Good morning. How important would something have to be to you for you to be willing to say that you will plan, you will invest, and you will work as hard as necessary to accomplish that something? “Whatever it takes, I will do” is your promise and your intention. All of your resources and all of your strength would be willingly applied to that one thing if you could make it happen. That one thing would have to have supreme importance and be a great priority for you to consider such an oath.
That is the way it is for God and our salvation. God is so determined to see us in eternity with Him that He is willing to do whatever it takes to make it happen. The problem is, sometimes that “whatever it takes” can be difficult, or even painful.
God is willing to use every circumstance to get our attention. God is willing to employ every circumstance, both easy and very difficult, to guide us and make certain that we are headed in the righteous direction. He loves us enough to discipline us. For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and sternly corrects every child whom He calls His own. Hebrews 12:6
When God called the prophet Jeremiah it was at a difficult time in the history of His people. They were rebellious and lost in sinful ways. They were endangering their own path to salvation and damaging God’s plan for the salvation of all who would come to Him through Jesus Christ. God’s love was so great that He didn’t abandon them, but instead sent prophets to speak for Him and explain how the hardships they would soon be experiencing were needed to restore them to a righteous path. God called Jeremiah in this way: “Behold, I have put my words in your mouth. See, I have set you this day over nations and over Kingdoms, to pluck up and to break down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.” Jeremiah 1:10
Before God would use Jeremiah to “build and to plant” he would need to be used to “pluck up and break down”. God was and is willing to do both, whatever it takes.
This remains true in our lives today. God loves us too much to abandon us. God loves us so much that He will allow suffering today if it serves to bring us back to the path that leads to eternity with Him.
If God is “building and planting” in your life, Praise God for His blessings. If God is “plucking and breaking things down in your life, praise God for His loving correction and prayerfully consider how these circumstances may be useful in restoring you to a righteous path. In all things, we see the love of God.
Vern