“TRY GOD” (1) By Pastor Yau

Psalm 16:1-5

INTRODUCTION:

As king of the people of Israel ruling over a land flowed with milk and honey, David was humble before God as he asked God to “Keep me safe, O God, for in you, I take refuge.” (Psalm 16:1) He was asking for protection and guidance from God. Why is a man in power and riches, such as King David, needs to ask God for help? What can God do to make him feel safe? Among all the things God is able to do to David and all of us, here are a few that are sufficient for us to ask for His help.

THE PASSION OF GOD: (John 3:16; 13:1)

The Readers’ Digest had an interview with the maker of the popular movie, “THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST”, Mel Gibson a couple of months before the release of the file. In that interview, Mr. Gibson gave the definition of “PASSION” as OBSESSIVE LOVE. According to the Greek tax of the New Testament, AGAPE is the equivalence of the phrase OBSESSIVE LOVE Mel Gibson used to describe the love God has for us. The whole Bible was written to show us how much God loved His people in the olden days and how much He continues to love us even now. In John 13:1, the Bible says: Having loved his people in this world, He (Jesus) loves them to the end.

God’s love to us is unconditional. He loves us when we are good. He will love us when we are bad. His love will never diminish just because we run away from him as many of us do sometimes. As the Psalmist said in Psalm 118:1-12, “His love endures forever” 12 times in those 12 verses, no one will ever be excluded from His love. You can count on Him to love you no matter what.

THE PURPOSE OF GOD: (Phil. 3:7-8)

As the top sales book, PURPOSE DRIVEN LIFE, written by Rick Warren, swept thru the nation for months, Mel Gibson said, in that same interview, that life without purpose is a life with spiritual cancer. He continued to say that if that emptiness in life is not cured, that spiritual cancer is going to eat up your life. It was that pursuit of purpose in his life, Mel took that risk of his investing $25M in the PASSION movie.

Far too many people either did not pay attention to the importance of a purpose in life or ignore the importance of pursuing it, many of them either end up wasted their lives for nothing or left with the emptiness in their hearts even when they have achieved so much. It is not how much you have acquired in this world that gives you meaning, it is how much you have followed God and His purpose in your life that creates meaning. Paul, the apostle, was in wrong pursuit in his young age until he found the Lord Jesus as His Lord and Savior, then he had that purpose in his life. Be careful to seek that purpose God has for your life, and be faithful kin following His plans, so you will never live a life that is for nothing.

THE PATH OF GOD: (John 14:6; Isaiah 55:7-9)

Choosing a correct path of one’s life is never an easy job. So many people wasted their lives and/or suffered terrible consequences because of their wrong choices of paths. A path of life is the values we chose, the direction we go, the way we treat ourselves as well as others and the measure we used to determine success. Many people, including some called themselves as Christians, chose to follow the wrong path, the worldly path, the easy path and the selfish path, and led their lives to misery, emptiness, hopelessness and despair. Many of the problems people face and suffer are the results of choosing the wrong path for life. God told His people, thru Prophet Isaiah, that His path is higher than that of man, and His thoughts are higher than that of them. Seeking to know God’s way for your life is not a sign of weakness. It is a sign of wisdom to recognize the higher power and authority only God is able to enjoy.

So, be humble fore Him, seek His path in your education, dating, marriage, career and everything else big or small, and see he will lead your way to fulfillment.

THE PRESENCE OF GOD: (Matt. 28:20; Gen. 26:3)

Separation is always difficult, be it due to relocation, different pursuit in life or death. Many of us suffer in various degrees the pain of separation from our loved ones. Abandonment is even worse to endure but we see them happen everyday. We see people left their families, drop their commitments, switched their loyalty from one to another because of personal gain, and so on. It is not and over statement to say that nothing and no one is permanent. But that is not the case with God.

At the conclusion of giving the Great Commission, Jesus promised His disciples that He will be with them, and all who may believe in Him through the ages, till the end of the world. And that is something we often forget. The presence of God and its implications are more than we can imagine. It is God who will be there for you in whatever you may encounter. It is there, you will hear that soft voice, “I am will you till the end of the world.” How precious is that promise.

CONCLUSION:

As we proceed each day of our lives, let us stick to God, seeking His protection and guidance as did King David, and therefore, we will have the confidence because of His love, His purpose, His path and His presence we experience. Ask God to lead your life, and promise Him that you will follow.