Jesus said to him, “If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me.” John 21:22

There are two essential truths that every Christian needs to know. The first is who we are, which is sinners, weak and unable to do any good on our own, but by God’s grace we have been saved and called to be His children. As God’s children we are His followers, giving our lives away to Him and dieing to self so that He may be glorified and honored in all that we do. This is only possible by the blood of Christ that was offered in exchange for our sinfulness. The second truth is that God is all knowing and the source of all wisdom. His judgment and ways are unsearchable and past finding out.

Since the garden of Eden, before the fall of man, we have always had a desire for more knowledge. Eve’s desire for that which is above her is what led her to eat from the tree that God had forbidden. The flesh knows that all of humanity shares the Achilles heel of curiosity and aims for that weakness, whether it be through gossip about others, anxious thoughts about the future or seeking things above us. Ultimately, there is only on thing we need to know and be concerned with and that is Christ and Him crucified.

Only God is wise and only He knows the fate of all people. Instead of striving for knowledge that does not build up or lead us to God, let us rest in the fact that he knows all the details of tomorrow. In the cross God is shown as ultimately trustworthy as He saves sinners and satisfies His justice. The questions about sins of others and their consequences or envy of their fruitfulness mean nothing when seen in light of God’s perfectly wise plan and grace.

You Are Good (Psalm 119:68)

Our standard of understanding should always be the truth of God. When trying to understand the circumstances of this life, we should always come back to His Word and character. The tendency of every person is to analyze every situation and to try to have our hands around it. People in the work place are praised for being detailed oriented, but as followers of Christ, the most important thing is not the details, but keeping in mind the big picture.

For a Christian, details are helpful, but the most important thing is to remember the big picture and that God is at work. No matter what is going on around us, we must remember that it’s not what is going on around us, but what is happening above us. Because our Father above is working all circumstances for our good, we must never forget the call to walk by faith and not by sight.

Before asking all of the what-if’s, remember that God is good and does good for His children. When tempted to question God, tell yourself the promise of God’s character that He is and does good. God doesn’t call us to know all the answers, but that He is the answer. With Him as the answer, we can walk in with confidence and trust in His goodness not matter the circumstances. At the cross we see the ultimate expression of God’s goodness toward us, so let us view all of life in light of the cross.

That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; (Joel 2:28)

God knows us perfectly well and there is nothing about us that escapes His knowledge. The one thing that God can say about every person is that there is none who does good, no one on their own seeks Him. He knows that our hearts are desperately wicked, from the days of our youth we have walked in sin. Our own we are helpless to do good. If God’s common grace was not functioning in believer and non-believer alike then we would all be as evil as Adolph Hitler.

God knows my inability to please Him or do any good, so He took the initiative to pursue me. Not because of good works I’ve done or good works that He foresaw me doing if I had the ability to do, but because of His grace and mercy He saved me. Before I was born, He chose me to be a vessel of mercy. Prior to time existing God placed His grace on my life so that I would one day walk with Him. This is not on the basis of anything I have done, but according to the good pleasure of His will.

Once we’ve been reconciled to God, our spirit’s desire to live to the praise of God’s glory, but yet our flesh is so weak. God knows the weakness of our flesh and has given us His Spirit as our helper. With the Holy Spirit poured out over our lives we are more apt to the conviction of sin. The Spirit leads us in truth and allows us to know the truth of God’s Word, without Him, we are deaf to what God wants to speak to us. The Spirit testify always of Christ, so that we can seek to always live like Christ. Even as adopted children of God we are unable to glorify the Father with our own strength, that is why we must seek more of the Spirit poured out into hearts.

Tell Your Children About it (Joel 1:4)

Locust, devastation and destruction; these are the things that Joel wants you to tell your children about. Joel’s reasoning is that these things point to God. In the locust we see God’s sovereignty and how all things are brought about because of His rule over this earth. The devastation is the fruit of the locust. This was a time of suffering, great mourning and wailing came across the land as everyone’s life was affected by the locust. This devastation pointed to the destruction that would come in God’s judgment. Although this was not a joyful period, God intended it for good, as it led many to repentance.

When trouble comes our attitude should never be that of questioning of God. God is not like man, He has no obligation to us and rules the universe perfectly according to His holy and majestic ways. His wisdom is far above our comprehension. His plan is eternal and never fails, so when disaster strikes and life does not go according to our plan, our posture should still be that of worship because we generally have more happiness then despair. Not only that, but suffering is a means to see God’s patience. God not wanting any to face eternal suffering will bring about suffering in this life to lead some to repentance.

Let us be faithful to account to all future generations the gospel. The good news of our wretched state that is deserving of devastation and destruction. The good news that we were once a people who were devoid of joy and happiness, but thanks to Christ defeat of death, we can share in His resurrection and have a live a life that bears the fruit of love, peace and joy. The good news that a holy God whose wrath is just and right is forbearing and gracious with His children that deserve condemnation.