When I hike I love to watch the squirrels scamper around the woods. They seem so busy and happy. I swear they are always smiling! Do you ever wonder why squirrels don’t need a stress center, alcohol or drug rehab, or a weight loss program? [Well except for the squirrels in my neighbor’s yard because she feeds them waaayyy too much!] 🤣 Most squirrels scurry about their business, doing exactly what God created them to do. They’re not abusing their bodies with stress, overeating, overworking, laziness, drugs, etc., and…they teach us an important lesson about how God created us to live. The Bible teaches:
But ask the beasts, and THEY will teach you; the birds of the heavens, and they will tell you; or the bushes of the earth, and they will teach you; and the fish of the sea will declare to you. Who among all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? In his hand is the LIFE of every living thing and the breath of all mankind. Does not the ear test words as the palate tastes food? Wisdom is with the aged, and understanding in length of days. With God are wisdom and might; he has counsel and understanding.
(Job 12:7-13)
The creatures that we classify as having less intelligence than humans, understand a TRUTH that we struggle to grasp—that is—we must trust God FOR EVERYTHING! Learning to TRUST God for EVERYTHING is a game changer.
In fact, it creates a balance in our life that is impossible without Him!
We become so busy and completely satisfied living the life that God maps out for us that we are no longer bored, dissatisfied, or depressed. We aren’t looking for more satisfaction in a bar of dark chocolate, a bottle of alcohol, a pill, our work, a Netflix series, our workout, our looks, or—relationships with other people. We live in the confidence that we belong to God because He takes GREAT care of us. When we are born again and learn to experience His presence, it is a no brainer to trust Him for EVERYTHING!
GOD’s presence is ALWAYS our satisfaction; HE HAS all of the answers for every circumstance.
GOD’S way is always better than ours. He loves us more than He loves the birds and squirrels. His Son’s death is proof of His great love. Jesus said:
“Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?”
(Matthew 6:26)
Jesus didn’t die to redeem the squirrels, yet it seems the squirrels trust Him more than we do. God has proven to us that He is trustworthy. When we make Him our greatest passion, we enter into a life of amazing satisfaction.
When we seek to know God more than we know anything, we know everything that we need to know.
We would love to hear your thoughts about this devotional. Did God speak to you or challenge your daily walk with him? Or is there a topic that you would like Kimberly to cover or expound on? Please share with us in the comments below.
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2 Responses
Can you explain what you mean the “ living the life that God maps out for us”?
Thank you
Dan Adams
Dan, I’m glad you asked! You can give me your feedback on a devotional we’ve written for April 16th on this subject! Below is the rough draft. Would love to hear your thoughts! ~Kimberly
The Bible reveals that God has a beautiful plan for our life. But our enemies are fierce and don’t want us to enjoy even one minute of God’s plan for us! So many times, even after we’re born again, we willingly enslave ourselves to sin. Even though our choices can lead us into captivity, God is so powerful and loving that He still desires to give us great peace and hope. Most folks are familiar with Jeremiah the Prophet’s prophetic word from God to the captives of Israel:
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11
My friend, God has a plan for each of us, written for us by Himself even before we were formed in our mother’s womb:
“You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down, And are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue, But behold, O Lord, You know it altogether. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them.” Psalms 139:2-4,16
We can know with all certainty many aspects of God’s plan because they are written in His Word. Some of God’s plan we discover as we walk close to Him and other aspects of His plan will only be revealed to us in eternity when we see Jesus face to face. 1 Corinthians 13:9–12
So what part of God’s plan for our life can we know NOW?
God has a plan for us to be born again and receive His gift of salvation by grace through faith.
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16
When we are born again, we fall into line with our design and are enabled to enter into a relationship with our loving Heavenly Father, who wants us to come to Him as trusting children and depend on Him daily to satisfy the deepest longings of our hearts.
“As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?” Psalms 42:1-2
God has a plan to grow a relationship with Him. When we are first born again, we have more questions than answers. Like an infant, it’s impossible for us to see the whole picture. But God is that good parent who doesn’t disclose the intricate details of adulthood before we’re mature enough to comprehend and handle them. Irrespective of how long we’ve been a child of God, we should always be maturing and trusting God to reveal what we need to know about His plan as we mature. What we can know from the beginning, is that God desires to have daily fellowship with us.
“God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” 1 Corinthians 1:9
God’s plan is for you to live in obedience. The deeper our relationship with Christ, the more we see the great wisdom in living according to the truth of His Word instead of the wisdom of our own ways. God’s love is manifested in the complete selflessness of Christ who “ humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.” Philippians 2:8.
Christ lived in loving obedience to His Father and He commanded us to live as He did.
“As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.” John 15:9-10
God’s plan is for us to live in holiness. After we are born again, God gives us the stunning opportunity to develop the mind of Christ which means we desire to be conformed to the character of Christ. After we are born again, God dwells within our soul and spirit, but we still must contend with our flesh. Thus the Bible admonishes us:
“Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, ‘Be holy, for I am holy.’” 1 Peter 1:13-16
God’s plan for us is discipleship and evangelism. God calls ALL Christians to spread the Gospel and to train others to become disciples of Christ. Jesus commanded:
“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20
We can’t teach what we don’t know; thus, we are commanded to be diligent to study God’s Word. 2 Timothy 2:15 We can’t draw people to Christ on our own, so we are commanded to “pray without ceasing.” 1 Thessalonians 5:17 And finally, all our efforts at evangelism and discipleship are for naught if they are not covered by God’s love. 1 Corinthians 13:1-4 Jesus said:
“If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” Matthew 16:24-25
God’s plan for us is to be engaged in good works. We are designed to be God’s masterpiece. He is THE great Artist and He has a work of art in mind that is so beautiful that we cannot even imagine it!
“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10
God has a marvelous itinerary of good works planned for us!
“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” Ephesians 3:20-21
My friend, thankfully God does not reveal His complete plan for our life all at once! We could not handle that knowledge. His plan, as written in His Word, is enough! It is presented in a framework we can understand. We can do this. We can know Him and live according to His Word. He gives us the opportunity to live mightily by supernatural faith in Him—instead of poor and broken by the limited insights of our own mind.
We don’t need to know the future when we know and obey the ONE who does!