Our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ informs all the best decisions we make in life. One of the reasons for this is because following the example that Christ left for us always leads us down the right path. We can’t go wrong by following his example, not ever. Jesus Christ tells us in John 10:10 (NKJV), “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have [it] more abundantly.” This is why he came to the earth, to make a more than abundant life available to all God’s children. Without the sacrifice and resurrection of Christ, we would be doomed. We’d be in a vicious cycle of sin, destruction, death, and darkness, but through His infinite mercy and grace, God has rescued us! Now we can walk in the liberty of Christ and live an existence that is pleasing to God and fulfilling to us as well.
Many people are suffering through horrible situations and they feel hopeless and stuck. They might find themselves searching for meaning and wondering what all this is for. All of us have probably felt this way at one time in our lives, and it can be very discouraging, but we must remember that our hope is in Jesus Christ. Hebrews 13:8(NLT) tells us, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” Our Master Jesus never changes and trusting this is so very important to our faith.
From a very young age, we learn about seasons and how nature is always changing. We also learn that we will change as we grow older and develop into people that look much like our parents. Maturity teaches us that we change and everything around us changes as well. This is the nature of life, because nothing in life stays the same. When we accept the Lord Jesus into our hearts and give our lives to him, we embark upon the greatest change in life that any human being can make. God transforms us in a way that nothing else can. We receive the spiritual new birth that our Heavenly Father has made available through the sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus Christ. 2Corinthians 5:17(NLT) tells us, “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!”
Jesus Christ is the head of our lives. He is Lord! Everything that our Creator sent him to earth to accomplish, he did so perfectly. He did it to the very best ability that is possible. This is very different from us and how we do things. Sometimes we walk according to God’s Will and Word, and sometimes we don’t. Our faithfulness and steadfastness aren’t consistent but sometimes dependent on factors like our feelings, conditions, or environment. This isn’t the case with our Lord and Savior. When he walked upon the earth, he was perfectly faithful and steadfast to our Heavenly Father and the mission he was sent to do. He said in John 6:38(NLT), “For I have come down from heaven to do the will of God who sent me, not to do my own will.” Through his example—his love, power, authority, and perfect, Jesus Christ teaches us what it means to be Lord, and only he is deserving of that title.
The prophecy of Revelation 17:14(NLT) tells us, “Together they will go to war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will defeat them because he is Lord of all lords and King of all kings. And his called and chosen and faithful ones will be with him.” Our precious Lord and Savior is Lord of all lords, and King of all kings. He is powerful and strong, and he’s able to help us. 1John 2:1(NLT) tells us, “My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous.” God’s desire is that we will not sin, and He has given us the unfailing resources of His Word, the example of Jesus Christ, and the Gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit to help us stay on the right path, but even with His extraordinary resources, we make mistakes. We have free-will and decide of our own accord to sin against God even when we know it’s not what our Heavenly Father wants. We are being perfected day by day through Jesus Christ, but we’re not quite there yet. It is comforting to know that when we miss the mark, our Lord Jesus advocates for us before our Heavenly Father’s throne.
Our Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit, are the Godhead bodily. They are One and they do not change. They are good all the time and all the time they are good. This is the solid foundation upon which our lives rest. When people don’t believe and trust in God’s goodness, they’re lives become unstable and disappointing. They’ve been tricked by the evil one into believing that He does things He doesn’t do.
“An act of God.” Have you ever heard that term? This is what people who don’t know God call a terrible or tragic event. If a tree falls in your front yard and hits your house or car, the insurance company calls it an act of God. When there are devastating weather events, people say that God is angry and that He’s punishing people for their wrongdoing. When we, ourselves, go through hard times, some of us cry out “God, why are You doing this to me?” Often, we are blinded from the reality that we have an enemy, the devil, and he has so tricked the minds of people that we blame God for the things the devil does. Sometimes, we’re clueless to the ways that the enemy manipulates and tricks our minds, all in a plot to hinder our faith in God.
Jesus Christ came to the earth to show us the heart of God, to show us that God desires us to be happy and to live abundantly. When Jesus began his ministry, what did he do? He told people to repent, to stop doing the things that were causing them to live in darkness. He wanted them to live in the light! In John 8:12(NLT) He said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.” Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He’s our solid foundation! He’s our peace, our stability, our salvation, our deliverance, and Philippians 4:13 tells us that we can do all things through him. He is Lord, and we must honor his holy name by following his example. When we do this, we will live abundantly through Jesus Christ, and live in his victory over sin, death, darkness, and despair every day of our lives.■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“Jesus Christ, the Same, Yesterday, Today, and Forever”, written for 4theChristianMan.com© 2024. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.