WHAT DO YOU KNOW FOR SURE?

“… be all the more solicitous and eager to make sure

(to ratify, to strengthen, to make steadfast) your calling and election; for if you do this, you will never stumble or fall.” II Peter 1:10

From time to time on the way to and from school, I ask my children interesting questions to gauge how their young minds process information, how they view the world, and often, to gain a different perspective on issues. One of the questions this week was Oprah’s “What do you know for sure?” My 8 year old daughter replied without hesitation, “I know for sure that you are my mother and Daddy is my father.” She briefly paused and said “. . . and Nicolas is my brother,” after prompting from my son. She continued saying, “I know that Lanee (my mother) is having a great time in heaven. She loves parties and since she just had a birthday, I know God gave her a big party and she is just so happy.” I asked her how she knew this for sure. She said with great certainty, “I just read in my Bible that there is a great celebration when people go to heaven, and so I know that since she loved parties, God would certainly celebrate her birthday now that she’s with Him.” I marveled at my daughter’s great conviction that God would do exactly what He promised in His word. As I pondered her response further, I realized that there are indeed three foundational truths that we should all know for sure.

1. God Is Our Heavenly Father

We should ALL know with “blessed assurance” who our Heavenly Father is. The Word of God exhorts us to be certain of our relationship with Christ. The Amplified Bible says it this way in II Peter 1:10, “… be all the more solicitous and eager to make sure (to ratify, to strengthen, to make steadfast) your calling and election; for if you do this, you will never stumble or fall.” Just like we beamed with joy when my daughter so confidently affirmed her parentage, God takes great delight when we affirm our relationship with Him. There is no brighter smile in the entire world, than the one on a father’s face as his children jubilantly throw themselves at him when he returns home.

We also need to “know for sure” that our Heavenly Father is deeply concerned about us and is always looking out for our well-being. We should have great confidence in our Father, and come to Him for everything. Hebrew 4:16 says, “Let us then fearlessly and confidently and boldly draw near to the throne of grace (the throne of God's unmerited favor to us sinners), that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find grace to help in good time for every need [appropriate help and well-timed help, coming just when we need it]. We can only do this we when we are confident in our relationship with God. Even as we grow older in Christ, we sometimes feel that we should be strong enough to handle things on our own. God is always there with open arms, waiting for us to acknowledge Him as our Heavenly Father who richly provides us all things to enjoy.

2. We Have Brothers And Sisters In Christ

We need to “know for sure” that we have brothers and sisters in Christ, and we need to know who they are. Just like my son had to prompt my daughter to remember him, we often need to be reminded that we have brothers and sisters in Christ who are around us everyday. We often take them for granted, failing to realize that they have been strategically placed in our lives so that we can help and assist each other. While we don’t always agree on everything, we need to “know for sure” that brothers and sisters provide great camaraderie and help us stay connected to our family. The family would not be the same without each of their contributions. Hebrew 13:1 simply states, “Let brotherly love continue.”

Today’s culture celebrates independence and achievement at great sacrifice to family and personal relationships. Many times that mindset has permeated into the body of Christ, where “Super Christians” abound who do not value fellowship and do not know how to relate to people. They justify their aloofness by saying that they “only need/love Jesus” and that’s all that matters. They hold others in disdain that are not as rooted in the faith, whose churches are not as big or learned, or they may have been severely hurt in a previous church. Well, I John 4: 20-21 clearly refutes this mindset stating, “If anyone says, I love God, and hates his brother [in Christ], he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And this command (charge, order, injunction) we have from Him: that he who loves God shall love his brother also.”

We need to “know for sure” that it is the love of God and its demonstration in our lives that that illustrates growth and maturity. Allowing God’s love to flow through us, toward our brothers and sisters also strengthens our Christian walk and ability to resist sin. (I John 2:10) The next verse goes on to warn that when someone “hates” a brother [in Christ], and allows confusion and strife to enter in, “he is in darkness and walking (living) in the dark; he is straying and does not perceive or know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.” While we may study the Word and get a lot of knowledge, hate and strife can prevent us from seeing or grasping the whole truth of God’s word. Where there is love and unity (agreement), God is able to operate with greater anointing and power. Let us therefore remember our brothers and sisters in our own families and in Christ, celebrating the gifts of friendship, wisdom and love they bring to our lives and to the entire body.

3. God’s Promises Are True

We need to “know for sure” that God’s promises in His word are true. However, when we are uncertain about our relation with God and have rocky relations with people, it can be very challenging to embrace the promises of God. Hebrews 11: 6 states, “…without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” We can only get that authentic faith by developing a strong relationship with God and spending time with Him. As your relationship grows, then trust and confidence in God’s promises flourish.

My daughter may not understand everything we tell her to do, but she knows and trusts us to know what’s best for her. Likewise, her faith in God’s word is simple, yet resolute, because it is built on relationship and has not been tainted with the complications of life or the influences of this world. As we grow older and start to experience life, there is a tendency to question and doubt everything that we have learned, especially if we have had a troubled childhood. This is why Jesus always welcomed the children and exhorted us to have that same kind of childlike faith and not to complicate it with our own understanding. Jesus said it this way, “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children [trusting, lowly, loving, forgiving], you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18:3-4). As we truly accept that God is our Heavenly Father -- that He is a loving God that only wants the best for us, we can then fully embrace the many blessings and promises that He has given us. God is not looking for a perfect person, because only He is perfect. He is looking for a yielded, trusting son and daughter in whom He can richly bless and entrust His kingdom to bless others. Every good and perfect gift comes for Him alone and He gives us all things liberally to enjoy.

Heavenly Father, help us strengthen our relationship with You so that we are absolutely anchored in Your steadfast love for us, knowing that there is nothing that can separate us from Your love. Help us to develop healthy thriving relationships with our brothers and sisters, so that we can build and maintain unity of the faith and be a blessing to those around us. May we embrace all of Your precious promises, so that we that we can advance your kingdom with boldness and great confidence.

For more practical information on strengthening your relationship with Christ, visit Advance Church one Sunday morning at 9:15 AM.

Godly leaders make the World a better place. (Proverbs 29:2)