What has God called you to do for Him? If you love Him, you have been talking to Him and walking the path He is creating for you. Take a moment to consider the quality of your relationship with Him. If you have a relative that you occasionally interact with, you can’t know them very well. You can have a fair judgement of their personality and whether or not you like being in their company. Other than mostly superficial characteristics, it takes time to know someone for the person they truly are. This is also the same with God. If you only spend time with Him on occasion, you will not be on the path He is creating for you. You may make some decisions that coincide with His will for your life, but you will be mostly alone and dying, yearning for a connection to something. If you do not connect, intimately, with the One who created you and has designed the best life for you, you can not be fulfilled, content, at peace, happy. Your relationship with God is the most important one you have. You must spend each moment in His presence to live the best life He has for you.
Life is not easy. We have physical conditions that cause us suffering – hunger, disease, injury. Natural disasters claim many lives and cause immeasurable destruction. People commit crimes against one another as a way of life, leaving countless victims to pick up the pieces of their lives and recover, if they ever do. For the ones who want to recover, God will provide strength and guidance to overcome and excel through the damages they suffer. He is good to those who love Him. If you are willing to listen to Him and follow Him, He is able to heal you, so that you can live with His comfort and peace, no matter what your adversary is. But what happens when we create our own adversary?
Dogs are kept on leashes because dogs do not know the dangers of being off their leash. We know that a loose dog can get hurt or hurt someone else. But God does not keep us on a leash, although He certainly could. God loves to love us, and He wants you to love Him back, so He has given us freedom to choose Him or anything else. If you have chosen to love God as He loves you, then your choices will be made from love and not from fear. Most people live in fear of something, and they carve their own paths in order to avoid their most irrational fears. Christians are not exempt from this way of thinking. When we do this, we are more prone to sinning to avoid that fear. Jesus lived through his fear, facing a certain and agonizing death, and God lived up to His promise to resurrect him from the dead. We can live through our fear and overcome it, as well, leaning on God to secure us in ourselves and in the comfort only He can provide. And one day, God promises will also resurrect us from the dead.
Jesus tells us, “Do not worry! Look at the birds. They do not starve, because God feeds them. You are worth more than a bird! God will feed you much more if you trust Him to do it.” He also says, “Don’t worry! You cannot add one second to your life by worrying. Instead, live today. Do not worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow has enough trouble of its own.” One of the most important things he says is, “God knows what you need before you even ask Him.” So, let God do what He has promised to do for you. Rely only upon Him for all your needs, and you will see how much more at peace you become. The first step is always to seek God and His Kingdom, and all the desires of your heart will be given to you. This is another one of God’s promises to us.
What does your heart desire? If your heart loves things that are physical, then your heart can not desire God. God is spirit. Consider: what is more important to have? everything in the world and all the worry that comes along with the possibility of losing it, or to own nothing at all, endowing you with the peace and freedom that come along having no worries? Let’s take an example: what did Jesus own? His robe, sandals, maybe a cup? And he was able to enjoy life with all kinds of company, tax collectors, sinners, and prostitutes, included. Because in his heart, he loved God so much that Jesus wanted to give all of God’s children the same opportunity he was given to know and love our Father. God did not have to give us the Gospel, but He clearly sees and completely understands the struggles we each go through, and the Gospel is a cure-all, a panacea for suffering. We must apply the cure to a sick society, as we are all ministers to one another.
We are all sick. In one form or another, we have a need for God to heal what causes us to suffer. The only way to be completely healed is to be completely immersed in God’s will for your life. If you are here, reading this, then you certainly have the ears to hear and the eyes to see. When your heart desires God’s fulfillment, He will fulfill you. We are unable to make a complete lifestyle change overnight, but if we are to love ourselves,so that we can appropriately love our neighbors, then we must intimately know ourselves and how we relate to God. Practicing prayer and self-awareness will help you grow closer to God each day. As you discover who your true self is, you will also see that God is the only thing you need. Devote your heart, entirely, to our Father, and He will take care of your needs. This sounds so simple, but our respective sicknesses prevent us from seeking the Kingdom of God and forsaking anything that is not of His Kingdom. People will worship what they believe will save them. But, if you endure to the end, you will be saved. Never be discouraged; you can do it!
And you will certainly encounter people who are devoted to their god, but claim they love and live for Yahweh; they are trapped in unawareness. You will be criticized, judged, mocked, and possibly persecuted for truth. Get used to it. Jesus picked up his cross and carried his literal implementation of execution to the execution site. Would you be able to load the guns of a firing squad, after being sentenced to death, knowing you were absolutely innocent? When you give up the flesh in exchange for the spirit, you may find yourself giving up the physical relationships you once held dear. After so many attempts at conciliation and godly communion with those people and things, often, there is nothing left to say but “goodbye”. God will give you the wisdom to know when that time has come.
Get rid of that which only serves you, and exchange it for serving that which serve God. Give up your identity in the world, and embrace who you are as a brother or sister of Jesus. You are in the family, now. But always be aware of those who say they are Christians, but do not love God and that which is good. Jesus tells us that there are people who do exactly that. Be a wise judge of character, asking God to reveal the truth to you, and He will guide you. God gives wisdom to those who want it. Practice love, patience, kindness, and empathy. This is what God wants from all of us.
Matthew 12:46-50 (NASB)
46 While He was still speaking to the crowds, behold, His mother and brothers were standing outside, seeking to speak to Him. 47 Someone said to Him, “Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside seeking to speak to You.” 48 But Jesus answered the one who was telling Him and said, “Who is My mother and who are My brothers?” 49 And stretching out His hand toward His disciples, He said, “Behold My mother and My brothers! 50 For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother.”
This is the family you have chosen to become a part of. We are so glad you did!
the unitarian christian 