When we enter a dark room, it is instinct to turn on the light. There is something inside of us that says— “I need to see where I am going”. Yet, in life when things get it’s darkest, we ignore the whispers to reach for ‘The LIGHT’”.
4 I rejoiced greatly to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as we were commanded by the Father.
5 And now I ask you, dear lady—not as though I were writing you a new commandment, but the one we have had from the beginning—that we love one another.
6 And this is love, that we walk according to his commandments; this is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, so that you should walk in it.
How many times do we try to figure things out ourselves when trouble comes? Most likely, our first response is… “What am I going to do?”
And if we are honest…we immediately start meditating on that problem instead of praying to God for help.
I know, I know…it’s a human thing to panic first and pray later. But, just like the people of Israel found out—GOD should be the first ONE you consult.
Roman 5:8-11 Amplified Bible Classic Edition says:
“But God shows and clearly proves His [own] love for us by the fact that while we were still sinners, Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One) died for us.
Therefore, since we are now justified (acquitted, made righteous, and brought into right relationship with God) by Christ’s blood, how much more [certain is it that] we shall be saved by Him from the indignation and wrath of God.
For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, it is much more [certain], now that we are reconciled, that we shall be saved (daily delivered from sin’s dominion) through His [resurrection] life.
Not only so, but we also rejoice and exultingly glory in God [in His love and perfection] through our Lord Jesus Christ, through Whom we have now received and enjoy [our] reconciliation.”
Sometimes in life, we question God when things don’t turn out the way we planned. And, we can’t see how anything good can come out of a bad situation. Then we sit and wonder if God loves us.
“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”
Are you loaded down with heavy burdens that tip the scale to –MUCH too MUCH?
Do you feel as if you are carrying the weight of the world? One final question—Do you know Jesus as LORD and Savior?
In the book of Matthew chapter 11, Jesus makes a call to all those overburdened. He calls to those working hard to meet a goal that’s unattainable by the works of one’s hands.
So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.
As believers in Jesus, we face daily challenges and testing that come like clockwork. We want life to be a cakewalk, but instead, it’s filled with temptations that reveal our weak areas.
But our weaknesses don’t define who we are in Christ, because Jesus has given us a new identity in Him.Jesus made us righteous when we chose to have faith in Him for our righteousness.
For it is by grace [God’s remarkable compassion and favor drawing you to Christ] that you have been saved [actually delivered from judgment and given eternal life] through faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [not through your own effort], but it is the [undeserved, gracious] gift of God; not as a result of [your] works [nor your attempts to keep the Law], so that no one will [be able to] boast or take credit in any way [for his salvation].
For God so loved the world that HE gave HIS only Son, that whoever believes in HIM should not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16, ESV)
That is such a powerful statement of God’s nature.
And to think—HE who is LOVE demonstrated HIS love through the greatest sacrifice of all time. HIS love is revealed through HIS Son on the Cross displaying—goodness, mercy, grace, and truth.
Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and HE will give you everything you need. “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.”
Have you ever gotten so caught up in what you wanted that you forgot what you needed? Our minds can get so crowded with wants and worries that we tend to focus on what is meaningless compared to God.
As a result, we stress out. We focus on career goals, marriage goals, life goals, and yet forget to consult the Creator of all things.
The LORD hears his people when they call to him for help. He rescues them from all their troubles. The LORD is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed. The righteous person faces many troubles, but the LORD comes to the rescue each time.
I’m a mother. And ever since my daughter was a baby, I had my ears tuned to hear her cry. And, although she is an adult now, I’m still concerned about her well-being.
So much so, I’ll come running when she needs me! I want to know when something troubles her! I want to rescue her from any hurts or disappointments. I love her that much!
No doubt, love makes you want to rescue the ones you love!
So, when we read Psalm 34:17-19 (NLT), we are reminded of the Heavenly Father’s love for us. The Heavenly Father tunes in to HIS children too. He’s not a distant God. He is close enough to hear our cries!
When we read about David, we find that although he suffered through many trials, God favored him a whole lot. David had so many victories in his life. In fact, you would have thought he was a star athlete always at the top of his game.
But, like us, David had some issues and wasn’t without fault. So much so, David suffered a great deal because of it. His list of sins was long. He had many moments of a lapse in judgment.
Yet, God was merciful to him. And yes, God’s grace and favor was right there to save him.
