Do we rejoice when God moves in our life? We say yes, but are we looking for His hand in all the everyday occurrences? We give thanks for the dramatic movements of God’s hand, yet we are inclined to attribute the small and seemingly insignificant happenings in our everyday existence to either ourselves, or to the natural occurrence of life. Let’s look at our days through fresh eyes, and search for God there in new ways; then, when we see Him, let’s thank Him for His presence.
When you worship are you joyous, and lifted up, or do you approach the throne off God in tears, and sadness? When you sing hymns are they morose, or do they reflect the immense pleasure, and majesty you find in God? Being humble before God does not imply a lack of joy, it actually frees us to rejoice in Him, because we realize who He is, and that we are His children... His minions.
Do you resist faith, or neglect sitting at the feet of Jesus, because you don’t feel worthy, or perhaps you snub your nose at faith, and avoid Christ because you feel these things are beneath you. It doesn’t really matter what separates you from God, the great loss comes simply from your separation. We are no better or worse from one another when lost to faith, and unable to walk with the Lord.
Do we read God’s Word, and how do we do so? There are many ways in which we go about reading the Bible; we hunt and peck for truth in specific scriptures , we read certain chapters repetitively, we lean on favorite bible stories, we look for signs of Jesus in the Old Testament, or seek Him out in the New Testament, however we read it is good, but it is meant to do more than just teach us, or entertain us.
Loving God, and loving one another go hand in hand, both of these originate in God, and neither can exist in us without His love having first been given to us. Do you have trouble expressing love? Do you consider yourself a tough and worldly person? Perhaps you have confessed your faith with your mind, but your heart and soul are yet to experience Him.
Let’s ask ourselves an honest question today: “who do I live for?” We profess to love God with all of our heart, soul, and mind, and we go to the altar giving our lives to Christ, then we walk from that place and begin living once again for ourselves, our family, or something/one other that God, and Jesus. Why were we left here after our conversion? Why didn’t God transform us completely at that moment and take us to Himself?
Are you a Christian that is trapped in sadness, and when you look at Jesus Christ all you can see is the passion, and Him nailed to the cross? Are you like His disciples who went to the tomb to see a dead man they called Rabbi? Well cheer up, and stop dwelling on the cross, but take heart in the resurrection, and find great joy in the Ascension, and be thrilled in the arrival of the Holy Spirit. Look at all God has done in your life, and rejoice... it is only the beginning.
Do you tremble when faced with hardship? Do overwhelming odds cause you to run, or look for a place to hide? Do you surrender to sin, or to the unrighteous because you don’t see any way to be victorious? Well, if your cause is good and within His will, and if you believe that God can never be defeated, then you should not fear, or lose heart. God gives us certain victory.
If you have proclaimed your love for God, and Jesus Christ, then don’t make peace with evil, and don’t come to terms with sin. There is no room in your life for a peaceful coexistence with the very thing that desires to destroy you.
Are you resisting the urge to get on your knees today and ask Jesus to truly come into your heart because you don’t feel worthy? Have you toyed with believing, and tried to lead a good life so that one day you might make yourself good enough for Him? Well faith in Christ does not have perfection as a prerequisite, and walking towards Him is not a self-help endeavor, Jesus didn’t give His life for the perfect, He gave it for the lost, the sinners, the imperfect. He gave it so that you could ask for forgiveness and receive it by grace.
How do you love God? Do you love Him like you say you love the taste of an apple, or some other sweet fruit? Maybe you love Him like that good book you read the other day? I hope neither of these is a true comparison of how you love God because we are to love God as He loves us... like Jesus loves Him.
As Christians we are a people set aside, and endowed with a special and remarkable view of each other, authority, and the world. We live apart from the natural order of the world around us, and yet we are able to coexist with it, and function within it, until our savior Jesus Christ returns. We do this by taking on the Spirit, and character, of God, and Jesus Christ. Are you succeeding in remaining Christ-like in the midst of the world’s chaos?
Where do you make your spiritual home, and what do you do in service of the King... our God? Sometimes those whose job seems menial on the surface are of great value to God. Those who do things that are of value to the Lord live in many places, but those that serve His personal needs such as the servants that set His table, and prepare the meals, live with the King. However, the Lords who manage His lands live elsewhere... scattered across the Realm. So do you serve God, and if so where do you dwell?
Do you wrestle within yourself for the prize, which is your soul? Are you at constant battle with your worldly nature, and Satan for possession of your soul? Well, be of good cheer, because you have a champion that goes before you who is mighty, and wins every battle... Jehovah Nissi!
In faith, like in our daily life... we move from dawn to dusk and back to dawn again as we move through our days. God created light in our lives, and thus separated it from the darkness. Are you currently walking in the light of day, or enduring a night? Both are natural, and although we are much more comfortable in the light, we learn to lean on the Lord in the dark, and we trust in His comfort and protection as we sleep.