We are blessed to receive an inheritance from our God because He has chosen us beforehand (predestined) that we will all be His according to His purpose and will. It is incredible to think that God has us in His mind before the creation of the world; therefore, none of us is an accident. We are all created by God with love and significance. God created us for His own glory and honor, and this is why the Holy Spirit lives in us because that proves that we are His and not of our own. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says, "Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies." When God paid the penalty of our sin on the cross, He redeemed us from the slavery of sin and brought us to His righteousness that we may live for Him.
We have hope in our suffering or whatever we are going through because we belong to the God who created everything. We have seen on the news about the war that is going on in Ukraine. People's lives are being destroyed because of Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. We do not know where the war between Russia and Ukraine is leading, but NATO (a military alliance of 28 European and 2 North American countries) accepts that the war can lead to nuclear war. The NATO alliance wants to protect and help the citizens of Ukraine, and they could quickly escalate it to a bigger war. Meanwhile, inflation in the U.S. is soaring. The gas prices have gone up, so thus the food prices. However, regardless of what is going on in Europe and the U.S., we will always have hope because we belong to God; we are His children.
So how should we live in all these challenges? We will continue to fix our eyes on Jesus. We will continue to live for Him because He is our hope. Psalm 46:2-3 says, "Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging."
Ask yourself these questions: Who do I belong to? Where is my hope come from? When fear and worry come into my mind, what should I do?
Write down all the worries you face today and lift them up to God.
Prayer:
Father in Heaven, thank you for choosing me to be yours before the creation of time. I am blessed to know that I belong to you because no matter what happens in this world, I will always be with you, and nothing or no one can separate me from your love. I pray for the people of Ukraine that you will stop the war and that the Russians will stop invading Ukraine before it escalates to further war. I pray that you will continue to provide everything I need as the prices go up. Thank you for being my God. In your name Jesus, I pray. Amen.