In a world of seemingly endless uncertainties, there is something that we can be absolutely sure of: God will finish what He started in us. There is zero chance He will fail. God has begun a good work in us, and He will work all things together for good to ensure its completion. We will keep going. We will endure. We will make it to the finish line where our faith will become sight in the presence of God. Not because of anything we can do apart from God, but because Jesus is a part of us, enabling us by His grace to persevere to the end. He is both the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2), and He is faithful even when we are not. We are on our way and until we get there, even when our days include struggles and our walk include stumbles, let us press on in joyful confidence that getting to our heavenly home does not depend upon us but on God at work in us and for us. Yes, we work hard by His grace to follow Him closely in loving obedience, but He alone will ensure that we are able to do so every step of the way. Rejoice as you hold on until the end-before-the-beginning, knowing that God is holding on to you. On this, eternal security firmly rests for those who are trusting in Jesus: He will finish what He started.
Jesus Forgives Our Sin And Frees Us From It
Jesus died not just to forgive our sin, but also to free us from it. The amazing grace He lavishes upon is both pardon from sin and power not to sin. We can let go of the old life and latch hold of the new. New identity, new purpose, new beliefs, new hopes, new dreams, new motives, new joy, new freedom, new eternity, new life and new power to live it is ours because of Jesus. When we settle in our hearts and minds that everything is better with Him, because of Him, for Him, and in Him, we will no longer settle for the things that are not from Him. How do you resist the pull of the old life? Remember all that is yours in the new life.
What I Pray About When I Pray
What do you typically pray about? Be honest: Is your prayer life more about getting God to do your will or you to do His? I’ll be the first to admit that it’s much easier for me to pray “let this cup of suffering pass from me” than it is to say to my Heavenly Father, “nevertheless, not my will, but yours be done.” Yet, there is nothing so freeing and fulfilling than to be right where God means for me to be doing right what God means for me to do. He’s the God of both the hills and valleys, and I have His promise that Jesus will be with me to guide, strengthen and encourage in the ups and downs of life. So, I talk to Him. Not in order to secure what I need to build my own kingdom, but to request what I need to live for His. Prayer involves seeking what we need to do what God wants. Pray for God’s grace to do God’s will. There will be a thousand times more joy for you in doing things His way instead of demanding your own.
With Faith All Things Are Made Possible
There is often a tension between belief and doubt when things become difficult. The mountain seems too high. The path seems too rough. The situation seems too overwhelming. The outlook seems too bleak. The task seems too great. What we need to remember is this: if we believe in a small God, our problems will always seem big. If we believe in a big God, our problems will always seem small. It would be plausible to lose hope and lose heart when facing things that are too much for us to handle if we were forced to handle them alone. But Jesus has promised to never leave us alone, always supplying the grace we need for the needs we face. The more we trust in Him, the more we will rely on Him to take the next steps into the unexpected, uncertain and unpleasant difficulties of this broken world. He will work it out for good as we work out His purposes for us. With faith all things are not made easy. With faith all things are made possible.
Making War Instead Of Making Excuses
Every person alive disobeys God, but the ways in which we respond to our sin is often in stark contrast with each other. Some people rationalize. Some people repent. As Christians, we have a faith in Jesus that is demonstrated by loving obedience, though imperfectly executed. That means we too will disobey God at times, but because of the love we receive from Him and have for Him, we will admit our sin by seeking His pardon for it and His power to be free from it. People who love Jesus repent by making war against their sin instead of making excuses for it. Therefore, let us strive for holy living while resting in the grace of God, remembering and rejoicing over this truth: what Jesus has done for us on the cross is sufficient to both cleanse and correct our transgressions.
The Mountain Reminds Us To Depend On God
We were not made to be self-reliant, self-sustaining or self-sovereigns. God created us to be dependent upon His gracious care and provision, turning to Him and trusting in Him, moment by moment for what we need for what we face. Our wisdom and willpower are inadequate for handling life, but His is infinite, and it is readily available to those who have put their faith in Jesus. Don’t try to make it on your own. You were never meant to. Whenever there is a mountain of little stuff piled up a mile high, or one big mile high mountain, that is too big for you to climb, perhaps God put it there as a gracious and loving reminder for you to depend on Him.
You Do Not Need To Pretend With God
We all keep secrets. There is not a human being on the face of the earth who fully discloses every thought, feeling, motive, desire, and attitude to others. The relationships we are involved in are to some degree built on us holding back some things about us. Not so in our relationship with God. We cannot hide ourselves from Him; nor do we have to. The One who matters the most, knows us most and loves us most. He also has committed Himself to the long-term transformation of making us more like Jesus. What comfort, what relief, what joy is ours that with God we do not have to pretend to be something we are not, because God is making us into what we are not yet. And there is absolutely no risk that He will walk away from those of us who have been gloriously saved into His family because of our faith in Jesus. For when He looks upon you and me, though He sees everything about us, what He sees most is a beloved son or daughter.
God Judged Jesus In Our Place
The tendency to harshly criticize others while liberally exonerating ourselves will only be eliminated by a proper response to grace. This comes from a God-given true understanding of our own need for spiritual healing and correction for our imperfections. Having then recognized that we ourselves are far from perfect and desperately flawed, we can rejoice in this stunning reality: God judged Jesus in our place. Only when we focus on Jesus’ removal of our condemnation will we ever be able to stop condemning the people around us. When you find that you are focused on and frustrated with the faults of others, remember that your life is riddled with faults too … yet you are loved, accepted, forgiven and helped by Jesus to make changes. From the overflow of grace given to you, extend it to others like you.
God Doesn’t Need Us, But People Do
God doesn’t need us to do anything for Him as if He could ever be deficient in some area that we could supply for Him. But our family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, teammates, and complete strangers do need us to do for them. Not because God is failing to meet their needs, and we should make up for His oversight or indifference, but rather because in His loving providence, He has sent us to bring His aid to them. God puts us in places where needy people are right in front of us so we can be like Jesus to them by offering a helping hand, a guiding word, and a loving embrace. His hands. His words. His love. Delivered through us.
To Have Everything; To Have Nothing At All
To gain all that the world has to offer yet not have Jesus is to have nothing at all. To gain all that Jesus has to offer yet not have the world is to have everything.
