God’s Will is that we get closer to Him every day. He desires us to build our lives upon His Word, because His Word is a solid foundation, and it is the only thing strong enough to carry us through this dark world. He instructs us in Colossians 2:6–7 (NLT), “and now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.” Our roots should grow down into Christ, but sometimes we let our roots grow in soil that will not produce the harvest we expect. When this happens, we close ourselves off from God’s goodness.
We know that having Jesus is everything. No matter what circumstances we face in life, if our faith is anchored in the Lord Jesus Christ, we will have a foundation that will not collapse when the storms of life rage. In Matthew 7:24–25(NLT), Jesus Christ tells us, “24 Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. 25 Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won't collapse because it is built on bedrock.”
God has given us many wonderful spiritual gifts. He has given us His only begotten son, Jesus Christ; He has given us the gift of the Holy Spirit that indwells us, and He has also given us His divine and perfect Word. These spiritual gifts will help us to excel and have good success, and that is God’s Will for us. He desires that we be happy, and He also wants us to be spiritually strong in the strength and power of Jesus Christ.
When we allow others to flood our ears with gossip and bad advice; when we let other people dictate our moods, and we keep company with people that make fun of others, we are only hurting ourselves. These people, and their actions go against God’s Word. If we participate in this negativity, we will also move ourselves away from God’s Will instead of being in harmony and alignment with it.
Heavenly Father wants us to have a life that is both meaningful and fulfilling to us, and most importantly, He wants our lives to be pleasing to Him as well. He tells us in Psalm 1:1-3(NLT) how to gain access to this meaningful existence. This passage says, “1 Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. 2 But they delight in the law of the LORD, meditating on it day and night. 3 They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do.”
Delighting in God is the act of appreciating His goodness. When we delight in His goodness, we are going to want to do those things that honor Him. He said that delighting in His Word and meditating—thinking about it in deep contemplation—will cause us to be like a tree that is planted along the riverbank. A tree that is planted by the riverbank has a continual water supply. God is telling us that we will be like this tree, because when we meditate on His Word, we are letting our roots grow down into Christ. When we do this, God will continually supply us with all that we need.
As we build our lives on God’s goodness, good things will happen to us. Yes, there will be bad times as well, but that is why God tells us to build up our foundation. Then, when tribulation comes, we are able to withstand it, because we are abiding in Christ as he takes us through the storm and into victory on the other side.
Colossians 2:7(NLT) says that our faith will grow strong in the truth. Faith cannot grow strong in a lie. Only the truth will allow us to build the solid foundation that we need. Only the truth will help us to remain anchored in God’s goodness no matter what we are facing. This is why we must seek the truth in Heavenly Father’s Word, for John 17:17 tells us that God’s Word is truth.
The bottom line is that we need to be confident God wants only the best for us. Jeremiah 29:11 (NLT) tells us God’s plan for each of us. It says “For I know the plans I have for you," says the LORD. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” This is something we can lean on our entire lives. So as we let our roots grow down into Christ, be committed to following his example, and put off sin and negativity, we will be amazed at the goodness of God that floods into our lives.
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
“The Goodness of God”, written for victoryinjesuschrist.life. Copyright© 2020. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.
コメント