Living for God in a Godless Society Part 2预览

STAY THE COURSE. DON'T GIVE UP!

Daniel 2 ends with King Nebuchadnezzar realizing that Daniel’s God is the one true God. As a result, Daniel is promoted within the kingdom, and alongside his friends, he’s able to make a difference within the city.

No God-sized problem is too big for God. And truly, thank God for that. We won’t ever fully understand the things that God calls us to walk through in our life. That’s ok, and it’s part of His greater plan. As Jesus says in John 16, we are called to “take heart” because His plan is better. As we learned this week, these problems and trials that we face in our life are meant to bring glory to God. Life on earth has never been about humanity’s comfort or understanding. In many ways, this is a very counter-cultural way to live. In the world, we’re encouraged to seek answers and find peace in any and all ways. As followers of Jesus, we know true peace only comes from Him. Through spiritual disciplines like prayer, we can walk through life step-by-step with the Father who created us and loves us. When you find yourself with a problem that feels way too big, don’t give up. Create time to pray. Give God credit at every turn. Remember which Kingdom you belong to.

“The cross is laid on every Christian. The first Christ-suffering which every man must experience is the call to abandon the attachments of this world. It is that dying of the old man which is the result of his encounter with Christ. As we embark upon discipleship we surrender ourselves to Christ in union with his death—we give over our lives to death. Thus it begins; the cross is not the terrible end to an otherwise god-fearing and happy life, but it meets us at the beginning of our communion with Christ. When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.”
― Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship

May we live our lives, no matter what is to come, in communion with Christ.

Ask Yourself:

-Do I have an action plan to walk well through the struggles and trials that I’ll face in my life?

-What do I need differently to stay the course and stay close to God when life on earth feels like too much to bear?

Pause to Pray: Refer back to the passage in John 16 and use this prayer time as a time of thanksgiving, thanking God that he has a greater plan and that he’s worthy of your praise and trust

Take a Next Step: Remember what you’ve learned this week and take time to pray every day, give God glory always, and remember who you belong to!

Find more resources at www.whoisgrace.com/READ.