A Prepared Table
Recently, a group of my “besties” and I enjoyed a girls night at a business that has somehow convinced people to pay to work! We went to a venue where you preselect the project of your choice and, once there, you do all the work. Well, at least some of the work. You sand, distress, stain, paint, drill, and decorate. So why would people pay to do all of that? It’s because it is all prepared. The boards are already cut to the right length. The holes are marked and pre-drilled. The design is created on a stencil and the guesswork is taken out of the stain and paint colors. It is all prepared, so I didn’t mind the work, particularly with an end goal that was valuable.
There are many times in my life where I don’t necessarily want to do the work … especially in front of a derisive world … to be who God calls me to be: “You shall be holy, for I am holy” (1 Peter 1:16). The famous “Golden Rule” applies here. There are days when I would rather get even that treat others the way I want to be treated (Matthew 7:12). Ephesians 1:14 reads “that we should be holy and blameless before Him…,” and 1 Corinthians 1:2 says members of the church are “called to be saints,” and there are days when I’m not sure I am cut out for the job!
Then one day as I was reading Psalm 23, it hit me! “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies” (Verse 5a; emphasis added). God has already prepared the table! He has given me the tools I need to be successful through His Son! Just like I would not be able to produce a cute, crafty sign without the tools and the raw materials prepared and designed for me, God doesn’t expect me to walk the Christian walk without Him and His guidance.
Look at one short chapter to see some of the preparations God has made for us. In Ephesians 3, we see:
- A church family or body to which we all belong (verse 6)
- The promise in Christ Jesus (verse 6)
- Boldness and access through faith (verse 12)
- Riches of His glory and strengthened with power through His Spirit (verse 16)
- The love of Christ that surpasses knowledge (verse 19)
What preparation and what an end goal! Do I really mind the work?
“Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” Ephesians 3:20-21
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AUTHOR: Amber Tatum
