Not Easy, But Never Going at it Alone

Never Easy, But Never Going at it Alone

by David Brenneman 

"and I give them eternal life, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” John 10:28-30 NASB 

My prayer time that is the longest for me is my 15 to 20 minute trip to work.  Quite often it's my pouring out my heart to Jesus.  

I haven't given up on writing my book.  It's been a work in progress.  The nature of it is changing.  

Between my prayer times and times when I have time to think on life, God's been showing me more things to include in my book.  My thoughts for a title over the years has changed and it's set.  It really came to me after reading a section of the book of Joshua.  

The synopsis hasn't changed though.  

It's very much still about faith history.  

We really need to "disconnect" from all that glitters in this world that vies for our attention and place proper importance on that which the Spirit is doing in our lives.  

To that end we who are in Christ ought to be interested in what interests God in us. Our sanctification. Our transformation from a life of sins and sinful pleasures into a life reflecting the righteousness of God. 

Our transformation happens more and more as we let go of what doesn't matter and lay hold of what does. 

Our journey is always indeed going to be fraught with trials and dangers.  Our enemy is God's enemy. He wants nothing to do with our growth in Christ Jesus.  The dimmer out life in Christ Jesus is, the happier he is.  He indeed will attack those who are striving to live the righteous life that God desires for us.

Quite often we feel alone.  But we never are. We always have Jesus to speak to. To listen to.  Regardless of if you have any friends left in this world, regardless of if you have any family left in this world.  Jesus's promise to never leave us or forsake us can never be broken.  

We can hinder it by our choices in living our lives.  We can by being intentional about going after things in this world that do nothing but satisfy the desires of our hearts but do nothing to help our obedience to God's Word.  We are well versed in how to rename sins and sinful behaviors into something that doesn't sound so bad.  Referring to them as mistakes. Referring to them as "that's just how I am" or "that's just how I feel, I can't change it".  

We cause a lot of headaches and heartaches for ourselves when we set Jesus aside to pursue self.  Jesus isn't our butler.  He's not an on call Doctor.  He's not a whatever worldly things we want or do call Him.   Jesus is our Savior. Jesus is our Lord. He is the King of Kings.  He's God's own Son.  

When we pursue what it is that God's wanting of us in our lives we find that peace that passes all understanding. 

We waste so much of our lives on worthless worldly pursuits.  Never quite getting it or getting it too late that worldly success, achievement or anything of this world that is valued by mankind is more important than our walk with Jesus. 

It's not as though any of the battles we face when we obey aren't unexpected. Or at least they shouldn't be. Jesus told us ahead of time that we would face them. 

The world hated Him it would hate us too because we're no longer a part of it when we change our citizenship to Heaven after coming to Christ for salvation. 

Never alone.  We indeed were created for relationships.  We struggle at times to lose some and struggle to create new ones. 

The one that matters most is the one we have by way of the Spirit with Jesus Christ. 

What are you doing to invest in that relationship?  The more you do the less this world's "bling", it's shiny stuff that always has a hook buried in it, can hook us.

Loneliness stinks. It it terrible if we let it grip us.  Jesus is that friend that sticks closer than a brother.  The world will probably forsake you.  Jesus promised never to do that to you.  

Stop today and have a serious talk with Him.  Pour out your heart.  In his early years King David did this a lot.  Which is part of why he was known as a man after God's own heart.  It by his own admission later that he did that less and less and fell into sins. Learn from him.  Don't let your relationship with Jesus fall by the wayside. 

He made you His promise.  Count on Him to honor it.  Let go of the things you're considering as more important than that relationship.