“Come unto Me all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
I used the text printed above to share a truth with you that you need to hear and to know, i.e., that God wants the best for you. No, I have not gone off the deep end in thinking that God is enamored with us, and just cannot help but love and care for us. What I mean is that in spite of us, God loves us and wants the best for us. The Bible calls it grace – God’s unmerited favor. I think that the Bible illustrates for us. God sent His Son to die for us, to rise from the grave, to ascend to the right hand of the throne and to intercede for us. God sent His best gift to us in order for us to be the best that we can be. Without Jesus, we would be hopelessly lost and bound for eternity apart from God. Without Jesus, we would flounder about and live only for the world, which promises so much, but delivers so little. Jesus constantly invites us to Himself. We do not come to Jesus just to be saved and delivered from hell, though that is of the ultimate importance. We come to Jesus to be saved and to live a better life – a new life. Anyone who has been lost in the world and living for the world will tell you that when Jesus came into their lives, their lives were better and more satisfying. This is what Jesus wants for us. When I was in prison ministry, which I was in for over twenty years when I ministered in the Tucker Baptist Association, I used to tell those men, who thought that their lives had been ruined, that Jesus wanted the best for them. That was not an empty promise, for they were not hopeless if they did not want to be. But I also told them that they needed to want the best for themselves, and that this could be found in Jesus. Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to be with us and to live in us. In the sixteenth chapter of John, Jesus promised His disciples that when He left, He would not leave them comfortless. Here is the promise in John 16:7: “Nevertheless it is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you, but if I depart, I will send Him to you.” He further promised in John 16:13: “Howbeit when He, the Spirit of truth is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak: and He will show you things to come.” Through the Holy Spirit, those who have been saved by faith in Jesus will have Jesus’ constant presence in their lives. If God did not want the best for us, He would have left us without guidance after His Son had been crucified. The last promise of Jesus in Matthew’s gospel was, “Lo I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.” Through His constant presence, the Holy Spirit wants to lead us into what is best for us. This is a personal promise for you!!!! God wants the best for us; therefore, He disciplines us. This is of the greatest importance for us to know if we really want to have God’s best. Here is what Hebrews 12:5-6 (quoting Proverbs 3:11-12) tells us about God’s discipline: “And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? ‘My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by Him. 6. For the Lord disciplines those He loves, and chastises every son (or daughter) whom He receives.’” (ESV) (I added the parenthesis.) The rationale for this is given in Hebrews 12:9-10: “Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? 10. For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, that we may share His holiness.” (ESV) God loves us enough to discipline us in order for us to receive His best for us. When we understand this truth, we will be better servants of Jesus Christ. There are many other things that I could use to show that God wants the best for you, but, in my mind, these are three of the most important proofs. Grab this truth and run with it: “God wants the best for y-o-u !!!! Bro. Joe
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AuthorDr. Joe Beauchamp is the author of this blog and website. Categories
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