If God Be For Us 2

Romans 8:31b: . . . If God be for us, who can be against us?

A couple of the first things I learned after I surrendered my heart to the Lord were that He REALLY DOES love me and that He REALLY DOES have my best interests at heart. He really is for me.

Some Bible teacher in my past gave this definition for the Word grace: It means God is for us. His definition might not be very scholarly but God is certainly for us if we are Christians. He is more for us than we are for ourselves. He is more lovingly and more powerfully for us than we can even think.

Ephesians 3:20: Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,

These are not scientifically provable absolutes, but I have noticed some differences between faithful believers, carnal believers and unbelievers. Unbelievers don*t seem to believe that God is for them. Some complaining believers don*t seem to believe that God is for them either. If they have received Jesus, I wonder if they received a Jesus that was not for them. Or sadly, perhaps they just don*t know that He is for them.

There are many individuals that I have known who have believed that their parents were not for them. For them it seems to be harder to believe that God is for them. Many of the same individuals that don*t believe their parents are for them also don*t believe that God is for them. I believe that good parents reflect a better image of God to their children than other parents. It was easier for us to trust and obey our parents if we knew that they were for us, it is easier to trust our friends if we know they are for us and it is easier for us to trust and obey the Lord when we know He is for us.

Whether they had good parents or not, some seem to have made up their minds as young children that their parents were not for them. Sometimes they were openly disobedient to their parents but sometimes they were openly obedient and rebels inwardly. Whenever they could get away with it, they disobeyed. I have heard some boast about their rebelliousness as children. They seemed anxious to get out from under their parents. In some ways, I was like that. I believe there are churches full of people that are outwardly obedient to the Lord but inwardly they are rebels that totally ignore His Word. Often their inward attitude leaks into their outward behavior and they try to hide it. Sometimes their inward attitude cannot be hidden.

Two individuals that I have known well passed away recently. Neither of them seemed to believe that their parents were for them, neither of them had very many friends and neither of them seemed to believe that God was for them. I am troubled about where they are spending eternity.

Exodus 20:12: Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.

I believe that individuals who do not honor their parents have a significantly smaller chance at long physical life AND a smaller chance at eternal life. It seems they have less friends too.

I don*t know how salvation has worked for you, but since I have surrendered my heart to the Lord, I have become more aware of my parents love and care. I can see better that they were for me. And I have a lot more friends that I can trust. I don*t have all of the same friends. I believe the Lord has separated me from the untrustworthy ones and provided godly friends that are for me.

Care to discuss If God Be For Us 2 with Ron?

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