Things Will Get Better

Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.

James 1:12

Christians are not exempt from life’s ups and downs, but we are guaranteed that God is with us through it all. All we have to do is buckle up and hang on.

My friend, Georga, was always upbeat, even when her life was on the edge of being a wreck. One time when one thing after another was going wrong, she said, “Sometimes when you get something going; you just have to ride it out to the end.”

Georga was right.  God promises us that when life is a mess, things will get better. 

Even if we don’t feel victorious, we need to remember God’s promise: if we remain faithful to Him, we will triumph in the end.

Who Will Separate Us From The Love Of Christ?

 

Who will bring a charge against God’s elect?  God is the one who justifies; and who is the one who condemns?  Christ Jesus is He who died, yes rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.

Who will separate us from the love of Christ?  Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?  Just as it is written, “For Your sake we are being put to death all day long; we were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”

But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.

For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

Romans 8:33-39

 

When the Apostle Paul wrote this, he was most likely in jail.  Paul was constantly harassed and harangued and arrested because of his faith, and, ultimately martyred by the Romans.  

 

Paul tells us it is not our circumstances which define our relationship to God.  God defines our relationship and He says he loves us no matter what.  

 

Knowing this we can face anything that comes our way with confidence that God is on our side and we succeed not by our might, but by the grace of God through His Son, Jesus.   

 

"Who will separate us from the love of Christ?" The answer is no one.

 

Have faith, be strong, God is on your side. 

Give Thanks

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

1 Thessalonians 5:18

In good times and bad times we are to be thankful to God.  

Giving thanks puts us in a frame of mind where we can look for the blessings that are coming our way.  If we are ill, we can be thankful for the doctors who help us.  If we have lost our job, we can be thankful for a new job - even if it is not exactly what we want because it means that cash is coming in which can help sustain our families while we look for something better.  

We can be grateful for people who come along to help us and we can thank them for their help.

And, when things are good we can be thankful that we can help others.

In everything God is with us and for us and for this we give thanks. 

God Has His Hand On You

 

O Lord, You have searched me and known me.

You know when I sit down and when I rise up;

You understand my thought from afar.

You scrutinize my path and my lying down,

And are intimately acquainted with my ways.

Even before there is a word on my tongue,

Behold, O Lord, You know it all.

You have enclosed me behind and before,

And laid Your hand upon me.

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,

Psalm 139:1-6

When it comes to us, God says He knows it all.  And, in spite of this - He still loves us!

Unlike we humans, who sometimes get to know each other and do not like what we see, and run away, God looks at us, warts and all, and says He loves us!  And, God promises that He will care for us. He promises to watch over us and guide us.   

We know this is true, because all God's promises are true.

Remember, you are not alone, God has His Hand on you. 

 

Less About Me

 

Jesus said, “Then the king will say to those on His right, ‘Come you who are blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’

“Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to you?’

“The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’”

Matthew 25:34-40

In junior high school I rode the school bus. Every morning my friend and I would stake out seats all to ourselves, which was fine until the bus started to fill up. Before long I was sitting in the last seat left with one person in it and the bus was approaching the home of the dirtiest, smelliest kids in school. My heart would sink as I realized that I would be sharing a seat with them. Then Keith, a senior, would get on the bus and sit with me. When the smelly kids got on the bus, he did not say a word, but scooted over to make room for one on them to share the seat.

I went to church all the time but I did not want to sit with the smelly kids, because I thought I was better than them. But Keith, who I don’t know if he ever went to church, did exactly what Jesus would have done; he saw a person in need of a seat and let them sit down.

Being a Christian means putting ourselves out to show mercy to those who no one has mercy on; and that is what Keith did.

Mercy is less about me, and more about you.

A Strong Message

 

Therefore, everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven.

But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.

Matthew 10:32-33

Jesus did not come to pamper us.  Jesus used strong words to convey a strong message – deny Him and be denied eternal life.  He came to tell us the truth about ourselves, God and eternity.  The message of the Gospel is: one way to God through His Son, Jesus. 

When we declare Jesus to be our Lord, Master and Savior we are immediately recognized as sons and daughters of God.  Those who deny Jesus do not have this connection with God.  God loves these people, but unless they choose to declare Jesus as their Lord, they will remain separated from God for eternity. 

It is our choice.  We can acknowledge Jesus as our Savior or we can remain separated from God.

Choose Jesus.

Mercy Means Many Chances

 

…Do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?

Romans 2:4

God operates from love to show everyone His kindness and tolerance and patience so that we, being dense when it comes to spiritual things, will come to understand that He is working in our best interests both in terms of earthly matters and in terms of our coming to know Him.

We can become callous and not appreciate that people who receive second chances in realm of earthly matters by earthly judges or bosses or family members are not receiving this mercy just from humans but from God who invests Himself in changing human hearts.

God is the God of second and third and fourth chances because as long as we have breath in our bodies we have the option of asking God’s Son, Jesus, to be our Lord, Master and Savior.