"The Christian faith doesn't have a prescription for how God fixes our problems.
It doesn't have a simple formula for how and when healing happens or how and when eternal life follows death.
Instead, Christians simply believe that the greatest power in the universe is God's desire to be in relationship with us,
a relationship we don't earn so we call it joy,
a relationship we can't match so we call it love,
a relationship that never ends so we call it glory,
a relationship that costs God everything so we call it grace.
And that desire and that relationship are stronger than the other forces in our lives - evil, sin, and death.
To be a Christian means to be transformed by the discovery that God is with us in such a way that we stop noticing or counting what God does for us.
It's not about the for. It's about the with."
Samuel Wells
"Shout for joy in the Lord, O you righteous!
Praise befits the upright.
Give thanks to the Lord with the lyre ...
Sing to Him a new song; play skillfully on the strings with loud shouts.
For the word of the Lord is upright, and all his work is done in faithfulness."
Psalm 33:1-4
Even in the hard times, ALL of God's work is done in faithfulness. His Word still stands as our plumb line of righteousness and testifies of the One who has made us righteous.
And so our calling remains to shout, to sing, to praise Him with the talents He has given us! For such is only appropriate for those who have been saved by Him. Praise and thanksgiving set us apart as His children!
"Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good and His steadfast love endures forever!
Let the redeemed of the Lord say so ...."
Psalm 107:1-2
So let your praise be contagious. It befits you, His beloved one.
