GOD CONSIDERATIONS

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Consider what God has done:

Who can straighten what he has made crooked?

When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider this:

God has made the one as well as the other. Therefore, no one can discover anything about their future.

Ecclesiastes 7:13-14 

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

One of the things that disappoints me most is when I hear people question whether or not God is present in their lives or in extreme cases, whether or not God exists at all.

In response to these questions, as in all questions, we find the Holy Scriptures providing us answers. In today’s case, those answers come in the way of God considerations. Look at these verses from Ecclesiastes, Chapter 7:

Consider what God has done:

Who can straighten what he has made crooked?

When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider this:

God has made the one as well as the other. Therefore, no one can discover anything about their future.  Ecclesiastes 7:13-14 

The first way to address whether God is present is to consider Him period and the things He has done.

Think about it. God created all things and it is He and He alone that sustains them. The scriptures tell us that a time is coming when what we know will be no more, passing away into extinction (Revelation 21:1). The first earth and heaven that God created will give way to new ones. It is God who will dictate when this happens and it will be by His power that it is orchestrated.

With this, every day we awake and take breath in this world should lead us to a moment of consideration of God’s presence and His mercy, grace, and love. We should be taken to the point of thanksgiving and praise, knowing God is alive and present and allowing us to live one more day. If that weren’t true, I wouldn’t be writing this and you wouldn’t be reading it. We would all be gone.

The problem with us is that we take God for granted as well as the things He does for us. We simply can’t stop considering Him and all He is doing in our lives, like keep us straight in a sinful world.

This is the second God consideration we’re given in today’s passage. For out of one simple question, we are placed in a position where we need to acknowledge that God, and God alone, leads us to do what is right, to walk upon the narrow path that leads us to holiness and favor with Him.

Who can straighten what he has made crooked?

None of us can fix the things we mess up in life. Only God can straighten out the errors of our ways and get us back to where we need to be. Without Him and left to our own devices, we would be doomed. With Him, we always have hope, now and forever. This is something we should always consider and again bring our praises to God for His guidance and direction.

Our third God consideration is this: God is always there for us in the good and bad times.

When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider this: God has made the one as well as the other.

It can be easy to see God present in our times of rejoicing and celebration and joy. But when the sorrows and despairs of life come upon us, our sight can be clouded and it can be harder to see God with us. Maybe you have been there. I know I have.

What I have learned is that God is nearer to me than ever when I am going through difficulty. All I need to do is consider and turn to Him for direction and comfort and peace and love. This has led me to times when I have found clarity in confusion and solace in distress. Like there is still calm in the midst of a mighty hurricane, we can find still calm in God during times when the storms of life rage all around us. He is always just a prayer away.

Finally, we need to consider that God holds our future in His hands.

Therefore, no one can discover anything about their future.

No one knows what their earthly future holds. No mere human has that kind of insight but God does. He knows because He writes the script for our lives from beginning to end. He brings us into creation at His appointed time and He will take us when He chooses.

This is truth and yet we find people investing a lot of time and worry into trying to control a future they have no control over and in doing so, wasting good time that God wants to use them to His service.

Want to impact your future in the most positive way possible? It takes less than a minute. For all you need to do is receive Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, as your personal Savior, believing and trusting that He lived and died for you, bearing the price for your sins on Calvary’s cross before being resurrected from death to life by the very God who desires for you to have the same opportunity out of His deep love for you (John 3:16). If you have done this, then your future is set, an eternal future where you will live with God and Jesus forever.

In sum, consider this about God. He is with you today and He wants to be with you forever. Whether or not you have that kind of future is up to you. Please don’t take too much time considering what God is offering you.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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