Last Sunday, I posed nine questions, to help us to reflect on what we really believe, deep down. The questions were designed to help us to realise, how we perceive the Lord God, Almighty. Our thoughts about Him determines our relationship with our Heavenly Father.
Our culture influences us more than we might want to admit ourselves. I suppose we want to prove we have our own thoughts. It is a beautiful ideal, to believe we are capable of being free agents. Not being influenceable but deciding our own destiny. I want to believe in that ideal, even though I know it is not real.
In today’s world, we need to have firm ideals if we want to endure as followers of Jesus. God is not a prevalent idea in our modern world. The truth about God is questioned. It should not be a surprise that we end up doubting too.
I am convinced that only one thing remains in a changing world, God. He is an unchangeable God. Solomon says, “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom... the fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trust in the Lord shall be safe” (Proverbs 9:10; Proverbs 29:25).
Unlimited
The Lord God is infinite. He is unlimited in power, knowledge, love and mercy. “Nothing is impossible with God” (Luke 1:37). The Almighty God is boundless. Our loving God can do “far and immeasurably more than we can ever ask or imagine” (Ephesians 3:20). Our culture can never change God. He is our Creator, and He has chosen us to be His people.
Eternal
Today's news is forgotten tomorrow. A kingdom perspective looks into eternity. By this, I mean looking at everything the way God does. We find it hard to see the bigger picture when we are going through hard times. However, we must realise we are pilgrims on the earth, and we don’t belong here. “For we know that if our earthly house, a tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens” (2 Corinthians 5:1, see also Hebrews 11:13).
The Lord is coming again. In that day, “God will wipe away ever tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain…” (Revelations 21:4).
Steadfast Love
Fashion changes every year, and culture is influenced by events: the whole world changes, and so do we. Still, our loving God never changes. He “is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). The Eternal God can’t change, even when others do, because the Almighty Lord remains faithful to Himself. His steadfast love is complete and unchangeable because it does not depend on what we do, but who He is. People that change, could never understand “how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is” for us (Ephesians 3:18).
Always Present
God is everywhere, all the time. People may not see Him or may think that He has abandoned us. This could not be further from reality. The Lord God Almighty says He is “the one who will go before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or abandon you. Do not be afraid or discouraged” (Deuteronomy 31:8). God is always with us, even when we feel He is not. Our feelings are not always right. Don’t let them determine your future. He is in control and knows what is happening in our lives and what tomorrow has for us.
Knows All
Nothing compares to the Lord God. He is limitless in His knowledge. “God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength” (1 Corinthians 1:25). In today’s world, we consider we have limitless information. We google and found an answer, right away. Sadly, we discover it was wrong later on. We can trust our eternal God because His wisdom is endless. “Some take pride in chariots, and others in horses, but we take pride in the name of the Lord our God” (Psalm 20:7).
Our temptation is to follow the culture wherever we live. However, our calling is not to become like the culture that we live, but it is to demonstrate the Kingdom culture where we live. We overcome our culture when we learn to rest in Him, and He is our all.
“Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness,” we read last Sunday. Let us embrace the truth of who God is and let us walk in that truth, despite the pressures of this world.
Every blessing,
Bishop Josep Rossello
