Samuel Spear

You know what’s really cool? That God uses everything. Especially the little things. There’s nothing He can’t use and there’s nothing He won’t use. For His glory. For His plan.

I really enjoy learning, but sometimes school can feel repetitive, or I want to be doing something else, or perhaps the topic can seem trivial.

Yet knowing that this is the season where God wants me and has me in now allows me to trust that He’s going to use it. Sometimes I have to ask myself why I’m not passionate about the mundane in my life, because God Himself is.

Psalm 116:15 says, “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.”

I have recently felt condemned of my obsession with theology, my fascination with knowledge. But is it for intellectual pride? Or can it be that I want to see more of God and be struck with a holy, fervent, God-felt and Spirit-induces awe that I have not seen before. Not chasing a feeling of stimulation, but chasing God. But not just for chasing’s sake. For God’s glory, and my joy and crown.

It’s crazy to think about eternity.  God has promised that those who put their faith in Jesus may be given the gift of eternal life.  He has offered forgiveness of our sins through his steadfast love.  That is not something to be taken lightly.  It’s amazing that such a holy and righteous God is able to make such a miserable sinner as me His child so that I can actually enjoy in His presence with confidence.  He can make dead things live!  I am awestruck by God, but not nearly as much as I ought to be.  He is so much bigger than we can ever imagine, and this is the way we should always picture God.  Often, I fall into thinking that I can grasp how great God is.  I think of Him only as a God who is on the throne and answering my prayers.  This thinking always causes me to fall.  My worship for Him falters.  If someone such as myself could know Him fully, this world would be in for some trouble.  Fortunately, He is infinite.  And His love has no end.  Even forever, with all his saints and angels, is not long enough to give God the praise that He deserves.  There will never be a point in eternity that we will pack up and say, “Well, God, we’ve given you all the praise and adoration that you deserve.  We’re moving on.”  NO!  100 million centuries from now, He will still be just as deserving of ALL our praise.  If eternity is not long enough to give God the glory He deserves, surely we are failing to give Him praise here on earth.  I know I am.  “A Psalm of David The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein.” Psalm 24:1.  This verse is telling us that all that praise is not just for when we get to heaven; it starts right here, right now, in my own heart first.  Eternity will just be a more full experience, because I will have longer and I will be much better at worshiping my King, having been sanctified perfectly in Him and by Him.  If that doesn’t excite you, then surely you haven’t experienced the fullness of His wonderful grace.  Good news: It’s available to all from generation to generation.  All you have to do is ask.  He has invited all into His presence as His children for eternity.  It’s coming; Get excited.

The decisions we make now will affect our eternity.  We need to train ourselves for godliness.  We strive to make our outward appearances better, but what we need more is our spiritual appearance to be our best qualities.  That is what will shine most brightly in this dark and twisted world.  We need to be pointing others to Christ, not to ourselves.  The best part is that we don’t have to do it alone!  God has sent us a helper, His Spirit.  John 14:16-17 says this: “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him.  You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in  you.”  Because of this, we have nothing to fear.  This is a promise: every word spoken by God proves true.  God has given us His Spirit to help us through our pain, sorrows, trials, and burdens.  God is the one who deserves all the glory, forever and ever!  ‘Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable.’ (Psalm 145:3)

“for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.” 1 Timothy 4:8

Our nation doesn’t need more freedoms.  Our true source of freedom is found in Jesus Christ, and Him alone.  What our nation needs most is satisfaction in Him.  “But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.”  (Romans 6:17-18)  It is this freedom that will keep us striving toward God.  He has freed us and given us his Spirit.  Who are we to say no to Him?  We need to daily realize the depth of our sin and how much we need Him so we can allow God to overwhelm us and give us a greater appreciation for all that He has done for us out of His great and steadfast love and mercy.  “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!  Blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!”  We as a people need to turn back to Him.  He needs to be our refuge daily.  We have all that we need in Him.

That said, I am very thankful for those who have been willing to lay down their lives for this wonderful country of ours, where we are free to worship whom we choose and how we choose.  Your sacrifice means a whole lot more to us than we probably give you credit for.  Enjoy Memorial Day this year, realizing that others can’t.

More importantly, this Memorial Day, don’t ever loose sight of the ultimate sacrifice for you.  Before Jesus died, he prayed to God and said, “Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”  He didn’t want to go through such a death, but out of His love, He endured it for us.  His sacrifice is one that is often taken too lightly.  We need to feel the weight of the cross, because it was our death that He died.  The wages of our sin is death, and we need to be daily awakened to the depth of this truth.  “For one will scarcely die for a righteous person- though perhaps for a good person one would even dare to die- but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:7-8

Our nation may be in a decline, but there is good news today.  Jesus Christ has already won; He conquered, and we can now live in Him!  May our hope and satisfaction be in Him alone!  Revive us, O God!

It's days like these that I wish would never end.  I can’t wait to live in a land that will never grow old!  Swing set at the park watching the little squirts play, as I enjoy a warm, sunny day.  I am so thankful for the joy that comes with God's incredible love and mercy!  When He was putting together our world, He wasn't messing around.  So grateful for His wonderful creation and the time He has given to me to enjoy it.  Even in the midst of this world's trials, I can look at moments like these to get a glimpse of how glorious eternity in God's presence will be.  I couldn't imagine trying to live my life without Him.