What We Know!
- How old was God when he sent His Only Son Jesus to the world?
- Why did God have Jesus grow to His thirties before His purpose in sending Jesus was revealed?
- Why did God allow the Apostle Paul to grow up from a child into adulthood and begin his role as chief persecutor of Christians before he saw the truth of God?
- Why did God give the disciples of Jesus time to grow into men, to take on careers, and to live within this world before He called them to follow Him?
What We Want To Know.
Why does God give us time to spiritually mature?
We know—
God has no beginning and God has no end!
God has always been and will always be!
We know—
Jesus is the Only Way to God because He is the Truth & the Life!
We know—
Paul persecuted believers for decades and was a feared man, and we know God used Paul’s testimony to reach our ancestors—the Gentiles!
We know—
Jesus met his disciples right where they were, doing their daily work, walking through their days, and He called them to use their God-given talents to glorify Him!
We know—
God calls each one of His to be on mission for Him!
There is so much we know. Yes, so much truth. So much that we should never be able to keep it within.
The TRUTH of GOD is living!
The TRUTH of GOD is piercing!
The TRUTH of GOD is life-changing!
The TRUTH of GOD is the TRUTH & Nothing BUT the TRUTH!
The American author Flannery O’Connor suffered from a disease, the same disease in fact that her dad suffered from: Lupus. She never married and lived at home her entire life, so she watched her dad suffer with this terrible disease, as she watched her dad die young. She knew the truth about her future as she too suffered with Lupus, and so it was apparent to her that time was short if she were to live her life for the LORD.
That is one reason why I find myself drawn to the writings of O’Connor, why I ask my students to analyze her writings because she has much to say (through her fiction) about the TRUTH of GOD!
It is O’Connor who wrote—“The truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it.”
Each person alive is born to die. Unfortunately, that is a natural progression of our lives, and since that morbid thought will become a reality, we are called by God Himself to LIVE while there is LIFE within us to LIVE—Every Day—On Mission for Him!
- How did we do living-out God’s mission yesterday?
- Did we share Jesus with someone who was lost?
- Did we walk in obedience to the Spirit of God?
- Did we serve the world around us as the hands and feet of Jesus?
We cannot go back to yesterday; it is impossible. We can only walk into today, and because we cannot live within tomorrow or back in yesterday, we must walk within this day the Father has given us to live, and breathe, and move. Sure, we might not know 100% for sure where God is leading us, but that does not mean we should not go where he leads!
We might think our lives are not significant, but that does not mean the HOLY, LIVING GOD does not live within our being once we accept HIM as SAVIOR & LORD.
Maybe we think we have more “growing,” more “maturing” to do before we are ready to serve God, but that never means we cannot serve Him within the stage of growth where we walk within this moment of time.
What We Know!
- God is never in a hurry!
- God may have us walk through Decades of life.
- God may wait for Years, providing us time to spiritually mature.
- God may give us Lifetimes to serve Him.
Yes, This Is What We Know!
- God calls each one of us to become His Children!
- God calls us to study His Word!
- God reminds us to pray without ceasing!
- God commands us to walk in obedience to His will! &
God calls us to step boldly into each new day as His Children because we are filled with His power inside us!
With Assurance, We Know!
- As we do—
- As we go—
- As we step courageously into whatever life-step God is calling us to take—
- We must never forget BUT Always Remember—
“Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us,
to Him be the glory of the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.”
(Ephesians 3: 20-21 NASB)
YES, THIS IS WHAT WE KNOW!
- WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE WITHIN THIS WORLD WHERE WE EXIST!
- GOD IS NOT DONE WITH US UNTIL THE MOMENT HE BRINGS US HOME!
- WE CAN RELY UPON HIS GLORIOUS PROMISE OF ETERNAL LIFE!
- GOD WANTS TO CHANGE US FROM THE INSIDE OUT!
- GOD GIVES US NINE SPIRITUAL FRUIT TO TASTE, TO EAT, TO SHARE, & TO ENJOY!
- GOD IS GROWING US SPIRITUALLY, PREPARING US FOR HIS GLORIFICATION!
THIS IS THE TRUTH!
&
THIS IS WHAT (The CHILDREN of GOD) WE KNOW!
THE TRUTH OF GOD—IS THE—TRUTH OF GOD!
100%!
“and coming to Him as to a living stone which has been rejected by people, but is choice and precious in the sight of God, [Peter speaks of our Savior Jesus, who is the Prince of Peace]
you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”
(1 Peter 2: 4-5 NASB)