For thought and meditation Mon Apr 1 2024

[Markopolo]

Your Lord Precedes You
Blackaby Ministries

“But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee.” Mark 14:28

God never sends you into a situation alone. He always goes before His children, as He did with the children of Israel when He led them with a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. You do not serve as His advance troops in a foreign and hostile situation. He always precedes you in any situation you encounter. God is never caught by surprise by your experience; He has already been there. He is prepared to meet every need because He has gone before you and knows exactly what you will need for your pilgrimage (Deut. 31:8).

Not only does God go before you, but He also stands beside you and behind you, to provide protection and comfort (Ps. 139:7-12). Jesus knew His disciples would be totally bewildered by His crucifixion, so He assured them in advance that no matter what happened, no matter where they went, they could go in confidence that He had already gone before them. Paul, too, experienced this assurance (Acts 18:9; 23:11). In the most bewildering circumstances, his Lord was there!

If you are going through a difficult or confusing time, know that your Lord has gone before you and He is present with you. He is fully aware of what you are facing, and He is actively responding to your need. There is nowhere you can go that you will not find Christ waiting for you to join Him. Even when you face death, you can be assured that He has gone before you in triumph. As a child of God, rest in the knowledge that your Savior preceded you, and He will walk with you through each experience of your life.

Have a blessed day!

[ioon44]

Amen.

[GhostHawk]

Amen indeed!

[USMC87]

Amen.

[dverna]

"Even when you face death, you can be assured that He has gone before you in triumph. As a child of God, rest in the knowledge that your Savior preceded you, and He will walk with you through each experience of your life."

Those may be comforting words to most Christians.

I do not fear death the way I used to, but I am not going to go to Him without fighting to live.

I do not trust God to protect me so I have guns staged in my home and carry a gun when I feel the need to be prepared. I suppose it can be argued that God has nudged me into staging/carrying a gun and that it will be God's will if I survive a gun fight.

God did not protect the servants and children of Job. And Job suffered greatly so that God could prove a point to Satan. In the end, Job was "rewarded", but those who relied on Job were less fortunate. Maybe if the servants and children had as much faith as Job they would have been spared. But then Job would not have suffered as much as God wanted him to suffer.

My sense of right and wrong gets in the way of my faith journey. I do not understand how God works and accept I cannot understand. Instead of growing faith, it inhibits it...and I know that is wrong!!!

The story of Job is a problem for me and makes it more difficult to see the "loving God" we are preached to about. God may love all his children, but He will destroy them or allow them to be destroyed if necessary.

[Jadkins87]

Amen..

God Bless

JDAS

[Wayne Smith]

Don, I understand what you are struggling with and have some of the same struggles. I look at the Old Testament and see man's failure throughout. Israel is to be a blessing to the gentiles, by following Him and showing us who God is. The book of Judges shows the failure of the tribe of Levi, who were the custodians of the Law. It is estimated that the first Temple only had the alter to God for a total of 50 years unpolluted with the alters of other gods. They never fulfilled God's plan.

If you have been taught that God is a God of love without being taught that he is also equally a God of justice, a God of vengeance, and a God of righteousness you have been miss taught. He is all of that and more - get to know the God of the Old Testament and you will have a much fuller view of Him. Yes, he is a God of Love, but it was his righteousness and justice that caused Christ (equally God) to sacrifice himself to satisfy the demands of those aspects of God.

Yes, I struggle with the Trinity, too. I'm not sure we are capable of understanding the Trinity, or at lease I'm sure I'm not so capable.

[dverna]

Wayne, good post and thanks for sharing.

Like you, I struggle with the Trinity. Cannot grasp the Holy Spirit thing.

I came to God after decades of being an atheist so have a ton of baggage to deal with. I am blessed and cursed with an analytical mind (engineer). That makes taking things on faith a bit tougher than it should be. I remember a post or PM by Ickisrules (SP?) years ago that essentially said to give the benefit of doubt to the Bible when there appear to be inconsistencies. It was good advice, but my little pea brain sometimes works too hard to understand that which man may never be able to understand.

I do not look forward to death, but look forward to being with Him and finally understanding and accepting my ignorance and foolishness. He must belly laugh at us(well me at least)...if He has a belly. LOL