Jesus~Your Sustainer
"He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God, who has called you into fellowship with His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful (1 Corinthians 1:8-9)."
Friend, you and I have this promise, that God will keep us strong to the end. I know that on my own, apart from God, I can do nothing. Not only that, I would give up. Give up on what you say? Well, probably everything. You see, Jesus is the One who keeps me. He is the One who gives me the strength to keep pressing on when my world is falling apart. He is the One who will not let go of me. In the midst of pain and persecution, Jesus quiets me with His love. He reminds me that I am His. He reminds me that I am chosen, precious and worthy in His sight. Because of Him, the hateful words from others, unfair circumstances, betrayal from loved ones or friends and heartache don't move me.
Now, I am not saying that it doesn't hurt, because it does. What I am saying is that because of my Lord, I have the peace that passes all understanding. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that Jesus is for me and He will never leave or forsake me. My Rock and my firm foundation, the One who keeps me from stumbling, the lover of my soul....this is my Jesus! Time and time again He has proven Himself faithful. I will not fear. "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me (Psalm 23:4)."
I don't have the answers for why certain things happen in life. Things that are hard and hurt us so deeply. We live in a fallen world. A world that is filled with sin; A world where satan is the prince. So with that, comes pain, death and sorrow. I do know that Jesus has overcome the world. He was without sin and yet experienced horrific suffering, abuse and eventually death. He told us that in this world we will have trouble. He sympathizes with us in our pain. He knows! "Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are-yet was without sin. 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 (Hebrews 4:14-16)." In our struggles, in our temptations, in every trial, He will give us His mercy and grace. By His strength we can endure every hardship.
Faith, my friend, not in yourself, others, your talent or any of your things- it is only faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and His finished work on the cross. Faith that sees with spiritual eyes, beyond your present circumstances knowing that God is working on your behalf for your good and His glory. "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible (Hebrews 11:1-3)."
You and I are called to persevere, to not give up and to not grow weary in doing well.
"Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him (James 1:12)."
"So do not throw away your confidence, it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what He has promised (Hebrews 10:36)."
"Brothers, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job's perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy (James 5:10-11)."
Press on my friend, press on through it all and keep your eyes fixed on Jesus. He is faithful, and will bring you through the fire. Let Him have His way in you-molding you, shaping you and perfecting you into His likeness.
He has gone to prepare a place for us, a beautiful place where we will be with Him forever and ever! When we see Him face to face, it will all be worth it. Praise the Lord!
"For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal (2 Corinthians 4:17-18)."
Friend, you and I have this promise, that God will keep us strong to the end. I know that on my own, apart from God, I can do nothing. Not only that, I would give up. Give up on what you say? Well, probably everything. You see, Jesus is the One who keeps me. He is the One who gives me the strength to keep pressing on when my world is falling apart. He is the One who will not let go of me. In the midst of pain and persecution, Jesus quiets me with His love. He reminds me that I am His. He reminds me that I am chosen, precious and worthy in His sight. Because of Him, the hateful words from others, unfair circumstances, betrayal from loved ones or friends and heartache don't move me.
Now, I am not saying that it doesn't hurt, because it does. What I am saying is that because of my Lord, I have the peace that passes all understanding. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that Jesus is for me and He will never leave or forsake me. My Rock and my firm foundation, the One who keeps me from stumbling, the lover of my soul....this is my Jesus! Time and time again He has proven Himself faithful. I will not fear. "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me (Psalm 23:4)."
I don't have the answers for why certain things happen in life. Things that are hard and hurt us so deeply. We live in a fallen world. A world that is filled with sin; A world where satan is the prince. So with that, comes pain, death and sorrow. I do know that Jesus has overcome the world. He was without sin and yet experienced horrific suffering, abuse and eventually death. He told us that in this world we will have trouble. He sympathizes with us in our pain. He knows! "Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are-yet was without sin. 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 (Hebrews 4:14-16)." In our struggles, in our temptations, in every trial, He will give us His mercy and grace. By His strength we can endure every hardship.
Faith, my friend, not in yourself, others, your talent or any of your things- it is only faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and His finished work on the cross. Faith that sees with spiritual eyes, beyond your present circumstances knowing that God is working on your behalf for your good and His glory. "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible (Hebrews 11:1-3)."
You and I are called to persevere, to not give up and to not grow weary in doing well.
"Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him (James 1:12)."
"So do not throw away your confidence, it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what He has promised (Hebrews 10:36)."
"Brothers, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job's perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy (James 5:10-11)."
Press on my friend, press on through it all and keep your eyes fixed on Jesus. He is faithful, and will bring you through the fire. Let Him have His way in you-molding you, shaping you and perfecting you into His likeness.
He has gone to prepare a place for us, a beautiful place where we will be with Him forever and ever! When we see Him face to face, it will all be worth it. Praise the Lord!
"For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal (2 Corinthians 4:17-18)."
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