The Graceline

"By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life" (2 Peter 1:3 NLT).

"Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment" (1 Timothy 6:17 NIV).

"I can do everything through Him who gives me strength" (Philippians 4:13 NIV).

"So don't be afraid, little flock. For it gives your Father great happiness to give you the Kingdom" (Luke 12:32 NLT).

Do these verses make God out to be a "cosmic killjoy" Who is holding out on us and keeping the good stuff for Himself? Notice the key word: EVERYTHING! God is holding nothing back. As a matter of fact, it delights Him to give us His entire Kingdom.
So why don't we enjoy life? Why do we worry? Why are we anxious when we are King's Kids? Our Papa owns the universe.

My problem has always been one of trust. I used to think that all God wanted was my obedience. I was wrong. The thing God has wanted from each us all the way back to Adam and Eve is our trust. God knows if we trust Him, obedience will not be an issue. If we believe... really believe, not just give mental assent... then all things a possible to them who believe.

To believe, according to the Bible, means "to cling to, trust in, rely upon, put your whole weight upon." To believe means that we take God seriously and act on what He says. It's one thing to say you know that God will provide everything you need when you don't need anything. It's a different matter when you are in real need. What makes the difference?

Faith is an action word. Faith is not passive. It steps out on what it trusts. Faith is believing it's so, even though it's not so, so it can be so, because God said it is so. To put it another way: Faith is believing something is, even though it's not, so it can be because God said it was.

Jesus said He came so that we might have life and have more abundantly, to the max, over the top (John 10:10). Life is meant to be lived. It is not a spectator sport. It is not a dress rehearsal.

Life is a mixture of joy and sorrow. Sorrow is the dark threads the weaver weaves so that the vivid colors stand out. Punky Brewster theology: "How can you know when you're happy if you're never ever sad." To live life, you have to take some risks. Sometimes life hurts. It's the way it is in a fallen world. Life lived in a bubble to avoid pain is not worth living. You will never begin to live until you are not afraid to die.

One reason we don't enjoy life is fear. We are afraid we might get hurt, or make a mistake. We are afraid God will punish us, or be disappointed in us. And many of us spend our lives trying to avoid messing up rather than simply diving in and savoring all the pleasures of life that God has given us to enjoy.

God delights in our mistakes. What are you talking about, Kenny? I mean that God knows the only way we will ever come to trust Him is to realize we can't trust ourselves. Jesus said that we couldn't do a thing without Him. He is expecting us to mess up when we are trusting our own strength and wisdom. God is not disillusioned with us because He never had the illusion that we could make it without Him in the first place.

I'm pretty old now. When I was a kid, I used to think people died at my age. And I have lived this long and have never really lived because of fear. God says that when we know how much He loves and accepts us, fear will go completely away. I don't know about you, but I'm ready to live... really live... carefree in the care of God! Wow! I'm going to start living what I believe and put some feet on my faith. I ain't skeered, are you?

Nobody ever got drunk on the word, "wine." You think about that.