When I was enduring one of the most troubling times in my life, I heard something that caused my ears to perk up. Someone said to me, “Feeling good is everything!” Well, as believers, we know that God is our everything, and this truth stands all by itself. But it is also true that God is our Heavenly Father, and He wants us to feel good all the time. He wants the very best for us, and He gave His Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross so that we could have victory in every area of our lives. There are many people that are not walking in the victory that Christ gave his life to give us. They are sad, disappointed, and feel as though there is no hope for the situations and problems they are facing. God’s Word tells us in 1Peter 1:3 that we can have hope because of Jesus Christ, and this is good news indeed!
Jesus Christ said in John 3:16(NLT), “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” This verse is so packed with spiritual yumminess that it is impossible to digest it all in one bite. A person can read it over and over again, and each time a new revelation is unpacked, and a greater understanding is achieved. God’s love for us is limitless and unconditional. John 3:16 doesn’t discriminate between religions, races, backgrounds, social or economic status. God loves everyone, and He gave His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to die for us all.
The reason that many people feel bad in their souls is because they haven’t accepted the love of God in their hearts. Sure, they might know a little bit about Jesus, and they may even believe in God, but we must believe in His love in our hearts. We must believe that God loved us so much that He gave us the most precious treasure in His possession, the life of His only begotten Son. He loves us that big! The spiritual reality of God’s love must flood our being. When it does, we will be transformed into a new person.
This transformation begins the moment we accept the love of Jesus Christ. By confessing that Jesus Christ is Lord and believing that he died for our sins and that God raised him from the dead, we are born-again! We receive God’s spiritual seed. Jesus died on the cross, but he got up with all power in his hands, and this is Good News indeed! Many believers know about the Good News of Jesus Christ, and have accepted him into their hearts, but confusion and unhappiness still exist in their lives and they do not understand why. Some believe that God is punishing them, but His Word tells us in 1John 4:18(NLT), “Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love.” Others believe that He is testing and tempting them, but James 1:13(NLT) tells us, “And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, “God is tempting me.” God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else.” God knows everything, so He already knows what we’re made of. He knows what we will do before we do it.
Then, there are those that do not believe God wants them to be happy, but Jesus Christ told us in John 10:10 that the very reason he came to the earth was to give us a more than abundant life; not just abundant, but MORE THAN abundant life. So, there can be no question that God wants us to be happy, and in truth, He tells us that the joy we find in Him is our strength. It is precisely because we know that God has all power, strength, and knowledge that we should ask Him why we’re unhappy with our lives, but we should also be prepared for the answer, because it is an answer that does not absolve us of responsibility. It is an answer that will inspire us to rise up in the knowledge of Christ and stake our claim to receive all that our inheritance entitles us to possess. This will require us to recognize that while we have been waiting on God to move, He is actually waiting on us.
The proverbial ball is in our court, and God is looking to see what we will do with it. Jesus Christ tells us in Luke 16:10(NLT), “If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities.” There are some questions about life and living of which the answer will propel us exponentially further in our destinies in Christ. These are critical questions that demonstrate our willingness to know more about our purpose in the Plan and Will of God, and they also demonstrate our preparedness to do what God asks of us. One of these critical questions is “Have I been faithful in the little things?”
Most will not ask this question, and some who do will automatically assume a ‘yes’. One of the barometers for measuring the answer is how we feel about ourselves and about our lives. If we feel a deep sense of dissatisfaction, it is not by coincidence. Meaningfulness and fulfillment in life is achieved as we walk the path of God’s purpose for our existences. Romans 8:28(NLT) tells us “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” Our plans will not supersede God’s purpose. His purpose prevails, and when we avail ourselves to His purpose, we will find all things working together for our overall good.
Many of us are walking around, going through the motions of life, but we feel as if we’re just a bystander, like we’re watching someone we don’t know live our lives. This disconnect can be extremely uncomfortable, but it would be a mistake to ignore it or pretend it doesn’t exist. It is indeed a wake-up call to God’s purpose, to begin to understand that you are the missing link, and there’s a gap that can only be filled by the work God has assigned you to complete. You are the bridge between the past, present, and the future, and the absolute greatest gift you can give yourself is to seek God, to pray to Him in the powerful name of Jesus Christ, and ask for the assignment of the missing link.■
New International Version (NIV), Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
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.
“The Assignment” written for Springfield Fellowship © 2020. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.