Who Gets the Credit?

I question if I have pursued opportunities for the right reasons at times...

I pursued a Master's degree without consulting God.

So now I find it's like pulling teeth to get my thesis completed and defended.

Right before going away to the school, I heard a voice inside say - you can still back out, you know you're not doing this for the right reasons - but my pride wouldn't let me.

I've asked God if He doesn't have to finish it, because He didn't author it...anything that God is not a part of, is MUCH harder to complete.


It's a big decision considering I didn't really do it because I wanted the degree.

I did it for the technical training that this college offered. Due to budgets, my employer hadn't allowed me any updated technical training in 3 years. I was bored and unchallenged at work and the schooling was paid by my job and I love what I do. I wanted to update my skills.

Rationalizing:

I felt that because I was dragging it out so long and wasting time, that God had told me to let it go and to stop spinning my wheels over it and get on with His business.

I thought maybe He was telling me to stop because His glory shines best through the least "qualified" vessels...

I struggle with pride issues and a Master's degree might feed that...

I had tons of rationalizations.

Mostly I struggled with the fact that He didn't start it, I didn't include Him in the decision, so He isn't obligated to finish it...

It's not that God won't help me finish the degree BUT: 

1. He wants to me to ask Him for help. 
2. He wants me to KNOW that any successes I have, are attributable to Him and His favor and not anything I did under my own power.

He wants me to realize that any favor or opportunities I receive AFTER getting the degree are due to His favor and the blessing of His hand, not because I pursued a degree and "made" something happen. There is no such thing as coincidence.

God wants His glory.

 

He's more concerned with how I view my life and where His place is in it.

 

You can have many opportunities before you, but when you get off the path, you make it much harder on yourself to complete the task if God is not in it.

He is efficient, so He has used the experience to work great things in my life, but it has been painful to finish.


Do you view your life as something you created or that He did...

Do you think you got to where you are on your own or by chance?

God knew I was going to go to through this program for this degree, He knew I would have this struggle and because He is an efficient God, He will use it for His glory and my good.

I finally started asking Him to help me finish this.

To give me the strength, the ideas, the tenacity, the humility to finish this thing and close this chapter. I believe He will. THAT may have been the entire purpose of this. To get me to seek Him in this area of my life.

There are consequences...
(result of decisions you make without God)
and
there is favor.

God prefers to give you favor. Stay tight with Him and put Him first.

Make Him FEEL first, show Him He's first in your finances. In your time. In your decisions, etc.

He wants to be #1 for you because you're #1 for Him!

You are blessed!