What's God cooking?

Philippians 2v13 reads, "for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose”. The original language word for will means - to have a desire, purpose, resolve and act means - to put one's gifts and capabilities into operation. My paraphrase for this Scripture is: My desire, purpose and resolve to put my gifts and capabilities into operation in order to fulfill God’s purpose comes from God working in me.

The weather has been very hot recently (I’m trying not to complain). The heat has had me wondering if God working in me is often like God cooking something up in me. Sometimes God works in me like a slow cooker - slowly and patiently simmering in me over an extended period of time. Sometimes, like the heat last week, it feels like God has the heat turned up too high in me - like he’s trying to do too much at once. Yet, there are other times when I wonder if God is cooking anything up in me at all.

What I am learning is that God is always working in me, always cooking something new up in my life. The problem is that much of the time I am not paying attention and miss God’s activity in me.

I invite you to intentionally pay attention to God working within you during the next few months. How is God working (cooking) in you this late summer? How is God stirring up your desire, purpose and resolve to give new energy and new gifts to fulfill God’s purpose for your life in this world?

Temples

I recently read “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?” in First Corinthians chapter 3 verse 16. I have been reflecting on how God’s Spirit lives in our bodies and in the summer we spend more time out in God’s creation. For me, being in a boat on a lake fishing, walking a secluded trail through the woods, or simply sitting on our patio enjoying a barbeque meal with Paula help me connect to God. God’s temple that is my body connects with God’s creation that is all around me and I am drawn closer to God. Perhaps God’s Spirit is worshiping within God’s temple, my body, when I am receptive to God’s creation in ways that are unique when I am outside in God’s creation. I’m not sure and that’s fine with me. I do know that my whole being (God’s temple) is drawn closer to the Creator God when I am open to experiencing the glory of God’s creation - I become more of who I was created to be.
I invite you this summer to experiment with ways in which your whole being, your temple of God - the dwelling place of God’s Spirit, can be open to experiencing God in the glory of God’s creation. What activities or lack thereof, open your whole self up to the glory of God that is on display all around you? May you find God in God’s creation and may God find you in the center of your being!