Something just does not feel right. As you survey the past few weeks, you cannot see any offense on your part, but the relationship seems strained.
Your walk with God is consistent, you actively participate in ministry, and your life is free from habitual or un-confessed sin. Yet, life is not going so hot. May be it is a job loss, an expensive car repair, or a loved one with a health need. Whatever the case, things do not add up.
So you ask, “God, is everything ok? Did I do something wrong?”
We are often quick to throw Job under the bus for doubting God’s goodness, but let’s face it, it is hard to divorce our circumstances from our relational standing with God.
And why should we? “Obedience brings blessing, and disobedience brings consequence,” is a pervasive concept in the Old Testament (and not altogether missing from the New). Furthermore, all of our earthly relationships seem to operate under this unstated theorem.
This is where we have to catch ourselves. While treatment from our earthly ties generally mirrors our relational standing, treatment from God never does. My standing before God does not fluctuate with my obedience. It does not falter with mood swings. According to the book of Ephesians, it stands firm in my position in Jesus Christ.
In Christ I stand:
- Redeemed (1:7-14)—once wallowing in slavery to sin and the Law, but now released into freedom.
- Regenerated (2:1-10)—once dead in sin, but now born again into a new life.
- Reconciled (2:1-22)—formerly estranged from God and alienated from His grace, but now freely forgiven in a permanently restored relationship.
We must remember,
“My right standing with God is revealed by His character, not my circumstances.”
–P. Mayes
How can remembering your position in Christ encourage you in seemingly unwarranted circumstances?
