Praise God that you and I can be where Jesus is-now, and for all eternity-because He lives within us and has promised that He will never leave us nor forsake us!
When your parents forsake you through death or abandonment, or your spouse forsakes you through divorce, you have His presence. (Ps. 27:10)
When the fire of adversity increases in intensity, you have His presence. (Dan. 9:1-25)
When you are overwhelmed by burdens or depression, you have His presence. (Isa. 43:2)
When you and I follow Jesus, He promises that we will be where He is. And there is not one place in the entire universe, visible or invisible, where He is not! What a blessing!
In Your name they rejoice all day long,
and in Your righteousness they are exalted.
In the Lord I have righteousness and strength. To Him men shall come, and all shall be ashamed who are incensed against Him. In the Lord all the descendants of Israel shall be justified, and shall glory. § Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous; and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!
The righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe …To demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! § Whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory.
Ps. 89:16; Isa. 45:24–25; Ps. 32:11;
Rom. 3:21–22, 26; Phil. 4:4; 1 Peter 1:8
Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.
The Lord reigns, He is clothed with majesty … Your throne is established from of old; You are from everlasting.
The Lord is … great in power. § If God is for us, who can be against us? § Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us … and He will deliver us. § My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. § He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but to Your name give glory. § Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power and the glory, the victory and the majesty; for all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours; Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and You are exalted as head over all … Now therefore, our God, we thank You and praise Your glorious name. But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly as this? For all things come from You, and of Your own we have given You.
Matt. 6:13; Ps. 93:1–2; Nah. 1:3; Rom. 8:31; Dan. 3:17;
John 10:29; 1 John 4:4; Ps. 115:1; 1 Chron. 29:11, 13–14
The solution to loneliness is not to give in or give up~or do what everyone else does~or go where everyone else goes~or look like and speak like and think like and act like the world around you so you won’t stand out so sharply from the crowd. The solution is not to withdraw into an uninvolved, inactive life. The solution is found when you discover meaning in the midst of loneliness as God Himself shares your loneliness while you walk with Him and work for Him.
Two thousand years ago another solitary figure stood out in history. He stood alone against all the visible and invisible forces of evil in the universe. The sin of all mankind was placed upon Him as He walked to the place of sacrifice, carrying His own means of execution. He was betrayed by one of His best friends and denied by another. Not one person stood with Him-not the blind man to whom He had given sight, not the deaf man to whom He had given hearing, not the lame man to whom He had given strength. He was crucified on a Roman cross alone . . . so that you need never be alone-ever again.
Not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord.
Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going. § Whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ. § Whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord. § I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work. § Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business? § Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up.
Brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble. § We desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. § Run in such a way that you may obtain it.
Rom. 12:11; Eccl. 9:10; Col. 3:23–24; Eph. 6:8; John 9:4;
Luke 2:49; John 2:17; 2 Peter 1:10; Heb. 6:11–12; 1 Cor. 9:24
Do not lead us into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.
He who trusts in his own heart is a fool, but whoever walks wisely will be delivered.
Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. § Therefore “Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you.”
Lot lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere … like the garden of the Lord … Then Lot chose for himself all the plain of Jordan … But the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinful against the Lord. § [God] delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked … The Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations. § Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand.
Matt. 6:13; Prov. 28:26; James 1:13–14; 2 Cor. 6:17;
Gen. 13:10–11, 13; 2 Peter 2:7, 9; Rom. 14:4
The Greek word for “comforter” is parakletos, which literally means one called alongside to help. This was beautifully illustrated in the 1992 Summer Olympics during a track-and-field event. As the runners in the 400-meter race flew around the oval track, one of them suddenly pulled up on the back stretch, one leg held up and dangling as he limped to a stop. He had pulled a hamstring! As the crowd stood, holding its collective breath, a man ran out of the stands to the young athlete. It was his father! As the television crew relayed the moving scene to the watching world, the microphones picked up the runner’s words: “Dad, you’ve got to help me across the finish line. I’ve trained all my life for this race.” And so the father put his arm around his son, and together, they limped across the finish line to a standing ovation!
In the race of life, God our heavenly Father has come alongside us through the Person of the Holy Spirit. And when we think we can’t go one more step He puts His everlasting arms around us, and gently walks with us to the finish.
