Romans 8:29(NLT) tells us “For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.” Our Heavenly Father is Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. To us, this seems like a very, very long time, but we must remember that God is not limited by what we perceive as “time” or “time passing”. He is outside the boundaries of time and can never be restricted by it. He is in the present continually, where we should be. Long before we entered our mother’s wombs, God knew us. He chose us to be His very own. He gave us a purpose within His plan for the entire universe and contained in this purpose is God’s desire that we become the very image of His Son, Jesus Christ.
Years ago, when I first learned that God’s Will is for each of His kids to be like Christ, I was overwhelmed. I knew of Jesus’s love, compassion, and perfect walk and fellowship with the Father. Hebrew 4:15(NLT) tells us, “This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin.” In John 8:29(NLT), Jesus declared, “And the one who sent me is with me—he has not deserted me. For I always do what pleases him.” Our precious Lord and Savior is God’s only begotten Son. Our Heavenly Father sent him on a mission to come to earth and save us. His life here was full of temptations, ridicule, and suffering, but he never sinned—he never made a wrong choice. He is perfect in every way, and every requirement for perfection was fulfilled in him, so that nothing about his sacrifice could be challenged. John 8:29 beautifully affirms that Jesus Christ always does what pleases God, and this must be our aim with each new day we face.
In my youth and spiritual immaturity, I didn’t feel that I could meet such a high bar. I had given my life to Christ, but I also had already made some humdinger mistakes. I liked some of my old habits. I liked a little gossip here and there, and I really didn’t want to lay down the things I found pleasure in doing. But there was no denying that my life was far from the life I’d hoped I would have. Lack and loneliness plagued my existence, and I couldn’t understand why things didn’t get better.
We must be clear that life follows our choices. Our Heavenly Father has designed it in such a way that life always cooperates with His Will. When we make choices that follow His Will, life will respond favorably. Jesus Christ paid the ultimate price for this to happen, and this is why Romans 5:5 declares that Christ is our hope—and this hope does not disappoint, because God poured out His love for us through Christ. Now we are reconciled to God; indeed, we are His kids!
God does not cause our troubles and hard times in life, but He is willing and wants to help us. He will use our tribulations and troubles to help us learn spiritual lessons that deepen our relationship with Him. These lessons also help us to be the men and women God desires us to be. Every single thing that our Heavenly Father does is purposeful. He is in no way wasteful with His resources. So, we can be sure that He is using every encounter and experience we have in life (including our mistakes), to teach us to be more like Christ.
We can’t be all things to all people, and we’re not going to address every aspect of our shortcomings in this lifetime. However, learning the spiritual lessons that will help us better fulfill our purpose in Christ is crucial. And very often those lessons involve endurance and patience. Romans 5:3-4(NLT) states, “3 We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. 4 And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.” Most of the problems we encounter in life are caused or worsened by a lack of patience. Our refusal to endure discomfort, however slight, means that we haven’t yet learned to wait on God, but instead, we take matters into our own hands. This is a recipe for making a bad situation worse.
There are times when nothing in life makes sense, and we don’t understand what God is doing in our lives. We’re experiencing discomfort because we’ve either been waiting on a blessing that has not yet materialized, or we’re confused and simply don’t know what to do next. We may feel very sad about this and wonder if we’ve made God angry or if we’re being punished in some way. God is not angry with us and He doesn’t punish us. He’s not causing the discomfort we feel, but we can be assured that this discomfort is a sign that we need to pay more attention to our relationship with Him.
God would not command us to be more like Christ if we were incapable of getting it done. He has equipped us with His indwelling Holy Spirit, and we have all that we need to be who God has called us to be. However, we must trust this with our whole hearts, and we must surrender our old ways to Him with a sold-out willingness to be led by His Spirit.
We need to pray to God for guidance, and we also need to pray for greater wisdom and understanding of His Word. Jesus Christ commands us in Matthew 6:33 to always seek God first, and this is especially necessary when we’re in a place of ambivalence about our lives. We must remember that God is the One with all the answers to life’s questions. Many people complain that they have sought the Lord but didn’t receive an answer. This is an impossibility. God always answers us. Jesus Christ said in Matthew 7:11(NLT), “So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.”
Isaiah 40:31declares that those of us that wait on the Lord will renew our strength. This is because our God is the Source of our strength, and He never gets tired. He never needs to take a pause or timeout. He’s on the case every moment of every day, and He will keep us energized through our faith. Lamentations 3:25(ESV) echoes this and tells us, “The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.” And Psalm 37:7(ESV) tells us to “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him.” The lesson here is to be patient. It’s to patiently endure in faith and wait on God for answers and guidance. He already knows what comes next and when we place our trust in Him, we’ll learn our lessons well and stay within His Will and purpose for 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.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
“When Nothing Makes Sense”, written for Springfield Fellowship © 2022. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.