Verse of the Day: Psalm 73:25-26 Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You. 26 My flesh and my heart fail; But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
How many of us have had our love for God truly tested? I am sure that many would say that their love has been put to the test, but I say that we will not know how much we love God until we find ourselves in that place where the only One we have left on our side is God. Throughout my years of ministry I have heard Christians say that Jesus was Number One in their lives, only to see them forsake their walk with the Lord because of the loss of someone they loved here on earth (a spouse, a child, a best friend). I have even seen them walk away from the Lord because of the loss of material things, such as a house, large amounts of money, etc. Some have even walked away because of sufferings they felt they did not deserve, that God allowed them to go through. What that communicates is that there were earthly things in those people’s lives that were more important to them than their relationship with God. For some of us there may come a time when those closest to us will forsake us (spouse, children, good friends, and even other Christians). They may choose to walk away from us because of something we do that offends them or because of an occasion in our lives when we have stumbled. Those will be the times when we will discover that the only forgiveness we will receive will come from the Lord, as those closest to us choose to hold a grudge and treat us as if we were lepers. Those are the moments when our heart and strength will fail us; when we will feel drained of all energy from the sorrow and tears that will come from feeling rejected and forsaken by those we love, and who we thought loved us the same. At this crossroad we will either turn to God or turn away from Him. The difference will be whether or not He truly is the One we see, and believe to be, our Strength and our Portion. Do we really believe that there is no one else in our life that is like Him? Moses and the Israelites sang this about God after He brought them through the Red Sea on dry land, “Who is like You, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like You, glorious in holiness, Fearful in praises, doing wonders?” The truth of the matter is that there is no one else like our God in both Heaven and earth. There is only One who remains faithful, regardless of what happens in our lives (Heb 13:5-6). When Abraham was given the opportunity to gain some wealth after rescuing Lot from captivity, he rejected it and instead chose to be satisfied with having God as his reward (Gen 14:21-15:1). Just the same, some of us may have an opportunity to gain some earthly riches which may also bring us to a crossroad of choosing less time with God (which will also affect our family) in order to enjoy that gain or turn it down because it will affect our ability to serve God (maybe because of a schedule change, etc.). For all of us there will come a time when death will loom at our doorstep. Who will be more important than God at that moment? A relationship with the Lord may not seem important to us right now in comparison to all the things we can accomplish, and gain, in our lifetime here on earth, but I guarantee you that if God is not the most important Person in our lives today, we will have many regrets on our deathbed. I know what it is like to be forsaken by those closest to me, and by those that I once ministered to. However, I also know what it is to experience the unfailing love of God when others were waiting to see me suffer in misery. Instead, God has given me joy and peace, and blessings beyond measure, when I chose not to blame Him for other people’s attitudes or actions; and instead continued to serve Him and allow Him to use me as He saw fit, in spite of my past failures. May He always be the Rock of our hearts and the Reward of our lives, both here and for all of eternity.
The Word of God is clear that this life is like a vapor that passes quickly, then we will stand in judgment (James 4:14; Heb 9:27). Be sure that you stand before Him without condemnation by calling upon Him and being adopted into God’s family (Rom 8:1); without Jesus you will perish for all eternity (Rom 6:23). Call upon Him today, repenting and confessing your sins; accepting His free gift of eternal life (Rom 6:23; 10:13).
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