Having great love for all people, God guards His faithful
Despite human evil, we can trust that God’s purpose is to oppose the proud and elevate the humble.
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| “He will guard the feet of his faithful ones, but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness, for not by might shall a man prevail.” 1 Samuel 2:9 ESV Bible verse hand lettering sketch. |
Arrogance is wickedly blinding.
Pride and other sin left unchecked may cause
- false confidence in knowledge, good works, charity
- denial or ignorance of one’s own sinfulness
- grudge bearing
- blame-shifting
- unhealthy sense of entitlement
- insensitivity to everyone else’s thoughts, opinions, desires, and needs
- tendency to hurl rude insults
- distortion of truth
- misleading self and others
- tempting people
- refusal to forgive people who’ve genuinely apologized
- inability to receive forgiveness which others desire to offer
- mental, physical, emotional and spiritual harm to self and those near
- death
The ungodly can take comfort in our Rock of Escape. God, to save us from His wrath, gave His Son to be crucified to atone for the sin of the world. In our sinful nature, we receive this by faith.
- God’s Word provides faith in our Savior who, for our redemption, perfectly—without one single sin of His own, but because of our sin—faced all kinds of temptations, pain, suffering, took an unfair penalty of death on the cross, was bodily raised on the third day, ascended to Our Father in heaven, and lives now in the hearts of all who believe this and are baptized.
- The Holy Spirit works trust to believe we can take refuge in Christ’s victory over sin, death and betrayal and provides encouragement to live as people loved by God.
- Scripture shows us God’s good design for creation and how He wants us to live. The Word doesn’t make us able to live to the perfection of this design; yet, it provides necessary faith which humbles us to admit failures, wrong actions, thoughts, inadequacies and teaches us to do our very best to turn away from repeating these.
- Only Christ delivers us from death. No one one saves themselves or others from the entanglement of idols (putting self, other people, activities and things higher than love for God). Doubt weakens believers who constantly need to reach out for help through
- prayer for strength and wisdom to trust and share the Gospel
- worship and staying in the Word in a variety of ways
- nourishment at the Lord’s Table (for now, during corona virus restrictions, we patiently wait and focus on our need to be saved by the body and blood of Christ)
- safe environments to grow and preserve our faith in the company of caring, respectful Christians
- Brokenhearted, repentant people of faith
- have certain hope in anticipation of glory to come in the next life
- find joy in life, even in suffering because it prepares for the future
- cling to the Lord who, in mercy, understands the needs of all people and provides all good things for physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well-being
- thankfully, seek to help and forgive others just as Christ helps and forgives them
- are spared, protected and delivered from sin, evil, and death
- have patient confidence that God is using for His good purposes, even what Satan intends for evil
- worship God in light—His power of spirit and truth
- the faithful have tears wiped away, gloriously at home with Jesus in heaven
- unbelievers cut off in darkness with Satan, the father of lies, in hell
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