As we walk through life in Christ, we will be facing many difficulties and situations. We are all in different stages of our faith. Our path in Christ is designed by our God. He has allowed some troubles to be a part of that path. Though we can never know the reasons God does what He does, we can be assured that He is in charge and it is for our gain. As it is written,” He causes all things to work for the good of those who love Him”. He has full control and nothing is beyond His reach or ability. The troubles we face from time to time allows each of us to grow in faith. Reaching out to our Lord for help, keeps us focused on Him. This act glorifies God. Consider faith as a muscle, it needs to be exercised or it will become weak and fail us. As our faith grows, our confidence in the Lord gets stronger. Belief only grows as we exercise our faith by the word of God. Let His word become our way of life. Let us all live by faith. Having confidence in the word of God that He will always provide.
John16: 33 these things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."
Paul was a very faithful servant, but even he faced troubles often. So it was with other disciples. We are no different in our needs and wants. Troubles always steer us to rely on the Lord instead of trying to work things out ourselves. If everything was perfect all the time, when would anyone cry out to God? He would be in the background of our minds and soon forgotten. So I can see why we are told to be thankful for troubles. They are a key to our reliance on the Lord. Among the most important traits, is trust. Trust in the Lord God for everything and in everything be thankful.
Proverbs3: Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding.
He is always faithful to answer our calls and bring deliverance. Though there are some occasions that He allows us to suffer through, we know it is in our best interest or else our God would not allow it. We can be certain that our Father has our best interest in mind always. Think of the prayer, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want”. This one line says it all. He is our protector, our guide, and we shall not want. He will always provide. He is our Shepard, our guide and protector.
Psalms 34: 17 The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, And delivers them out of all their troubles.
18 The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, And saves such as have a contrite spirit.
19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the Lord delivers him out of them all.
20 He guards all his bones; Not one of them is broken.
Our connection to our Lord is unbreakable. It is so secure that our reliance on Him is well placed. He never fails us even when we fail Him. His love is constant even when we fail to see it or fail in our love for Him. Our God is God. There is no other but Him. Jesus is the only Son of God and our only way to heaven. Our only chance to be in the presence of God. We as Christians realize that He is always standing near to us. We have been given the great commission. That is to spread His word. To let others know that there is salvation. That there is a God and Jesus is our savior, our one and only way to Heaven and salvation. Our part is to do what we can to work this great commission. We are called to live Christ like. This requires our attention, not something we can just do on auto pilot. It is a conscience effort.
Matthew5: 15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.
16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
It is also true that not all are called to become missionaries, or preachers. Not all are called to do any more than live a Christ like life in the Word of God. Live the life our Father has given us in a Christian way. To represent to all who see us that we believe what we say by our lives. It is up to all of us to show love. To not bring judgement into our hearts and to speak as though God Himself was standing next to us. After all, He is always with us. Imagine if you could see our Lord, what would we change? Would we say some of the things we say? Would we act the way we sometimes act? Certainly not, but we can’t see Him so, He is usually out of mind. This is what we have to protect ourselves from. We have to be vigilant of our actions and speech. We must, as children of the living God, be able to show our faith. We must conduct ourselves in public as the Lord would wish. God is who we should strive to please. People will come and go, but the Lord is with us forever. Our lives will be happier, more fulfilled and pleasant. Keep in mind the promises of God. Keep in mind the rewards we will be building in Heaven. Keep also in mind the blessings we will receive from our loving Father who delights in giving us good things.
Remember to trust the Lord in all things in our lives. Live for Him and He will delight in you. Our God is real, He is forever and He is always present. The Holy Spirit is not only a gift from the Lord, but a valuable part of the Christian walk. He will guide and counsel us in our walk. He will convict us when we sin or stumble and is our direct line to the ear of God.
Praise God for all His gifts and His love. Praise God in all our actions and speech. That way He will never leave our minds and hearts. Remember that Jesus died for all of us on the cross, He was the final payment for sin. He is the counter to Adams sin. He is the sacrificial Lamb and did so willingly.
John : 13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends.
14 You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.
John11: 25 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.
26 And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?"
27 She said to Him, "Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world."
We must all believe and be saved. We have the opportunity now, today because tomorrow is never guaranteed. We are still living in the end times and the Lord has given us the benefit of His grace. We have been cleansed, made whole again in the eyes of God. We are no longer the sin stained people we once were. We have been reborn and can make a conscious effort to live the new life, not bring back the old. Once we have died to the old, let it stay dead. Live guilt free from past sins and glory in the new life given by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ our Lord. Praise God by word and deed daily. And may we all be truly thankful to God for all we have and are.
AMEN.