He Leads, We Follow … That’s It
Many people see the commands of Christ as “restrictive rules” that are keeping the good stuff out of our lives instead of seeing them as “gracious guardrails” that are keeping our lives out of the gutter. He is our Good Shepherd Who protects us, provides for us, empowers us, refreshes us, delights us, guides us and delivers us safely to our eternal home in heaven. How? We hear His voice (the words of the Bible with all of its instructions, truths and promises made clear to us by the Holy Spirit) calling us into His care, and by faith we do as He says. He leads. We follow. That’s it. He takes care of us by taking care of all the rest.
Set Free From A Tyrant
The enemy of your soul doesn’t care about you. His only interest in you is as a victim. He wants to “steal and kill and destroy,” and a primary way he attempts to do this is by leading you astray. This is how he does it: by making sin look attractive, and obedience seem restrictive. He wants you and me to believe that sin isn’t sin, that sin is worth it, that sin isn’t that serious, and that sin won’t cost too much. Jesus leads our lives to deliver us from sin and deliver to us abundant life now and eternal life later. When He calls us to follow Him in loving obedience, it is not because He’s a tyrant; it’s because He intends to set us free from one.
Jesus Cares
Jesus is not only a doer of good to you, He is also an un-doer of bad done to you by others. They hurt your heart; He heals it. They distance themselves; He draws near. They sting you with their words; He soothes you with His. They overlook you; He pays attention. They cheat you; He blesses you. They intend to harm you; He works it out for good. They judge your sins; He dies for them. When there is a lack of care, no one cares, others care only about themselves, or they can’t provide the care you need … Jesus is a friend who cares, and He will show you that care in whatever way He knows will do you the most good.
Jesus Is Not Like Others
If there is one thing you can be sure of, it is this: people will hurt you. It may be accidental, or it may be intentional, but it will happen. There will be things said and left unsaid, things done and left undone, which bruise and break your heart and spirit. But there is a sweet-like-honey truth to overcome the bitter taste of how others treat you: Jesus is not like others. He is a friend who will never betray you, abandon you, disparage you, neglect you, exploit you, condemn you, harm you, mis-prioritize you, belittle you, mistreat you, lie to you, pretend with you, or withhold love from you. He will only do good to you.
Things Are Out Of Our Control, But…
Jesus invites us to come to Him to rest in His righteousness to merit eternal life for us and rest in His sovereignty to manage everyday life for us. He is in charge of the results and outcomes. He controls circumstances and situations. He commands our future and eternity. No matter what we face today, let us remember that what happens in our lives is not ultimately decided by chance or luck, humans or demons, Satan or self. Things will work out as they should. Because there is a wise, powerful, loving Savior who reigns over all for the good of those who trust in Him. Things are out of our control. But they are never out of His.
You Were Made To Be
God didn’t create you primarily so you could make a lot of money, take a lot of trips, have a lot of fun, and indulge in a lot of temporary pleasures. Those things may be a part of your experience, but they are a means to this end: “to let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). Today, be mindful of the beautiful calling upon your life: You were made to be an image-bearer. A difference-maker. A Jesus-treasurer. A God-glorifier. A good works doer. That is why you are here … so, go shine your light!
Only What You Do For Him
The enemy wants to rob your life of real meaning. The enemy wants you to live for temporary things. The enemy wants you to waste your life. But if you have given your life to Jesus, nothing you do for Him will ever be in vain; to the contrary, it is only what you do for Him that will matter in eternity. When we put our trust in Jesus, we were created anew in Him for a life of good works which God has planned out and supplies what is necessary to carry out. Remember this today: You were made by Him, for Him and like Him as an image-bearer of God to show and tell the world all about Him through your good works.
As We Trust In Jesus
As we trust Jesus to come through for us, we will be filled with peace when we’re running low, renewed with spiritual energy when we’re running out, helped through difficulty when we’re running down, and kept steadfast when we feel like running away. This is our hope in Jesus: the best is yet to come. Let us believe it, expect it, anticipate it and await it to come true, especially when we suffer. Let us watch for the daily doses of His grace to appear when we need them. And let us regard the eternal pleasure of heaven with Him as something wonderful on the calendar that is certain to come at the appointed time. Because it is. Because it will.
Something Good In Your Future
You don’t have to cross your fingers. You don’t have to be cautiously optimistic. You don’t have to wonder in uncertainty. You don’t have to have a glass half full disposition. You don’t have to fear the worst. You can have a real hope in this broken world with broken people even when life doesn’t work out the way you thought it would, because you are certain it will work out for good. That’s what real hope is: a confident expectation of something good in your future. And it comes from trusting that Jesus will be with us in time of need, give to us all that we need, and one day put an end to our needs.
You Can Change
Every human knows what it feels like to be stuck. Stuck in repeated mistakes, personality flaws, unfulfilling rhythms, bad habits, and inner unrest caused by our sinfulness. But God in His grace sent Jesus to get us un-stuck and offer real transformation for those who put their trust in Him. He initiates it. He motivates it. He cultivates it. He consummates it. This is the reality of becoming new in Christ: a change in our standing with God, a change in what makes us happy, a change in what controls our lives, and a change in what our eternity will be like. Trust Him day by day and watch Him change you from who you used to be into who you were made to be.
