Trusting and Serving God in 2016!
I want to encourage all of us, to become more intimate and honest with God in 2016, to trust Him more and more, not just when things are going well, but also when bad things happen and we find ourself dialing 911-Help-me-God!
Most of us had a variety of both good and bad things happen this past year; some of us are still hanging on to or are being affected by one or more of the bad things that happened. I want to encourage you to let them go, so they don't cause you to miss out on events in the present or the future.
Isaiah 43:18-19, "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.”
Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
Everything God's Word foretold about the birth, life and death of Jesus, has come true, just as God said, and God is faithful and trustworthy. He gives us everything we need to know Him, serve Him and to enjoy our life on earth, while trusting Him for eternity in heaven.
2Peter 1:3, “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness [biological & spiritual life] through our knowledge of Him [Christ] who called us by His own glory and goodness.”
God has given us magnificent & supernatural resources:
• His Word (John 1:1-2, 14; 5:39; 6:63; 14:6; 17:17)
• His Spirit (John 1:12-13; 3:5-8; 14:15-17, 26; 16:8-9)
• His Church (1Corinthians 12:12-14, 18-20, 27; Colossians 1:18)
God's Word, made alive through God's Spirit, indwells all of God's Children, the True Believers & Followers of Christ, [God’s Church]; this is made effectual through the death & resurrection of God’s Son, as the Scriptures declare (Romans 10:9-10; 1Corinthians 15:1-4).
God’s clear and repeated will is to save us, that we might have a personal and eternal relationship with Him, through Christ the Lord!
1Timothy 2:3-4, “God our Savior wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.”
2Peter 3:9, “The Lord is patient, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”
So what is the problem?
Romans 3:10-12, “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.”
Romans 3:22-24, “There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”
Romans 5:8, “God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 10:13, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
God created us to have fellowship with Him, but through Adam’s sin death came to all of us, and so God, in His great mercy provided Christ, through Whom we receive forgiveness & eternal life (see Romans 5:12-19).
As you enter 2016, seek to know God more intimately, and serve Him obediently and honorably.
Jeremiah 29:13, “You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart.”
Hebrews 4:15-16, “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”
James 4:8, “Come near to God and He will come near to you.”
How do you approach or come near to God? Through the Word of Christ, by God’s Spirit in you!
Colossians 3:16-17, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly...And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”
We must (Hebrews 10:22), “draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith.” And we must (vv. 23-24), “hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful,” therefore, “let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds,” and (v. 25), “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as the Day [of His return] approaches.”
Every Christian has the Spirit of God in them (Ephesians 1:13-14); and so (1Corinthians 2:16), we are able to know the mind of God; for we have the light [or revelation] of God, and are therefore able (Matthew 5:16), to “let [God’s] light shine before men, that they may see [our] good deeds and praise [our] Father in heaven.”
As you draw near to God, through His Word, learning to trust Him, you’ll want to serve Him and tell others about Him, so that they too might come to know Him, as a dearly loved child knows a loving father.
1Peter 2:12, “Live such good lives among the pagans [unbelievers] that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day He visits us.”
1Peter 3:15-16, “But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.”
Showing genuine trust in God by the way you live your life is essential, especially if you want unbelievers to take notice of the God Who saved you. Are you really trusting God with your life or just trying Him out; the proof is in your heartfelt and obedient service to Him.
1John 2:4-6, “The man who says, ‘I know Him,’ but does not do what He commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But if anyone obeys His word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in Him: Whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus did.”
Our trust of and intimacy with God will show in the way we engage and respond to daily life, both the good days and the bad days.
Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.”
Philippians 4:6-7, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:12-13, “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.”
Philippians 4:19, “And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.”
God doesn’t promise His children a trouble free and painless life, He does however, provide all we need to know Him, trust Him, and serve Him, while we are here this earth, as we wait to be brought into heaven with Him, forever!
If you belong to God through Christ, you will desire to know and to study God’s Word, and to apply it to your life; as you prayerfully interact with God He will encourage you to seek fellowship among, and serve in, the local Church, where Christ is the center of worship.
Today we remember the Lord’s death and resurrection; as we celebrate the Lord’s Supper here shortly. May we seek to honor Him in this new year, by
proclaiming the Good News to all who will listen: Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures, was buried, and then rose again on the third day, according to the Scriptures, and all who believe in Him for the forgiveness of sins will be saved!
You can trust God now and forever, because of what was accomplished in and through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
1Corinthians 15:58, “Therefore, my dear brothers (and sisters), stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”
Colossians 3:12-17, “Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly... And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”