Are You Going Through Struggles in Your Life?

James 1:2-4

Are you going through struggles in your life? Does it seem that no matter what you do, things are falling apart around you; your finances, job, personal life, and family? I have found in my 31 years as a follower of Christ, there will be struggles, there will be valleys that seem insurmountable. What do you do when God seems so far away that you cannot even feel His presence?

Some of the circumstances you may be facing is self-inflicted. You may have done something in your personal life that has caused a domino effect that is casting shadows in your life. Have you apologized to the one you hurt? Have you tried to rebuild the relationship that was damaged through your own actions? If you have not, I pray that you will begin the process of healing today. Throw off your pride and correct the damage you caused. You will be a better person for it, and God will bless you for it.

If the circumstance you are facing has nothing to do with your own actions, open your heart to Jesus Christ. No matter what you may face in your life, God wants to use it as a tool to help you become a better follower of Christ, a shining light in this darkened world. Your struggles may be tearing you down, you may feel like everyone is against you, but God is not only by your side, He is holding you with His righteous right hand. Trust in the God of the Universe, for He will never leave you nor forsake you.

James 1:2-4 reads:

“Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.”

Endure the testing of your faith. God is using the circumstance you are going through to grow into a bright light, able to help others who are going through the same circumstance. God wants you to trust Him through the good and the bad times. He will see you through them all, and in the end, you will come to know your Savior in a more intimate way, never doubting, always trusting, for He will never let you down.

Matthew 11:28-30:

“Then Jesus said, ‘Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.’”

You may feel weary through the burden you are carrying now, but Jesus has promised that He will be there giving you rest in your time of need. Do not give up. Trust in your Savior. Jesus is always there. He never has, nor will He ever leave you alone. Trust in His unfailing love for you. In the end, joy will shine its light in your life. Shine!!!

The Word Came for You and Me!

“In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it” (John 1:1-5, NLT).

In the beginning, Jesus. Jesus came as the visible God, revealing His Light to all the world. The darkness created by Satan was exposed and extinguished by His presence (Colossians 1:15; John 1:5). The Old Testament began with God’s creation story. God created the heavens and the earth. The Gospel of John starts with the story of God’s redemptive plan being fulfilled in Jesus Christ. If you have given your life to Jesus, you have become a New Creation (Genesis 3:15; 2 Corinthians 5:17).

Jesus is the Word. In His earthly ministry Jesus revealed not only God in the flesh, He also revealed God’s calling to become a New Creation. God the Father’s redemptive plan was revealed in the person of Jesus Christ. He came to take away the punishment we all deserved. He came to reveal the new life God the Father desires for us. He came in the flesh.

That is how much God the Father loves you. He could have announced from His throne His desire for us all to be redeemed. He could have spoken, and all things would have been made new. However, He chose to come “in the flesh” to become the sacrifice necessary to restore our relationship with Him. He came to die to set us free.

On the cross, Jesus proclaimed the fulfillment of God the Father’s promise of redemption.

Jesus knew that his mission was now finished, and to fulfill Scripture he said, “I am thirsty.” A jar of sour wine was sitting there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put it on a hyssop branch, and held it up to his lips. When Jesus had tasted it, he said, “It is finished!” Then he bowed his head and released his spirit” (John 19:28-30, NLT).

Jesus came to earth to die for you and me. He died to set us free. Have you accepted His free gift of salvation? Have you given your life to Jesus Christ? God came in the flesh so that you can be with Him for eternity.      

“Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. And you know the way to where I am going.”

“No, we don’t know, Lord,” Thomas said. “We have no idea where you are going, so how can we know the way?”

Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me” (John 14:1-6, NLT).

Jesus is the Living Word. He is the fulfillment of God the Father’s redemptive plan for you and me. Jesus is also the Way to our Heavenly Father’s heart. The Word of God came to set you free, and when you have given your life to Him, you will be free indeed.

I am only Complete in Jesus

Colossians 2:10

People strive to be the best. They want to go to the best schools, have the best careers, drive the best cars, live in the best neighborhoods, and be the best spouse and parent. We tend to fix our eyes on the goal of being the best. I believe our motivations in life are off. We have forgotten who we are called to be. In life, no matter how hard you try, no matter how successful you are in your career and home, you will never be complete without an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. Colossians 2:10 tells us that we cannot be complete apart from Him. “So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority” (NLT). We can only be fulfilled in our lives when we have an intimate relationship with our Creator. We cannot be our best apart from Christ.

We are to fix our eyes on Jesus, not societal successes (Hebrews 12). I am not saying we are not to strive to be successful in our careers, and in our homes. Of course, we are. However, we cannot be complete in life apart from Christ. Living our lives without Jesus will make it impossible to fulfill our identity. The full potential of every human cannot be fulfilled unless they become a New Creation. Striving to be our best without having the intimate relationship with our Creator that was lost in the Garden of Eden is futile. Our relationship with Him has to be restored. We must fix our eyes on Jesus.

When we have a healthy, intimate relationship with Jesus, we have the ability to be our best. Jesus is the One, who will initiate and sustain our faith. We just have to run the race of life, with Jesus as our Trainer, Sustainer, and Deliverer. Only Jesus can fulfill our potential. Only through Jesus can we be satisfied in life. Only through Jesus can we be our best.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up” (Hebrews 12:1-3, NLT).