"From God can nothing move me; He will not step aside But gently will reprove me and be my constant guide. He stretches out His hand in evening and in morning, My life with grace adorning wherever I may stand.

"The Lord my life arranges; who can His work destroy? In His good time He changes all sorrow into joy. So let me then be still: My body, soul, and spirit His tender care inherit according to His will."

The word "bespoke" refers to items such as clothing or furniture that are custom made or made to order. It is a word that might describe to us, too. We are God's bespoke creation, people custom made according to the wisdom of our Creator. It is not necessarily a popular description. In our fallen sinfulness we prefer to think of ourselves as "self-made" men or women. We like to think of ourselves as wise and in control of our own lives, just as Adam and Eve disobeyed their Creator in an effort to remake themselves and become wise "like God" (see Genesis 3:5-6).

This self-made, rebellious path ends in death and eternal separation from God, but out of His love and grace, God sent His Son to suffer, die, and rise, to save us. Through faith in Jesus, God creates us anew: "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them" (Ephesians 2:10). In Christ we are made to order for lives of service to God and one another. As our hymn declares, "The Lord my life arranges." He "will not step aside" from us.

When we turn away from His will, God reproves and guides us through His Word. Where some might rebel against the idea of a "pre-arranged" life, we find comfort in that knowledge. God chose us in Christ to be His own, even before He created the world. "In evening and in morning," God adorns our lives with His grace. Just as on the cross the Lord Jesus committed His spirit into His Father's care, so we too commit ourselves, body, soul, and spirit, to "His tender care ... according to His will."

The apostle Paul asks, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?" and goes on to list frightening events and circumstances that threaten us. Then Paul answers His own question. Nothing can "separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord" (see Romans 8:35-39). God will not abandon the people He loves, the people He created anew in Christ Jesus. In our hymn we declare our confident agreement with Paul's answer: "From God can nothing move me!"

WE PRAY: Lord, guide me according to Your Word and Your will. I know that You will never leave me. Amen.

This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Carol Geisler. It is based on the hymn, "From God Can Nothing Move Me," which is number 713 in the Lutheran Service Book.

Reflection Questions:

1. Have you ever had something custom made for you? What was it?

2. Does knowing you are God's "workmanship" impact the way you live?

3. How can we thwart the work God would do in our lives? How can we stay in tune to His guidance and direction?

Today's Bible Readings: Amos 4-6    Galatians 1

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