God Is Faithful

No matter what we have done, God is faithful. He is the one true constant that never changes. His love for us is unconditional. He created us in His image and gave us free will to choose whether to love Him or not. When we are obedient to God, we are saying to Him, we love You and will follow You. This is why when we believe in God’s Son, Jesus Christ and what he did for us on the cross, we have the opportunity to start a new life. By acknowledging that Christ died on the cross to atone for all of our sins, we are made clean or new again when we believe in Jesus.

Those who do not have a relationship with God suffer in silence. They feel hopeless about their circumstances, abandoned and even unworthy because they have never known the love of God. When we put our faith in Jesus, we are not alone. God sends His Holy Spirit to be with us and to guide us because He knows what is best for us. His Spirit is always in agreement with what the bible says because scripture comes from God. 

The bible is our guide to living a Christian abundant life; no matter what problems we encounter, the solutions are found in the bible. For “all Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17, NIV) Whether you are having a problem in your marriage, or with your finances, or are suffering in some way, God knows exactly what you are going through and provides counsel through Scripture in every aspect of our lives. 

God wants each and every one of us to live a life full of love but because He gave us free will, evil exists. The devil knows our weaknesses and will try to tempt us with worldly things but those who have a solid foundation in Christ’s teachings will not be tempted. By following the teachings in the bible, we can live a life full of love and serve as a blessing to others. God shows His love through people by having them serve in different ways. Whether you are compelled to help out at a local food bank, or to advocate for community programs to empower the poor, or to listen and give a stranger much needed encouragement, God is calling all of us to help others in whatever capacity we can as He wants everyone to know His love. When we put our faith in Jesus and are righteous in all that we do, God blesses our lives abundantly.

What Is Faith and Who Has It?

You may know of people who do not believe in anything that they cannot see, or need for it to be proved scientifically before they can believe. This is NOT faith. For faith is “being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” (Hebrews 11:1, NIV) Without faith, you cannot possibly have a relationship with God.

While there are people who question the validity of the bible and that it comes from God, there is evidence that the accounts given in the bible are all true and are God inspired. Based on a number of artifacts and manuscripts found in the period before and after Christ, the places and events documented in the bible do exist and did in fact happen. With forty different authors including the apostles in the bible giving their accounts of miracles, events and the time they spent with Jesus, there is a common thread that ties them all together i.e. our salvation in Christ. More specifically it is our belief that Jesus walked on this earth in human form, died on the cross for all of our sins and was resurrected from the dead to give us an opportunity to have eternal life through him. 

Our Heavenly Father loved us so much that He sacrificed His one and only Son Jesus to die on the cross for our sins and gave us free will to love Him back freely. Love given freely is the largest selfless act we can do. Yet for some people, their relationships do not work out or are often difficult because they are forcing their will on other people. Forced relationships based on our own selfish desires just don’t work. By following the teachings of Jesus in the bible, we can have the solid foundation necessary to cultivate kind, loving and caring relationships with the people around us. Whether it’s with a family member, a friend or a colleague, we can build loving and supportive relationships with them.

The bible tells us that God is love. Love means to serve selflessly, the same way Jesus served others when he was on earth. When Jesus washed the feet of his disciples at the Last Supper, he was showing his love and setting an example for them. We cannot serve others unless we humble ourselves just like Jesus did. Serving others is an act of love and in order to experience God’s love, we need to show our love by serving others. When Christians serve with cheerful hearts while attending to the sick, the poor or the oppressed, we are giving glory to God for continuing the Lord's good works on earth. 

Listening to and Obeying God

If you are like most Christians, you may wonder how God communicates with us? God reaches out to us in many different ways – through scripture, thoughts, television programs, events, and even our own relationships with other people. God’s presence is everywhere. He will often speak to us when we are quietly reading scripture from the bible or when we are praying. This includes pausing and listening for God to respond to us while we are reading or praying. By disciplining yourself and making this a daily habit, you will be able to recognize God’s voice. If you are unsure, ask yourself, is what I am hearing based on truth in the bible? For all good things come from God as James, a faithful servant of God, testifies, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights.” (James 1:17a, NIV)

However, if what you are hearing is tempting you to sin, then what you are hearing is coming from worldly influences. When your belief is firmly rooted in Christ, you will be able to overcome all evil desires. It is your faith in Jesus that will prompt you to always to do the right thing. The better we understand God’s word, the more prepared we are when we are faced with worldly temptations. This not only means understanding biblical scriptures but actually doing what it says. For in the bible it says,

“Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in the mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it – he will be blessed in what he does.” (James 1:23-25, NIV)

By following the teachings of Jesus Christ, we can live the abundant Christian life that God intended for us to live. For God did not want us to suffer but to live an enjoyable life full of love for Him and for each other. This love God has for all of us is unconditional. No matter what you have done or how unworthy you may feel or how badly others have treated you, God still loves you.

If you live a Christ-centered life, God will compel you to have compassion for others, no matter what they have done. As Christians, we are God’s hands, feet, eyes and heart to reach out to the poor, the sick and the oppressed in this world. God has a purpose for each and every Christian but we need to open our eyes, ears and hearts to hear what He is telling us to do. Our obedience to God is essential in helping us mature spiritually because preaching the gospel is not enough. We must also do the good deeds God commands us to do out of love in order to glorify His name.