Don't Take God For Granted

When we ask the Lord Jesus into our life, we need to cherish His presence with all care.  We need to guard closely that which He places within us through the presence of His wonderful Holy Spirit.  In a world overcrowded with people who “have a form of godliness, but deny the power of God” (2 Timothy 3:5), we need to take extra care that the Lord is being glorified through our daily lives and dealings. 

Jesus wasn’t like the religious men of His day – He had the power, the passion, the commitment and the obedience to do those things that Father God had sent Him to do.  People stood open-mouthed as they listened intently to what He had to say; they didn’t just hear His words, they heard His heart!  They looked on wide-eyed as they witnessed the great signs and wonders He was constantly doing; they didn’t just see His works, they felt His compassion.  Jesus was never casual in His relationship with His Father because He was full of the Holy Spirit and He never ever took His assignment for granted.

We serve the Lord because we love Him; not for what we think we can get from Him.  He’s a miracle-working God who asks us to walk with Him by faith, one day at a time.  Maybe, because it’s a one-day-at-a-time walk, we can at times become casual in our relationship with Him.  The busyness of life and family can be so demanding, but absolutely nothing can be more important than our devotion to a Mighty God Who already knows our circumstances anyway.  He never promised we would have it easy.  He never taught that the life of a dedicated Christian would be trouble-free. 

·         But He did promise never to leave us or abandon us. 

·         He did promise that all things (be they good or bad, pleasant or unpleasant) would work together for good to those who love and walk in obedience to His calling in their lives. 

·         That means that the Lord is always ‘on our case.’

·         That means that even difficult and painful experiences in life can be turned to bring glory to the Lord’s name.

Let us determine in our hearts afresh today that we simply cannot afford to take for granted our relationship and walk with the Almighty God, through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit. 

~ Joan Emery