Is God for me?

About four years ago I was challenged as I reflected on the lack of knowledge I had about what I really believed in. I would talk to people about God and at a certain point I would hit walls in my conversations because I did not know the answers to the questions that popped up from my conversations. I still do not have all of the answers and I know that I am still growing daily but I can say with certainty that most of the core questions on my own faith have been investigated and answered. I can’t say that these answers were an answer to the question of my faith, but rather that it clarified and affirmed what was already placed in my heart by the Holy Spirit.

I have talked to many people who have become hardened by the adversities of life. Whether these tribulations have come forth from bad decisions they have made in the past or from very difficult circumstances of life, they have become, nevertheless, very opinionated about the Gospel. I have heard several people cite their reason for a non-active relationship with Christ because of unanswered prayer. Common conclusions include answers like God does not exist, or does not love them or what the church preaches about God is not completely true.

When the subject of God comes forth, many people either want to avoid the topic or they politely say, “That’s not for me.” These people do not get excited about this topic on an objective level. On many occasions, however, I have seen many people get excited when they feel like there is proof that the Gospel message is not completely true or there is an argument that there really is no clear “one right answer”.

Only One Life Twill Soon Be Past

Only What’s Done For Christ Will Last

Two little lines I heard one day, Traveling along life's busy way;
Bringing conviction to my heart, And from my mind would not depart;
Only one life, 'twill soon be past, Only what's done for Christ will last.

Only one life, yes only one, Soon will its fleeting hours be done;
Then, in 'that day' my Lord to meet, And stand before His Judgment seat;
Only one life, 'twill soon be past, Only what's done for Christ will last.

Only one life, the still small voice, Gently pleads for a better choice
Bidding me selfish aims to leave, And to God's holy will to cleave;
Only one life, 'twill soon be past, Only what's done for Christ will last.

Only one life, a few brief years, Each with its burdens, hopes, and fears;
Each with its clays I must fulfill, living for self or in His will;
Only one life, 'twill soon be past, Only what's done for Christ will last.

When this bright world would tempt me sore, When Satan would a victory score;
When self would seek to have its way, Then help me Lord with joy to say;
Only one life, 'twill soon be past, Only what's done for Christ will last.

Give me Father, a purpose deep, In joy or sorrow Thy word to keep;
Faithful and true what e'er the strife, Pleasing Thee in my daily life;
Only one life, 'twill soon be past, Only what's done for Christ will last.

Oh let my love with fervor burn, And from the world now let me turn;
Living for Thee, and Thee alone, Bringing Thee pleasure on Thy throne;
Only one life, ‘twill soon be past, Only what's done for Christ will last.

Only one life, yes only one, Now let me say, "Thy will be done";
And when at last I'll hear the call, I know I'll say “‘twas worth it all";
Only one life, 'twill soon be past, Only what's done for Christ will last.

Author Unknown

Matthew 22: 37-40

37Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' 38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' 40All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

Mark 12: 29-31

29"The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' 31The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these."

Isn’t it incredible how much we love ourselves. We are such a selfish and self oriented culture. Most of our problems, or the things we call problems in our lives are usually rooted in self absorption. We will struggle with loving ourselves over loving God and others throughout our lives, Lord have mercy on us. Oh, to be free from ourselves!

Isaiah 8:13

Do not fear anything except the Lord Almighty.  He alone is the Holy One.  If you fear Him, you need fear nothing else.  He will keep you safe.

In the midst of hardship, we should not have bitterness, resentment, and rebellion.

In hard times, Satan will do what he can to make us turn away from God. He will try to highlight the bad and make us in turn blame God and others. Then he will tell us to reject God and God’s ways, for if a loving and good God truly exists, He would not allow this to happen. Satan will try to blind us from the Sovereignty and Holiness of God and magnify the pain – all the while pointing out to us how unfair life is.

Just Do It …

The world sells us the lie that living for ourselves is the best way to live.  We choose what we consider as the best choice, irregardless of whether this choice was derived out of fear, laziness, or greed. 

We watch years go by without the results we dreamed and hope for.  We hear the world tells us “Just Do It” and we get into more things than we can handle.  The world’s wisdom ends up being a pseudo antidote for what we really need to hear.

Psalm 127

A song for the ascent to Jerusalem. A psalm of Solomon.

2
It is useless for you to work so hard
from early morning until late at night,
anxiously working for food to eat;
for God gives rest to his loved ones.

3
Children are a gift from the LORD;
they are a reward from him.

4
Children born to a young man
are like sharp arrows in a warrior's hands.

5
How happy is the man whose quiver is full of them!
He will not be put to shame when he confronts his accusers at the city gates.

Where is your love energy going?

1. Lovers of self - love the idea of Jesus but have a hard time loving Him.

2. Lovers of self - have lots to say about how church could be better but have a hard time loving the church.

3. Lovers of self - love the idea of what a spouse should be like but have a hard time loving their spouse.

4. Lovers of self - love the idea of friends and family but have a hard time genuinely loving them for who they are.

How much disappointment do we hold against those we are supposed to love and why is it we have such a hard time loving Jesus and loving others?

Is Jesus Christ your ultimate goal in life?  Is He the greatest thing you can attain in life or is your faith in Him just a tool to get a better life for yourself here on earth?  Look at how many ‘Lord, fix my situation prayers we pray’ vs. the ‘Lord, make me more like You doing my Father’s will’ type prayers? 

Do you have problems? Do these problems seem to linger and never go away? Does your life feel unbearable from time to time? Are you upset that life cannot be better than what it is?

One possible reason is that you are too self consumed or too self focused.

I deal with this struggle on a daily basis, as well as most of the people around me. It seems that most of our anxiety, anger, resentment, disappointment, sadness and whatever emotional or mental hang-ups we have, stem from a sense of thinking about what we deserve in this life or what we currently lack here.

It’s impossible. It’s a waste of time. It won’t really make a difference. Who do you think you are? Your hypocrisy will be found out. You are no good, so why bother trying. You know you can never be like that. The church has lots of problems. You’re just like that person in your family, you won’t amount to much.

Have you heard these words before? In moments of decision or perseverance, we are bombarded by Satan with these phrases. He gives you a mirror into your past and its failures and snuffs out any hope of doing things that please God.

Life is Hard, Where is My Joy

The High Periods

The high periods of my life include the time when I realized that my sins were forgiven and God gave me a place in eternity. They also include times when God answered prayers and revealed His blessings to me. Another type of high period involves reconciliation and restored relationships with love and forgiveness. These are moments when I experience the love and the joy of my God.

Response: This is a great beginning, but your high periods seem to be all about yourself. It has all been about what has happened to you and how you were blessed. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength and mind. As you focus your relationship with Christ to how you can love Him more each and every day, you will experience the Love of God in a new and refreshing way. Life is not about you. Don’t get me wrong, God will take care of your needs and bless you in ways you won’t understand, but life is about living for God’s glory.

Life is Depressing

I fail often. I don't measure up to my spouse's expectations or that of my friends and family. I usually cover my weaknesses with anger or a defensive attitude. I aspire to be good at arguing or good at picking at other's faults so I can cover up mine. But instead of experiencing change in my life, I feel like this is who I will always be and life will just go on. I have many struggles and a ton load of shortcomings. I will never be that person God wants me to be. Like a thorn in my side, I am constantly dealing with many of the same problems day in and day out. I know I need to do better but it feels impossible. My life is depressing and hopeless. Common responses are things like, "well what about you" or "well that's who I am, why can't you just accept me for who I am?" or "I am such a failure, I can't do this anymore".

Our Miracle Baby.

No one really knows the joys of being a parent, until you yourself, become a parent. When God blesses you with your first child, you truly witness a special miracle. Babies are born every second, all around the world; but still, this child, this miracle is special. Because this child is your very own. I truly believe that we as Christians have a deeper understanding of birth, as we acknowledge God's hand at work, and as we see for the first time with our eyes the miracle God worked through the past nine months. As you hold your baby, you see the small hands and feet, and ponder on the details of those fragile nails and joints. One cannot express with words the joy, love, happiness, relief, gratitude, and over all awe we feel towards the whole situation. That day, I realized for the first time, 'I was a papa.'