Life is not easy! I have heard that many times, but I must say that life is not hard either. Life is just different — different battles, different obstacles and different hurdles. I think life is great. Is life great or what? Life is exciting and wonderful because it is so different and adventurous. Tests and trials we face in life are only temporary, but the things we learn from the tests and trials will last forever. Do we face obstacles in life? Yes! Do we have battles that we face in life? Yes! Then why is life so great? Life is great because we win, and I love to win. These are the things that make us stronger and better. These are the things that make us winners and not quitters.
2 TIMOTHY 2:5
5 And athletes cannot win the prize unless they follow the rules.
NLT
If we want to win, we have to play by God’s rules and not by our own rules. We must work and train hard because you can’t cheat or you will lose. Do we look at and focus on the size of the obstacles in our lives or do we focus on the power of our God?
JAMES 1:5
5 If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.
NLT
We have an advantage that, if we need help with something, we can ask God for the wisdom we need and He will give it. But, will we listen to what God has to say? Will we learn wisdom without experiences, tests and trials? David said that God delivered him from the lion and the bear. Remember that, whatever we are facing, our God is bigger and stronger than anything or anyone. If God has changed us from the inside out, then life cannot squeeze us from the outside in. We may be knocked down every once in a while, but we will never be knocked out.
We must guard against self-sufficiency. When God gets no credit, success makes people self-sufficient (I don’t need anything or anyone) and this leads to spiritual poverty. We need to put ourselves in a spiritual time-out every day in order to spend time with God because time-out is better than burn-out, and without God, we definitely will burn out. We are in a marathon and not a sprint, and our goal should be to endure and not to burn out. Who renews our strength every day — the job, our paycheck or God?
1 Corinthians 15:33 tells us that, “Bad company corrupts good character.” Who or what is impacting our morals and our children’s morals? Just because someone says they are a Christian does not mean they are a positive influence on your life or your families’ lives. Stay away from bad company and instill God into your life and into your children. Character is who you are when no one is watching. Bad company does not pull us in a different direction, it pulls us down. Every time you try to back track, you will get side tracked. Life is great. We win. Don’t quit, give up or give in!
Pastor Tony Guadagnino
Christian Love Fellowship Church
