Have you ever been so put upon, so set upon, or felt so downtrodden in life that you feared God Himself had abandoned you? What did you do in that time of great fear, sorrow, or suffering? What was the state of your faith at that moment? Were you on the verge of turning away from the Lord, or did you seek Him more fervently? Was your faith waining, or was it surging as you leaned upon it?
When we are facing evil, and ruthless, people, what does God require for us to do to secure or deliver ourselves from them? The answer comes back to us in the form of a single word... nothing. Our God is perfectly capable of dealing with those who come against us, and that is indeed His promise. Our task in all of this is to love Him, believe in Him, lean on Him, and praise Him in His victory.
How many times have we almost slipped, or actually fallen in our faith? We are walking along thinking everything is going splendidly, and then whoops... our spiritual feet fly out from under us. It is so unexpected, so sudden, and often occurs without any forethought of impending danger; yet there we are, sitting on our backsides wondering how we got there, and suffering in our need for forgiveness.
God’s will for our lives doesn’t just work for us, it works with us, or in other words, includes us. We are not the boss, nor are we just spectators in God’s plan, but active participants. Sometimes we forget to ask what His will is, and blindly get busy trying to do His spiritual work as we see fit; we begin our efforts only to find that we are working against Him, and that He is now having to perform His work in spite of us.
Once we have accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior, and know God as our Lord, then we begin a transformation into a different person, but as we change we realize that who we once were is never who we were intended to be. As we lose our old self, we strip away the facade, and reveal who God knew us to be all along. The new self we are becoming is God’s perfect creation.
How do we live out our lives, are we bitter, and often unhappy, or does the peace and joy of Jesus flow through, and from us? As Christians we should seek Christ in each hard time that confronts us, and not allow those who would separate us from the joy of God to have dominion over us by baiting us into seeking vengeance against them, or by withholding forgiveness from them.
Salvation, it is so simple that we just can’t believe eternity is given to us in such a way. Believing in the gospel, and being baptized... how could this be the entire price of our salvation, and of eternity in Heaven? We think this way because we undervalue two things... God’s love for us, and the power of His grace. Are you busy trying to raise the price of your salvation so that you can feel as if you have worked for it; earned it? Well you can’t... it is a gift.
Are you of old age, or are you dealing with a father, mother, or someone who is? Do the issues of growing old concern you, or does death frighten you? Well take heart; though our bodies weaken, and our minds become slowed by time, the Lord God is with us in those times, and carries with Him the promises He made to us in our youth. This is the time when the fruit of one’s faith is prepared for harvest, and the glory of God is realized as we yield the juice of life to the press, and give the wine of our lives to the young.
When we look at the life of Jesus do we see Him as being able to resist sin because of His godliness? Do we think that if we too had been made fully God, and fully man, that we could resist sin as He did? In our eyes was he unlike us? Do we discount the fact that His temptation was every bit as enticing to Him as ours is to us, and that His humanity made Him just as vulnerable to it as we are?
What do you hope for in faith? Do you hope to be free of pain, have straight and strong limbs, to no longer stutter, hear and see perfectly, or maybe to be cured of some disease? Whatever your hope is, it is certainly awaiting you in heaven through Jesus Christ. Every tear will be dried there, and all hope, faith, and love will be perfectly realized.
What is it that keeps most people from knowing Christ, or from sitting at God’s Table? It is the lack of having experienced the amazing grace that abounds there. In knowing only this world the unbeliever is reluctant to step across the threshold of faith into a place previously unknown... even if it might promise untold wealth, happiness, and experiencing the delights at God’s feast. Yet with one real taste of the love, mercy, and grace, of God through Jesus we are changed forever.
How do you praise God, and how often? Do you sing to Him, or play music for Him on an instrument? Do you recite poetry aloud that lifts Him up? Do you write joyous verse for Him? Do you shout out loud the greatness of His blessings and glory? However we go about doing so, our heart that loves Him can’t survive without praising Him. Our voices, and our very being must lift Him up! Though we may be unhappy, our joy must erupt from us.
Do you find yourself coming to God, and Jesus Christ only when you are suffering? Did you accept Jesus, and God in the midst of a crisis? Perhaps your faith is more pronounced when you are hurting? Sometimes it takes calamity to bring us to our knees, and to strengthen our faith through fervent prayer. Do you wait for those times before praying earnestly? Do you feel abandoned by God or more alive in Him when you suffer? Troubles come to sinners, and righteous alike... are you prepared?
God looks down on us and loves us each individually. He deals with nations, and peoples, but His heart and attention is focused much deeper than that. There is no place within a vast country, or crowded city that we can hide from Him, because our God deals, and dwells, with each of our hearts. No canyon deep enough, no forest dense enough, no desert so desolate, and no fortress strong enough to keep Him from us, or us from Him.
We are filled in our faith with the joy of God, which is a different Greek word (Chara), with a different meaning than happiness (Makarios). Joy is an internal feeling, while happiness is derived from external events acting on our lives. Joy is deep seated, while happiness is superficial. Seeking the joy of God means seeking our transformation in Christ, and receiving God’s joy as a result.