YOUR LIFE MATTERS TO GOD
By W. G. Guy
1 Peter 5:7 – Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
This is written by the apostle Peter who knows of the personalcare of the LORD because he experienced it. He is the one who publicly denied knowing Jesus three times.
Mathew 26:74-75 – Then began he to curse and to swear, saying, I know not the man. And immediately the cock crew. And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out, and wept bitterly.
God’s love for you is so great that it cannot be measured. If you have accepted Jesus as the atoning for your sins, His Spirit now resides in you. This means His loving care for you goes beyond anything you can image. Have you ever done anything that you are ashamed of and embarrassed about; like Peter did? Peter gives us an example how that Jesus prayed for him.
Luke 22:31 – And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:
Satan will do all kinds of things to try to trip you up, to defeat you and get you to deny your faith. But look what Jesus did for
His disciple.
Luke 22:32 – But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.
Jesus interceded for Peter, just as He intercedes for you in your situations and circumstances. It is a real blessing when we simply accept His intercession for us as a fact. When you received Jesus as your savior and Lord you became part of Him, His Body on earth to represent Him. What does this mean for you?
Romans 8:31-32 – What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? (All things pertaining to life and godliness.)
This means that Jesus is praying to the Father and interceding for you, just as He did for Peter.
Romans 8:26-27, 34 – Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. 34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.
Why is God so concerned and caring for you? Remember that God made man in His own image and likeness.
Genesis 1:26-27 – And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
God put of Himself in man when He made him of the dust of the earth.
Genesis 2:7 – And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
God’s image and likeness is His Spirit life that He breathed into mankind; it is His character and nature; and that was what was lost due to sin and transgression. But God’s love for His divine creation of mankind is so great that He set in motion the means of full restoration back to fellowship with Him. That plan was accomplished through Jesus Christ, His Son, who was also a perfect man as Adam was when God first made Him.
What Jesus did for us who believe in Him is the same thing that God did when He formed Adam. Jesus breathed His Holy Spirit into the disciples after His resurrection, as he does for us so that we are “born-again: by His Spirit.
John 20:22 – And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:
Note: only two men ever came directly from God – Adam and Jesus; and both had the same Spirit of God in them. Adam lost it but Jesus came to restore it by bringing total redemption. (Redemption means restoring back to the original state.)
Because of Jesus’ total redemption of those of you who have accepted Him, He is now making intercession for every one of you. This is because His ministry continues from heaven for you; for whatever you are facing or going through.
Hebrews 7:25 – Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.
God’s mercy and grace is so great, because of His love for mankind and His desire to restore fallen mankind’s relationship with Him, that He offers total forgiveness through the blood of Jesus shed on the cross for all mankind. This is amazing to realize, that He cares so much for this world with its gross sin, corruption and violence, that He made provision for us to be restored, (saved).
John 3:16-17 – For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
Saved from what? Saved from the destruction which God has determined that will come upon all the ungodly and sinners who repent not from their carnal lustful life by accepting God’s love given through Jesus.
Note: the word “world” comes from the Greek word kosmos, which means orderly arrangement or social order, and refers to mankind as the inhabitants of the earth; (kosmos does not refer to this earth which in the Greek is oikoumene, meaning land or planet.)
God’s love is so great that He is patiently waiting for as many as will to turn to Jesus Christ and become redeemed into the family of God as originally intended.
2 Peter 3:3-9 – Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
What too many people of this vile world fail to understand is that there is a time of reckoning coming when God will punish sin and wickedness to purge the earth of all the corruption, and those who engage in it. Yet His love (grace) has provided the means of escape and to allow as many as possible to accept Jesus to be with Him.
Thus we, who know and love Him, should not be focused on the material things of this world, (mankind’s corrupt things), but seek first the kingdom of God and focus on His things that are in heaven.
Matthew 6:31-33 – Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
All of our physical needs God will supply, so we are not to worry, “take no thought”, because His great love has all of that covered. This also covers such things that otherwise concern us, thus:
1 Peter 5:7 – Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
Colossians 3:1-2 – If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
That is where your eternal reward is! We can also benefit in our relationship with Him now on this earth – because God is LOVE, and His love is given to you! Thus your life matters to God - NOW!
