Only the Best Will Do

"My tastes are simple: I am easily satisfied with the best." - Winston Churchill

When you think about "the best" what do you think of? Fancy cars, exotic places, culinary delights? But are these things really the best for us, or are we using them to fill our worldly desires? As we continue discovering how God wants to SUPERADD to our lives, we have to consider is this the life that God is talking about or is there something even better?

Throughout the Bible, God tries to show His people how he wants them to have the best. In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve had everything they could imagine. Every need was met and every comfort provided, all they had to do was listen to God's instructions. When the Israelites trekked across the wilderness, God's promised land was waiting for them, a land filled with milk and honey. The promise of a savior, a redeemer, is all throughout the Old Testament, when David was anointed King, God promised that the savior would come from his bloodline. When this prophecy was fulfilled in the birth of Jesus, and then seems to be crushed as he hung on the cross, God rose him from the dead with the promise that he would come back for us. Right this very minute, Jesus is preparing a place for us, with Him, for eternity! If that doesn't bring up images of the best, then I don't know what will.

In Philippians 1:6, 9-10 (The Voice) Paul writes, "6 I am confident that the Creator, who has begun such a great work among you, will not stop in mid-design but will keep perfecting you until the day Jesus the Anointed, our Liberating King, returns to redeem the world. 9 Here’s what I pray for you:

Father, may their love grow more and more in wisdom and insight— 10 so they will be able to examine and determine the best from everything else. And on the day of the Anointed One, the day of His judgment, let them stand pure and blameless."

God not only wants us to have the best lives possible, but He wants us to be our best. Verse 6 says that God "will not stop in mid-design but will keep perfecting" us. I don't know about you, but most days I'm a mess. I am so thankful that God isn't done, because there is still a lot of work to do. Part of the work that God does in us is He helps us to have discernment. In verse 10 it says that we will "be able to examine and determine the best from everything else." This doesn't mean we will always know which is the best apple in the barrel, but that we will know which things are the best for our lives, because God is guiding us.

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He "will not stop in mid-design but will keep perfecting you..."

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So how do we discover what is best for us? Even though we are mid-design, Paul's prayer, as well as ours should be that our love would grow in wisdom and experience and that we would have the ability to examine, assess, and decisively know "the best from everything else." or as Hosanna Wong states it "There is God's Best. And then there's the less."

You might be sitting here thinking, life is good. I have no complaints. It might be good, but is it God's best? It might be good, really good. You might get hundreds of likes on Instagram, but it's still not the best. To receive God's best we need the discernment that only comes from Him, and we have to have the courage to choose His best.

Do you have the courage to choose God's best? In order for God to SUPERADD to your life you need to take a hard look at yourself. Honestly reflect on your life and discover areas that need some humbling subtraction.

DON'T GET DISCOURAGED!

This is not so you can live your life with less.......but so you can have MORE!

2 weeks ago I said this journey was going to be tough. That there will be times that you don't want to do it and you don't want to subtract. Please don't feel like a failure because there are things in your life that are not God's best for you, please know that you are not alone and please know that I really struggled through, and am still struggling through, these subtractions. But without the subtraction there is no room for more. There is no room for anything good to be added. There is no room for God's overflowing, abundant, SUPERADDED best.

Part of why Paul said that we were in mid-design, is because we are broken people. There are still hurts that we are holding onto. There are relationships that are unrepaired. We are holding onto our selfish motives, our stubborn pride and our own insecurities. These are the things that we must be willing to let go of, these are the subtractions we have to face so that God can add more of what is good.

God wants so much more for you. He wants to grow in you in all of the gifts of the Spirit. He wants others to look at you and wonder why you are so different, so loving, so kind, so free. The subtraction may be difficult, but what God is waiting to replace it with is far better then you can even imagine. God's additions are always best.

Lets Pray:

God, we get so comfortable with the way things are. We hold onto our hurts and our pain, we continue to be stubborn and stand in your way. God we don't want to settle for anything less then Your best for our lives. We are so thankful that you are not finished with us yet. Please help us to grow in discernment and wisdom. Help us to better see what is the best, what is Your best, and what is not. God we want to subtract everything in our lives that is standing in the way of what you have for us. God fill us with Your best. SUPERADD to our lives. Amen.

Questions:

1. How does it make you feel knowing that you are in "mid-design"?

2. What are things in your life that you know are not God's best?

3. What would it look like to subtract those things in your life?

4. What would it look like to replace those things by adding on God's best?

5. What would your life look like if you made the daily decision to only pursue and add on what was best?

Please feel free to share your answers in the comments if you feel comfortable.

If you liked today's devotional please consider purchasing Hosanna Wong's book: SUPERADDED by clicking on the picture below.

*This devotional is based on the Hosanna Wong's book SUPERADDED; Chapter 2: Superadded Best