The fact that God cares for us and is involved in our lives to the smallest and infinite details was “driven home” to me on the way back from the Feast of Tabernacles. Like many of you, my wife Delia and I had to “drive home” after a most inspiring and fulfilling Feast. We had a safe and uneventful trip except for two incidents:

We stopped for a break about twenty miles north of Yakima, Washington. I parked our van on the edge of the paved parking area, and we went into the gas station store. When we got back in the van, it would not start. I lifted the hood to see if I could find anything wrong, tapped on the battery, and tried again to start the van, but to no avail. We then both prayed to God for His assistance in this matter. I went back inside the store and asked a driver of a Pepsi delivery truck, if he had jumper cables, so I could start the van. He said he had none, so I bought a small wrench, took the cables off the battery, cleaned them off and tried again. The van did not start. I went back into the store. The driver was still there. He suggested to go across the street to another gas station to see if I could find someone who had jumper cables.

I followed his advice and approached two men in a pickup truck to see if they had jumper cables. They said they did not have any. At this time I looked over my shoulder and noticed a man at the pumps, trying to start his small truck. I went over and commented that it looked like he was having some problems. He said the battery was weak and wouldn’t start his truck.

I went back to talk to the two men in the pickup truck and then I noticed the man who could not start his truck speaking on a cell phone, so I went back to talk to him. He said a friend from a company not far away was coming to jump-start his car. I asked if he could send him over to our van across the street after he was done, since I also needed a jump-start. I walked back to our van and Delia asked me what was happening. I told her the story and no sooner had I finished when a man came over with a power pack and started my van. I thanked him, and we were again on our way.

When we got to Wenatchee, we stopped for a bite to eat and sure enough, when I tried to start the van, it would not work. I was feeling a little more confident this time and got out just when a truck pulled in with two men in it. I walked over and found out from the driver that he had jumper cables. I asked if he could get my van going, and he did. On our way home, we marveled how God had worked things out for us to bring us back safely. The next day I jump-started my van and took it to a repair shop. After testing the battery, I was told that it was no good. I bought a new one, and our van has been working fine ever since.

Christ said in Hebrews 13:5: “… I will NEVER leave you nor forsake you.” This promise was “driven home” to me when we “drove home” from the Feast. No matter what the trial; no matter what the test; no matter how severe or minute–we can have confidence that He is there; that He cares for us; and that He intervenes for us when we ask Him.

My wife and I had a saying when one of us had to go away on a training or business trip, or to visit our daughter in North Carolina, while the other spouse had to stay home and take care of things. That saying was, “Keep the home fires going.” It was understood to remind us in a loving way to take care of the house; to do the laundry and dishes; to make sure the children were fed and taken care of; to water the plants; to make the beds and generally, to have the house and yard in the same condition as it was when the spouse had left.

We did not consider this to be an unreasonable request, and we usually followed through on it, so that the departing spouse would not be overwhelmed with excess work upon his or her return.

Christ gave His disciples a similar admonition when He stated in Matthew 24: 45-46: “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing.” To give them food in due season includes doing our part in publishing the gospel to the world, as prophesied in Matthew 24:14: “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.”

Notice, it says the gospel WILL be preached, not that it might perhaps be preached.  The question we need to ask ourselves is, are we engaged in this process? Are we furthering this Work by faithfully tithing? Are we praying for the success of this Work and are we doing our part, however small it may seem to us? We should not despise the day of small things and always bear in mind that the effective prayer of the righteous person avails much. James 5:16 confirms this: “… The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”

Now is not the time to let down. We must not allow our environment to slow our progress in the responsibilities we have towards God in regard to our calling and efforts to get this much needed gospel out to a sick and dying world. We have to be zealous in the job we have been given to do, since that is what is expected of us. Remember, we are blessed if, at His return, the Lord finds us faithfully doing the Work. So let’s ensure that we are keeping those home fires going.

There is an interesting game of solitaire on most new computers, called “Spider Solitaire,” which has a rather neat feature–an undo button. This feature allows you to undo a move when you realize that you could have made a better move or that you have just made a rather dumb move, and then you can carry on playing the game. The other nice part about the undo feature is that if you reach a point when you cannot play and would normally have to resign and quit the game, you can undo several moves which allows you to take a different path, make different moves and at times even win the game.

Life is not like that where we can undo things we have said that were perhaps harsh or unkind, or when we have done things which were somewhat disastrous in our life and which might have impacted someone else in a very negative way. Like the saying goes, “You can’t unring a bell.” If we make cutting remarks to someone, we cannot take them back. That is why it is so important to put our brain in gear before we open our mouth. There is an old carpenter’s saying that it is better to measure twice and cut once. Once a board is cut too short, it cannot be used for the intended application.

The Bible tells us to curtail our tongues. James 3:2-5 reads: “For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body.   Indeed, we put bits in horses’ mouths that they may obey us, and we turn their whole body.   Look also at ships: although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires.   Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles!”

This admonition should not be viewed as limited to the things we say, but we should also apply it to the things we do. We really have to use wisdom and ponder our path as it were before acting, because we have to  live with the consequences–sometimes for a very long time.  For example, a person can work for a company for thirty years and no one may notice him, but if he makes one mistake that costs the company a lot of money or lost time, everyone will remember that. They will not recall the good work he did, but they will focus on the disastrous mistake he made.

There are consequences for the things we do, and we have to live with them. I have heard statements like, “That wasn’t the smartest thing to do,” or, “If I had to do it again, I would do it in a different manner.”

 It is important to think twice before acting or reacting too quickly in word or deed. We need to meditate, seek counsel and ask God for wisdom to make correct decisions.  Proverbs 1:5 says: “A wise man will hear and increase learning, And a man of understanding will attain wise counsel.” Proverbs 2:6 adds, “For the LORD gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding.”

Life offers us many challenges and opportunities to ensure that the things we say and do are in accordance with God’s Word, instruction and wisdom. We have to live with the consequences of our words–be they kind or harsh–and our actions–be they wise or foolish. After all, life is not a “Spider Solitaire” game which offers us automatic undo buttons.

These were the words of a primate in a Walt Disney cartoon movie which was released in the 70’s. The lyrics went something like this: “I wanna walk like you, I wanna talk like you, I wanna be human too.”

In that movie, a primate is portrayed as wanting to be human. In reality, man should have the desire to become like God. God lives forever, and it is somewhat ironic that the Creator God has built into us a desire to go on; that is, to live forever. No one in his right mind really wants to die–that is, under normal circumstances and conditions. There are situations when one is suffering so much that he may want to die, but normally, one wants to live and live on forever.

We are made today in the physical shape of God, but subject to death. God is not. However, He offers man the opportunity to live forever as well, if man becomes more and more like He is.

It is not impossible for man to become more and more like God–if man avails himself of God’s help.

God is love (1 John 4:8). He has demonstrated that love by sacrificing His Son for us (John 3:16). He has created in man as well the capacity to love and be loved by others.

God is merciful, and we can show mercy. God can get jealous in the right way (Exodus 20:5), and we also are sometimes justified in becoming jealous. God even gets angry at times (2 Kings 17:18). His anger is always controlled and for the correct reason. Scripture tells us to be angry and sin not (Ephesians 4:26). Even when our anger is righteous–which is seldom the case–we still have to control our anger.

With God’s Spirit in us, we are able to build a close and intimate relationship with God, so that we can feel confident in bringing our problems to Him. We can look to Him for healing–both physically and emotionally, if we suffer from trauma or from psychological scars because we were abused by others in the past. God is our comforter (Psalm 86:17).  He also fights our physical and spiritual battles for us (1 Samuel 17: 46-47). In relying on God, we can become more and more like Him–including the ability to comfort others who are in need.

It is the desire within each and every converted child of God to be like their Father and their elder brother Jesus Christ, whose footsteps and example they are admonished to follow (1 Peter 2:21). We want to be like God–in character as well as, ultimately, in regard to His very essence.

Our physical bodies wear down and eventually fail. God is Spirit and never wears down. He never gets tired or runs out of energy. We aspire to be like that; especially, as we get older and when our minds say, “Do,”  and our bodies say, “That’s enough.

Paul told Felix that he stood before him for the hope of the resurrection (Acts 24:21). Our desire to be totally like our Father and Jesus Christ will not be achieved until our resurrection to eternal life or the change of our bodies from physical to spirit, from mortal to immortal. We will then have all the energy we need to carry out every task that God has in mind for us, without ever running out of steam. That day will just be marvelous. In the meantime, we can say in our  minds: “I wanna be like You,” knowing that this is the will of God and that it will be reality for us in the near future.

Especially children seem to possess an inner curiosity as to how things work or function. I think God built into all of us a desire to want to know. For example, we might wonder, how does the relationship between God the Father and Jesus Christ work, and why does it run so smoothly?  What makes that relationship work is the fact that Christ willingly, not grudgingly or by coercion, submits to the authority of the Father. Even as a human being, He submitted His will to the will of the Father (Matthew 26:42).
    
There has never been a conflict between the Father and the Son because Christ knows that the dictates from the Father are based on love for the good of others. Christ’s conviction gives Him total peace of mind  and confidence. We must have that same kind of conviction, even if we sometimes do not fully understand some of the trials and tests we go through.
    
There are currently scatterings amongst the churches of God, which are not caused by God–yet they are allowed by God. The Church is not a corporate entity but a spiritual organism. When God’s Spirit dwells in begotten members of the God Family, they are true converted Christians–and we believe that there are true Christians within the various corporate organizations. Some groups erroneously and quite foolishly claim that only they comprise the Body of Christ. This arrogant and divisive position is totally contradicted in Scripture.
    
In spite of all this, there are some, claiming to be Spirit-begotten members of the God Family, who will not come under the authority of Church government which God placed in His Church (compare Ephesians 4:11).  Their mindset is like this: “I will submit to no man.” They think they are spiritually mature and no longer in need of the ministry to tell them anything. Yet God works through His faithful ministers for the benefit of the members (Ephesians 4:13).
    
Postulating their belief in “individual Christianity,” they don’t realize that by separating themselves from the trunk of the tree and becoming independent, they drift away and are tossed to and fro with every wind of doctrine. They suffer from self-aggrandizement and have become prey for their adversary, the devil, who loves to divide and conquer.
    
God tells us that iron sharpens iron, yet they believe they are spiritually strong enough to sharpen themselves. This is a dangerous condition to drift into. Those who do firmly stick to the trunk of the tree and do not neglect assembling on the Sabbath with members of the Church, continue to grow in grace and knowledge and spiritual understanding of Jesus Christ, the HEAD of the Church.
    
The truth of the matter is that if we want things to work out for us spiritually, we have to willingly submit now at this time to the authority of the faithful ministry in the Church of God.  If we fail to do so now, how can we be entrusted to be submissive to Christ and the Father in the Millennium and then on throughout eternity?
    
God does things in steps. We are physical now, but it is our potential to become spirit beings in the near future. If we submit now in the flesh, we will submit in the future in the spirit. Some self-willed individuals may disagree with this concept, but that’s how it works; how it has always worked; and how it will work for all eternity.

God told Joshua in Joshua 1:6-7 to be “strong and of good courage.” Being physically strong gives us physical courage. More importantly, spiritual strength gives us spiritual courage and encouragement. We know that when our ways please God, He backs us up and gives us needed spiritual strength to fulfill our individual responsibilities.

The reason we can have the assurance of God’s help is that God promises never to leave or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). This is the same promise He made to Joshua in Joshua 1:5: “No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor FORSAKE you.” This means, through thick and thin–in good times and in bad times. In that we can have confidence!

The other side of the coin is this: When we are weak physically or spiritually, we can easily get discouraged. And then, we can become targets for our adversary–Satan the devil–to influence our thinking and thereby affecting the way we conduct ourselves.

How can we, as God’s people, remain on the strong and encouraging side of the coin? One way is to follow the admonition in 1 Peter 5:6-7, to humble ourselves under the MIGHTY hand of God and to cast ALL (not some of) our care upon Him, KNOWING that He CARES for us.

If we can bear this truth in mind in the face of trials and adversity, we will strengthen our resolve not to get discouraged, but rather, to remain powerful in the LORD.

As long as we are strong and of good courage, doing His Will in our lives, we can be assured of the fulfillment of God’s promise never to leave us nor to forsake us–because He cares for us and our potential to be in His Kingdom. He has an “investment” in us, so to speak. So let us “pay” God “back” for His goodness, by making sure that we remain faithful, hopeful and confident–being strong and of good courage.