Ephesians 5:1-2(NLT), “Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. 2 Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.”
There’s 24-hours in a day, seven days in a week, and 365 days in a year. Yet, with all this time on our hands, we still hear people constantly complain that there’s not enough time in a day for them to accomplish what they want. Some of us have very busy lives, there’s no question about this, but we must be very careful not to forget that life is a gift, and we’re indebted to live it on God’s terms. So, we must make doubly sure that we don’t squeeze Him out of our days, because He tells us in Ephesians 5:1 that in everything we do, we should be imitating Him.
We become so used to doing things our own way, that we don’t think to slow down and ask God if we’re doing things HIS way. Sometimes, we go off the rails and don’t even realize it. We allow our relationship with Heavenly Father to slip, and this robs us of the life we want. Working ourselves to the bone, grinding out all the details that make our schedules flow, and supporting all those in our care comes with the territory of making our lives work, but our God is the glue that holds everything together.
God’s love gives us the energy, mindset, physical capacity, and spiritual tenacity to keep it moving. His goal is that we live a life of love. Isaiah 40:28-31 (NLT) says, “Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding. He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. But those who trust in the LORD will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.”
Whether it’s on the job, in our families, or other relationships, we want the best results—we want the best out of life, and God wants this for us more than we want it for ourselves. His love is the engine that propels us forward, and our faith in Him is our fuel. He’s working in the background, taking care of details that we can’t see, and He’s also performing miracles and giving blessings that we can see. He tells us in Romans 8:28 that He causes all things to work together for the good of those who love Him, and are called according to His purpose. This is what our Heavenly Father will do for us when we trust and put Him first, but when we don’t, our lives will always feel rushed, as if we don’t have enough time, energy, or resources.
Our attentiveness to put God first and to let Him help us is essential to a life of abundance, and that’s why living life on God’s terms means that we trust Him with our days. Pleasing Him requires that we honor our responsibility to check in with Him, and allow Him access to our plans. We should invite Him to interrupt our agenda, so that we can get on board with His agenda, and witness the rewards of living life on His terms.
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“Living Life on God’s Terms”, written by Kim Times, edited by Reverend Fran Mack for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2018. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! SMS is dedicated to inspiring and encouraging Christian Women through the Word of God.