There is nothing in this world more precious than walking with God by faith and seeing His Glory performed in your life.
Matthew 16:24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
As we live the life of faith, we can't always see the way. We may wonder how God can do anything with the likes of us, but God uses people who obey when they don't understand or like it. Not knowing their destination, they live by faith.
Those are the people who get to see The Lord part seas. They see the multitudes fed, and they walk on water. They stroll unharmed through the fiery furnaces and lion dens of life. They see The Lord do the impossible again and again.
When Abraham obeyed and stepped out by faith into the unknown, he saw God do things that amazed him until the day he died.
There is no explaining why God saves Hell-deserving sinners. It has to be "love" and "grace".
Only by faith in Christ and a hug full of grace are we saved from hell and going to Heaven. And that's because of "Love".
Romans 3:23,24 For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God: Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
At the moment of belief, God the Father applies the price that Jesus paid on the cross to our account and declares us righteous.
Jesus changes every life He truly saves. He puts a desire and a longing within our hearts to love Him, to live for Him, to honor Him, and bring glory to His name.
We show the world that people can live for God by letting God live in us.
John 3:17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved.
The purpose--salvation/redemption--is why God sent Jesus to earth. But Jesus laid down His own life for the sins of humanity to please His Father. How do you measure this kind of love? You can't.
Consider how sinful and wicked humanity is. Consider the lives we lived before salvation. Consider the millions who have rejected His salvation.
Now, consider that Christ knew all of that prior to Bethlehem and Calvary and yet He came anyway. It's not so much a miracle that He came as a humble babe; it's a miracle that He came at all.
Thank God, believers are no longer bound by the dread and fear of standing before God accountable for their sins.
When I survey the wondrous cross . . . .
See from His head, His hands, His feet
Sorrow and love flow mingled down
Did e'er such love and sorrow meet
Or thorns compose so rich a crown
Isaac Watts, 1674-1748
Over time my morning prayer became repetitive, though my praise and petitions were sincere. Then I changed the beginning, borrowing words from David's Victory Song.
Psalm 18:2 The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength in whom I will trust; my buckler and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.
Now I pray, "Lord, You are my rock, my fortress, my deliverer, and my strength." Now I find myself humbled in the intimate presence of the Almighty God, King of Kings and Lord or Lords, the Great I Am.
I remember the battles that God delivered me from. I recall the strength that picked me up when I fell or became weak.
Now my faith is emboldened as I pray for heart attack or stroke patients, for those battling health issues, those who lost loved ones or lost hope.
There is power in prayer when we remember who we are actually speaking to.
We owe God honor and glory and gratitude for Who He is and His amazine grace and mercies.
Psalm 106:1 Praise ye The Lord, O give thanks unto The Lord; for He is good: for his mercy endureth forever.
We should praise God in the light and in the dark, on the mountain and in the valley, in peace and in turmoil, in life and death, in rejoicing and weeping, in plenty and poverty, in health and sickness, when we can see Him and when we can't.
It's sinful to shut one's eyes to the signs of God's presence, forgetting His mercies and kindness.
Praise Him! Praise Him! Jesus our blessed Redeemer!
Four our sins He suffered and bled and died
He our Rock, our hope of eternal salvation
Hail Him! Hail Him! Jesus the Crucified.
Sound His praises, Jesus who bore our sorrows
Love unbounded, wonderful, deep and strong . . . .
Fanny Crosby 1869
"I just don't have the power of God in my life anymore. I never miss church. I don't understand."
Does that describe you?
Before you can recover the power of God in your life, you must return to that place where you lost it and uncover the reason.
Is it because of sin or misplaced priorities? The Spirit of God thrives on daily Bible study and prayer. Has that been omitted? Maybe you are trusting the flesh instead of God. Have you stopped praising Him?
I believe the following prayer that David prayed will bring you back--that and praise and a humble heart.
Psalm 139:23,24 Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
A cemetery would be a wonderful place to be when Jesus comes for His saints.
1 Thessalonians 4:16 For The Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
After the resurrection of the saints, those who have been saved by the grace of God will be caught up in the clouds.
When Jesus comes, parents will see their children who passed away, spouses will see their partners, and friends will be reunited again. Surely we can rejoice in that truth.
When Jesus comes, we will see the One Who loved us more than His Own life, the Friend Who stuck closer than a brother, the crucified risen Lord. Surely we can rejoice in that.
When Jesus comes, all the pain, sorrow, separation, suffering, sin, and heartache will end immediately. We will fly away to a better place. We will be changed.
In a warped world, this is our hope and consolation.
