Julia Melatis – Author

We must keep our minds steadfast upon the Lord and His Word. We are to seek Him in prayer, and in His Word, through the power of His Spirit within us, so we may know the power of God in our lives, stay strong in the hope we have, and be kept in His peace as we completely trust and depend upon Him.

We know that the kingdom of God is a 180-degree shift from the ways of the world. I have often said that, in the world, as we grow and mature, it is expected that we will become independent. But in God’s kingdom, as we grow and mature, we must become more and more dependent upon Him for everything.

Seek out the Lord and His strength; seek His face always. Remember the wonders He has done, His marvels, and the judgments He has pronounced,
1 Chronicles 16:11‭-‬12 BSB

I ask that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know the hope of His calling, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and the surpassing greatness of His power to us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of His mighty strength, which He exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly realms,
Ephesians 1:18‭-‬20 BSB

As believers, disciples of Christ Jesus our Lord, the strength and power of God is within us. But we must continually seek God’s presence/face and not just His hand of provision and strength. I can be guilty as anyone of seeking His provision over spending time in His presence. When we spend time with Him and prioritize Him in our lives, we will know His presence with us all the time. I know I have recommended this book before, but it is one of a few I have read more than once, The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence. If you have trouble knowing the presence of God in your day to day living, this is a must-read!

Beloved, let us love one another, because love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God’s love was revealed among us: God sent His one and only Son into the world, so that we might live through Him. And love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as the atoning sacrifice for our sins. If anyone confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. And we have come to know and believe the love that God has for us. God is love; whoever abides in love abides in God, and God in him. In this way, love has been perfected among us, so that we may have confidence on the day of judgment; for in this world we are just like Him.
1 John 4:7‭-‬10‭, ‬15‭-‬17 BSB

So, what is the surpassing power of God’s greatness? It’s who He is, His great love for us. The God who created the universe with just the spoken Word is the same God that sent Jesus to die for us and raised Him from the dead, so we can be reconciled to Him and have eternal life with Him. If God never did another thing for us after raising Jesus from the dead, it would be enough for us to sing eternal praises to Him. Yet, out of His great love for us, He lavishes us with His love as the Father did for his son in the story of the prodigal (Luke 15:11-32). I didn’t say prodigal son, because prodigal is one of those words that has two opposing meanings. On the one hand, it means to be wasteful, but on the other, it means to be generous. Yes the son was thoughtless and wasteful, but since the point of the story is the Father’s generosity of not just the material things, but more so His love, I see them both as prodigal on different ends of the spectrum. It is the power of the Father’s love that transformed their relationship. In the same way, the power of God’s love is always at work inside those who believe and confess Jesus as Lord of their lives. Praise be to God!

Just as we have had the love of God lavished upon us, so too we must be lavish with love for others. Part of that is telling people about Jesus’ love for them and His gift of salvation and eternal life. We must remember this is our job, and it is Holy Spirit’s job to convict people of their sins. If we go around pointing fingers at people for their sins, they shut out anything else we have to say. I know this world seems out of control with all the sin that is being legalized in the name of freedom and civil rights. BUT GOD is still on His throne. In the end, He will restore all things. The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise as some understand slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9 BSB). Jesus commanded us to “go and make disciples of all nations” and to “teach them to obey all that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19‭-‬20 BSB). Let’s purposefully think about this in every interaction we have with people. Be the light of Christ shining into the darkness of this world (see Matthew 5:14-16). I see images on the news of protests and even in videos of meetings in Congress, where people are fighting and accusing each other in such self-righteous defiance that no one hears what the other is saying. We must learn to act and react being kingdom-minded as opposed to in the way of the world. Let the way we live be as salt to others, giving flavor and making them thirst for what it is about us that makes us different (see Matthew 5:13). Let the surpassing power of God’s greatness be evident in our lives for everyone to see. Amen.

With love and blessings of Hope and Joy,

Julia

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