the.Sold.Out.Soul

The Lord will have his way.  The scriptures are clear that He one day will set all things right for eternity.  In the interim, while we still reside in this fallen world, God also will move justly in response to our prayers.  We do not always see the result of our requests for God's justice, but we can be sure that He will answer us.  Let us not lose heart but have the faith always to contend for justice with expectation.

Pilate asked the Lord, "What is truth?"  Only the word of God reveals the answer.  Every question of fact that matters, every truth of any real and lasting consequence for our lives, is found in the Lord.

1 Tim. 6:12-16

Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.  I urge you in the sight of God who gives life to all things, and before Christ Jesus who witnessed the good confession before Pontius Pilate, that you keep this commandment without spot, blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ’s appearing, which He will manifest in His own time, He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power.

God loves us and calls us just as we are, broken and fallen, but his plan is not to keep us that way.  The soldier must be trained and transformed before being ready for battle.  Let us not frustrate the process but take proactive steps to be changed more into the image of Christ daily.

We cannot look back at our pre-salvation lives with fondness.  No matter how difficult this walk becomes, no matter what we think we have lost by choosing Christ, no matter how much our flesh tries to convince us that there was something good in that time of bondage, we cannot desire to be slaves to sin again.  The Lord wants us to look forward to everything He has waiting for us in our new freedom.

When we yield to God's will and take the steps He desires, events do not always unfold the way we expect.  We might find ourselves on his ordained path wondering why things have turned out how the have.  We might even question whether, given the choice again, we would make the same decision.  If we know that we have followed his path, and that his will is perfect and for our good, then we should be confident in what we have decided.

We do not need to reap a great harvest before shouting and dancing for joy at the Lord's provision.  In many ways, He gives us a daily harvest.  Whether spiritually, financially or physically, He provides all.  Let us choose to respond with praise rooted in joy.

When you think that this fallen world is too much to bear, don't pray to be taken out of it.  There is a real, perfect, renewed Earth to come when Jesus restores ALL things.  Focus on that future place, and ask God to show you your role in getting us from here to there.

Let us remember those who have given this life in service to God, and let us pray for those future martyrs preparing now to share in Christ's ultimate suffering.

Although God's forgiveness is full and final, it does not mean that the consequences of our sins are taken away.  God's hand of correction redirects but allows or even brings the consequences necessary for our improvement.  When his correction is difficult or painful, let us remember that it is rooted in God's love for our good.