Depend on the Lord
The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: "I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.
Jeremiah 31:3
This is what God said to Israelites, and this is what he says to us today. How can we not depend on God who loves us more than we can imagine, and walks with us through life into Heaven? Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26) Knowing God’s perfect love and that all things are possible, it is a blessing that we can depend on God. The Lord’s loving kindnesses indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:22-23)
If we live as the Lord’s servants and we know in our hearts that the Lord is our Master, we can have faith that pleases God, a faith that depends on the Lord without doubt. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. (James 1:6) A true servant of the Lord will depend on the Lord with complete trust. A true servant trusts the Lord’s will over his will.
Most people are considered to be self-sufficient, however when we live for Christ we must depend on Him. I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15:5) We must remain in Christ which means we depend on Him because we live to bear fruit, to reflect Jesus to the world.
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 5:20) The apostle Paul had faith that depended on Christ to the point that he said I no longer lived but Christ lives in me. Paul reveals a heart that truly depends on Christ.
How do we obtain a heart the truly depends on Christ? In our heart we live as the Lord’s servant everyday following the Holy Spirit. This draws us closer to the Lord which means God gets bigger and more divine, while we get smaller and we see our limitations and sinfulness. This gives us a thankful heart for his love, forgiveness and his greatness; and now we are dependent on Him. You cannot be close to the Lord and not be dependent on Him.
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. (Galatians 5:1) When we live to serve the Lord, following the Spirit with complete faith and dependence on the Lord, then we become free in Christ. The closer we are to the Lord the more we desire to know him, and to know Him more He pulls our soul into His Kingdom and away from the world. Our home is in the Kingdom, and we live to minister to the world and His ambassador. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. (2 Corinthians 5:20)
Today live as the Lord’s servant, as an ambassador for Christ in this world, and know your home is Heaven. Live with faith that depends on the Lord, with a thankful heart that He is always with you and is faithful to his Word.
Prayer: Lord, guide me through this day with a heart that depends on you. I know I can only bear fruit when Christ lives in me through the Spirit. Lord thank you for your perfect love and your faithfulness. In Jesus name, Amen