dishonored the Lord's Sabbath. He held to his
convictions and brought great persecution on himself. He made a decision that
even if it meant losing his opportunity to compete, he would not run. God's
laws were greater than man's applause. Just when the circumstances seemed
hopeless, another situation arose that allowed Liddell to run on a different
day. So often this is the case in the spiritual realm. God tests our hearts to
see if we will remain faithful to Him at the cost of something important to us.
Once He knows where our loyalty lies, He opens a new door that meets the
desires of our hearts. God takes pleasure in seeing His creation used for His
glory. Liddell understood why he was made to run; he used his gift of running
to bring pleasure to his Creator. Later, Eric Liddell went on to serve God on
the mission field.
Does your life work bring
pleasure to the Lord? Do you understand that God instilled certain gifts and
talents in you so that He might find pleasure in His creation of you? Take
pleasure in the gifts God has given to you this day. And let His glory shine
through you.
Os Hillman
By permission only. To learn more about Os Hillman, go to: www.marketplaceleaders.org.
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"And the Lord said to Joshua, 'This day I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with you.'"(Josh 3:7-8). Joshua had been a faithful number two man under Moses for 40 years. Can you imagine serving one man for 40 years? Now that is faithfulness! Even so, when the time came to pass the mantel to Joshua, God knew he needed to be elevated in the eyes of the people in order for Joshua to accomplish his purpose. That is the purpose for elevation - so that you and I can fulfill our purpose and our mission.
http://www.identitynetwork.net/Articles-?blogid=2093&url=10&view=post&articleid=206343&link=1&fldKeywords=&fldAuthor=Os%20Hillman&fldTopic=0
"Then Elimelech, Naomi's husband, died; and she was left, and her two sons. Now they took wives of the women of Moab: the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth. And they dwelt there about ten years. Then both Mahlon and Chilion also died; so the woman survived her two sons and her husband." Ruth 1:3-5 Naomi's life was going well. A great husband. Two fine sons who had two wonderful wives. Then the unthinkable happened. Her husband died. A little time later both her sons die. Her and her daughter-in-laws find themselves in the midst of shattered dreams. This isn't how life was supposed to be.
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"While Peter was still thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, 'Simon, three men are looking for you. So get up and go downstairs. Do not hesitate to go with them, for I have sent them.'" Acts 10:19-20 Peter had never preached to the Gentiles. In fact, he believed it was against Jewish law to associate with the Gentiles. God needed to change Peter's attitude about this, so God gave Peter a vision that showed him it was permissible to preach to the Gentiles. The Spirit came to Peter and informed him that some men were about to come visit him, and he was to go with them. He went with them, and the Lord did great miracles in the lives of Gentiles through Peter.