“Let us beware allowing our spiritual comforts to rise and fall with world news or the changing world situations. We who lean upon Jesus and trust in the watchful love of a heavenly Father are not dependent upon these things for our peace. For children of the new creation, the darker the night, the brighter faith shines and the sooner comes the morning.” These are the words of A.W. Tozer, written over fifty years ago. They are eerily relevant to our world today. I am amazed and thankful, even awestruck, at how those who dedicated their lives to God continue to speak to us long after their time on earth has past. In this era of terrorism, disease, and constant unrest, followers of Jesus should not allow the circumstances around us to affect the purpose of our lives.
Romans
Dead Man
Followers of Christ have been given new life. What once was rotting and decaying inside of us has been renewed. Without God, we are dead inside, with no hope of resuscitation. The Bible teaches that we are all born dead because of sin. We may not have sinned yet, but because of the sins of our parents, that nature is passed on genetically. We are predisposed to sin, and therefore predisposed to die. There is only one cure, and that is the blood of Jesus. Without it, we are destined to begin dying from the day we are born. By putting our faith in Jesus and dedicating our lives to following Him, we are covered in the blood of His sacrifice which removes the dead things inside of us and replaces them with the life, love, and light of God.
Not of This World
I don’t belong here and neither do you. You don’t have to get to know me very well before you see my distaste and discomfort with our world. More than anything I want to be in the presence of my Savior. I don’t waste much time on trivial things or small talk because I have a sense of the urgency of my time on this planet. Honestly, I’d give up my remaining days right now in order to be with Jesus. This doesn’t mean there aren’t things about this world I enjoy. I have a wife, dogs, family, and friends, and I love them all. But nothing compares to the love I have for Jesus.
God is Always Near
In the trials of life it often seems that God is far away. We wonder where He is in the midst of our pain, as if He wandered away and left us to fend for ourselves. The truth is that God never leaves us. Because He indwells us, it is impossible for Him to leave those who have believed in Him and committed their lives to Him. We are one, and nothing can separate us from the love of God (Romans 8:38-39). The Bible states that God knows the number of hairs on our head (Matthew 10:30). As Steven Furtick points out in his book, Crash the Chatterbox, “You can’t count someone’s hairs, one by one, from a distance.” God is always close, no matter your circumstances.
Impact Your World
How can I serve God best today? It’s a question each of us should ask at the beginning of each day. The way we frame our days determines how we live our lives. If we wait for life to just happen to us, we will constantly be in a reactionary mode, and this is not the optimal way to live. Reacting results in circumstances dictating our own actions. A better way to live is to proactively and intentionally influence what circumstances will actually occur in our life. Remember the old saying that the best defense is a good offense? That sports analogy works well in life. We want to make our lives happen rather than wait for things to happen to us. As followers of Jesus, the absolute best way we can do this is to determine ahead of time how we will impact our world for Christ each day.