Looking to God

God has blessed us with His Word. Through His Word, God has given us hope for a resurrection to life, reigning with Him in eternity. This world’s riches will wither away, but God’s riches in heaven will never wither away. We will inherit all things through Christ Jesus.

“Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

(Matthew 6:20-21)

We are dust and to dust we shall return. None of what we gain in this world can we take to the grave. Therefore, why strive for perishable items as the rich do, when the imperishable is what we ought to desire? God has provided a way of escape through His Son Jesus.

No manner of riches will save us from death. Likewise, wealth will not save the rich from the grave. Gaining the whole world will not spare us from God’s judgment. Yet, our salvation rests in God, who will raise us from the dead and reward us with everlasting life.

What manner of person shall we be, knowing that all things in this world will perish? We ought to love God and love others as we would ourselves. True wealth comes from things unseen. Be kind always. Be patient always, for our reward is in heaven.

Is anything too hard for the Lord our God? If we can give of ourselves fully to our neighbor, how much more has God given of Himself fully to us by sacrificing His Son Jesus for the remission of our sins?

“You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason frankly with your neighbor, lest you incur sin because of him. You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.”

(Leviticus 19:17-18)

Jesus said that no greater love could someone have for another than to lay down one’s life for a friend. As God had done with Christ, so ought we to do for our neighbor. For there is no injury when we love; God makes all things work together for good.

How should we show our love toward our neighbor? We show them love by being patient and kind. We do not envy or boast. We are not arrogant or rude. We do not insist on our own way. We are not irritable or resentful. We do not rejoice in evil.

If we have God’s love living inside us then we will bear all things, believe all things, hope all things and endure all things, for love is ceaseless. In the same way that nothing is too hard for the Lord, we shall love our neighbor.

There are no other gods other than God Himself. He is the beginning, He is the end, and He sustains all things through His Son Jesus. For with purpose, we have life. In Jesus, we have hope for life everlasting. No greater purpose is there for us than to believe in Jesus.

“The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.”

(1 Timothy 1:15-16)

In sorrow and in pain, Jesus reveals Himself to the humble. When all seems lost, He is the one who pulls us from our troubles and pours into us joy, brimful and running over. He knows what we need. He gives of His abundance. He loves us without restraint.

Our purpose is to glorify God in all that we do. With Jesus living in us, we can do all things. Nothing is impossible with Him. He makes the impossible possible, for in Him we have salvation. He saved us. We are new creatures through Christ.

O how great is our God to have given His Son Jesus so that we might live. No longer do the shackles of sin bind us, but we are free, in mercy and in grace, to give of our whole selves for the purpose of God’s glory. For this reason, Jesus saves.

We look to a time when God will lift us from this world to be with Him in heaven, when we will no longer be anxious for the day, or sorrowful in the night. Our tears will be as a vapor, and He will hold us in His bosom, comforting us forever, never letting us go.

“He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

(Revelation 21:4)

Jesus is our Savior. Through Him, we have hope for a future without mourning, crying or pain. He will give us relief from death, for death shall be no more. Whatever we are suffering now, Christ will remove that suffering and replace it with utter joy, brimful and running over.

The devil will place stumbling blocks in our way. He will try to discourage us. He will bring us to tears. Yet, no amount of evil from that fallen angel will thwart God’s plan of salvation. God’s plan for us to live forever with Him will prevail.

How blessed are we to know that one day we will rule with Christ over all He has created. The stars will bow their knees to us and we will rule with righteousness. How great God is to have begotten us, in mercy and in grace, to encourage us with hope for when there shall be no more mourning.

God so loved us that He gave His only Son Jesus as a sacrifice so that we might have salvation from the penalty of our sins. In the same manner, we ought to show kindness toward each other, giving of ourselves to the service of God’s will, which is love.

“Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.”

(Colossians 3:12-14)

The Apostle Paul wrote his letter to the Colossians while in prison, awaiting his fate at the hands of the Romans. He looked to God and wrote that Christians, despite circumstances, ought to bear with one another, in humility and patience, showing compassion, as Christ had done with His persecutors.

Count it all joy God has chosen us to have our Lord Jesus live through us in deeds and in actions. Our counsel is prayer with God in His throne room. His Spirit is our blessing. No manner of evil can take away that which is ours, given to us by God Himself as a gift.

Stand to the measure of God’s Word. Live in peace with all. Show kindness. Bless everyone. Give hope to those needing hope. Be not anxious, but be patient, for the Lord will give relief during our time of trial. Pray always. Love others as we would love ourselves.

Our lives are like the wind; in a moment, we will disappear. But with God in our lives, we have meaning. He looks after us. He cares for us. He ensures that we will not fail. For His destiny for us is greater than anything we could ever imagine for ourselves.

“When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
what is man that you are mindful of him,
and the son of man that you care for him?
Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
and crowned him with glory and honor.
O LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!”

(Psalms 8:3-5,9)

Our salvation rests in Christ. No one can take away our reward. God is our king and one day He will crown us with glory and honor, as He had done with His son Jesus. The devil cannot take away what rightfully belongs to us.

May God pour love into your heart so that you may become a perfect witness for others to follow. May your light shine in the darkness so that you may become a bulwark for those who are seeking the truth. Glorify God always, giving Him honor in everything. His love for us will never fail.

Nothing in this world comes close to the wealth God has in store for us. Others will rebuke us for our beliefs. Others will condemn us. He knows what we suffer, and He knows what we will need in our time of need. In everything we do, let us trust God with all our might, for God will not fail us.

Every moment, every day, we ought to look to God for hope. We have a huge cloud of witnesses who have attested Jesus died, was buried and rose from the grave to sit at the right hand of the Father. The darkness does not surround us, for we know we have salvation through Christ.

“Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”

(1 Peter 1:8-9)

God could simply deploy legions of angels to defeat those who persecute us on Christ’s account. Yet, He tries our faith with a refining fire so that we would treasure our hope in Him. The work of His hands is us. We are His children molded to reflect His very appearance.

Take heed not to drift away, chasing after doctrines that are not of God, but of Satan the devil, who prowls the earth seeking those who he may devour. Pray always and rejoice always, for God will not let one hair of our head perish without purpose.

Jesus is all we need. He delivered us from the bond of sin. He gave us true liberty by us believing He is the Son of God. Through Him, we have hope for eternal life. He points to God’s glory as the foundation of our joy. Forever believe in Him.