I hurt so bad this morning that I was in tears. I thought about not doing my study but I figured I was going to hurt either way, so I hope this hurts the devil more than my pain... :) She Reads Truth: Give Thanks In All Circumstances - Day 2: You Version Bible App 1 Peter 1:3-9 1 John 5:13-15 Romans 8:38-39 In Certainty It feels funny to recommend a person give thanks in certainty because, well, certainty sounds awesome! Why wouldn’t we want to celebrate a moment or season of surety? It’s possible, though, that you and I might be thinking of different types of certainty. You see, there are two types: The first is Earthly Certainty, the kind where you hit number 7 on the elevator panel and it will most certainly deliver you to the 7th floor. It’s when someone squeezes lemon juice on your papercut and you are certain that it will sting. (What kinds of people are you hanging out with, anyway?!) Earthly certainty is an assumption that history is a reliable indicator of what the future will bring. You’re certain that your garden will grow with plenty of water and sunshine. You don’t doubt that the baby will wake up if the mailman rings the doorbell. It’s financial security. It’s double checking the lock on the front door. It’s death and taxes and eating dessert first. But there’s another type of certainty, friends, and it has to do with our position with Christ. It’s the certainty all believers share; the kind that will not fail. And it comes not from pensions and deadbolts and seat belts and likelihoods. It’s not a formula, and it’s not a strong possibility. It’s Jesus’ innocent blood shed on the cross for us. For you. That innocent blood shed in love and anguish guarantees a position in Christ for all who receive Him. My dear sisters, I ache to think the faces that will surround you this Thanksgiving season might not be the ones you’d counted on seeing. It’s safe to bet that, for better or worse, many of your living and financial situations this year are not quite what you expected them to be this time last year. It’s possible, if not probable, that many of us feel weak going into this holiday season. The thought of “giving thanks in certainty” only serves to remind you of how positively uncertain life feels right now. Find certainty in nothing but the blood of Christ, Sisters. It is real - the Gospel is true! And for that, let us give thanks! “For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. My heart faints within me!” Job 19:25-27 ---------------------- When I focus on the things that I think are certain - the earthly things - I am almost certainly going to be disappointed. I can be thankful for the (earthly) things that God gives me, but I should always remember the things that are truly certain. Gods love for me is certain. That doesnt mean I cant walk away from God, but that He never stops loving me - no matter what! I can be certain that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8). I can be thankful in that certainty. I can be certain that God has reserved an inheritance for us that is unstained by our sin. It will never spoil or decay. (1 Peter 1:4). I can be thankful in that certainty. I can be certain that I will face trials when I follow God. I can also be certain that those trials can refine and define my faith and draw me (and others) closer to God. I can be certain that God works everything out for my good and His glory. I can be certain that God knows me, what I am going through and how it can shape me. I can be thankful in that certainty. I can be certain that faith brings both salvation and the promise of a day when pain will end and perfect justice begin. Faith will be rewarded and evil will be punished. Until that time, we must faithfully serve God here and now. If today that means resolving a conflict, mending a hurt, working a dull job, confronting a belligerent child, rebuilding a marriage, or just waiting for guidance - do it all with the JOY of God, who will return with His reward. (From my Bible commentary). According to 1 John, I can be certain that God hears us, and answers. And I can be thankful in that certainty. My prayer: Dear God, I am so thankful for everything You have done for me and given me. I am thankful for forgiveness, salvation, grace and mercy. I am thankful that You will never leave me and will always answer me. When my focus shifts to the uncertain things if this world, bring it back to You and help me be thankful in certainty. Amen
Posted on: Tue, 03 Dec 2013 12:37:23 +0000
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