Faith in Jesus today affects what I do in life & how I do it. From how I think about things to how I work and what my priorities are.
Obviously I enjoy music but there is something about singing & playing Christian music that is particularly special for me. I think it is because when I am doing that, my focus is on God and the words are reminding me of what he has done for me.
The Bible says in Psalm 150
"Let everything that has breath, praise the Lord" and that is what I am doing. Not just when I am playing or singing music but in all I do.
Why do I praise the Lord? It’s because of what he has done for me. I know that I am far from perfect; in fact there are many things in my life that show that I fall very much short of the mark. In fact the bible says that we ALL fall short of the mark, God’s mark.
Romans 3.10-12 says
"There is no one righteous, not even one. There is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away".
We all fall short. Well, this doesn’t sound like a very good reason to praise God though… The reason I can praise God is that even though I am a sinner and fall short of the mark, Jesus came and died for me to make me right with God. He knew that I could never hit the mark and so he hit the mark for me. I didn’t; in fact, I could never do anything to get there myself. All I need do is trust that Jesus died in my place.
As it says in Romans 5:8 "God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us".
Now that is something worth praising God about!
There have been times in my life in the past when I could have easily have given up and thought that life was too difficult. One time was before I was married and I was engaged to somebody else. When that person left me, I was not only left with a lot of hurt emotions, I was also faced with financial ruin as I was likely to lose my house, I lost my job at the time and I had also hurt some people very close to me by keeping them at a distance. During this time I kept on trusting that God would provide for what I needed despite my circumstances – and He did. I trusted him in helping me repair those relationships – and He did. A passage in scripture helped me to keep relying on Him throughout this and continues to be a favourite of mine –
Luke 12:22-31 "Then Jesus said to His disciples: "Therefore I tell you, don’t worry about your life, what you will eat; or about the body, what you will wear. 23 For life is more than food and the body more than clothing. 24 Consider the ravens: They don’t sow or reap; they don’t have a storeroom or a barn; yet God feeds them. Aren’t you worth much more than the birds? 25 Can any of you add a cubit to his height[f] by worrying? 26 If then you’re not able to do even a little thing, why worry about the rest? 27 "Consider how the wildflowers grow: They don’t labor or spin thread. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was adorned like one of these! 28 If that’s how God clothes the grass, which is in the field today and is thrown into the furnace tomorrow, how much more will He do for you—you of little faith? 29 Don’t keep striving for what you should eat and what you should drink, and don’t be anxious. 30 For the Gentile world eagerly seeks all these things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31 "But seek His kingdom, and these things will be provided for you."
Don’t be anxious. Seek God’s kingdom first & then all these will be added to you. I am so thankful for this and I have some very precious gifts from God that I have been blessed with, in my wife of 12 years Andrea and my 2 special sons, Thomas and Eli.
This passage teaches me that what God wants, is not only what is best for me, but also that I can trust Him, that He knows what is best for me, despite my circumstances.
Jesus said that through him alone is forgiveness for sin. We see this forgiveness when He died on the cross. The even greater thing is that we know that he has power over death, in Him rising to new life.
As it says in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 "For I passed on to you as most important what I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures"
In this I now know that I don’t need to worry about death as I know it isn’t the end. Jesus has shown His power over it.
All I need do is what Romans 10:9 says "If you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." I hope that in me sharing this with you, it has helped you think about where Jesus fits into your life and where you put your trust.
