Does God Give Us Grace For Tomorrow?

This past weekend my husband and I went biking at a state park. We’ve been biking several times together, and even spent our fifth anniversary on a 3 day bike trip. Despite my  past experiences and the great fun I’ve had doing it, I have one pretty big flaw for biking-I’m terrified of hills. It is a little backward to hold the brakes down the hills which should be a period of rest, but that’s often what I do. 🙂  This trip to a particularly hilly state park was great practice for me to work on my  fears. My sweet husband rode behind me, encouraging me, giving me pointers, and continually reminding me to just look in front of me.

“I think there is a hill up there! It is a big one! I think there is gravel too!” I’d cry out to him. He would patiently and consistently reply, “Just look 15 ft in front of you, and find the safest spot to be.” For the remainder of the ride I recited the directions in my head and began to see the huge hills were much more gradual than I’d realized at first looking at them.

As I thought about my bike ride, I realized this is something I find myself doing often in all facets of my life. In the midst of difficulty, I worry about how I will handle anything more. Even in the good, I start to imagine and form my own idea of how this great opportunity will pan out according to my own plans. Those ways of thinking only leave me overwhelmed in discouragement or bitter over changed plans. I’d venture to say we all need a reminder to just look 15 feet in front of us. Once again we often try to put ourselves in the place of the omniscient God who sees all, when in reality we can only see what He has given us each day.

Matthew 6:31-34 says

“Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

Jesus directs us to remember who we are, and to remember who God is. We have a mission to focus on- it’s the Kingdom of God. It’s not the kingdom of my plans, it’s His– and we are just playing a small part. It’s incredible that He gives us the chance to do His work- and amazingly He gives us the skills and ability to do what he commands.

I love in Exodus 31:6- as God is describing this incredibly ornate structures and furnishings he wants the Israelites to make, he states, “And I have given to all able men ability, that they may make all that I have commanded you.” In 2 Corinthians 9:8 God tells us again that he “is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.”

How sweet to know that God will give us the tools, skills, and grace to do the work He has asked us to do. The thing is, are we worrying and fearing what our own ideas have imagined for us? Are we fearing what He has asked somebody else to do? Are we keeping our eyes set on a future that is not ours to look on yet?

As some sweet friends reminded me once, God gives us the grace, skills, and ability to abound in the work He has given us right now. Plans change, positions evolve, circumstances are constantly shifting. Yes, let’s dream about the future, but let us not build our own kingdom and dwell upon that worry. Let’s remember that God is an active God- moving in our hearts, growing our faith and even our skills so that for each day He brings us we will be able to accomplish what He has for us- so that He alone may receive the glory.

So let’s keep focusing 15 feet in front of us. How can we use his grace to abound in every good work, today?  How can we lean on Him to fight the sin in our hearts today? How can we bring Him glory in what he has given us today?