"God's Formula For Victorious Living” Series

As I delight in the Lord and doing His will, He will plant in my heart desires that are consistent with His will and plan for my life. God will not give His revelation to those who will not obey.

B. What I depend on will determine my destiny - v. 5

As I depend on God to then show me how and when He wants me to proceed, His power will go to work to enable me to do what He has called me to perform.

“Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.”

- 1 Thessalonians 5:24 (NASB)

Paderewski the famous composer/pianist, was scheduled to per¬form at a great concert hall in America. It was an evening to remember - black tuxedos and long evening dresses, a high-society extravaganza. Present in the audience that evening was a mother with her fidgety nine-year-old son. Weary of waiting, he squirmed constantly in his seat. His mother was in hopes that her boy would be encouraged to practice the piano if he could just hear the immortal Paderewski at the keyboard. So, against his wishes, he had come.

As she turned to talk with friends, her son could stay seated no longer. He slipped away from her side, strangely drawn to the ebony concert grand Steinway and its leather tufted stool on the huge stage flooded with blinding lights. Without much notice from the sophisticated audience, the boy sat down at the stool, staring wide-eyed at the black and white keys. He placed his small, trembling fingers in the right location and began to play “chopsticks.” The roar of the crowd was hushed as hundreds of frowning faces turned in his direction. Irritated and embarrassed, they began to shout: “Get that boy away from there!” “Who’d bring a kid that young in here? Where’s his mother?” “Somebody stop him!”

Backstage, the master overheard the sounds out front and quickly put together in his mind what was happening. Hurriedly, he grabbed his coat and rushed toward the stage. Without one word of announcement he stooped over behind the boy, reached around both sides, and began to improvise a countermelody to harmonize with and enhance “chopsticks.” As the two of them played together, Paderewski kept whispering in the boy’s ear: Keep going. Don’t quit, son. Keep on playing . . . Don’t stop . . . Don’t quit.”

The boy obeyed and together with the Master he played . . and brought the house down!

When we make our lives available to God through obedience, we can hear what He wants us to do and learn how and when to do it; and as we obey Him, His power is freed up to work through us in such a way as to make a masterpiece of our lives!

“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ

Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”

- Ephesians 2:10 (NLT)

In the television program “Dating in the Dark,” three guys and three girls have the opportunity to visit with each other in a “dark room” where they are prohibited from seeing each other. The idea is to see if personality can trump looks in a relationship. After several meetings, they each pick a partner they are interested in and are finally allowed to see what they look like. Then, they decide whether or not they want to continue the relationship. Some are disappointed and choose to walk away, while others choose to take the relationship to the next level.