Do you sometimes feel all alone? If so, consider yourself normal. Moses, the spiritual and political leader of the soon-to-form nation, was in exile from the only home he ever knew. Not only his home but his family, friends and community.

It seems a lot of people focus on their works for God. Many church groups enslave people to a work-based dogma or theology that requires people to submit to biblical teachings that have been “weaponized” by these church groups. The motive of these church groups, that present a work-based relationship for salvation theology, is to establish means and method for salvation only they can provide.

The reason these church groups establish a work for salvation theology is to elevate the need for a “middleman” relationship with them to provide you with your “works” that will allow you to find peace with God. The message they present is simple – God is angry at you and has a judgment reserved for you at your death and if you are seeking to have peace with an angry God you need them to bridge the gap.

This is like a painting by Picasso; all the parts are there only in the wrong places. Many seekers of God are hindered in their attempts in finding a relationship with God by the religious teachings of many church groups. Baptism of the born-again is a biblical teaching that has been twisted into a requirement if you are to be saved from your sin. Church membership has been elevated to be necessary to gain entrance into God’s presence as well.

The work's of humanity are the reason why we need a Saviour.

Why would anyone teach that the same creature who is earned by sin and sentenced to death could do any action that would undo the curse of sin? Jesus is the “strait gate”. Not your church group.

The Bible is clear on the teaching of the work of the Saviour versus the works of humanity:

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” (Eph 2:8-10)

Religious works fall short of the gate to Heaven. Religion leads not to the “strait gate” but to the broad way of destruction. When Jesus said, “reasonable center ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” (Mat 7:13-14), He was not defining a religious theology but was referring to the gospel of Jesus that would be preached to the world.

Religion makes us proudful, “lest any man should boast.” You did not work your way to salvation. God graced you into His Kingdom. Whenever we take credit for God’s grace we become self-righteous and proudful. Whenever we give God the glory for our salvation, we become thankful and obedient.

Religious works make us someone else’s workmanship. The born-again believer gives God the glory and credit for the hope they have of a home in heaven. The religious give credit for their spiritual condition to a theology, church group or pastor.

Only when we are born again by God’s grace can we produce works that God acknowledges and blesses. All other labor is in vain.

Are you working for God for the hope of your salvation? When will you do enough to gain God’s favor and find joy in your salvation? David, King of Israel, giving testimony of the works of God said only His works can make you whole:

“For thou, LORD, hast made me glad through thy work: I will triumph in the works of thy hands. (Psa 92:4)

Has God made you “glad” or are you living a life in which you are hoping you will have enough works to please an angry God? Today, lay down the tools of religion you are employing to find favor with God and trust in the Gospel of Jesus.

“And they fortified Jerusalem unto the broad wall.” Nehemiah 3:8

Walls were the best defense for cities in the biblical times. The term "broad wall" was used to describe walls that were the strongest defensive positions in the walls of the city. The broad wall was one of the last walls left standing after the city was breached and destroyed by the Babylonian forces.

When Israel was restored to the city, Nehemiah started the work of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. The focus was on the remaining “broad wall.” The ruins of the lesser walls were re-laid to the still standing “broad wall.” 

The word of God makes this observation about your life living for Him:

“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” (Eph 6:12)

You are in a battle against the workers of darkness and, like the walls of Jerusalem, you to need to have a “broad wall” of defense that you can focus efforts as you restore the damages that your enemy Satan and his minions inflect in your life. 

When Satan seeks to overthrow you, a “broad wall” will give you a place of retreat for you to gather your strength to overcome the powers of darkness that try to push you into a dry spiritual desert. We are warned that these battles are real and sometimes overwhelming. The Apostle Paul addresses this subject with these words:

“There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” (1 Co 10:13)

The ”broad wall” in your life is that place you “escape” to a defensive posture in temptations that are overtaking you. David, King of Israel, said, “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.” (Psa 91:1-2)

The “broad wall” in the life of the believer is God Himself. When temptations are overwhelming, you need to run to the Saviour. It is in Him you will find the “way to escape” as you “bear” out your trials. Jesus will keep, comfort and strengthen you in your hour of need.

It is when we are under the crushing power of evil that we find our true strength and power. The Apostle Paul reveals this truth to us while he gave testimony of his own temptation that was overpowering him. When he inquired Jesus about trouble, Jesus said, “And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.” Recognizing that Jesus was his “broad wall” Paul said, “Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” The “power of Christ” is the “broad wall” and with this understanding, Paul made this observation about his temptations:

“Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.” (2 Co 12:9-10)

How is your spiritual life? Are you in a dark place? Do you feel overwhelmed and defeated? As you rebuild the walls of your life, focus on your “broad way”—- Jesus. When you turn to the Saviour, His words “My grace is sufficient for thee” will be for you and when you rebuild your life in His grace you will soon restore the damages that sin has caused in your life.

“He left his garment in her hand, and fled, and got him out.” Genesis 39:12

Joseph was in a war and did not have the ability to wage a spiritual war with carnal weapons so he fled. God would equip humanity for this war with the coming of His Son Jesus!

We indeed are in a war. A war that is waged in the terrestrial but not with earthly weapons or consequences. Jesus introduces this warfare to Peter when He said:

“Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat.” (Luke 22:31)

Why would Satan desire to have Peter? The answer is the key to understanding the nature of our warfare. Satan desired to possess Peter for one reason and one reason only, Jesus had placed Peter out of the grip of sin and death that Satan had introduced to Adam and Eve in God’s garden.

Satan had lost his claim to Peter’s eternal dwelling to the power of the blood of the Saviour. God’s words,  “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel” (Gen 3:15) were indeed coming to pass with the power of the gospel of Jesus. The seed of Eve was to soon end the power of Satan over the creation of God.

This warfare was started with the visit to Mary. The Angel sent by God introduced this warfare to the world with these words:

“…thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end… The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.” (Luke 1:30-35)

This warfare is waged against you because you can change your eternal dwelling through the gospel of Jesus. The end our your existence on earth will deliver you into the hands of Satan or into the Kingdom of God.

The power of the Gospel and your coming into agreement with God that you are desperately lost and in need of the Saviour to end the power that sin holds over you is how the promise Jesus made to His people becomes yours.

Satan promised mankind in the garden, “ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil” (Gen 3:5) and his lie became the power of sin and death. Jesus does not promise to make you like “gods.” Jesus did promise you a place in His Father’s house.

As Jesus was preparing for His departure from this terrestrial world He said:

“Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” (John 14:1-3)

You, my friend, are in this war and the side you choose will determine your eternal future. The  “Father's house,” or "Satan’s hell". Today if you will call on the name of Jesus and repent of your sin you will be delivered from the power of Satan and received into the Kingdom of God.  

“The people, when they beheld him, were greatly amazed, and running to him saluted him.” Mark 9:15

Amazing! Jesus is amazing if you know Him and the power of His resurrection. Throughout history, Jesus has been known as a healer, a friend and a brother, but to those who know Him as the Saviour, He is amazing!

The power of Jesus to turn the lives of the defeated into the victors, the ones who mourn into the ones who rejoice, to move the defeated into the conquerers is only available to the people who know Him as the Saviour.

When the people saw Jesus and His works they were “greatly amazed” not because they knew Jesus as the Saviour of the world but because they saw Him as a miracle worker and awaited some miracle that He would perform. Jesus is not looking for “thrill seekers" to follow Him but people who are looking for the Saviour.

After feeding the thousands with a few fishes and loaves of bread, the crowds followed Jesus and His response to this mass of people was:

 “I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.” (John 6:26)

To be amazed at what Jesus can do is not the same as living a life that is amazed at what Jesus has done. Many people seek Jesus for the “bread and fishes” and not for the purpose that Jesus came into the world.

Jesus indeed is the great healer but if He heals your physical body and you are spiritually dead, you will probably be amazed by what He has done but you will still face the judgment of your sin. Jesus did not come to feed the hungry, although He did, nor did He come to heal the sick and the sick Jesus did heal. Jesus did not come to lift up the broken hearted and indeed He did. Jesus came, “to seek and to save that which was lost." (Luke 19:10)

What a difference Jesus can make. The lame walked, the deaf heard, the blind did see and the dead were called from the grave. All of these fade in the shadow of the salvation of the lost. Jesus did not come to make the physical life of people better but Jesus came to save the lost from the wages of sin. The word of God is clear on the matter of sin, “For the wages of sin is death.” (Rom 6:23)

If Jesus only came as a “good teacher” or as “the great healer” His life would have been wasted on the least important aspect of human loss. When death visits us; we know it is final. Death is our enemy that we cannot wage a battle against and be victors.

The Apostle Paul makes this observation about the power of Jesus over death:

“O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Co 15:55-57)

Only Jesus has the power to remove the “sting of death” only Jesus holds the power to “giveth us the victory” over our greatest of all enemies, death.

Are you looking for God to help your physical needs? Are you calling out on God for His “bread and fishes?” Jesus is willing and able to meet all your needs but Jesus wants to be your Saviour. Deliverance from hunger, pain and physical death are often the most called out needs we make to God but what we most need is a Saviour.

The angel's proclamation when announcing the birth of Jesus was, “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:11) Not one who would heal, feed or prolong physical death but a Saviour!

Jesus came that you may have life. Jesus said He came that you would have, “life and that they might have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10)

Jesus can heal you of your physical infirmities. Yes, Jesus can provide you with your daily needs but Jesus came to be your Saviour. Are you following Jesus because you are amazed at what He can do or are you following Him because He is your Saviour?

Remember everyone left Jesus who was amazed at His miracles but only the ones who knew Him as Saviour were with Jesus to the end. When Jesus challenged the ones who were amazed; they all left Him. When Jesus asked the followers who knew Him as their Saviour if they would leave Him they said, “Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.” (John 6:68)  

How about you? Are you following Jesus for the “bread and fishes” or are you following Jesus because He is your Saviour?

The prophet, encouraging the children of Israel as they were living in oppression and suppression and exiled in a foreign land, said:

“Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the LORD.” (Isa 54:1)

Isaiah was encouraging the suffering people of God with words that were hard to understand because the words spoken were not possible with human understanding. With God, less is more. With Gideon, it was not 30,000 that God used it was 300 that won the victory. It was Elijah alone that won the battle against the godless government of Ahab and Jezebel.

When the Prophet said, “Sing, O barren” he was simply making the same observation that Jesus made about living a life not only believing in God but trusting in Him:

“With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.” (Mat 19:26)

Living a life for Jesus often seems fruitless. We live in the present, wonder about the past and worry about the future. Jesus gives His followers this advice:

“Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.” (Mat 6:34)

As a follower, “We see through a glass, darkly.” (1 Co 13:12) Satan seeks to discourage you from living a life as a witness and proclaimer of the grace of God because we cannot see the full effects of our desire to share the love of God to the lost and undone. We are encouraged to not falter in our service to God with these words:

“And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” (Gal 6:9)

We seldom see the effects of a kind word spoken to a stranger or the effects of the gospel shared in the lives of the lost and undone. Many people are discouraged having never seen the harvest of a soul in the planting of the seeds of hope. Rest assured:

“So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.” (Isa 55:11)

Sometimes we need to be reminded that we are only sowers of the hope of the Gospel of Jesus:

“So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.” (1 Co 3:7)

As long as you are a planter or a waterer of the gospel you are not fruitless in your labor in the work of the Gospel of Jesus. Our faithfulness to the gospel of Jesus, as we proclaim God’s love for His creation, should be our way of life. We do not share the gospel because we are encouraged by others. We share the gospel because we are empowered by God’s Spirit for this very purpose.

Jesus said when the Holy Spirit was given to you it empowered you as well as indwelled you. As Jesus ascended to Heaven He said:

“Ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” (Act 1:8)

You are living a life of faith, walking by faith, seeing by faith. Trusting God, not only for your eternal future, but your “here and now.” Are you living a life of faith and  not looking for daily results or verifiable evidence that God is indeed using you in His work?

We must not measure our value to God’s work by the “harvest” we see. We must by faith serve our Lord, friend and brother without validation but because of who He is. The Word of God encourages you to:

“Not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not." (Gal 6:9)

Let’s do what the old gospel hymn tells us:

We’ll work till Jesus comes,

We’ll work till Jesus comes,

We’ll work till Jesus comes,

And we’ll be gathered home.

 “Into thine hand I commit my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O Lord God of truth.” Psalm 31:5

It has been said of the dead “They can’t take it with them and there are no trailer hitches on the hearse carrying the dead.” Indeed, the words of Job are true:

 ”Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return.” (Job 1:21)

When the hour of departure to leave this life and we enter into eternity; earthly riches hold no value to the departed, “They can’t take it with them.”

Jesus, speaking to this subject, gives this warning about seeking temporal possessions:

“Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal.” (Mat 6:19)

Jesus exposes this truth, when we value “treasures” that are collected on earth they may not even last until we die.

The words, “Into thine hand I commit my spirit” have been recorded as being said by many holy men in their dying testimonies. Of all the men to say these words, none was greater than the “Son of Man” when He said:

“And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.” (Luke 23:46)

What we treasure determines what we collect. In Jesus’ words of warning, He also gives us this advice, “Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven.” (Mat 6:20) How do you know if your “treasures” are in heaven or here on earth? This is a rather easy question to answer. Jesus, speaking to this very subject, said:

“For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” (Mat 6:21)

Where is your treasure? Take a close look at your life and see what value you place on your possessions and how they are positioned in your life. Do you love God more than your “stuff”? Job, after losing all his wealth, did not curse God. Even the loss of his loved ones did not move his faith. Job, living in a painful affliction, rejected his wife’s encouragement to curse God and die. Job had “committed” his spirit to God.

Check out your treasure. It is there you will find not only your heart but where you have “committed” your spirit. If you find your heart in your temporal possessions perhaps you should take the advice that Jesus gave to His followers in Laodicea who said:

“I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing.” (Rev 3:17)

Jesus' counsel to these Christians whose hearts and faith were resting in their personal wealth and who were spiritually, “wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked” (Rev 3:17) He told them to sell off their temporal possessions that held their hearts and to:

”…buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.” (Rev 3:18)

What holds your heart? Is it the power of “stuff” you have in this world? People you love, possessions you amass and good health are all subject to loss in your lifetime. The only thing you will take with you in death is what you have "laid up for yourselves in heaven.”

Today would be a good time to take the “trailer hitch” off your hearse and buy the “white raiment” that Jesus has for you. Today, not when you face death, is the time you should say the words “Into thine hand I commit my spirit.”

“Wait on the Lord.” Psalm 27:14

David, who would soon be king of Israel, seeking God’s protection from the powers of the government of Saul, then king of Israel, ended his appeal to God with this understanding, “Wait on the Lord.” 

It has been said that “Timing is everything,” and indeed it is true.

The son of David, who would also sit on the throne of Israel, was considered the wisest man to ever live made this observation about the importance of understanding when things happen is more important than what happens.

Solomon said:

“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.” (Ecc 3:1) 

To understand the purpose of our life events we must understand the effect they will have in the “season” they will have an effect on our lives.

Solomon made these observations about the way an event affects our lives:

“A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted." (Ecc 3:2) 

As we mature into adults, we understand the “seasons” of life and know there is a time that life begins and there also is a time that it ends. When the “timing” of death does not happen in our expectations, we often question God’s wisdom or love in interrupting our understanding of the “time to die.”

The Apostle James and brother of Jesus said:

“If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.” (Jas 1:5) 

When we ask God for understanding about our life situations, we must be willing to “wait on the Lord.”

God is not withholding wisdom or understanding but He often waits for the right time to reveal it to you so as you can receive and understand what His purpose and plan for your life is.

It has been said that patience is a virtue and this is true but patience is more than just a developed strength of character. In the life of a follower of Jesus, patience is the outcome of living a life of faith. The scripture reveals this truth with these words:

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.” (Gal 5:22-23)

To be “longsuffering” is the spiritual application of patience in the life of a follower of Jesus. When the Apostle said, “the fruit of the Spirit” was “longsuffering” he makes this truth self-evident. The outcome of living a life of faith is the ability to “wait on the Lord.”

The Apostle Paul made this statement about spiritual maturity:

“When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.” (1 Co13:11) 

A part of spiritual maturity is to leave behind childhood impatience of immediate gratification and learning to “wait on the Lord.”

How about you? Are you living a life that is “longsuffering?” That is willing and able to wait for the “season” of your life to understand the “whys” about the events in your life? The Wiseman reveals to us this truth, “the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.” (Ecc 7:8)

To be impatient is the opposite of humility. To be impatient is to be “proud in spirit.” Live a life of faith and develop the “fruit” of long-suffering and you will be able to “wait on the Lord.”

God’s word gives you this warning:

“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.” (Pro 3:5)

Today is a day of new beginnings in your life. Today, if you will “wait on the Lord”, He will help you understand the “whys” of your life in the right “season” of your life and reveal His purpose and plan He has for you.

God indeed loves everyone in His creation, including you. Jesus, Himself, makes this abundantly clear with this declaration:

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)

The fact that God loves you is an agreeable consideration for most people. The truth of God’s word reveals that God has a different love for the ones who seek Him out.

The scripture makes this observation about a love that rewards the people who seek to know God:

“But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” (Heb 11:6)

Are you, by faith, seeking God? How and what kind of love are you experiencing with God?

David, King of Israel, asked God to reveal Himself with these words:

“Shew thy marvellous lovingkindness, O thou that savest by thy right hand them which put their trust in thee from those that rise up against them.” (Psa 17:7)

Just a casual reading of the Psalms reveals the depth of love that God held for David yet David pleaded with God for a fresh experience with his Heavenly Father. David uses the word “lovingkindness” for the first time in the 17th Psalm and reuses it 20 more times in the balance of the songbook. It is apparent that God did reveal His “lovingkindness” to the King and he, in his songs to God, asked to experience it again 20 more times.

God’s love is unversal to all in His creation but He has a special love for the ones who seek Him out to experience His love in a personal, deep way.

David experienced God’s love differently than any of the other Old Testament believers in God. God revealed His “lovingkindness” to David by gifting him with the presence of the Holy Spirit in the King’s life. When David damaged his relationship with God with his sin with Bathsheba and Uriah he pleaded with God:

“Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.” (Psa 51:11)

David had discovered a different kind of love that he had received from God. King David, having the understanding and having experienced God’s “lovingkindness”, did not want to lose this kind of love. David was remorseful for his sin because he had been blessed with the Holy Spirit and the presence of his Creator.

Everyone in God’s creation is a recipient of His love… but not all will know His “lovingkindness.”

The scripture gives us this understanding of God’s universal love:

“The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.” (Psa 145:9)

Jesus said this about God’s universal love:

“He maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.” (Mat 5:45)

To experience God’s love that He directs towards His creation is a blessing to all who experience it but God wants you to know the same “lovingkindness” that David had. This kind of love is available only to the people who move beyond the universal love that God directs toward His creation. This depth of love is reserved for the people who respond to His love and loves Him back.

Jesus said, “God so loved the world” but God has reserved both His Holy Spirit and “everlasting life” promised by Jesus to the ones who will “whosoever believeth in Him.”

What kind of love are you receiving from God? Are you in the number who know His universal love or do you have His Holy Spirit and “everlasting life?”

God does love you as you are but if you are to experience His “lovingkindness” you must respond to the gospel of Jesus.

Call on His name for the forgiveness of your sins and Jesus will give you the Holy Spirit and reveal to you God’s “lovingkindness.”

“If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.” 1 Peter 2:3

Taste along with sight, sound, smell, and touch are how we experience the creation God has created for us. To taste is to partake. We can hear sounds and never engage the source of the sound, we can see people and never know them, we can accidentally touch someone and never engage them in a relationship, we can smell the scent of a flower without enjoying its beauty.

Have you, “tasted that the Lord is gracious?” Many have seen the work of God in His creation, others claim to have heard His voice but to taste the Lord you must take Him into your life. When the gospel of Jesus is at work in your life you are filled with His Spirit and it just “tastes” good.

When we engage God through the gospel of Jesus we become “partakers” of His goodness and righteousness. This same Apostle said in his second epistle:

“Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” (2 Peter 1:4)

God’s love does not come with conditions that limit us but rather promises that set us on a life-course “tasting” the goodness of God’s wonder and grace. The promises offered to the people of God are not to motivate us to become religious but to endow God’s people with His nature and equip us to live a life that tastes good to both God and us. 

To “taste” God is to be “partakers” of His “goodness and righteousness.” God has given us a way to access the righteousness of His “divine nature” and to live a life that is delivered from the fallen Adamic race. The Apostle said God has offered you “great and precious promises” that will give you a victorious life in the sin-corrupted world you are passing through.

Discovering these precious promises is one of the ways we experience the goodness of God. The Wiseman Solman said:

“It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter.” (Pro 25:2)

God’s true nature and righteousness are hidden from the world. God’s word reveals to the seeker of His righteousness and reveals truth. It is “the honor” God has given you to seek out promises “concealed” in His word.

In God’s word, you will find the joy of knowing redemption, restoration and recognize the imputed righteousness gifted to you through the gospel of Jesus. In God’s word, you will find truth that will set you free from “fiery darts” of the devil. In God’s word, you will find power, strength and wisdom to navigate in this sin-darkened world.

Have you seen God? Have you heard God? Have you touched Him? It is not until you taste Him that you will know the true power and righteousness He has gifted His people. Today take Him into your life, let the power of the gospel of Jesus indwell you and then you will know indeed, “that the Lord is gracious".