IS IT TIME TO ALIGN WITH GOD, OR TRUST THE WORLD ?
7/2/2020
As I sit down to write today, my heart is consumed with the desire to shout out to the world. Everywhere I look there is chaos and upheaval. We are a society of people who have become comfortable aligning ourselves with our own small worlds. Content to seal ourselves off from the suffering of others. Content to ignore the enormous push for change that is sweeping the globe. As long as our lives are somewhat normal, we wait in the shadows, hoping things will normalize, and hoping that the problems “over there” don’t come “here”. The real question isn’t whether or not “change” is needed….it is. The question is whether we let the change the world would bring upon us lead us forward. Do the changes we see our leaders and institutions making move us forward to a better life and place for everyone, or just for those who see things their way ? For a long time I have watched what the world, it’s cultural shifts and it’s new ways of defining things has brought us, and I don’t see a lot of progress or goodness coming out of it. For many, my question of Aligning with God may seem difficult to understand or achieve. When I say “Align with God”, I mean walking in His Ways and following His Instructions for our life. Who is God Really ? The Word of God makes it pretty clear.
I AM THE ALPHA AND THE OMEGA, THE FIRST AND THE LAST, THE BEGINNING AND THE END. Revelation 22:13
GOD IS NOT MAN, THAT HE SHOULD LIE, OR A SON OF MAN, THAT HE SHOULD CHANGE HIS MIND. HAS HE SAID AND WILL HE NOT DO IT ? OR HAS HE SPOKEN AND WILL HE NOT FULFILL IT ? Numbers 23:19
KNOW THEREFORE THAT THE LORD YOUR GOD IS GOD, THE FAITHFUL GOD WHO KEEPS COVENANT AND STEADFAST LOVE WITH THOSE WHO LOVE HIM AND KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS, TO A THOUSAND GENERATIONS. Deuteronomy 7:9
God is our beginning and our ending and everything in between. He is truthful, sometimes in an uncomfortable way to a sinful people, which includes all of us. He also has established ways and character and values that do not change. He isn’t swayed by popular opinion or cultural changes. His promise to us as His Sons and Daughters is steadfast and full of love. He doesn’t care if we are black, yellow, brown, or white. Rich, poor, ruler, or slave. WE ARE ALL MADE IN HIS IMAGE, AND HE LOVES US ALL COMPLETELY AND EQUALLY. Unfortunately in the world we inhabit, circumstances are not the same for all of us, and there are people who do not live by His Commandments.
LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH. THESE WORDS THAT I AM GIVING YOU TODAY ARE TO BE IN YOUR HEART. Deuteronomy 6: 5-6
FOR THE LAW IS FULFILLED IN ONE WORD: “YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF”. Galatians 5:14
Sadly, the world is and has always been at odds with God since mankind fell in the Garden. Sin broke the relationship between mankind and God. The knowledge of good and evil planted seeds of self righteousness and importance that have led us down a road of brokenness and misery. Men seeking power over other men. A lust for fleshly desires and coveting the things we desire but do not have. Leaders have come and gone for ages, but mankind has never overcome the iniquity within. Peace, Joy, and Hope have been very hard to hold onto. Power, Control, and Personal gain seem much more satisfying. Will we ever be able to grasp how God sees us ? Can we humble ourselves, look up and seek that answer ?
FOR WE ARE HIS WORKMANSHIP, CREATED IN CHRIST JESUS FOR GOOD WORKS, WHICH GOD PREPARED BEFOREHAND, THAT WE SHOULD WALK IN THEM. Ephesians 2:10
BUT YOU ARE A CHOSEN RACE, A ROYAL PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR HIS OWN POSSESSION, THAT YOU MAY PROCLAIM THE EXCELLENCE OF HIM WHO CALLED YOU OUT OF THE DARKNESS INTO HIS MARVELOUS LIGHT. 1 Peter 2:9
It is clear that God truly loves us. The proof is in His incredible gift of His Son Jesus ! He came to earth to live amongst us as a man. not by chance, but by God’s hand and God’s plan. Jesus came to bear the weight of the world on a cross, taking our sins upon Himself to free us from death. He gives us a chance to be reborn and free by confessing Him as our Lord and Savior. He invites us into Eternal life through His resurrection to the right hand of the Father. Once you take that step, Aligning with God becomes your most passionate goal. You see the absolute Peace and Hope you have in your life through Jesus Christ. You see a way to live, a way to be free, and a way to know truth and justice. It takes “Change”. You have to “Repent” of your old ways, changing into a new person, a new creation. You live in a spiritual relationship that has meaning and purpose and moves you toward humility, gratefulness, generosity and ultimately holiness. You become set apart from the world and it’s endless futility and foolishness. God sows discernment and wisdom into your mind as you become more like Christ. Are people going to applaud you ? Don’t count on it. Whether it is complete self centeredness or even self loathing, many people despise Jesus and His message. I weep for them, and I pray they will be touched by God’s Spirit and someday seek Him. As a believer, the best way to push back against the world is to push into God. God is all powerful and He knows exactly where we are today. As believers we can trust in His plan for us and His love for us. We simply need to align with Him, and share Him. He will do the rest ! God Has This/JAA
FOR I KNOW THE THOUGHTS I THINK TOWARD YOU, SAYS THE LORD, THOUGHTS OF PEACE AND NOT OF EVIL, TO GIVE YOU A FUTURE AND A HOPE. Jeremiah 29:11
BE STRONG AND OF GOOD COURAGE; DO NOT BE AFRAID, NOR BE DISMAYED, FOR THE LORD YOUR GOD IS WITH YOU WHEREVER YOU GO. Joshua 1:9