Considering the life He gives

Photo by lucas Favre on Unsplash

 

I am surprised by how easy it is to be aware of the negative, of everything wrong here and now. I am amazed by how easy it is to focus on death instead of life.

Here I am not talking about being positive, of always looking at the bright side for the sake of sanity, at the cost of ignoring all of reality. And, sometimes, there is nothing positive in our circumstances or emotions we could hold on to, humanly speaking.

His message, last Sunday, invited us to consider all the benefits that come from His Person and Work. He challenged us to contemplate the whole ministry of God the Son and delight in the salvation, reconciliation, and adoption He provides for us.

Yes, there is real life in Him and because of Him.

The Westminster divines put it this way:

What are the benefits which in this life do accompany or flow from justification, adoption, and sanctification? 

The benefits which in this life do accompany or flow from justification, adoption, and sanctification are assurance of God’s love, peace of conscience, joy in the Holy Ghost, increase of grace.

For me, the easiest way to consider the life He gives me is to confront my emotions and circumstances with the benefits mentioned above. It is not an accounting operation - credits vs. debits - looking to calculate the net joy I should have, but it is a constant clash between these two elements of reality. 

And here is the amazing thing: even during this battle, I can enjoy His shalom for me.

What about you? How easy is it for you to consider the life He gives?

-AV