Carry Us Through

 Isaiah 43: 2
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you: when you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon you.

As we enter into a new year, we can only hope that things will be better. 2020 brought us unprecedented life changing events. We passed through the waters and the fire, and God was with us all the way. The promise is still true for 2021, we don’t know what we will face, but this one thing we can be certain, that Jesus will not let the rivers overflow us, and though the fires burn all around us, He will protect us from harm. Nothing can happen this year that He does not already know about. Yes, tragedy may happen, life is uncertain, but we can be confident that all things will work together for good to those who have committed their lives to Him. Lean stronger on His everlasting arms, He will carry us through.

His Word is Profitable

 2 Tim 3:16

 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

Many find inspiration from God’s word. Words of encouragement, promises of comfort during difficult times, words that lift the spirits. The word of God brings hope to many in a world that is lost and hurting. But His word has much more to give. It is God’s instructions for life. It is our manual for living, teaching us how to act and treat others, how to talk, how to make good decisions, things we should do and things we should not do. The world is no friend of God, and is opposed to anything that is holy and righteous. It may have a form of godliness, but they deny the power of God, and the truth of the Gospel, that Jesus is the only way to heaven. No man can come to God, except through Christ.

Go Into The World

 Matthew 28:20
 …lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.

The promise of Jesus to go with us as we share the gospel with the world. Proclaiming Jesus' power to forgive sins and the power to live a righteous life. It is the great commission to spread the teachings of Christ. Foremost, to love the Lord your God with all your heart, and your neighbor as yourself. The Golden rule which guides each person to do what is right. Do the things I do demonstrate that I love Him with all my heart? Do I treat others with the same love and respect that I want to be treated? Preferring one another, forgiving, and showing kindness are trademarks of a holy character. He promised to be with us and give us what we need to do, what is needed, even when we don’t always feel like it.

In The Palm of His Hand

 John 10:28
 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

The promise of Christ is not to let us go. There are those who would use this scripture to support their doctrine that once you give your life to Christ, no matter what you do after that, you will always be a child of God and eternal life is secure. Such thinking is not consistent with other scripture “Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name?.. Depart from me, ye that work iniquity”. The parable of the ten virgins that did not have oil and were not allowed into heaven is another example of people who said they were followers of Christ, but their heart was not ready. It is comforting to know that God has us in the palm of His hand, and He will protect us from and keep us safe from the lion that seeks to devour us. We must be willing to stay in His hands and believe that He is able to do the impossible. It would seem impossible that we can live a sinless life, but God has promised us that if we walk in the light of His presence, that we will continue to have fellowship with Him. He will not leave us or forsake us. “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come…Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Let Not Your Heart Be Troubles

John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Becoming anxious about the future and events that may or may not happen has a way of troubling the heart. We fret and worry about many things. We are afraid that life will take us down a road that will cause pain and suffering. We look about us and we see friends and loved ones that are facing difficult situation and it is only a matter of time that we will come face to face with our own troubled heart. It will come, but Jesus say, don’t let it consume your life, don’t let it trouble your heart. I promise peace during times of trouble. I will send One who will comfort the heart when it is troubled.  When the rubber hits the road, and the reality of life’s troubles are at our door step, there but only one who can bring peace, it is peace that comes from the Father above. When your hearts becomes trouble, trust not in the peace of this world, but believe God that He will give you peace that will calm the storm that troubles your heart.

The Rest of God

Hebrew. 4:9,16 There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God…Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

God is not blind to our needs. His word reveals the very motives of our heart and the desires to enter into His rest. Rest from the struggles of the flesh, rest from the condemnation and guilt of sin. We can come without fear into the presences of God, knowing that Jesus is sitting at the right hand of the Father. He who has experience the struggle of life on earth and know our weakness, makes our petitions in our behalf to the Father. We can lay all our cares and burdens at the throne of God, and rest in His grace. Our works to please God must go beyond the works of righteousness. God is pleased with our good deeds, but it is not the works of the flesh that give us rest.  It is faith in His mercy and grace given to us through Christ that we can enter into His rest. Let us not stop short of this promise. Let us cast away our fears and trust of God who knows all things and desires to help us in time of need.

Not Too Old for God

Isaiah 46:4. 9 “And even to your old age I am He, and even to hoary hairs will I carry you. I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you. Remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is none other; I am God, and there is none like Me”-

Not too old for God. Aging comes up behind us so quickly. Knowing that there are more days behind us that are in front of us is sobering. The older we get, the more we realize the things of this world are just dust of the earth. Eternity is just over the horizon. The passing of time is seen as are skin begins to change, and the color of our hair turns grey, or white. We no longer can do the things we use to do and our effectiveness is inhibited by our inability to get around like we use to. But, growing old is part of God’s plan, unless providence takes our life unexpectedly at a younger age. God does not put us on the shelf, but will often redirect our mission in life. He does not leave us helpless and He does not forsake us. Even in our old age, He will show Himself to be the God of old, and go before us as we fight battles only known to those who are getting old. “Lord, almost 58 years have gone by, and God willing, I have 20-30 years left. Help me to trust you more each day and to remember that there is no other God that can carry me through like you can. You are God and there is none like You!”

He That Calls You

1 Thess 5:24 “Faithful is He that calleth you; He also will do it.”-

Called of God to be holy. To walk in the way of holiness. To be set apart and be made blameless. Not in our own strength, but in our willingness to let God do to us what He needs to make us ready for heaven. The process is not pleasant and it will probably require sacrifice on our part. But, the promise of God is true. He is faithful to make us what we ought to be. He wants us to live victorious lives and have motives that are pure and holy. Being sanctified does not make us perfect human beings. We are still subject to temptations and things that come from human desire. But He has promise us that even in times of temptation, we can give us the desire to live spotless and blameless in this present world. His second coming can happen at any time, our last day can be any day. He wants us to be ready for that day. May we be willing to submit our live to God, to be used of Him until His coming.

The Promise of the Comforter

John 14:16 “And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you for ever”- 

Jesus knows that the journey we walk will sometime be a hard and difficult. There will be times when we will suffer from loneliness, heartache, misunderstanding, the loss of someone close to us, persecution, and temptation. The promise of the Comforter was given to believers by Jesus. The world is not a friend of grace and resents the fact that Christian not only follow Jesus Christ, but Christians believe that He is the only way to the Father. Walking with God require more than mere determination, yes we must have resolve that we will follow Him to the end, but our real help and strength comes from the Comforter that was sent to us by the Father. That is why it is so important that we allow the Holy Spirit to take full control of our life. That is why we must abandoned ourselves in full consecration to the whole will of God, so the Comforter can come to abide in our hearts. On the day of Pentecost, The Comforter came in His fullness and filled the believers with His presences. They were filled with power from on high to help believers live life through the difficult times, to give them the strength to speak the truth, and power to be a witness that would reflect the true nature of God. With the indwelling of the Comforter, we can be a true testament to the world what the grace of God can do. Our witness is not tainted with sin and selfish living. The Comforter has come to abide and He will make the difference as we walk this journey on earth. The promise of the Father is for us all today, open your heart to Him and let Him abide with you for ever!