No Toppling in Tough Times

“But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Go away; the things you did were unauthorized.’” The Christian Standard Bible reads this way, “Then I will announce to them, ‘I never knew you. Depart from Me, you lawbreakers!” 

I DO NOT want to hear those three words, “depart from Me” when I am standing before my Heavenly Father. There will come a day of judgment by the only One who has that right. We will stand before Him giving an account of our actions and every careless word we speak. 

To avoid hearing those three words, the most important first step is to choose. Yes, we are given a choice to follow Jesus or to follow Satan. Harsh, but true. There is nothing in between. In order to follow Jesus, we must verbally confess Jesus is Lord and believe in our heart that God rose Him from the dead to be in right standing with our Father. It is that easy.

But, it does not stop there. There is so much more once the relationship is established. Just being “saved” does not fit the scripture in John 10:10 where Jesus said He came to bring us abundant life. Walking in the peace, love, wisdom, and so much more that Jesus offers is the abundant life. Peace alone is well worth it, but all the additional goodies are amazing. This is where we find freedom. 

One of the most important things to do once you have given care of your heart to Jesus is to start building. By reading the Bible, learning, applying, and obeying, we begin with a solid foundation.  

Matthew 7:21-27 Jesus teaches us about building on a solid foundation. If you build on the sand, when the rain comes it washes away everything. If you build on rock and the rains come, there is no fear of losing everything because it is a firm foundation. A great example can be found in the scripture below. 

Another illustration is trees. Anyone who knows me knows I love nature, especially trees. They are beautiful and, to me, like snowflakes, no two are identical. I would guess most of us have seen trees root-side up. Trees that have been weakened and could take no more. The rains come and, because their roots only go so far, they cannot sustain the waterlogged ground and topple over. A sappy moment here, but that makes me sad. What makes me sadder is to see a fellow believer who has toppled over. 

Our roots must go deep, anchored to sustain us. Two of the best ways to grow deep roots are by reading the Word, aka Bible, and talking to Jesus, aka prayer, daily. In the Bible, we learn about Father God and His faithfulness to those who love Him and His love for us. Please read the Bible. If you do not have a physical Bible available but have a phone, there are excellent Bible apps to download. The Bible is full of guidance and wisdom. I do not have all the answers and am still learning myself, but I am willing to help you the best I can. Praying draws us into sweet intimacy with Jesus as we share our heart and He shares His. There is not much better than that.

Times are tough and, according to the Word, they will get tougher. Be encouraged because there is hope! If we read the Word, pray, and trust, our roots will stand firm and we will too! 

“Whoever has ears, let them hear.” 

Matthew 7:23, Romans 14:10, Matthew 12:36, Romans 10:9-13, Matthew 13:1-9 & 18-23, Matthew 13:9