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Yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live. 1 Corinthians 8:6 NKJV
That in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth--in Him. Ephesians 1:10
From God’s point of view, Jesus is not a good option or the best option, but the only option He has given us. Without Jesus we have nothing and we can do nothing, yet with Him we have all things. All that is in God’s heart for us is found in Jesus Christ.
The best thing anyone can do and the best decision anyone can make is to give all to Jesus Christ. It is as we give our all, for His all, that we find all we were made to be. God would never ask to look anywhere else, because if He did, He would be leading us astray.
C.S. Lewis reminds us…
“…For it is not so much of our time and so much of our attention that God demands; it is not even all our time and all our attention; it is ourselves. He has, in the last resort, nothing to give us but Himself; and He can give that only insofar as our self-affirming will retires and makes room for Him in our souls. Let us make up our minds to it; there will be nothing “of our own” left over to live on, no “ordinary” life. What cannot be allowed is the idea of something that is “our own” some area in which we are to be “out of school” on which God has not claim. For He claims all, because He is love and must bless. He cannot bless us unless He has us. When we try to keep within us an area that is our own, we try to keep an area of death. Therefore, in love, He claims all. There’s no bargaining with Him.”
Consider this prayer today…
“Jesus I choose to be wholly yours; thank you that you have come to be wholly mine. I lose my life in your life; I put my faith in your faithfulness; I find my song in your joy. You are my portion forever, my hope, my purpose, my life. Thank you that you are my only glorious, wondrous, marvelous option! I embrace you with all my heart, I follow you with all my will, I worship you with all my adoration.”
Jesus is the message of all God wants to say to you.
Then a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my dearly loved Son. Listen to him.” Mark 9:7
He is the image of all God wants to show to you.
He is the image of the invisible God. Col 1:15
He is the fullness of all God wants to give to you.
For it has pleased [the Father] that all the divine fullness (the sum total of the divine perfection, powers, and attributes) should dwell in Him. Col 1:19
He is the essence of all God wants to be to you.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world...In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself,… In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses…He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him…In Him also we have obtained an inheritance…In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise. Eph. 1:3-13
When you desire cold cereal for breakfast you can go to the grocery store and walk down an aisle that is stocked, from top to bottom, with every kind of cereal your taste buds could crave. If you want to buy a new house you can spend weeks or even months house hunting and considering all the choices that are available to you.
Even though we like variety and are thankful for all the options that present themselves to us in life, there are times when the options before us bring frustration and confusion. We want to get the best value and make the best choice. Often, we seek out reviews and the opinions of others before we make our decisions.
Clearly some choices are much more important than others. It is one thing to decide which box of cereal to eat; it is quite another thing to decide which college to attend, which career to pursue, or which person to marry.
Thankfully, when it comes to the most important decision in life, God has made it very simple for us. He does not present to us a “supermarket” of spiritual paths that we may choose in order to know and follow Him. He does not say to us, “Go down this aisle and look over all the spiritual options I have given you and then pick the one that suits you best.”
Our decision to know and follow God is so important that He has presented us with only one option. Every road sign God has made points to one person; every message God has spoken proclaims one name; every view God shows us of Himself reveals one face.
This moment, for you, Jesus Christ is God’s only option.
Jesus said to him, I am the Way and the Truth and the Life; no one comes to the Father except by (through) Me. John 14:6 AMP
To move ahead with confidence is to know that there is a God who goes before you as your captain and your guide.
To move ahead with freedom is to know that that same God is behind you as your rear guard to keep you from being defeated by any failures or disappointments of the past.
When Jesus walks into your life,
He comes with scarred feet;
He comes as a servant—
He greets you with
a basin and a towel;
He calls you to follow Him
by taking your hand in His—
Letting His wounds assure you
that you will never walk the path
He has chosen for you without His presence.
Fret buster #23:
There is one thing that God says to every believer, regardless of his circumstances—“Trust Me.”
“Trust in the Lord, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.” Psalm 37:3
Fret buster #24:
Confidence is not based on you having all the resources needed to take care of yourself; confidence is based upon the truth that God is faithful.
You open your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing. Psalm 145:16
It is much that He should satisfy the need, the want; but He goes far beyond that. Pity is moved to meet our need; duty may sometimes look after our wants; but to satisfy the desire implies a tender watchfulness, a sweet and gracious knowledge of us, an eagerness of blessing. God is never satisfied until He has satisfied our desires. –Mark Guy Pearse
God chooses the weak things and the despised. Paul seems almost at a loss to know how to define the things, so weak and despicable in men’s eyes, that God elects to use. In a telling phrase he sums them up as the “the things which are not.” I Corinthians 1:28.
Do you fall in that category? Do not despair. Far from being at a disadvantage as compared with others, you may in fact have the edge over them. For at least you are already at zero, and have not a long way still to go to reach God’s starting point! –Watchman Nee
But I say, walk b the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. 17 For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh;
Galatians 5:16-17 NASB My flesh said, “I want to pursue my goals.” The Spirit said, “Pursue my purposes.”
My flesh said, “I have great ideas.” The Spirit said, “I have a perfect plan.”
My flesh said, “I want to draw people by my personality.” The Spirit said, “I want to draw people by my presence.”
My flesh said, “Look at my determination.” The Spirit said, “Let me be in control.”
My flesh said, “I have talent.” The Spirit said, “Desire my gifts.”
My flesh said, “I am working hard.” The Spirit said, “Receive my power.”
My flesh said, “I have a great mind.” The Spirit said, “Seek my wisdom.”
My flesh said, “I want to make a difference.” The Spirit said, “I am the difference.”
My flesh said, “I am well educated.” The Spirit said, “I will give you revelation.”
My flesh said, “I am clever.” The Spirit said, “I am truth.”
My flesh said, “I want to be a person of influence.” The Spirit said, “Walk in my favor.”
My flesh said, “I want to keep trying new things.” The Spirit said, “Drink of me.”
My flesh said, “I am a nice person.” The Spirit said, “I am love.”
My flesh said, “I am doing the best I can.” The Spirit said, “Let me do it through you.”
My flesh said, “I am weary.” The Spirit said, “I will renew your strength.”
My flesh said, “I am trying to live a good life.” The Spirit said, “I will make you holy.”
My flesh said, “I need to be dynamic.” The Spirit said, “You need to be anointed.”
My flesh said, “I want recognition.” The Spirit said, “Seek my approval.”
My flesh said, “I want people to like me.” The Spirit said, “I want people to glorify Jesus.”
My flesh said, “It’s all about me.” The Spirit said, “It’s all about Jesus.”
And those who belong to Christ Jesus (the Messiah) have crucified the flesh (the godless human nature) with its passions and appetites and desires. 25 If we live by the [Holy] Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. [If by the Holy Spirit we have our life in God, let us go forward walking in line, our conduct controlled by the Spirit.] Galatians 5:24-25 AMP
“You rule the swelling of the sea; When its waves rise, You still them.”
Psalm 89:9 When I witnessed the power of a tsunami on television, I was amazed by its size and strength. To see it move upon the land was staggering. People, who stood near the beach thinking they would be fine, had no idea of the power of the sea that would soon come crashing down upon them. The animals that were in harm’s way knew better than to stay in the lowlands—they took flight for the high ground before the storm arrived. The lesson is clear, when a tsunami is heading your way, you shouldn’t be running to the beach to get a better view, or try clinging to a palm tree to wait out the storm. Run instead to the high ground, for it is there that you will find your refuge.
In Psalm 61:2 King David said, “Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.” David knew where to flee in times of danger. Like David, we must not think that we are smarter or stronger than the storms in life that come against us. We cannot outrun them or outsmart them. Our enemies are too strong for us to come against them with naive zeal or human determination.
The Psalmist also tells us in Psalm 9:9-10, “The Lord also will be a refuge and a high tower for the oppressed, a refuge and a stronghold in times of trouble.” God is the One we run to when the storm comes, and He is also is our high tower on the high ground. In Him we are doubly sheltered. God is not only the most strategic place to be in any storm, but He is also the most secure place to be.
We should not only run to God and hide in Him when we face any storm, but we should also trust in Him to rule the storm and command it to be still. God never tells us to wait or delay our running to Him and taking shelter in Him, however, this does not mean that God will immediately command the storm to be still. God does not tell us to delay running to Him, but He may have a reason to delay taking action against the storm. There are reasons for God’s delays that we may never know or fully understand, but He asks us to trust Him while we wait. Because we are safe in Him, we can wait without apprehension until the winds have been calmed, until the waves have stopped swelling, and until the storm has been made still.
And therefore will the LORD wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the LORD is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for him. Isaiah 30:18
“This is God’s way. In the darkest hours of the night His tread draws near across the billows. As the day of execution is breaking, the angel comes to Peter’s cell. When the scaffold for Mordecai is complete, the royal sleeplessness leads to a reaction in favor of the threatened race.
Ah, soul, it may have come to the worst with thee ere thou art delivered; but thou wilt be! God may keep thee waiting, but He will ever be mindful of His covenant, and will appear to fulfill His inviolable Word.” – F.B. Meyer
“He will be the stability of your times…” Isaiah 33:6
Uncertainty is all about us. Things that seemed secure have become unstable, foundations that seemed like rocks have turned into sand, and confidence has turned into confusion. Many people have looked for security and stability in places that seemed safe and secure, but these places have proven to be unable to bear up under the pressures of our times.
Only God can be our stability in an unstable world and our certainty in uncertain times. Only God knows what is ahead for us and where we are going. Only God can speak to us with the voice of certainty and say, “This is the way, walk ye in it.”
Here are 10 ways God can be your stability in unstable times…
God greets you every morning with new mercies, begin there;
God has given you access to His mercy seat, pray there;
God has set your feet upon a rock, stand there;
God has placed you in His vine, abide there;
God has accepted you in the Beloved, live there;
God has made straight paths for your feet, walk there;
God has led you to the place you are in, serve there;
God has called you to His banqueting table, dine there;
God has promised to care for you, rest there;
God has brought you into fellowship with His Son, thrive there.
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