God still reigns

 I wake up and watch the news, and it gives me a pit in my stomach.

As a Christian, it seems like the world is steadily coming for us, and it makes me scared for the future. So, I keep reminding myself that God is still in charge. When Nero was burning Christians as lights for his garden parties, God still reigned. When John was boiled alive for spreading the gospel, God still reigned. When Christians were tortured in Romanian prisons under Communist rule, God still reigned.

When Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were thrown into the fiery furnace for following God under Nebuchadnezzar's rule, God still reigned. When Daniel faced the lion's den after continuing to pray even when commanded not to pray to anyone but Nebuchadnezzar, God reigned. I read a portion of Daniel 4 today, and it gave me hope that even in a world that is swirling out of control, we still need to pray for our leaders, because God can turn anyone's heart around. Did you know that Nebuchadnezzar actually ended up praising God?

"Now, I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the king of heaven, because everything he does is right and all his ways are just. And those who walk in pride he is able to humble." Daniel 4:9

"Those who walk in pride he is able to humble." That person you might think is too far gone to be saved, isn't. One of the worst kings in history eventually came to Christ, so why can't the politicians that we think are too far gone also be brought to repentance?

Lord, I ask for mercy on this country. Please don't give us what we deserve, because we deserve your wrath. We deserve to be taken down for the horrible path that we are on. However, you can redeem us. You can redeem your people. You can redeem this nation.

Someday, Jesus will come back. He will bring down a just wrath on this earth and all the evil and wrong done here, and all who have not accepted his gift of grace and accepted him as their savior will be brought to justice. Those who believe in his name will be saved from our just punishments. But until that time, continue to hope, dear Christians. God isn't slow to bring about his promises, he is just waiting to save as many people as he can, as many Nebuchadnezzars as he can.

"But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." 2 Peter 3: 8-9

I just need to try harder...

I can't escape from the fact that every time God is trying to teach me something, I see reminders of it everywhere.

In church, the pastor talked about how God is not satisfied leaving us where we are. He will forever continue to work on us.

"The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands." (Psalm 138:8)

He also did a series on the fruits of the Spirit that reminded me that love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness and self-control are not traits that I can manifest but are traits that the Holy Spirit working in me manifests. 

So it's not a coincidence that after writing about this in my prayer journal that today's devotion talked about letting God do his work in us that we can't do for ourselves and quoted Philippians 1:6, "...being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."

Or that I followed that devotion by reading a chapter in my book about apologetics that refuted the philosophy of self-helpism, the theory that we can change ourselves if we just put our minds to it, when in reality we can work hard but can't change who we really are --- sinful --- without God's grace and work in us.

OK, God. I get it.

I need to stop thinking that I can do better if I only work harder, concentrate more, am more self-disciplined. It's only taken 32 years of failure in that aspect for me to realize that I can press on for more, but only God's grace in my life can actually accomplish anything.