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The morning of the party<\/strong> had arrived. Because I wanted everything to be just right, I’d asked both\u00a0Mark and our teenaged\u00a0daughters to help.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Everyone had a list.<\/strong> Clean the bathroom. Dust your room. Unload the dishwasher. And because I like checking things off the list, each detail included a small hand-drawn box beside it. When all boxes are ticked, we’d be ready for company.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Are you a list maker?<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n My list making tendencies spill over<\/strong> into my spiritual life. Surely our efficient\u00a0God desires\u00a0the greatest amount of good for the least amount of energy.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n And so, I used to make a\u00a0religious checklist.<\/strong> Quiet time (check). Church meeting (check). Casserole to the sick (check). <\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n One day, God\u00a0revealed to me His very own checklist. Excitedly, I found someone had already asked Him the very question that I so wanted to know: “What must we do to do the works God requires?”<\/em> (John 8:28).<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n In spirit, I pulled out my little white notebook and made the virtual boxes. \u00a0Here was His to-do list. Here is how I could “help” Him work.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cJesus answered, \u2018The work of God is this: to believe<\/strong> in the One He has sent.’\u201d (John 8:29)<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n What??? That’s it? I can make a checklist better than that! Believe<\/strong>?\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n And then with gentle revelation our Father urged me toward Truth. There is only one true action that we can “do” for God. Faith Him.\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n This morning, He reminded me of this all over again as I read Song of Solomon 5:16: \u201cHis speech is most sweet, and He is altogether<\/strong> desirable.\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Do I believe that I will find His very own sweet Voice nestled within the Words the Scriptures? Do I faith\u00a0that His Words to me are altogether desirable?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n No matter what happens — no matter my circumstances — will I faithe His heart<\/strong>? Will I believe that He truly has only the best in store for my life, even when my experience screams\u00a0otherwise? I pray that He will give me the strength for this to be so.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n After all, faith is the only<\/strong> thing on my checklist today.<\/span><\/p>\n .<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The morning of the party had arrived. Because I wanted everything to be just right, I’d asked both\u00a0Mark and our teenaged\u00a0daughters to help.\u00a0 Everyone had a list. Clean the bathroom. Dust your room. Unload the dishwasher. And because I like checking things off the list, each detail included a small hand-drawn box beside it. When all boxes are … <\/p>\n