Separated
from God in our life, we feel overwhelmed, stressed, depressed, fearful and
anxious, and irritable and grouchy; nothing ever goes right for us and we are
continually frustrated (John 15:5).
However,
with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and His Spirit abiding within us, we
are more than conquerors over every trial, simply because He loves us, wants to
bless us continually and rejoices over us with singing (Romans 8:37; Zachariah
3:17; James 1:12).
Jesus
knows what it is like to suffer in trials, persecution, rejection, abandonment,
homelessness, fickle friends and also a violent death without the comfort of
our Heavenly Father. He left His home in glory and subjected Himself to these
trials for our benefit.
When
we fellowship with Him in suffering (Philippians 3:10), He showers us with His
power, mercy, grace, love, peace and joy in order to give us the strength to
face anything which life, the world and the devil throw at us.
Jesus
gives authentic Believers the opportunity to be one with Him in perfect love
and acceptance, apart from any good deeds, pious performances or imposed
restrictions, which come from self-effort or living up to the standards and
expectations of other people.
He
teaches us to be led continually by His presence in us and by the direction of
His Holy Spirit. We trust in Him and allow Him to work in and through us each
moment of our day. When God directs our efforts, we accomplish much more than
we ever thought possible.
Prayer:
Father
God, thank You for sending Jesus to die on Calvary's cross in order to pay the
penalty for our sins and to offer the whole world redemption through His
resurrection and abiding presence in our life. We rejoice in the fact that His
selfless sacrifice guarantees us a place in Your Kingdom to enjoy Your
blessings throughout eternity.
Thank
You also for giving us an abundant, fulfilled life here on earth. Remind us to use
each new day to make a difference in our world, as we win lost sinners to Your
saving grace. We can never thank You enough for keeping us safe in life's
storms and for guaranteeing our place with You in eternity.
Thought
for the Day:
God's
power flows through us and from us as He changes our world all around us,
causing us to rejoice in Him as the God of our salvation.
