1 Thessalonians 1:6 - Full Circle

1 Thessalonians 1:6 "So you became our followers and the Lord's; for you received our message with joy from the Holy Spirit in spite of the trials and sorrows it brought you." (TLB)

I've come full circle.

Back in the beginning of it all, the Lord chose me to be one of His Family............before there was an earth.......before there were the heavens.......He knew when I came into being, I'd be one of His children. Back then, the Lord made my choices for me.

Then I came into this world. And for those first few years, my earthly parents made choices for me.........what I would eat......what I would read...........what I would listen to. They also taught me about my being a gift to them from God. And they taught me that as much as they loved me, God loved me much, much more. They taught me about Him............how to seek Him.

As I grew older, I began to make choices independent of my parents. And when I left the security of the home I was raised in, I made a choice that would bring darkness into my life while giving me the illusion of light.......I stopped actively seeking God and started seeking the counsel of men. I was truly on my own for the first time.......*I* was making the choices in my life........or so I thought.

When God became secondary in my life.........rather than it being me against the world as I thought..........it was the enemy directing me in the ways of the world. The enemy had assumed control of my life, deceiving me with the conceit...........the arrogance............the heady thought I was controlling my destiny. But it was all a lie.

And there was pain.........but I'd write that all off because of the momentary happiness I'd achieve now and then. But when the pain returned, as it always did, it was even stronger than before...............then there was only the pain.........and the feeling that I was hopelessly lost.

That all ended when the Lord stepped back in at my invitation to take control of my life once again..........but it took awhile and a glimpse at an eternity without Him before I was willing to relinquish the things of this world completely..........and turn my focus on Him.

Now I'm back to the place where He's again making all the choices for me............I still have pain, but now I have Someone to share it with...........Someone to comfort me...................Someone Who understands what it means to be human and subject to the weaknesses of flesh.

And for the first time, there is joy in my life because the Light of the World is now once again leading me back to where it all began so many, many years ago............and the prodigal son returns to the open arms.........then the warm embrace and the Love of His Father.

Love in Jesus,

Jim

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"But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired." (1 Corinthians 12:18 NASB)

"Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE, Copyright 1960,1962,1963,1968,1971,1972,1973,1975,1977,1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission."

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This devotional was originally posted on CCI-Devo - Daily Group Devotionals on December 4, 2003 in post #419. It was written by Jim Ross, a former United Pentecostal Church member, who attends Christian Challenge International, the sponsor of the devotional group. The devotional is the copyright of Jim Ross and is reprinted on this site by permission.

Page added April 17, 2006

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