God

The bottom line is simple.  It's not about us.  It's about God.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. (Genesis 1:1-2 NIV)

God created this game called life.  God creates the game.  God gets to make the rules.

Then the LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. (Genesis 2:7 NIV)

God did more than create it.  God created us as well.  God knows how we are designed - how we are made.

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. (Psalms 139:13-14 NIV)

Everywhere we go, God is with us.  We never need to worry about being alone.

Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. (Psalms 139:7-10 NIV)

When we were together at church service last Sunday, we reminded ourselves of three important truths.

1) God is with me wherever I go.

2) God is good all the time and all the time God is good.

3) God's got this.

These are only three of the many, many reasons to worship and praise our God.

Praise the LORD. How good it is to sing praises to our God, how pleasant and fitting to praise him! (Psalms 147:1 NIV)

How about you?  Do you worship God?  Do you praise God?  What are your reasons?

God's Plan

Often times, I hear people talk about God's plans as though they are something almost ethereal and impossible to understand.  In other words, we say "God's Plan" in the same way we would say, "I have no idea what is going on."  The problem with this kind of approach is that God explains His Plan to us so we will know what is going on, even when others do not.

"Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. This man was handed over to you by God's deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. (Acts 2:22-24 NIV)

Obviously, Jesus is the center point of God's plan, around which the rest of his plan revolves.  Jesus was sent because we needed help.  We were walking together with God in the Garden of Eden.  God wants us to know, though, that we are not forced to be there like prisoners but that we choose to be there like friends.  So, God gives us a choice.  When we choose to eat the forbidden fruit, we are kicked out of the Garden and separated from God.  We also receive the kind of life that goes along with those choices: suffering and death.

"Fellow Israelites, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. Seeing what was to come, he spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, that he was not abandoned to the realm of the dead, nor did his body see decay. God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it. (Acts 2:29-32 NIV)

When Jesus rose from the dead, he proved to us all that he was God's chosen one (the Messiah, the Savior).  We are given the opportunity to come home to the Father through the Son.  We have the opportunity to return to the Garden, if you will.  We have a second chance to walk together with God.

Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said, "'The Lord said to my Lord: "Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet."' (Acts 2:33-35 NIV)

Jesus now sits on his throne, high and exalted.  All the spiritual enemies who are battling against God and us are under his authority.  We don't see it yet, because he is still waiting.  He is waiting for more people to come home to the Father through the Son.  We, the ones who have already returned home, are being sent out to spread the good news.  We are God's team.  We have a mission.  We are sent to share with others, set the captives free, and bring them home to the Father through the Son.  We have been given the Holy Spirit of God to help us do just that.

"Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah." When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?" Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off--for all whom the Lord our God will call." With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, "Save yourselves from this corrupt generation." Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. (Acts 2:36-41 NIV)

I have a friend who just visited from out of town.  She gets this.  She completely understands God's plan and our part of it.  She is always talking to Jesus, singing songs of praise to God, and sharing Jesus with other people in her life.  When she talks about other people and her relationships with them, she always begins the description with, "He is a Christian...She is not a Christian...etc."  She knows the status of every person in her life.  She also knows she is called by God to encourage those who are already home and to bring those who are not home back to the Father through the Son.

They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. (Acts 2:42-47 NIV)

How about you?  Do you know God's Plan?  Do you know where you are in God's Plan?  Do you actively participate in God's Plan?  Do people come home to the Father, through the Son, and receive the Holy Spirit because you invited them?

God's Got This

When Jesus prepared to leave, it was critically important that the Apostles and other disciples knew that he would send his Spirit to help them. They were about to be sent on a mission that would forever change the world.

"All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. (John 14:25-26 NIV)

The apostles did remember what Jesus had taught them. In fact, they wrote it down. These writings became what we now know as the New Testament. These writings were inspired by the Advocate, the Holy Spirit of God.

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. (James 1:5 NIV)

It wasn't only important, though, for the Apostles to remember what they had already been taught by Jesus. They were going to need wisdom beyond that. They would need to know where to go and when. They would need to know what to say, when to say it, and when to remain silent. They would need to be led by God's Spirit in order to fulfill their part of God's plan.

"You must be on your guard. You will be handed over to the local councils and flogged in the synagogues. On account of me you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them. And the gospel must first be preached to all nations. Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit. (Mark 13:9-11 NIV)

The same is true for us today. The same mission that was given to the Apostles has been passed down from generation to generation. We have inherited that mission. God is with us. God is Good. God has given us a mission to fulfill and given us each a part to play in it. When things get tough, the tough get God. They know that God will provide the right words at the right time. God will provide food to eat, clothing to wear, and protection from the elements and storms. They know that God created the heavens and the earth, still holds all things together, knit them together in their mothers' wombs, and has everything under control. They know that God's got this, even when things get tough living out their part of God's plan

"Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. Everyone will hate you because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. (Mark 13:12-13 NIV)

So, how about you? Are you living out your part of God's plan? Do you trust God to have everything under control, even when things get tough? Do you lean on God to provide what you need, when you need it to empower one more to walk together with God? Do you trust that God's got this?

God is Good

It's one thing to believe that God is with you wherever you go. It's another thing completely to believe that is a good thing. Demons shutter at the thought of there being one God who is everywhere. We struggle at times, too. Sometimes we struggle because we have rebelled against God and don't want to be around Him. Sometimes it is because we believe God is mean, vindictive, or simply angry. It is in these moments that we need to remember that God is good.

"Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good--except God alone. (Mark 10:18 NIV)

God is not only the giver of all good gifts. God's will for our lives is also good. God's purpose is always good.

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Romans 12:2 NIV)

Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed--not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence--continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose. (Philippians 2:12-13 NIV)

When we follow God's will, we do good as well.

For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:10 NIV)

His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. (2 Peter 1:3 NIV)

Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good. Anyone who does what is good is from God. Anyone who does what is evil has not seen God. (3 John 1:11 NIV)

So how about you? Do you believe that God is good all the time? Do you trust God to lead you to do good works? Do you lead a godly life as you follow God's good will?

God is With Me

I must admit, if I am to be completely transparent, that I have been jealous of the apostles at times over the years. It's not easy to admit my sin (because jealousy is a sin), but this has been a part of my journey to this point. I would think about the fact that they got to see Jesus face to face. They got to hear him preach and teach. They participated in his miracles, picking up the twelve baskets of leftovers when the thousands were done eating. They were even empowered by him to go out, cast out demons, and heal the sick. It really seems like they had the best deal of all time.

"If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever-- the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. (John 14:15-18 NIV)

I'll tell you what I never envied, though. I was never jealous of the transition they had to make during their lifetime. They watched Jesus die and were distraught. They spoke with him, listened to him teach, and had meals with him after he was alive again. But after all that, they stood and watched as he ascended up into the sky and then disappeared from their sight. They had to let go of their mentor, their teacher, and their friend.

But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. (John 16:7 NIV)

Jesus had trained his disciples for a mission. They had a job to do. But now they were going to have to do it alone. Jesus would not be there to mentor, coach, or otherwise help them along the way. This is why it was such a big deal that Jesus promised to send his Spirit to them. They had a long, hard road ahead of them. They would have some real spiritual battles to face. They would spend the rest of their lives fighting the good fight. They needed to know that they were not alone.

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." (Acts 1:8 NIV)

Before Jesus ascended, he promised them, once again, that help. The Holy Spirit would be their advocate. The Holy Spirit would be their counselor. The Holy Spirit would lead them into all truth. The Holy Spirit would give them gifts beyond their current capabilities. The Holy Spirit would back them up with the very power of God. Now, they were ready to fulfill their part of God's Mission for us all.

Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (Matthew 28:18-20 NIV)

How about you? Is God with you? Does the Holy Spirit of God dwell within you? Are you fulfilling your part of God's Mission for us?