07/09/2019
Are you a blessing to the Lord in all the things you do, the praise you give, and the worship to enter into, or do you just do good and moral things? Do you look to God for provision, healing, salvation, enlightenment, and other such blessings, or do you consider these things to be the result of the moral life you lead, and of your own doing? You acknowledge God, you believe Jesus Christ lived, but do you believe that they are just as as alive and active in your life today as in the times of the early saints? What is your expectation of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit in your life?
“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits,”
Psalms 103:2 ESV
Much of how a Christian feels about the active nature of God in his everyday life can be determined in the first moments on Sunday afternoon when he leaves the church. In the few preceding hours he has been singing praise songs, worshiping God with lifted hands, or dedicating himself in solemn attention to the sermon, but when that first foot crosses the threshold to make the return journey home; who makes that trip? Is it the solitary man who stands once again with his feet in morality, and the world, as he walks back into every problem he had before he arrived... or is it a saint who walks home with Jesus carrying his load as they travel together, and in whom He abides?
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."”
Matthew 11:28-30 ESV
Most every Christian knows this verse, but do they trust in it? Most of us quote uplifting scripture as a means of making our journey through life bearable, but do we trust that God will do the things we have quoted him as saying... it is as if some are reading reassuring stories, a children’s book in which there was a moral ending, but no true miracle.
“remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, 'My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,'”
Isaiah 46:9-10 ESV
The Bible tells us the story of man’s relationship with God, and it continues today. It was alive in ancient days, is alive today, and as Isaiah has just revealed to us, it will continue to be as vibrant and full of life throughout eternity. Isaiah also tells us of our own everyday life too when he speaks of our lifelong journey with the Lord...
“even to your old age I am he, and to gray hairs I will carry you. I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save. "To whom will you liken me and make me equal, and compare me, that we may be alike?”
Isaiah 46:4-5 ESV
There is no other God besides our God, and his relationship with us isn’t the recollection of some past time of His glory, meant to edify us, and allow us to live our days alone in a moral life. Our relationship with God is an ongoing story of a living, and breathing love. It is the story of God setting man with one foot spiritually in Heaven, and the other physically in the world, and then of the journey He leads him on that brings him to the point where he will at last lift his trailing foot from earth to join Him eternally in Heaven. This isn’t a moral story, but one of righteousness, mercy, and grace... it is the account of God infusing every fiber of our being with His love, and His miraculous breath of life.
I ask today... do you believe the promises of God are just as alive and true in your life at this moment as they were at the instant they occurred and were recorded in the Bible? Is God alive and moving in you, Jesus truly dwelling in you, and the Holy Spirit revealing God, and praying for you when you have no words; right now? When you sleep at night does He inhabit your dreams? When you wake up in the morning do you take His hand? When you go through your day do you look to Him and know that His Son Jesus will carry your burdens, and that His miracles, large and small, will occur in your life? And, when your day is done do you thank Him for His blessings as you drift off to join Him in restful slumber and dreams once more? I also ask you this... on Sunday when you step across the threshold that leads from your church into a sinful world will you walk with our Lord’s hand in yours and His living and loving breath in you... or will you face the world alone as a man struggling to maintain his grasp on morality? Is God just a story from the past, or is He alive and moving in your life?
Prayer:
Father, thank you for your constant and active presence in my life. Thank you for your Son Jesus who dwells in me, and who takes my life’s burdens from aching shoulders. Thank you Father for your Holy Spirit that opens my eyes to the truth of your everyday walk with me, and who’s miracles exist in my daily life. You are merciful Holy Father, and your loving breath warms every cell, and drop of blood in my body. You are the living God who my soul seeks to bless, and of whom I will never forget. I will walk with you always Lord, sleep sound amidst your dreams, and express my love for you with my waking words. This is your day Gracious Father, and I will rejoice in it, just as Abraham, David, and all those of ancient times rejoiced, and I will tell my children of you, and your desire to walk each day with them...their children... and generations to come. "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!" (Rev 4:8), praise be your name, and forever are you lifted up. All glory is yours Holy Father through the grace that flows from Jesus, and hear me as I worship you with the very breath you have given me! Never let my eyes stray from you, and may I be a blessing to you always.
Rich Forbes