Sometimes we experience a new crisis in our lives designed by God to shape and mold us into what He needs us to be. Despite our pride and selfish ambitions, and our desire to partake in the sin of parading wealth and vanity, God has a plan for all people on this Earth whether we realize it or not. The entire planet and all it’s inhabitants are under “common Grace”, which is not to be confused with “saving Grace”. God’s universal kindness is mentioned in The Gospel of Mathew here:

Mathew 5:45 – “That you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.”

God has powerfully unique ways of getting our attention and causing us to turn or return to Him. He is not going to let go of you, especially if you have accepted Jesus into your life and acknowledged He died on The Cross for all mankind’s flaws and sins. Once you are placed in the sheep pen, God is not going to let you wander off. His faithfulness is unwavering. In The Second Epistle of Paul to Timothy shortly before his martyrdom, Paul explains:

2 Timothy 2:13 – “If we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself.”

As I have mentioned in other posts, I’ve had a tendency to backslide in my walk of Faith regarding one particular weakness. God got my attention one morning driving to a dental appointment. I was day dreaming with the rising sun behind me shining directly into the traffic lights along my route. I narrowly avoided what could have been a serious car accident at a busy intersection after I blew through the light and narrowly missed being slammed by a large truck from my left. I recognized this event for what it was but I continued to indulge in my sin, but I never gave up on my Faith and begged God each night to please help me out of this mess. I had a spiritual and emotional meltdown in my backyard one day and repented of my pet sin again. Jesus himself told me I’m not getting anymore second chances.

This marked over a year of pain and suffering throughout my body that’s been diagnosed as degenerative arthritis or osteoarthritis. It’s everywhere except my elbows and shoulders. I’m convinced this all happened for a reason and I’m actually grateful for it. I was headed down a path of no return and involved in a lifestyle that played on one of my weaknesses. It’s the same weakness all men struggle with, but being single and unmarried did not help.

If there is one grand lesson I’ve learned in this experience, it’s to be grateful and thankful in my life for all God has provided. We take so many things for granted. All the little luxuries and comforts of life God has Blessed us with are rarely mentioned in our prayers. I know it sounds trivial, but I have a new prayer habit of thanking God for everything I can possibly think of. From electricity and clean hot and cold water to toothpaste and dental floss and good neighbors. There are billions of people on this planet who have it a lot worse than I do, and I need to be constantly thanking God for His Grace and favor, in addition to repenting of my sins on a daily basis. Two of the core principles of the Christian lifestyle are prayer and repentance.

In the overall context of the title of this post, God is going to pursue you throughout your entire life. You are always going to be flawed, but at the same time living in God’s Grace. God most definitely has a plan as mentioned here in Jeremiah:

Jeremiah 29:11 – “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

In keeping with the ongoing theme of this blog, do you have examples of God’s Grace in your life or things you feel you should be more thankful for prior to reading this post? Your testimony is the most powerful series of life experiences God has Blessed you with, to enable others and help transform their lives, and it need not be something that invokes anxiety or timidity in the process. People that are on an uncertain path in life crave the comfort and love of the human heart. Loneliness is a very real challenge for many of them making their way through life. You personally can change the course of someone’s life with a few sentences of encouraging words. In an age where nearly everyone is walking around with their nose in their smartphone, it’s refreshing to share God’s Grace with someone in your life. I will close with this verse from God’s Holy Word:

1 Peter 3:15 – “But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.”

Prayers and Blessing to all until next time..