I like to make candles

Because he is the Lord – Paul speaks in Romans 9: 20 “But who are you, o man, to talk back to God? Shall what is formed say to him who formed it “why did you make me like this?”

I once went to a candle decorating place and made a candle for my mom. My skill level in fine art and candle making leave lots to be desired. However unique my candle was, does it have any right to say to me “Why did you make me with so many odd colors, and a splash of pink?” Does the candle have a right to question the purpose I have for it? I think that candle still sits on my Moms dresser in her room.

God has created us, given us everything we need to achieve his purposes and plans he has for us. Ephesians 2: 10 “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” God made us, and he loves us and he is perfect. The God of the universe, the creator of everything took some time to make you. He does not lack the skill level that I did in making candles. He has made you perfect for the plan he has for you. 

The devil made me do it...

My mom used to love to do crafts and a type of fabric paint. I remember many an afternoon where the family would sit down and draw their names and a spider or a unicorn on our pillowcases. For the record, mine was the spider.

Needless to say after many years of fabric painting and the invention of laminating pictures, our walls in our rooms where filled with random pictures. Some of cartoons and others of random flowers in a field. I remember I had one of this little hot stuff devil character with a pitch fork that had a saying next too it “The devil made me do it”

I wonder how much of what I did as a child, and still do today is with the mind set that “The devil made me do it?” That I don’t take responsibility for my own selfishness, I don’t take seriously my own inward focused attitude. My attitude that serves to protect myself and no one else.  To make everything about me?

I am scared of responsibility which is rooted in the fear or not being good enough. We worry so much that we will be found out we are frauds or fakes that we blame others, or shift focus onto other things instead of taking responsibility.

Yes the devil might influence us, or lead us into temptation sometimes. But we need to realize we are our own worst enemies when we live self centered lives and worry more about out bottom line than about God’s bottom line.