We are the children of God, and what a wonderful realization that is. Being God’s children is being loved by the very heart, and the origination of all love... and this understanding is amazing beyond description. We might stand in awe of God’s power, but His love is His true strength, and our greatest joy.
It has often been said, and it is true, that we come closest to God when we are in the midst of our suffering... so, how is your life at this moment? Are things going exceptionally well for you? Is your day to day life bountiful, and you find yourself struggling with little to pray for? Perhaps it is time for a good cry! Maybe the tears and sweat of your prayers need to be fed by an emotional response to something dear to you... love is a great example. There is no cry so satisfying in its release and restoration than that of a broken heart.
We have paintings and drawings of Jesus, and there are representations of him made into statues and crucifixes, but none of these were made while He lived, or by anyone who actually saw Him. All of these are conjecture, or were made as the result of an artist’s imagination. Although it is true, that no firsthand image was made, it can still be said that there are millions upon millions of paintings, photographs, statues, and busts, of Jesus in existence... so how is this so without creating a graven image; a golden calf?
If you have been a Christian for any period of time you more than likely have faced periods of bountiful faith, and those of withering spiritual drought as well. How easy it is to fall, and hard it is to pick ourselves back up again. Where are you at this moment? Are you standing on the mountaintop surrounded by glory, working your way towards the summit, or lying in the valley of your own despair?
Do you put your trust in the council of God? Do you ask once, twice, or every time a decision needs to be made? So often we attempt to face life alone, and when our plans don’t go as expected we cry out “Lord, how could you allow this to happen!” The depth of your faith is gauged not in fathoms, but in trust.
How great is our love for Jesus? Is it so great that the mere mention of His name cause a feeling of love and sanctification to rise up within us? The various names of Jesus should bring us joy and cause our spirits to leap within us, but this is not true until our faith in Him is complete, and He has saved us from sin. Jesus redeems us, and in so doing He changes not only what we do outwardly, but who we are inside... our very character.
Are you satisfied to remain where you are in your life, and likewise your faith? Are you resisting the moves that God has called you to make? So often complacency and fear trap us in circumstances both physical, and spiritual, and in so doing, this slowly destroys our joy, and our faith begins to fade. We are meant to be on a journey through life, and a pilgrimage towards greater faith and relationship with God. A moment’s rest is good, but the walk ahead brings us joyously into the presence of the Lord.
Do you wear the armor of God when you go out into the world? Do you put on the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of readiness, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit? When you put these on do you consider yourself fully clothed and ready to face whatever evil the day brings? Well my friend, although we count our armor as complete, there is one piece lacking that is crucial, and we seldom list it as being part and parcel of our armor.
As Christians we study a great deal on the life of Jesus, and we focus heavily on the cross, but there is one fact that we minimize... Jesus was always doing the will of God. Jesus rose in the morning to speak with His Father, continued speaking with Him all day long, and then spoke to Him before retiring in the evening. Why did He do this, and why should we likewise be in constant conversation with God?
Are you so embarrassed and disappointed in your sins that you shy away from God when He calls for you? Do you think that what you have done is so abhorrent to the Lord that just the sight of you will cause Him to shudder and withdraw? Well our God doesn’t see you as a sinner, but as forgiven, washed clean and made worthy by the blood of Christ. Because of Jesus God sees you as who you are, and what you are becoming, and not as who you once were. His love is made complete in you once again by His grace.
Jesus paid the price for us on the cross. It was there that He announced “It is finished” and in so doing proclaimed our debt of sin as having been paid. He had completed what He has come to do; He had done the will of God in this matter, but now we owe Him our lives. To Him we must honor a life debt, and live for Him.
You asked Jesus Christ to come into your life, and you know that He gave Himself on the cross so that you would be redeemed, saved from sin, but it was not merely the act of dying that purified you... it was His blood. Death alone does not wash us clean, no, it is the blood of Christ... the very life that flowed within Him.
Do you wake up in the morning with thanksgiving, and a song of praise on your lips for the Lord? If you answer no to this question then I ask that you make those first few breaths and thoughts the purposeful belongings of God. Doing this one thing will realign your day physically, emotionally, and spiritually. It will change your life.
We concentrate on all the things we give up to become righteous, and wallow in statements of sacrifice, but by doing so it is like reading the story of Pinocchio, and never acknowledging that in the end he became a real boy. In pursuing our faith so many of us attempt to eternally strap ourselves to the disappointment in our fallen lives, and miss the amazing and glorious ending that has been won for us by grace through Jesus. Who are you, the sad wooden puppet, or the vibrant and joyful boy?
Is God active in your life right now, or are you waiting on Him? There are times in our relationship with God when our faith feels like it is adrift on a calm sea without the slightest hint of a breeze in our sails, but at other times the wind is brisk and our sails are full and tight as we speed forward; cutting through the waves with the spray in our face. What are you experiencing right now, the calm sea, the exhilaration of the wind, or the fear of a storm?