Last time, I talked about God's sovereignty in my life and trusting God. On Saturday, I got the pleasure of working the souvenir booth at the UT game with Meagan Rimshaw. We ended up talking about the last post and talking about it in more detail. She really helped me see it in a way I'd never thought about it. It really helped me trust in God more.
Isn't it great how God will bring other people into our lives to help us in our walk with Him? Isn't also great that he decides to use us in our brothers and sisters lives to make them more like Christ? (like Meagan helped me on Saturday.) I just love how God decides to use sinners saved by His grace to help other sinners saved by grace. And that he empowers us by His Spirit to help each other grow in the likeness of Christ! Isn't He good!
Ok, back to the post: I think as college students we can worry about things alot. Like, "What am I gonna do after I get out of college?" "Where am I gonna live next year?" "What kind car should I get?" "Should I have a girlfriend?" " Who am i gonna marry?" "Did I kiss Marriage goodbye?" "What job should I have right now?" "What am I gonna eat today?" " What am I gonna do about the paper due in 6 minutes?" "Paper or Plastic?" "Hard taco or soft taco?"
Our lives are filled with these worrisome questions. And they happen all the time. And guess what? From what I gather, they're not gonna stop when we get out of college, when we get a job, when we get married. They may change, but the tendencies won't stop.
I think these thoughts can show a heart that doesn't fully trust in God. Now, I'm not saying that we shouldn't evaluate the future, or think through these big decisions, but that while we plan and think we should always remember that God is ultimately in control.
I think these questions are all centered around our needs: Our need for financial provision, a need for some sort of place to live, a need for a spouse, girlfriend, or relationship, a need to eat. Now these needs are not all inherently bad. I mean some are kinda necessary: eating, drinking, a place to live, etc. And some are even good things to desire, good character qualities to have. Dr. Al Mohler, in an article showing the characteristics of a godly man, says that some of the character qualities are: Economic maturity sufficient to hold an adult job and handle money, Maturity sufficient to marry and fulfill God's purposes.
See, these needs are not bad in and of themselves. The problem I think is that we forget our greatest need. You see, our greatest need has already been met. Our greatest need is to be delivered from the wrath of God that we deserve. That's our greatest need. And you know what, it's already been met! Jesus Christ died for our our sins, thus fully taking care of our greatest need. It's like the song says:
I hear the Savior say
Thy strength indeed is small
Child of weakness watch and pray
Find in Me thine all in all
Jesus paid it all
All to Him I owe
Sin had left a crimson stain
He washed it white as snow
Lord now indeed I find
Thy power and thine alone
Can change the lepers spots
And melt a heart of stone
And when before the throne
I stand in Him complete
Jesus died my soul to save
My lips shall still repeat
Oh, praise the one who paid my debt
And raised this life up from the dead
Isn't God good to us! He sends His Son to come to earth and He crushes Him for us.
"It was the Will of the Lord to crush him;
he has put him to grief;
when his soul makes an offering for sin"
~ Isaiah 53:10
Jesus came to the earth with one mission: to save sinners. People argue over which superhero was the greatest, but we know the greatest superhero this world has ever know, Jesus Christ. He was the Savior of the world! He came to save sinners, the very one's that sin against Him. That's you and me! He came into the world to die for us! To save us!
Now, sometimes I think, "well that's great! I mean that's the best news I could ever hear! But what does that have to do with me and my situation? I mean, I am eternally grateful for the forgiveness of my sins, and I will never see the wrath of God, but what does that have to to with me right now?"
Well, the answer to that question is found in Romans 8:31-39
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also along with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died— more than that, who was raised— who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? * No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
God not only gives us His Son, our greatest need, but he gives us our daily needs as well. God is intricately apart of all our lives. He is concerned about all the little details in our lives. He knows us by name, He called us by name! How kind and gracious our God is!
This encourages me in trusting God for my needs. He knows our needs better then we do. He knows us better then we do. And He care for us as His children. What a God we serve!
