Are we filled with the joy that only Jesus and God can give us? Even in those times when we suffer or mourn is there an underlying joy that others will see in how we approach those things? When we have grasped the gospel of Jesus Christ, and brought God into our hearts as Lord and Master, joy bubbles up in us like a flood. This is the mark of our faith, and is easily seen by those around us. Have we received God’s seal of joy?
We serve the one true God, the creator of the universe, and we wait on Him in prayer today, and the return of His Son Jesus Christ, just as Abraham and Moses waited on Him, and the first coming of the Messiah in their own lives? Do we pray and wait for Him, knowing that He will answer our prayers? Do we faithfully expect His presence to be known not only in our lifetimes, but in our daily lives? Can we hear Him calling to us, and knocking at our doors even now? Brothers, this is the moment of our faithfulness, and the promise which thrills us. This is the day that the Lord has made; of our Father to whom Jesus prayed, and the Great I Am to whom Jesus taught us to pray. He desires a relationship with us, all of us, right now.
Do we know how to pray despite the circumstances we find ourselves in? No? Well, do you know how to talk with a parent? There is no secret to having a conversation with the Lord, and no secret to obtaining answered prayers, just one simple fact... if we pray to Him as if we were having a conversation with a parent, and ask for those things we know He can agree to during that interaction, then He will do those things for us. This is called praying within His will.
Are we living out our lives claiming to be Christians while continuing to allow our own wills to reign over us? How is it that we can be satisfied with this? How is it that we can savor a taste of God’s will, experience the touch of sanctity, holiness, and joy, and then retreat back into our own earthly humanity? This is the age-old struggle of faith... we struggle to place God’s will first in our lives and to deny our own flesh, nature, and will, that we might accept the sanctification of God and His perfect will.
Are we slaves in our Father’s house, or is it time to step forward and become what our Heavenly Father has desired for us from before the moment we were born? Are we ready to hear and assume God’s will for us, or are we clinging to the life of an orphaned child on the doorstep of His house?
Prayer heals us; it heals our physical illnesses, and it heals our spiritual sickness. The answer to prayer can be seen in the lame walking again, and it can also be witnessed in the forgiveness of sin. What is our need today? Is our body, or the body of a loved one, in need of prayer? Are we desperately in need of salvation, or the forgiveness of sin?
The rift that was formed between God and man when Adam and Eve ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil has been closed for us. Jesus gave himself in sacrifice to make that happen. What an incredible gift of grace we have received, a gift of forgiveness, and yet we are like children who have been given a gift but refuse to play with it because we can’t believe it is really ours or that we might break it. Well, brothers and sisters, it is time that we opened the present which has been handed to us, and thrill at its contents.
When we look at a sunrise, or a sunset, we see its beauty. When we look across the mountains we see their grandeur and beauty as well. The night skies filled with stars, and all of God’s creation bring us wonder and awe, but it also impresses us with its beauty to the point of tears. Science argues the creation of the universe, but who can argue the beauty we feel and see in it, and the wonder at the divine hand that causes us to know beauty from nothingness.
Are you a branch on the vine of Jesus Christ? Do you know what that means to you? Well, when we are grafted into the vine of Jesus, we become righteous as He is righteous, and free of sin as He is free of sin. Grafting doesn’t transform the branch’s nature, but it is from that moment on that the branch is supported and fed by the new vine to which it is attached. Are you fed and supported by Jesus? Is your fruit made more perfect and fuller by its new source of nourishment?
Have you ever faced a problem and prayed for God to reveal His will to you, and to guide you through it, but then, when He had brought you to that place where you felt comfortable once more, did you simply tell Him “thanks” as you went about your merry way alone? This happens all of the time to believers, but the Lord doesn’t want to be the taxi that you call in a pinch, He wants to be your personal automobile that you depend on day and night to take you everywhere you go.
Do we abide in Jesus Christ? This is an incredibly powerful question, and our answer to it determines so much. This is the condition that is placed on one of the most sought after promises in the Bible... answered prayer, and it is also linked to other promises such as the love of God, and joy. So how do we approach Jesus? Is Christ abiding in us, or is He just an occasional visitor?
Praying for those things that are within the will of God for us; do we really know how to do that? Seeking out the will of God as He has determined it to be, takes much prayer in which we ask no other question but “what is your will for me?”, and then listening for His reply. Can we hear God’s voice when he answers and makes His desire known to us? We will know how to pray as we should once we do, but until that time our prayers are best conducted by the Holy Spirit within us.
Do we think of our faith in God, and Jesus Christ to be entirely spiritual? Do we continue on in the sins of the flesh even after we have presented ourselves as believers in the Lord and Jesus? Resisting those earthly temptations is difficult, and this is why Satan attacks our physical frailties so often. He is very good at finding the small chinks in our armor and picking at them. When he finds a weakness he attacks us relentlessly like a swarm of hornets in an attempt to breach the walls of our spirituality.
Are we ready for the Lord’s Table when we take Communion? Have we prepared ourselves body, soul, and mind to receive Him? Do we take this meal lightly or is it a moment of intense spiritual fulfillment? Of all the sacraments that we as Christians are involved in, consuming this meal should be our most spiritually anticipated... Baptism, Confirmation, Penance, Anointing the Sick, Ordination, and Matrimony, are all for not without the body and blood of Jesus having been offered and received by us for the remission of our sins. Are we ready to receive Him? Are we ready to take Him into our bodies?
Are you the child of an imperfect father? Well, here is some news for you... all men are flawed, and we as children are flawed as well. However, God is perfect and beyond blemish... He is perfect in every way. Yes, He is Abba, the perfect Father, and in so being will never abandon you, or do any of those things that abusive, or otherwise imperfect human fathers do. No matter how bad your earthly father is, and I know that some are monsters... God the Father is good, and can rescue you from all abuse and calamity.