day 275: But God

While I am on vacation, I have asked friends, and encouragers of Purposed worKING to contribute. Today's post comes from Jason Illian who is a published author and technology executive who has a passion for helping people live more purpose-driven lives.


"BUT GOD" is the most powerful phrase in the Bible. Just when we felt completely hopeless, when our relationships were beyond repair, when we made mistake after mistake and things seemed un-fixable...BUT GOD.

"Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. BUT GOD chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things--and the things that are not--to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him." - 1 Corinthians 1:26-29

"Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. BUT GOD demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." - Romans 5:7-8

We often forget that God's saving grace isn't just fixated on the afterlife. It is abundantly poured out on each of us everyday. Christ didn't die to save us from only hell--He died to save us from this ho-hum, run-of-the-mill, sin-infested existence where we run into the same problems over and over again. He died to save us from ourselves and from the daily monotony. He wants our everyday lives to have meaning and purpose.

If you are living for the weekends, God is talking to you. If you are counting the hours until work is done, God is talking to you. If you are lying in bed, staring at the ceiling, and wondering why you should get out for another day of the same old thing, God is talking to you. He isn’t dangling a carrot out in front of you for a gift that will never be experienced. He desires for you to live the exceedingly abundant life. Now. Daily.

God is bigger than our problems, no matter how large we've allowed them to grow. So when you feel like you've come to the end of your rope, when your life has officially spiraled out of control, when you feel like burying yourself in the bottle or in someone else's bed, remember...BUT GOD.

Reference: 1 Corinthians 1:26-29, Romans 5: 7-8