WinterJam 2015 - PlaylistSample

Who You Say You Are

About a Mile

Sometimes we too easily forget that we serve a sovereign God that loves us and wants what is best for us. Life can be hard at times, and far too many times we tend to think we deserve more than what we have already been given. Thankfully, in the Bible we are reminded of God’s love for us, and his promises of hope to us.

In 1 peter 5:10, we are told: “And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.” As we read, we see that God will strengthen us, and through our pain he will build our character. This hope we have is a beautiful promise, but we must look at what is before the promise so we are not misled.

In verses 6-9 of the same chapter we are told to humble ourselves, so that God can exalt us. We are told to cast all of our anxieties on Him because He cares for us. That means all of our doubts and fears. We are to be clear-minded and watchful, because our enemy the devil is like a roaring lion seeking whom he can devour. We are told to resist him, staying firm in our faith, and we are to remember our fellow Christians around the world who are experiencing the same kinds of sufferings. As we see, our God is faithful to heal us, but we as Christians must do our part and put the work in.

Fortunately for us we serve the God of all grace and His love never runs out. He has paid the highest sacrifice so we may have forgiveness for the times we don’t stay firm in our faith and thankfully, we have been given the Word of God which teaches us and leads us in the way of righteousness. To completely trust and cast all your anxieties can be a hard thing, unless we are reminded that we serve a God who shares in our sufferings (2 Corinthians 1:7) and nothing can separate us from his love (Romans 8:35-39).

Romans 12:12 gives great instructions when we are going through a tough time, it says: “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” We don’t have to understand why we are suffering; just that God can use it to make us stronger.