In the One Year Bible Bill & I are currently reading through Romans. Romans is one of the most convicting books of the bible to me. A few days ago it was Romans 8:9-11 that really struck me “But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them are not Christians at all.) Since Christ lives within you, even though your body will die because of sin, your spirit is alive because you have been made right with God. The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as He raised Christ from the dead, He will give life to your mortal body by this same Spirit living within you.”
There are so many preaching the “prosperity” gospel these days. It’s what we want to hear….you can make your life better. We hear that everything is supposed to be “blessings”, “wealth” and “health”… and it sounds so good to our human ears. We can do it all, it’s all up to us. Well, it’s not up to us….it’s only through Christ! And we are not promised “prosperity” in this life as so many preach. We are, however, promised that nothing can separate us from God, and there will be a day when all things will be perfect and new. As we read a little later in Romans 8:35-38 “Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean He no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or are hungry or cold or in danger or threatened with death? (Even the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep”) No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from His love. Death can’t, and life can’t. The angels can’t, and the demons can’t. Our fears for today, our worries about tomorrow, and even the powers of hell can’t keep God’s love away.“
God is with us always, not just in the good times or the fun times…He is always with us and we have the power of the living God within us to bring us through anything. God’s promise to us, is that one day we will be with Him. 1Thessalonians 16 “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.”
Are you ready? I know I am! Not because of me or because I think I’m perfect, far from it…but because He is perfect and I believe in His promise. 2 Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. Instead He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” What an amazing promise, He is patient with us, He doesn’t want us to perish…and one day we will see Him with our own eyes! It may be today, tomorrow, in a year or in several years…but He is coming – keep looking up!
John 4:4 “You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” The same power that raised Jesus from the grave, lives in me!
In Him,
Amy