God is Always with Us

Are there things you love in this world? Do you love your home? Do you love your job? Do you love the great outdoors? Do you love your family? Are those loves equal? Do you love some more than others? Who or what is your greatest love?

We love lots of things, people, and pets. At least, we say we do. But there are different levels of love. They range from liking something a lot to being so intense that we don’t know how we will survive if it is taken from us. Where does God stand on that scale?

I have had several conversations with fellow Christians where we both wonder how some people can go through what they are going through without God. I can remember going through a couple of tough times before I accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior. Looking back, they were extremely hard and, in one case, very dark. I would not want to go through those times without God again.

On the other hand, I have gone through tough times with God. In fact, I think I have gone through more tough times and harder times with God, and they have not been dark at all. By putting my trust and faith in God, being confident he had a plan for me, I knew everything was going to work out fine. There was an inner peace while going through them.

The writer of Hebrews reminds us that God is always with us. We have the comfort of knowing God is in control and has already put his plan in motion. What is our lesson in this? Rather than loving the things of this world, we should love God. After all, it is God who has blessed us with the things of this world. When we do not know how we could live without the love of God, we have come to the point he wants us—relying on him.

I pray we all love God as deeply as he loves us. I pray we set aside our love for things of this world. I pray each one of us put our faith in God, fully trusting he is always with us. Trust God. Love God. Put your faith in God. Know that he is always with you. Be at peace in God.

Hebrews 13:5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said,

“Never will I leave you;

never will I forsake you.”

Extravagant Love

How is your relationship with God? Do you connect with Christ? Are you communicating with God on a regular basis? Do you only reach out when you are in trouble, fearful, filled with anxiety, or in dire need? Do you know you are loved by Christ?

Our relationship with God depends as much on us as it does God. Just like any relationship, we must put an effort into it. If we are unwilling to work at it, God will not force us, even though he desires us to be in close relationship with him.

However, there is one thing we can be sure of—God loves us…no matter what. Have you truly pondered that? God loves you! In fact, he loves each and every person who walks this earth. He desires that every person chooses to love him back and be in relationship with him.

The Apostle Paul asks rhetorical questions in today’s passage. Just a few verses later he answers his rhetorical questions with an emphatic declaration that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ. That means no matter how many times we fall to the temptations Satan throws at us, Christ will still love us.

Yet, that doesn’t give us license to be obstinate and disobedient. Christ desires that we love Him back, appreciating His sacrifice for us. Can we relate? I’m sure we can. When we do something extremely difficult for someone else, we also want them to appreciate what we have done. Why would we think Christ would be any different?

Just as a parent loves a child, even if that child falls into a drug or alcohol induced stupor, Christ loves us. If that child commits grand theft, a parent still loves them. If the child commits murder, the parent still loves them. Sure, they may admit they deserve punishment, but they love them.

I pray we all know that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ. I pray we choose to be in relationship with God. I pray each one of us appreciate His sacrifice for us and return His love. Know that Christ loves you. Choose a relationship with God. Love Christ as He loves you.

Romans 8:35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?

Moldable Clay

Do you look at yourself as a self-made man or woman? Are you working hard to make yourself into the person you have been told you should be? Or are you working to make yourself to be like someone you have seen and desire to model yourself after?

Some of us strive diligently to make something of ourselves. We may have been encouraged, or even pushed, by our parents into a certain profession and had high expectations put on us. Others may have seen someone in their lives they admire and strive to be like them.

Based on my observances, we too often model ourselves on someone we see on television or in the movies. We fail to realize, first of all, that they are actors playing a part. Second, they get multiple takes or chances to get it right for the screen. Even those in reality shows don’t have all their mistakes shown. We hold these people in high esteem rather than the real person in our midst.

On the other hand, we hear people say, “Just be yourself.” Often, they mean to say and do whatever you want. That is a recipe for disaster as well. At least, that meaning of it is. But we are to be ourselves and there is a way to do so that is highly effective.

When we are our authentic selves, the person God has made us to be, truly seeking to follow his plan for our lives, we live the abundant life. That requires us to recognize him as our Father and as the potter. It requires us to be pliable and moldable like clay. It requires us to continually go to him in prayer, asking how he wants us to act, where he wants us to go, what he wants us to do, and being willing to be the person he is molding us into. No two of us are exactly the same. We are to be who we were made to be.

I pray we all seek to be our authentic selves. I pray we seek God’s direction for our lives. I pray each one of us are willing to be clay in the hands of the master poster—our Father in heaven. Be yourself. Be who God intended you to be. Be clay in his hands. Be willing to follow him.

Isaiah 64:8

Yet you, Lord, are our Father.

We are the clay, you are the potter;

we are all the work of your hand.

Light or Dark

Do you prefer the light or the dark? Do you prefer good or evil? How do you put your preferences into action? Are you fearful of the dark and evil? Do you stand in awe of God’s light and goodness?

We often see things in simple terms. There is light and dark. There is good and evil. We see it in our movies. There are the good guys and the bad guys. There is the person in the right and those who would do them wrong.

In some ways, movies and television mirror our society. The basics are there, though Hollywood adds a life’s worth of peripheries in a two-hour movie. But in the end, we all see good and bad in our lives, and we can identify with the characters on the screen.

Let’s go back to our preferences. If our preference is to be in the light, we need to spend more time with God. He is the true light. In fact, his light is far brighter than anything we have ever seen. It is brighter than our sun. His light dispels all darkness.

On the other hand, if we prefer darkness, there is no need to engage with God. However, that doesn’t mean he won’t engage with us. God engages with everyone, whether they recognize it or not. At some point, we all come into the light. The darkness that surrounds us will be repealed and tossed away.

God’s desire is that we choose to be in the light of Jesus Christ. We come into that light as we come to know Him. When we fully know Him, there is no need to fear evil anymore. We live in the comfort and peace of knowing Jesus has overcome all evil.

I pray we all seek to be in the light of Jesus. I pray we shun the evil of this world. I pray each one of us chooses to know Jesus fully and step into the light He provides for us. Choose light over dark. Choose good over evil. Choose to know Christ. Step into the light. Feel His love for you. Rid yourself of fear.

2 Corinthians 4:6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.

Different Gifts

What do you know of the Holy Spirit? Do you know he is at work every moment of every day? Do you know he distributes gifts to each person? Have you taken an inventory of the gifts you have been blessed with?

The Holy Spirit is a master planner. He distributes gifts to people to enable them to carry out God’s plan. How does he know what gifts to give to whom? He is God, just as the Father and the Son are God. He knows the plan.

God has gifted each church with the gifts it needs to carry his plan for that specific church. He has gifted this church with the right people who have the right gifts to do his work here and now. Are we putting his gifts to work in the best way possible to carry out his plan?

We must also remember that God may bless a person with additional gifts as they mature. So, our gifts may change over time to best fit our situation and what God wants us to do. That applies to us as individuals and as the church.

Since the Holy Spirit is continually at work, should we not be listening for his call and following his lead into the work God wants us to carry out? We may be called to be a leader or a server. We may be called to be a teacher or a helper. But make no mistake about it…we are all called to do something in God’s service.

I pray we all hear the call of God. I pray we survey our gifts and put them to use in God’s service. I pray each one of us seeks to use our gifts in the best way possible. Seek to know your gifts. Determine how they fit in the church. Know that God has blessed you. Listen for the Spirit. Carry out God’s plan.

1 Corinthians 12:4-6 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.

Common Good

Do you have the gift of learning things quickly? Do you have the gift of applying them to your daily life or a specific situation? Are you putting your gifts to good use? Are you using your gifts to serve God?

We are all blessed with gifts. Gifts of knowledge and learning are wonderful gifts. The ability to learn things quickly, gaining knowledge can give us a leg up in life. That leg up comes when we understand how we can apply the knowledge to our lives, which is wisdom.

But using those gifts for our own benefit is not what God intended. His intention is that we use them for the common good. Common good. That is an interesting phrase. What is the common good? Opposed to what we may think, it does not mean the good of all. It means for the good of the common person, life, experience. Not the one offs. Not the extravagant. But the everyday person who works to provide for their family, the everyday job situation, the everyday dealing with kids, the everyday struggle to prepare meals.

We are to use our knowledge and wisdom to help others. Helping others improve their lives, their ability to live the abundant life, to show them Jesus is the reason we were given these gifts. God desires we put his gifts to use to carry out his plan, which is to tell others about Jesus and enlarge his kingdom.

I pray we all put our knowledge and wisdom to good use. I pray we use our gifts to carry God’s plan. I pray each one of us will grow in the knowledge of Jesus and in God’s wisdom. Know your gifts. Grow in knowledge. Grow in wisdom. Seek to use your gifts for the common good.

1 Corinthians 12:7-8 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit

Gift of Faith

Have you heard the statement that you need to develop your own faith? Are you working on developing it? How is that coming for you? Have you made any progress? Would you like your faith to be stronger but not seeing an increase?

We talk a lot about faith as Christians. We may say that we just need to have faith. Or we say we have faith. Or we may say we put our faith in God. We use a lot of these sayings when we don’t know what else to do.

Have you thanked God for your faith? That may seem to be a silly question. However, it is not. You see, our faith is a gift from God. His Spirit blesses us with faith. As I have mentioned in other messages, faith is not merely belief. James 2:9 states even demons believe. No, faith and belief are not equal. Hebrews 11:1 states that our faith is confidence in our hope. Our hope is in the glory of God (Romans 5:2).

Are you seeing the linkage in Scripture, in the components of our Christian walk, and in knowing God’s Word? It continues in today’s passage. Our faith is a gift that helps us put together the other pieces and grows stronger as we do. It is also a gift that God increases as we desire to know him better and long to have a stronger faith.

We cannot simply build our faith like we build muscle. Yet, it becomes stronger as we exercise it. How do we exercise it? Through prayer and trust in God. It becomes stronger as we ask God to increase our faith and as we trust him to pull us through whatever situation we find ourselves in. Our faith is a gift. It is a gift that God will increase as we know him better and put more trust in him.

I pray we all ask God to increase our faith. I pray we put more trust in his promises. I pray each one of us will seek to know God better and connect the dots of a mature Christian. Seek to know God better. Ask God to increase your faith. Put your full trust in God. Connect the dots. Love as God loves.

1 Corinthians 13:2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.

Know the Truth

Are you seeking to gain knowledge? Do you seek to know the truth? Or do you listen to every false rumor being thrown out for consumption? Do you seek to have an anchor or are you willingly tossed about on the seas?

There are many in this world who would lead us astray. With today’s technology, rumors and false information travel at the speed of light. A false message can be posted in any city of the world and be read by tens or hundreds of thousands within a few minutes or hours.

But we can know the truth. We can see through the falsities. One way to do that is to slow down, think, and do a little research. Another way is to rely on the Spirit of God to guide us. We have been given His Spirit to be our guide in all situations.

Relying on the Holy Spirit is counterintuitive for our world. We are blasted with messages that refute the work of the Holy Spirit, even calling it superstition. We hear those messages in our schools, workplaces, grocery stores, community gatherings, and even in our families.

We may hear such messages in our churches. Before we believe those messages, we need to look at today’s passage. The Apostle Paul tells the church in Corinth they do not lack any spiritual gift. He specifically calls out knowledge. Not just any knowledge, but the knowledge of God and the testimony about Jesus.

The more we rely on the Holy Spirit to reveal the truth to us, the better we are able to hear his voice. We gain additional insight to the knowledge of God by praying for the Spirit to reveal the meaning of God’s Word before we read it. Knowledge of God contributes to us acquiring the wisdom of God.

I pray we all ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the truth of God’s Word to us. I pray we seek to know more about God. I pray each one of us will grow in knowledge and wisdom. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal truth to you. Be diligent in identifying falsities. Be aware of the messages you are inundated with. Seek the truth. Know the truth. Follow the truth.

1 Corinthians 1:5-7 For in him you have been enriched in every way—with all kinds of speech and with all knowledge—God thus confirming our testimony about Christ among you. Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed.

Godly Wisdom

How do you define wisdom? Do you believe wisdom is an accumulation of knowledge? Does wisdom include the ability to comprehend complex issues or problems? Do you seek to be wise? Do you consider yourself wise?

Wisdom is something we seldom talk about today. We often talk about education, knowledge, or training, but not wisdom. To have wisdom is to be wise. Being wise includes possessing judgment, discernment, and discretion. Notice that knowledge is not part of the definition.

I view wisdom as the ability to take what you know and determine the best solution for an issue or problem you must deal with. Wisdom is more about your ability to work through a problem than it is about acquiring knowledge. That is not to say knowledge is not important. We need knowledge to feed into our wisdom process.

The Apostle Paul tells the church in Corinth that he and his companions bring a message of wisdom. However, it is not of worldly wisdom but the wisdom of God. What is the difference? Wisdom of this world can be used to determine the best way to tackle a situation at work, construction of a house, or when to perform car maintenance.

The wisdom of God reveals to us eternal implications. We review the evidence of God’s actions in creation, his plan as revealed in prophecy and fulfillment, and deciding to trust his promises. Wisdom that comes from God does not always make sense according to worldly wisdom. Of course, God’s wisdom is far higher than any worldly wisdom.

I pray we all pursue Godly wisdom. I pray we acquire knowledge by reading and studying God’s Word. I pray each one of us ask God to grant us wisdom that leads to eternal life. Seek to know God’s Word. Seek God’s wisdom. Apply God’s wisdom to your life.

1 Corinthians 2:6-7 We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. No, we declare God’s wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began.

Firm Foundation

What is the foundation of your life? Do you know what your foundational beliefs are? Do you trust in anything or are you wondering through life aimlessly? Have you considered there is One who has laid a foundation and is the foundation for an abundant life?

I see far too many people wondering through life aimlessly. They have no anchor. They have no rudder. They have no foundation. Or if they have a foundation, they often stray from it not fully trusting it. Those who do not stand fully on the foundation of Christ live a precarious life.

The Apostle Paul tells the members of the church in Ephesus that they were foreigners and strangers. They were wondering through life aimlessly. They worshiped foreign gods, who were no gods at all. They lived lives of ignorance, based on faulty beliefs, and sin.

They accepted the gospel. They became part of the kingdom of God. They were enlightened and accepted the teaching of the apostles. Their lives stood on the foundation of the apostles who were built around Jesus Christ. Jesus is the chief cornerstone. He is the One from whom all the teachings of the apostles were based on.

Make no mistake about it. With Jesus as the cornerstone, the apostles laid a firm foundation. From that foundation, many missionaries were sent to tell people about Jesus. It continues today through missionaries, pastors, teachers, and theologians.

We all have the option of an abundant life with a firm foundation. Each one of us can choose to follow Jesus. If you do not know where to start, start by going to a church, talking with the pastor, and read the Bible. As you grow in knowledge, there are many wonderful resources available to you.

I pray we all build our lives on the foundation of Jesus and the Apostles. I pray we choose an abundant life. I pray each one of us will read, listen, and discuss the gospel message. Build your life on a firm foundation. Have an anchor for the storms of life. Have a rudder to guide your life. Read the Bible. Attend a church. Talk to your pastor. Participate in a Bible study.

Ephesians 2:19-20 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.