Before I woke up this morning from a good nights sleep, the thought came into my mind that God wants me to be trusting in Christ and for me to have the very best that he has to offer. It's not that I did not already know this, it's just that He seemed to place it into my mind with a peculiar clarity, sort of like, some of the fog had been removed from the glass.
If I should sit and ponder all the things which I could want, according to some lust of the flesh which I am determined to not perpetuate, I may very well come up with all kinds of foolish things which I could convince myself that I want. However many of these things would probably not be things which are best for me.
I know without a shadow of a doubt that what God wants for me is what is best for me. Therefore I am very thankful that I enjoy praising and offering up thanks to the Lord on a continual basis (when I think of continual; eating comes to my mind. I eat continually, or at least two or three times a day. And to me that is continually), because His word says, (Heb. 13:15) to offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. If this was not what God wanted, then He would not have said this in His Word.
Not forgetting that what God wants for us is what is in reality best for us, therefore it is only reasonable for us to know beyond a shadow of a doubt, that what is good for us is to praise His name on a continual basis.
Yes, that's right; He wants us to praise and thank Him continually "because it is good for us."
So if you are one of those people who are wanting God's best, then giving of praise and thanks unto Him is some of God's best. If you are one of those people who are thinking, "well, I don't see how that is going to get me a new car or a better house," then your thinking is skewed and I pray that you will pay very close attention to the following paragraphs.
What else does God want for me?
Well, according to Luke 9:23, He wants for me to deny myself and to take up my cross daily (again; the cross which is mine, that He wants me to take up, is "His Cross." The one that He died upon in order to pay my sin debt and to deliver me unto Righteousness [I am crucified with Christ, Gal.2:20]), and to follow Him. If God had not wanted every man to do this daily, then He wouldn't have said "if any man will come after me," or to do this "daily."
To understand the importance of this daily taking up of our cross (the Cross of Christ), let's look at a scripture in Revelation.
In Rev. 3:15, Jesus is talking to the Church of the Laodiceans. My understanding is that the letter to the Laodicean Church is a representation of the modern Church of today. However, I believe that all the letters to all the Churches may at times be pertinent to all Christians and for all times. Jesus says, in this fifteenth verse, "I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot: I would you were cold or hot.
16. So then because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue you out of My mouth."
To me it seems so very obvious that the man who will not deny himself and take up his cross (the Cross of Christ) daily is not likely to be what Jesus might consider Hot: and because, "this is what He said to do." And because it is a very simple thing to do; requiring no talent or ability, only a willingness to do what God says to do.
I cannot speak for you or anyone else, but for me, the thought of being spued out of the mouth of Christ because of my lukewarmness is a chilling prospect indeed.
This denying of ourselves and taking up our cross daily is what God wants for us; all of us who name the name of Christ Jesus and claim to be Christians, and desire to lay claim on eternal life. Again, if this was not what Christ wanted for us to do, "He wouldn't have said to do it in His Word!)
Actually, I think that the Verse in Heb. 13:15, and Luke 9:23 are inexorably linked. The praise of Hebrews 13:15 has much to do with our denying ourselves and taking up our cross daily, of Luke 9:23. And the fact is that praising the Lord and thanking Him continually, is what God wants every Christian to do. If this is not what He wants, as previously stated, then He would not have put it in His Word.
Let's look at what God's desire is for our health for a moment.
It seems a paradox that the thankfulness of those who are in perfect health is conspicuously lacking. Whereas those who suffer from health problems seem to be more thankful for whatever health they have (like the blind man who is thankful for his hearing). Because a thankful heart is what God is desirous of (and not to forget that God wants this thankful heart from us, "for our own wellbeing"), it stands to reason that perfect health may not always be Gods will for someone at every moment of their lives.
I cannot help but think of Job. He was a good and a just man in the sight of God, and yet he suffered horrible losses, including terrible health.
But who would dare say that Job did not receive great blessings and greater understanding of what God's will was for him, due to what he went through.
I used to be one of those who believed that anything less than perfect health was not according to the will of God. I now believe however, that there are things which are more important for our wellbeing than perfect health.
Complete wellbeing, I believe comes from being totally immersed in Christ. Immersed into His Crucifixion and Death. Immersed totally into His Life, His Righteousness, and His Just Position with the Father. And being thankful for this which Christ shed His Blood on the Cross in payment of these benefits.
Wellbeing comes from our being totally and absolutely immersed into what God wants for us. When we become more concerned with being what He wants for us, rather than being concerned with our own wants for ourselves, then whatever blessings which He deems necessary will be poured upon us. And sometimes these other blessings may not even be what we may have thought we wanted or may have anticipated.
This thought of an unexpected blessing from God brings to my mind a personal experience.
I have two sons which I hadn't seen for probably close to twenty years. I have prayed and do pray them continually.
Because of my lack in the past which I am inept to describe now, I lost contact with them and came to believe they would probably be just as happy if they never seen me again, and had come to terms with not seeing them ever again this side of Heaven. But I prayed for them continually, that my lack toward them would not hinder their trust in Christ.
Then, seemingly out of nowhere I was contacted by my oldest son's wife (God bless her). To my astonished heart, it seems that he was also praying for me. To make a long story short, the Lord has brought us back together. A verse came to my mind after I had been blessed by a visit from my lost son, "delight thyself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart." I did not pray for this reunion because I felt undeserving of such. But God in His Rich Mercies, poured this blessing upon me without my understanding or even any anticipation of such.
I sincerely believe that God wants to bless us abundantly, but more important and of most importance are those Blessings which come only through a continual praise and thanksgiving for all that Christ has done for us. For without a continual praise and thanksgiving and a daily denying of our own capacities and abilities to be able to justify ourselves, and a fresh realization of Christ's accomplishment for us at Calvary also daily, we will certainly loose, "the best that God has for us."
There is surly someone who is saying, "I am already saved and I see no reason for me to have to rehash what Christ has done for me; especially not on a daily basis." I have only one thing to say, "I didn't say it, God's Word said it."
Remember, we are saved from our past sin by the Blood of the Lamb, but we are also delivered daily from a life of sin by the same Blood of Christ.
