His Favor is For a Lifetime!

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Have you ever thought about it, I mean really thought about the fact that God’s favor towards you will last a life time.  Psalm 30:5 states, “for his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for a night, but joy comes in the morning. The more I think about that, the more in awe of God I become. You see if you’re anything like me

it can be hard to really believe that no matter what, God has us and he will never let us go. It is not based on how good we are, or how much we do, or how little we sin, or how many times we read the bible. It has to do with how great His love is for us, and how great His salvation is towards us. How completely His blood has cleansed us, and how strong His hand will keep us. You see His favor towards us is for a lifetime, both this life and the life to come. Because of what Jesus did for us on the cross, once we accept Him as our Savior God’s favor will never leave us. We don’t have to worry, we don't have to fear; God is for us. So what does it mean to you today that the God of the universe, yes the God who created all things, the God who overcame death, that God has your back. How shall we respond to such a great truth, how do we repay such a great gift?  Well we can’t repay it, but we can respond. We can live our lives in a manner worthy of such a great God. We can love Him with all our hearts, our minds, and our strength. We can show His love towards all those that we encounter, and we can be in awe of our God. Yes, the God whose favor is for a lifetime.

Growing

I am starting to really understand what it means to be a Disciple of Jesus Christ. You see, following Christ changes everything about your life. You no longer have the right to just do what you want, say what you want, or act how you want. You have to place the things of Christ above the things of this world.

Most of my life really has been about me.  Lately, God has made it clear to me that I have to change.  My sin can no longer be comfortable or acceptable in my own eyes.  I must allow the Holy Spirit to work in me so I hate sin as much as He hates it. My friendships must now be more intentional.  They must be there for God’s glory before being there for my felt needs. My possessions are no longer mine. My house, my car, my stuff, and my food ALL belong to Christ. 

Yes, it may sound like I’m upset over all of this, but I’m not. I am thankful that the God of Creation is changing and transforming me, not leaving me to the man I would become if left on my own.   

2 Corinthians 5:17 states, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” 

Ezekiel 36:26 states, “Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.”

So you see, God is doing just what He said He will do.  He is making me new.  He is giving me a new heart. I could not be the man God wants me to be without the process that God is taking me though.  Even though there are times that I want to make this life about me; my wants, my desires, and my needs. My God makes it clear to me, that this is about Him and what He is doing.  It is about how He knows what’s best for me and how best to live my life. 

You may think that God is arrogant. I have come to know that this it is just God being God. He is not arrogant, He is good and kind and loving, and He only does what is best for those who chose to follow Him.