When I was five years old, my daddy entered me into my first race. When the whistle blew, the kids right and left of me shot forward like bullets at a target. They were strong, aggressive, and capable. I was weak and little. I came in last.

Standing alone on the race track, I felt lost. I felt lost, because I did not PLACE anywhere in the competition. I was not RANKED, GRADED, or RATED. I believed that I did not rank, because there was something lacking inside me: an essence that failed to manifest me…a center that failed to establish me…a core that failed to give me worth. The winners around me all seemed big, bold, and beautiful. They were strong, colorful beings with radiant, confident smiles that seemed to shine with a glory that came from inside of them. They all had flashy auras that deemed them first and best. But I had no grand, inner magnet to attract those around me. I exuded no energy, no brilliant light, and no powerful force, on the inside, to make me big, bold, and beautiful. Therefore, I concluded that I needed to come up with an inner glory of my own, on the inside, that would surround me with splendor, on the outside.

My inner glory consisted of Self-Defense, Self-Righteousness, and Self-Esteem. These qualities became the LAW—a belief system that stated that the glory attained by ability and achievement would grow into Life, inside of me. This LAW was meant to provide the essence that would manifest me…the center that would establish me…the core that would honor me.

But, Self-Defense, the built-in mechanism that was supposed to make me win, was filled with hatred and jealousy. Because of it, I always lost, even when I DID win. Self-Righteousness, the set of beliefs that were supposed to make me beautiful, was consumed with pride and prejudice. As a result, I felt ugly, from the inside-out. Self-Esteem, the system of comparison that was supposed to give me worth, on the inside, was loaded with fear and despair. In the end, I was left with a heavy load of anxiety and strife that weighed me down…all the way to my knees. So, I prayed: “Lord Jesus, who am I? Since I did not place anywhere in that race, as a child, I feel discharged…dismissed…displaced, as an adult. I feel empty, dull, and flat, on the inside. There is something missing in ME. There is no glory…no grandness…no splendor in me. What do I need, on the inside, in order to make ME big, bold, and beautiful? What is YOUR Truth?”

And it was here, on the race track of busyness, lost and bewildered, where the Lord Jesus found me. He said, “My Child, I love you so much. You do not need Self-Defense, Self-Righteousness, and Self-Esteem to establish you, on the inside. You only need Me. I made you small, weak, and empty, to I may fill you with My Self—the Big, the Bold, and the Beautiful. Invite Me in to become your Law of Life…and you will be big, bold, and beautiful, too.

FOR IN HIM DWELLETH ALL THE FULNESS OF THE GODHEAD BODILY
(Colossians 2:9.)

What does YOUR inner glory consist of?

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, I come to You, small, weak, and empty, so You may become in me Big, Bold, and Beautiful.

WHOEVER SERVES ME MUST FOLLOW ME; AND WHERE I AM, MY SERVANT ALSO WILL BE. MY FATHER WILL HONOR THE ONE WHO SERVES ME
(John 12:26).

If you want to serve God, you must first follow the Lord Jesus, so He may show you where and how He wants you to serve Him. Then, you will end up in the place where the Lord Jesus wants you to be…and everything you do where Jesus is, matters. This calls for an intimate, moment-by-moment relationship with the Lord Jesus, no matter how you feel. This calls for fellowship with His Spirit, daily, wherever you are.

HIS WORK WILL BE SHOWN FOR WHAT IT IS, BECAUSE THE DAY WILL BRING IT TO LIGHT. IT WILL BE REVEALED WITH FIRE, AND THE FIRE WILL TEST THE QUALITY OF EACH MAN’S WORK. IF WHAT HE HAS BUILT SURVIVES, HE WILL RECEIVE HIS REWARD. IF IT IS BURNED UP, HE WILL SUFFER LOSS; HE HIMSELF WILL BE SAVED, BUT ONLY AS ONE ESCAPING THROUGH THE FLAMES
(1 Corinthians 3:13-15).

Be diligent to follow the Lord Jesus to the Purpose He has planned for you, because then your work will be the Will of the Perfect Father.  Know that, one day, your work will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of your work. Only the work the Lord Jesus showed you to do will survive, and you will receive your reward. The rest of the work that was not initiated by Him will be burned up and lost, because it was not part of the Father’s Will.

THE WORLD AND ITS DESIRES PASS AWAY, BUT THE MAN WHO DOES THE WILL OF GOD LIVES FOREVER
(1 John 2:17).

Capture that when you are where Jesus is, every smile you give matters, every word you speak, matters, and every deed you do, matters.

Understand that when you are where Jesus is, your patience counts, your faithfulness makes a difference, and your love carries weight.

Be encouraged that the Perfect Father honors those who serve and follow His Son, Jesus.  He applauds their work.  He reveres their commitment.  He prizes their efforts.

Of what quality is the work you do for God? Will it survive the fire?

PRAYER: O Lord Jesus, I desire to be where You are and do the work that You show me to do. Let me follow You to my work, every day, to do the Will of the Father. Show me my portion for each day, so that I may do nothing more and nothing less than what You have given me to do, for if I do more I might become tired and discouraged, and if I do less I might not finish the task You have given me to do.

BUT I PRESS ON TO TAKE HOLD OF THAT FOR WHICH CHRIST JESUS TOOK HOLD OF ME
(Philippians 3:12).

My life has had many opportunities…many courses of action…many options.  However, there has only been ONE PLAN that has contained THAT for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.  The other plans were not necessarily bad.  They contained many good works.  They delivered great results.  However, they did not deliver the God-sized results that only God’s plan could deliver.  I am talking about God’s unique PURPOSE for each individual’s life.

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).

Beautiful One, I want you to know that I, the Most High God, have a THAT available for YOUR life, too.  My Mastermind has created a marked-out course for your life: a plan to follow…a program of action to take…a purpose to know. Believe that I already have certain projects planned for you…certain assignments lined up…certain accomplishments mapped out.

Child, would you allow Me to guide you to your PURPOSE that was specifically designed for YOU?  I know that the projects you are doing in your life right now are not necessarily bad, but are they THAT, which I have predesigned just for YOU?

May you only be satisfied to walk in THAT which the Lord Jesus has available for you.  And may you discontinue all other projects—good and bad—in order to take hold of THAT!

Have you taken hold of that for which the Lord Jesus took hold of you?

If not, why not? Are you too busy following your own plans? Could it be that you are not willing to give up all the other plans you have been following, in order to take hold of THAT for which God took hold of you? What will it take, then, for you to make a change for THAT?

PRAYER:  Thank you, Lord Jesus, that You have taken hold of me. Thank you that You have taken hold of me to save me from the Orphan ME, the Bad ME, the Victim ME, and the Despicable ME—the sets of accusatory OLD MAN beliefs from the father-of-lies that live in my mind and heart. I praise You, Lord God, that You have also taken hold of me, in order to work Your Purpose in my life.

I surrender myself to You, O Lord, just the way I am: with my particular set of circumstances, my sins, my mistakes, my personality, my finances, and all that I am and do. I do this, so I may take hold of the Purpose for which You have taken hold of me.