Thank you for joining today as we seek God’s wisdom together. Let us begin with prayer.
“Lord Jesus, I ask that you take the words in this blog and breathe life into them. Apart from your anointing they are just words on a page. I ask that you quicken our hearts to hear, see, and act upon what you are trying to teach us by the Power of Your Holy Spirit. In Jesus name, Amen.”
Romans 8:29-30
“For God knew his people in advance, and He chose them to become like His Son, so that His Son, would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. 30And having chosen them, He called them to come to Him. And having called them, He gave them right standing with Himself. And having given them right standing, He gave them His glory.”
The promise of Romans 8:28 in that all things we believers in Christ go through will be eventually worked out for our good. This should not be taken to mean the Christian will not suffer. Sickness, financial hardship, sometimes hunger, and even threat of persecution and death are realities that God will sometimes allow us to face. I know this flies in the face of the “name it, claim it” theology that is prevalent in our Christian world but, it is nevertheless true.
Suffering is what our Savior endured here on earth therefore if we are to be made like Christ, we can expect hardships to come against us. The difference between the believers and unbelievers is the hope, peace, and promise that is given to us by the Father through the Holy Spirit. I believe many have fallen away from the Church through false doctrine; of which personal healing is one. Sure, the word says “But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed.” (Isaiah 53:5, NLT). I find this to be taken out of context. We were not promised healing in this life because of what Jesus suffered, rather we were promised to be made whole in the next life.
Similarly, being made in the likeness of Jesus is a transforming procedure that will not be completed until this earthly body is exchanged for a heavenly body. While we are here, we are subject to the same things as everyone else. Jesus’s death changed us. Because we confess Him as our Lord and believe God raised Him from the dead. The Father does not see our mortal bodies. All He sees is the work Jesus did on our behalf. That means when we fail our sins are not held against us. He sees the sacrifice made for us and says redeemed. Where we see our failures, The father sees the Glory of Christ living in us and through us. Too often I think Christians look at other Christians and see physical issues. Be it sickness, infirmity, or weakness they assume that the relationship that person has with the Lord is faulty or nonexistent. But I say to you that no one can be known outside of the fruit they produce. Are they filled with the joy of the Lord? Do they have Love for others? Do they have peace? These are the fruit that show the true nature of the heart of the believer. Does this mean God won't choose to heal a believer? No, it certainly does not for it happens, especially as a witness to God’s glory I the presence of non-believers. However, He may decide not to and that is something God will give grace to the believer to live through.
So, in summary we can be confident that God will bring us through every trial and work it out for our good. We may not see it until much later, but we will recognize the loving hand of God leading us through it. Our promised right standing with God is in the eternal realm, that does not change. He chose us to be his sons and daughters with His Son Jesus. We will enjoy that rest and satisfaction when we reach Glory with Him. For now, we must be like Jesus and be about the Fathers business. None of this applies to you unless you are in a relationship with the Savior.
If you have not given your life to Jesus let me implore you to do so now. The bible says “If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved” (Romans 10:9-10, NLT). Therefore, pray this prayer aloud now, right where you are: “Jesus, I believe you are Lord and I believe that you died on a cross, and God raised you from the dead”. If you prayed this prayer, please respond to this blog and someone will contact you. Also, I encourage you to pray and ask the Lord to show you where you should attend a church. There may be someone you know that is a believer, someone who can lead you to a place where God can grow you in your newfound faith. The church will provide you a place of encouragement, teaching, and support in your walk with Jesus. It goes without saying the road is easier when you have others traveling with you.
Thank you for allowing me to give you my perspective and attempt to teach on “What the Word is Saying!”
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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