The Best Is Yet To Come

Happy New Year to everyone. If you're like a lot of people, you're probably just holding your breath to see if this year turns out not to be as bad as all the experts predicted it would be.

2008 was a year of high highs and low lows. As we look back at last year, we can be reminded of some exciting and wonderful experiences, as well as some tragic and frightening ones.

Our times are about people reaping what we've sown, and God's people need to do what He has called all of us to do. We need to make sure that we don't make the same mistakes that others make in times like these, especially in playing the blame game, or falling into the temptation to just look out for “Number One.”

So if you are asking how can we get out of the mess that we're in, then why not seek the answer in scripture? The bible has the answers to anyone who is willing to accept the truth, instead of the excuses.

The land needs to be healed, and what we need is for all the nations to repent - to humble ourselves, to pray, to seek God's face, and to turn from our wicked ways. God's plans are not to bring sickness and plagues to the land.

In Christ, our best days are not in our past: grace just doesn't work like that. Because of God's grace, the troubles that we face are always a road to the victory that God has prepared for His people.

God never promised that His people would never have problems, but He did promise that He would never leave or forsake us. God offers us a relationship as a father, and His love never ends. God always has plans to bless us as His children, even when we've messed up, and especially when His children are in the middle of a dangerous situation.

Because of God's grace, His people may not face hard times the same way that some folks do. Both in our daily experiences and in the scriptures, we can be confident that God has a “holy hookup” for His people that may not be there for folks who don't believe.

Maybe it's happened to you when you rented a car at the airport: even though you booked the least expensive car in the lot, the clerk at the desk looked at you and gave you an upgrade. Rather than try to figure out the clerk's motivation, why not admit that a “Holy Ghost Hookup” just occurred?

Because of God's grace, He's not condemning His people, He's purifying us. God's grace is about more than how good we've been or even how strong our faith is.

God is not out to get us for how sinful we are, He's out to rescue us from what sin does to us. God grace is there waiting for us to turn away from the sin that keeps us down in the pit. He promises to answer our cries, but we have to be ready for the answer that He has for us.

We have a role to play in the grace that God gives us. God shares His grace with us so that we can do the good works that He's made us to do. God's grace is always practical - here to meet the needs of those who are willing to receive His blessings.

Because of God's grace, the only thing better than yesterday's blessings are today's blessings. God's grace is available to anybody who is willing to trust Him.

Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. His grace is sufficient for us, for His power is made perfect in weakness. Here's a plan for 2009: trust in God, no matter what!