However, our Bible verse today tells us to give thanks in every situation we are in. We need to do this because all things work together for good for those that love God (Romans 8:28). So even if we are in the worst situations, we should just keep thanking God because we know that is what God wants us to do. Therefore, hold onto your faith; there is a greater reward in Heaven waiting for you!
Everyone goes through a time where they feel like everything they are doing is just not worth it. Sacrificing your Sundays for worship, risking the chance to be seen as "normal" by your friends...the list goes on. It can be hard to be a light in the midst of darkness, especially in the society we live in.
However, our Bible verse today tells us to give thanks in every situation we are in. We need to do this because all things work together for good for those that love God (Romans 8:28). So even if we are in the worst situations, we should just keep thanking God because we know that is what God wants us to do. Therefore, hold onto your faith; there is a greater reward in Heaven waiting for you! Happy New Year! Use this time to thank God for everything He has done in your life until now. Personally, God has been so faithful to me. I’m alive. I’m healthy. I have an awesome family and an amazing group of friends. Indeed, God has been faithful in my life. This week’s passage talks about letting go of the old. As we say farewell to 2014, we as Christians are also to put off the old man. Once forgiven of our sins, we become alive in Christ. By becoming alive in Christ, we become dead to sin and dead to our former selves. We no longer live for ourselves, but Christ. The old and sinful habits are destroyed, and we become “renewed in the spirit” of our minds. We put on the new man, and walk in true righteousness and holiness. By living in Christ daily, and He in us, by dying to ourselves daily, we undergo a transformation that is subtle, yet ever so prominent. We find that lying becomes harder; the conscience is quickly convicted. We glow with happiness, to the point that people get annoyed. Forgiveness comes by easily, because we wish to emulate the never-changing grace God bestowed unto us. So, has there been any sin you've turned to when times got rough? What is that sin, that weakness, that always brings you down? Tell it to God. Confide in Him, because it’s time to say goodbye. Fun fact: 'Goodbye' originated from the phrase 'God be with ye'. We all remember when we went to church, and we heard the saying "You need to be crucified with Christ." Well, today we will find out what it truly means to be crucified with Christ.
Crucify (v) To put to death by nailing or binding the hands and feet to a cross. ~ Dictionary.com As said above, when we are crucified, we are put to death. This crucifixion refers to our behaviors. When Jesus comes into our lives, we become new creatures. All our old, sinful ways are dropped, and we become new and righteous. Christ's ways should live in us. (2 Corinthians 5:17) This verse also makes us to understand that we cannot just live this life trying to serve God on our own. We need to live by faith. always trusting in the Lord and following His commands. He knows what's best. After all, He gave his life for you! I was sitting down today, listening to a sermon, when my mind wandered off. Yes, I know, I should have been focusing on the message, but hear me out. I started to think of life in general, nothing deep or really philosophical.
But one thing that struck me is this simple mindset I have, that every problem will receive its solution soon enough. “God will soon take care of this situation.” And to me, “soon” means as quickly as possible. The longer the problem drags on, the more anxious I become. Then, I start to become worried. I start stressing out. My faith starts to waver as I try to hold on to God. Over the years, God has granted me with patience, so I’m not as easily prone to doubt Him. Nevertheless, it can be hard at times. Anyway, back to my not-so-philosophical musings. As I was thinking of the need to be patient, I suddenly considered the disciples. Near the end of His earthly sojourn, Jesus had told them that He was returning to the Father. Trying to place myself into the scene, I would have assumed He was coming back no later than a year (John 14). I wonder how many disciples assumed the same thing. After they witnessed His ascension to Heaven with the angels, they waited. And waited. And waited some more. They told others about Christ and His coming. And waited. Weeks stretched into months, which stretched into years. Friends died as martyrs, they were scorned by many. And still, they waited. He never came though, at least not in the human form they expected. According to the human mentality, He was late. He had broken His promise. However, as the verse shows us today, He had a very crucial reason for not coming earlier: love. The reason the Second Coming has not happened is because Jesus is still calling everyone to repentance. He wants to save everyone from the peril of Hell. Just as we’re waiting, He’s also waiting. He’s waiting for more sinners to accept Him. He’s waiting for more runaways to return home. He’s not late, He’s not being slow. He’s patiently waiting. Have you ever felt that you were "not good enough"? Or do you just have an issue in your life that you need resolved? Well, in our Bible verse today, it says that we should "ask in truth". God loves us so much, and He would never allow something terrible to happen to us without Him knowing.
So first, we need to ask truthfully. Then, we need to fear Him. We cannot be a sinner and only come to Him begging when we need something. No. That is not right. If we do that, we're using God. Instead, we need to fear Him. Give Him the respect He deserves. When you ask truthfully with your whole heart, you will see that He will answer your cry. Just believe in Him. It's 10 AM, and you're wondering, "Should I go to church or should I go to work? After all, I really need the money..."
We shouldn't only think about things in the present life, but think of ALL God has promised you. Things of this world will not last forever. We need to understand that one day, all of these things will pass away. There will be a new earth. There is only one thing that will not perish, and that is your soul. You can spend your whole life trying to gain this whole world, but in the end it will not matter. The only thing that WILL matter is what you've done on this earth to please God. "I don't wanna gain the whole world and lose my soul." -tobyMac (Lose My Soul) We all go through some problem or the other at a certain point of time in our lives. In our text, it doesn't say everything will be all jolly good in the end for everyone. It says that things will be good in the end for us Christians, "them who are the called according to his purpose". I was reading an article one day, and it just happened to say something that was really interesting. There was this kid whose mother made lots of cakes, which he loved. One day, he decided to try each ingredient of the cake individually, starting from flour, to baking powder to the raw egg. Everything tasted disgusting. However, after everything was mixed together, and put into the oven to bake, it tasted delicious.
This is similar to what Christians experience. Although we may be going through many different problems, everything will just end up being perfect. So just keep believing! As long as we are going according to God's will, He will see us through every situation. There is only one person who we can trust with our lives. He knows the beginning and the end. He knows your future. He knows everything. His name is God.
In our text today, we notice that it says we should trust in the Lord with all our heart, and lean not on our own understanding. As previously mentioned, we don't know what tomorrow may bring. Just because the weatherman says, "It's gonna be the perfect day for a picnic," doesn't mean that it might not end up raining the whole day. We might think we know our future, but it doesn't mean we know the best. That's why if we can learn to just acknowledge God, and to put our trust in Him in everything we do, He will surely direct our paths. There are many Christians that become outcasts because of their love for Christ. They are not accepted, they're being rejected, and labeled as Jesus freaks. Well, in our text today, we notice that it doesn't matter what they say. It doesn't matter what they do. As humans, it's normal to want to fit in. But, the path of the wicked leads to destruction. We must also remember not to compromise, because the road to Heaven won't get wider. Giving in to sin should not be an option. We need to know who we are in Christ.
In a moment of weakness, we might feel like the only choice is to just give in. If you feel like you're going to be tempted, don't go near the sin. Don't think, "How close can I get to the fire without being burned?" Instead, run far away from it. We should desire to please God, and not ourselves. |
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