Matthew 6:25-34, is a wonderful exhortation for us not to worry about our needs. God says look at the beauty and magnificence of my creation; the wild flowers that surround us in the countryside and the birds that swoop through the sky, see how I created them and care for them. If God can do that how much more will he care for us. God says, you focus on me and being like me and pleasing me and I will take care of the provision.

God is not short on supplies for our provision. Everything on this earth belongs to God. “For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills” (Ps 50:10; KJV). “The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the Lord of hosts” (Hag 2:8; KJV).

I like his instruction to us to leave the worry with him. In 1 Peter 5:6-7 (KJV), we are told to: “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you”. Now this does not tell us to sit idly by and wait for God to provide; no, we are to work with our hands to provide our needs. In the apostle Paul’s second letter to the Thessalonians, he wrote: “For even when we were with you, we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat” (2 Thess 3:10; KJV). But, if we trust God and do our part we don’t need to worry, we need to trust God that everything will be taken care of; ends will more than meet. Trust God, take the limits off of him; he will provide.

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We are spiritual beings, living in bodies and having souls, which are our minds, wills and emotions (1 Thess 5:23). In 1 Peter 1, the apostle Peter talks about salvation. Salvation means to be spiritually reborn, born again or saved (John 3:3-8). We are saved from the spiritual death (Rom 6:23) that resulted from our sinful life prior to us becoming Christians. We are spiritually saved or born again by repenting of sin and asking Jesus into our life as Lord and Savior (Acts 3:19; Rom 10:9-10). Salvation encompasses forgiveness, restoration, prosperity, protection, safety, healing, preservation, joy, eternal life and so much more. This is all available to us when we are saved and is referred to in 1 Peter 1:3.

However, 1 Peter 1:4-5, 9, also refer to the promise of the completion of our salvation, or final salvation as we meet our Lord and savior in heaven at the end of our life on this earth. This is the continuation in heaven of our eternal life, which started when we asked Christ into our lives here on this earth.

The apostle Peter also writes about how God by his power (Greek word dunamis, from which we get the English word, dynamite) keeps us in this present life (v 5). He works in us to grow and change us to be more like him (Phil 1:6) and to protect us and keep us for our final reward of eternal life in heaven (Ps 91:17a). Wow, what an awesome journey.

God has us covered; all we have to do is submit (James 4:7-8,10) and cooperate with him. How do we cooperate as Christians? Start with prayer and immersing yourself in the Bible.

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The apostle Paul wrote that: “Christ liveth in me” (Gal 2:20). Christ lives in us as well (Rom 8:10), and we are in him (Rom 8:1). Jesus is the vine and we are branches of that vine (John 15:5). We have been grafted in to the vine. Spiritually this means that we are in Christ. As the life of the vine flows out to its branches, so the life of Jesus, the Holy Spirit, lives in us and flows from us.

In the book of Colossians, we are told that our heavenly Father has: “delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear son” (Col 1:13; KJV). This is God’s spiritual kingdom of light; we are connected to Jesus and live in his sphere of influence.

Satan was defeated through Christ’s victory at the cross and he (satan) was stripped of all power and authority in our lives as Christians (Col 2:15).

In Christ, God sees us as righteous (1 Cor 1:30), his sons and daughters (Gal 3:26), and: “more than conquerors” (Rom 8:37; KJV). “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Phil 4:13; KJV).

This is who we are but we need to walk in it. This requires that we study the word and find out who we are in Christ; build up our faith so we can stand up to satan when he comes to question our new life in Christ. Satan is defeated but he will try to question your relationship with God using people and by sending you negative thoughts. You must be convinced of who you are so you can stand firm in your victory in Jesus.

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In Matthew 10:25 (KJV), Jesus told his disciples that: "it is enough for the disciple to be as his master". And who is the master? Jesus, of course, so that is our aim, to be like him.

The apostle Paul said in Gal 4:19 (KJV): "I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you". The Greek word for "formed" means an inward change or transformation to take on the nature and character of Christ. Paul also admonished the Corinthian Christians (1 Cor 11:1; KJV), to: "Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ". In 1 John 4:17 we are told that we are to walk in the world around us just as Jesus would have done. In addition, in Ephesians 5:1, we are simply taught to follow and imitate God.

The question is how do we do this? We get a clue in 2 Cor 3:18 (KJV). “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord”. The glass or mirror is the word of God. The Holy Spirit uncovers the word to us (John 16:13) bringing revelation or understanding. As we see and understand the character and nature of Jesus, the Holy Spirit can work in us to change us to be more like (him) Jesus. As we see by faith how God wants to change us and all he wants us to be and do, then that allows the Holy Spirit to bring these things to pass in our lives.  We may not be aware of it but our light will shine more brightly (Prov 4:18) the more time we spend in God’s presence. We grow to imitate the teacher.

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“A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another” (John 13:34; KJV). It doesn’t get any stronger than that; we are commanded to love one another and not only love but to love as Christ loves us. The apostle James taught us that: “If ye really fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself, ye do well” (James 2:8; KJV). Loving our neighbor is a royal law, a cardinal command. This love of God is an unconditional love.

Although we received the love nature of God when we were born again (Rom 5:5) walking in unconditional love does not come naturally to us. This means that we must develop or grow this love nature that we have; we need to be intentional about love and make decisions to put love into practice. Time spent with God who is love (1 John 4:8) and reading, studying and meditating on love scriptures will help us to do that.

Immediately after Jesus gave the command to love, in the gospel according to the apostle John, he also said that it was in this love for our neighbor that others would recognize us as Christians (John 13:34-35).

When we put love into practice then we will draw others to Christ. If the church universal started truly acting in love there would be a mighty revival. Love is a powerful force and in 1 Corinthians 13:2 we are told that without it we are nothing.

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