Gotta Believe!

Perhaps one of the most practical Christian certainties we must have in order to joyfully continuing following Christ is the confidence that He is truly “for us”.  I don’t want to reduce our view of God to that of a sideline cheerleader who roots for us as we run this race.  Vastly deeper than that image is the truth that God is precisely working out His plan for our lives and that the ultimate result will be His glorification and our own satisfaction.

Simply put, you must believe that God has only and always perfectly good intentions through all that He works in your life.

 

Pillar Truth

I love the following verse from a man who was convinced that all experiences in His life came through divine appointment.  King David wrote, “I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from You.” – Psalm 116:2.  King David had fame and money and accomplishment deeply engraved upon his resume.  He had experienced the heights of human victory and had also tasted the salty dust of face-down defeats.  No matter whether he was winning or losing, King David concluded that, apart from his God, he had nothing good.  Incredible theology!  Amazing awareness!  Solidifying Scripture! Let me shore it up another way for us as I close:

In Jesus Christ, everything in my life has the amazing potential to result in good (properly defined).  Outside of Jesus Christ, even that which seems to appear good (improperly defined) is proven in the end to be bad.  I can have power and money and beauty and attainments outside of Christ.  These things lie to me and say that they are good and worthy to be pursued.  If I were to pursue them and obtain them, I would be dissatisfied in my soul.  If I continued to pursue and obtain them at the expense of what God deems good, then I forfeit my soul in the end, having been devastatingly distracted.  The beauty of being a follower of Christ is that you received God’s very best at the beginning.  Your soul was secured as you bowed to Jesus.  Your sins were expunged from Heaven’s record.  You were blessed with forgiveness and life and sonship and acceptance and paradise.  God’s best was yours when your worst was all He could receive in exchange.  Because of this, nothing you receive by way of experience in this life can change the truth that all things are working for your good.  Yes, friend, that is true of every Christian and should not be qualified with that persistent, “Yeah, I know what you’re saying but…” that we hear in our heads.  Scripture says that ALL THINGS are working together for good on our behalf. That, quite frankly, is a dogmatic statement to be believed, an umbrella truth as it were.  It is not to be scrutinized in the context of what is going on in our lives on any given day.

Remember that in your valley.  Sing that when the shadows are thick. Throw a chain around anxiety’s neck by declaring that your awesome God is for you.  Your outlook will quickly change…even if your circumstances are hesitant to do so.