It is so hard for us to resist doing our own will rather than God’s. We are like little children who see something we want, and abandon what our parents would have us do in order to secure our own desires. Little ones who disobey their parent’s will face punishment, and besides, how can we claim to be like Jesus if we can’t follow after one of His greatest examples in faith... obeying His Father’s will.
When we are actively engaged in spiritual warfare we are to stand firm against the enemy, the armies of darkness, but do we pray solely for our own deliverance? Certainly we pray for God to protect us, but any soldier knows that if those around him go down on the battlefield, or are not prepared for the battle ahead, then success is unlikely, and many others will fall. So how does this relate to us as Christians? Well, we are to pray for all those around us as we engage the enemy, and before that day, we are to have helped them in their training, and putting on their armor.
How can we not trust in the love and protection of God, who sent His only begotten Son to the cross to save us from sin, and death? When we are faced with calamity we should not fear, but know instead that if we pray in the name of Jesus for God’s help He will release His heavenly armies, who stand at the ready to aid us, or touch us with His healing hand... out of His mercy and grace. Do we call out to Him as we should? Do we trust in him to the same extent that we love Him; with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength?
Do we know the difference between what we want, and what we actually need? When we are in prayer do we ask our Father for trivial things that would make people envious of us but do little to bring Him glory, or serve His purpose and will? How often is our precious time of prayer consumed by frivolous pleading for gold, a fine home, a new automobile, or some other worldly possession that is meant to satisfy our desires alone? Our God provides for us from his heavenly riches, and our needs are provided through Jesus Christ who owned no donkey, no house, and only wore a fine robe once... as he was being mocked before His crucifixion. So ask yourself again... “What are my needs?”
As brothers and sisters in Christ do we love one another as we should? Does this love spring forth from Jesus within us, and cause our faith to grow stronger as we exercise it? When we love, and are loved by others in Christ, we should thank God for this, and for them, because this is the light of our Savior shining forth from within us, and the love that God is giving us of Himself.
Where do we place our trust, what is the sure and stable foundation on which we confidently build our life, and to who do we turn in times of trouble? In other words... where are our roots established? The Bible is filled with references regarding roots, and specifically, where we put ours down, how deep they grow, and how well they support our spiritual foliage. In evaluating our faith we need to ask ourself about the health of our root systems because without them there is no lasting spiritual vitality, and no fullness in the fruit that grows from our faith.
As we choose our friends, are they righteous Christians that serve God each day, or do we choose friends that give little thought to the Lord? Are we more concerned with having moral friends who live for, and chase after, the seemingly wholesome things of the world, or are we drawn to Spiritual Giants... Saints... the children of God, who seek Him above all else? Moral companions might not lead us into worldly trouble, like evil people would, but they won’t help us enter into the gates of heaven, the presence of God, or walk with us in His ways. Friends like these won’t increase our faith. We must choose our company wisely, and find our delight in those who are led by the Spirit.
How valuable do you consider God’s word? Do you keep it under lock and key, guard it with your life, memorize it, and contemplate it all the day long? Prior to the invention of the printing press it was considered the greatest treasure a man could have, and every copy of God’s Word took years to create, it was painstakingly reproduced by scribes... one letter, word, sentence, paragraph and page at a time. I ask again... How valuable do you consider God’s Word?
The Holy Spirit brings the life of Jesus, and all He has spoken, to our remembrance, and gives each of us insight into its meaning. We are told to use the life and word of Christ to exercise wisdom, be joyful, and always to give thanks to God for His Son’s Word... not just a quick and unthinking thanks, but thanking Him from the bottoms of our hearts.
How can we love God, yet take up residence with sin? How can we say we are Christians but not do the things that Jesus has commanded us to do? Do we not see that to be with God we must separate ourselves from sin, and that if we truly love Jesus we must do as He asks, and walk in His footsteps?
Have we looked at those who sin repeatedly and watched them prosper, while never seeming to be punished or have any ill effect from it; not even a stumped toe? Then, do we watch as righteous men suffer mightily? How does this make us feel; are we tempted to question our faith, and God’s Word? Friends, God’s timing is not ours, and His plan complex. Judging our faith, or God’s Word, based on His punishment of determinably unfaithful sinners is wrong minded; look instead on the final outcome.
We are called by the Lord, but once we hear His voice we must respond, begin our search for Him in earnest, and when we find Him we need to knock on His door and enter into a relationship with Him. Stop for a moment today and ask yourself where you are in your journey towards perfecting a relationship with God. Have you just begun the trek by hearing someone call your name in the night? Perhaps you have sought Him and come a little closer... or maybe you are walking through your life in intimate conversation with him. It is always good to take stock of our relationship and judge where we are, and what our next steps will be.
Today is Thanksgiving Day in the United States, and it is a day when we join together across the nation to thank God for all of His many blessings during the past year. For some of us this has been a particularly hard year. We have lost loved ones to COVID-19, and had our families divided by contentious politics, but neither of these hardships, nor our other challenges, have been too great for God to overcome. So put away your mourning, broken hearts, and bitterness, as we thank God for the blessings we have received this year instead... even if you live elsewhere around the world, use this opportunity to thank God, and praise Jesus today for the many blessings in your life.
Some believe that we should obey God simply because He expects us to, and in some cases it appears to us that this is His desire, but later, in retrospect, we find that what God asked of us, His will, was for our ultimate good all along. Our Heavenly Father is not arbitrary, and all that he does, and asks, is for a purpose; for our good. Thus the question becomes this... do we trust in Him enough to do those things He asks of us even when we don’t fully understand, or see the good in them?
How should we begin our days as Christians? There are so many verses in the Bible that give us instruction regarding our faith as dawn approaches, and as we look towards the life of Jesus we find that He rose early each morning to pray, and was resurrected in the predawn darkness as well. So how should we meet OUR new day? Well, we should use the example set by our savior, and the songs of Psalms whose lyrics, and melody, are the sounds of early morning worship.