Life presents situations that sometimes knock us off our feet. There will be times when things look bleak, friends are nowhere in sight, and it feels as if we have nowhere to turn. Our backs are against the wall and the things that used to work for us no longer do the trick. Personally speaking, I’m not what you would typically refer to as an emotional person. That’s not uncommon among men, but when you think about the degrees of shade people throw these days, or the extent to which all the serious isms in our society seek to hold a brother back, it can make you want to shed a tear or two.
Life will force us to draw certain conclusions. One of them is that all of us need to depend on some assurances in order to keep our heads above water. You won’t make it very far without believing in something that you can hang your hat on. Some of us are assured by the amount of money we have. For others, it’s job security, but the most common way that most of us try to meet this need is by making our relationships with other people our security blankets. The problem with this is that while some relationships are very precious, there’s always the possibility that sooner or later we’re going to be disappointed by the person, or they are going to be disappointed in you.
This doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t invest and cherish our bonds with the people we love. It means that we should understand from God’s Word that our lives can only be as strong as the foundation on which we build them. In other words, if we want a long lasting and quality existence, we need to build our lives on something that is guaranteed to last and be of good quality. 2Corinthians 3:5 (NKJV) tells us, “Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God.” We are not competent on our own. Our competency comes from God. He empowers us with the love of Jesus Christ, and this is something that has the greatest quality, and is assured to last forever.
This empowerment from God is spiritual. It can only come from Him. It is a futile exercise to lean on other people for something that only God can provide. He tells us through the Apostle Luke in Acts 20:35 that it is more blessed to give than it is to receive. This was how Jesus Christ lived his life during his ministry on earth, and it is how we should live ours as well. We should be more interested in the imprint and legacy of love that we leave on others and less interested in whether they return it.
This is a mindset and lifestyle that requires us to be strong in the Lord Jesus Christ. We will not always witness a return on our investment of love and support immediately, and it might not come from the source that we think it should. It may feel as if we are emptying ourselves of the best we have to offer, and no one is noticing the effort; but God sees, and He rewards. We must have faith in this.
In His Word, God gives us promises, and He gives us assurances that He is sovereign, and there’s no other like Him. As His sons and daughters, we have something to fall on when times get rough. We may at times feel depleted and alone, but Heavenly Father has an unlimited supply of everything that we need. The Holy Spirit abides within us. He is our friend, comforter, teacher, and guide. As we keep pressing on, living a life that is pleasing to God, and as we continue to build our foundation on His strength and love, He will keep pouring into us through the Spirit that indwells us.
Hebrews 10:22(NIV) tells us to draw near to God with a heart that is sincere and filled with faith. There’s a whole lot that we may not be able to count on in this world, but we can rest assured in God. He’s promised us the victory, and His Word never fails. Things might look troubling right now on many fronts. Our relationship may not be turning out the way we hoped it would. We might need a new job, or we might want a big change in our lives and we don’t know the first step to take; whatever the situation, God has a miraculous plan for us. He promised an endless supply of blessings in His Word, and He will fulfill what He has promised. On this we can be assured. ■
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide
“Rest Assured In the Lord” written by Vince Mack. Blessing Beads and More© 2017. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.