Down, I'll Pick You Up

It is God's specialty! He is the change agent of your life. "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold the new has come." (2 Cor. 5:17) Becoming a Christ follower doesn't eliminate car payments and earthquakes. It doesn't remove job losses or unwanted medical reports. Just this afternoon I was working on a totally different subject and came across Ps. 112:7 telling us that the righteous "is not afraid of bad news." It's still bad news. But the believer's standing in Christ gives a "peace that surpasses all understanding that will guard our hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus." (Phil. 4:7)

So dear friend, I wish for you to know Christ personally. Not just to know 'of' Christ, but to personally know Him and the forgiveness that He offers through the gospel. This is not mere intellect I'm talking about. The demons believe in God and shudder according to Scripture. I'm talking about up front and close confrontation with your sin and God's grace. I'm not talking about earning His forgiveness by being a better person. "He saved us not because of works done by us..." (Titus 3:5) It is all of His doing that we are His children. "It is the gift of God." (Eph. 2:9) So much more can and will be said about this as we journey together. Suffice it to say I wrote what you see, in that little picture above because yes, even as a Christ follower the storms come and the winds blow. And your God is always there to sustain. So keep your head up and your knees bent!

Could it be that the specific you put into practice this week will involve you personally ministering to another in your circle who needs that moment of ministry from God's children? "Be doers of the Word, not hearers only, deceiving yourselves." (James 1:22)