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Keeping Faith Strong

When St. Paul urged his friends to talk to God all the time, it was not so much a command for spiritual discipline as it was a realization of the nature of God.

  • J. Grant Swank, Jr.
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When Paul urged his friends to talk to God all the time, it was not so much a command for spiritual discipline as it was a realization of the nature of God.

God never slumbers nor sleeps, the psalmist reminds us. That is, God is always present tense. God is never unavailable. He is always there.

That is why Jesus stated to the disciples, "I will never leave you. . . ." He meant it for He is ever there-in resurrection presence.

Consequently, when carrying the yoke-cross with Jesus, one finds that He never leaves our sides. He is yoked to our very beings. When we do not realize Jesus, it is because we are detoured. We become distracted and so lapse in memory of His companionship.

To carry the cross, one wants to develop a lifestyle of understanding God-availability.

Realize that your Friend is but a thought away. Immediately redirect your thought toward Jesus and you are in audience with Him. This moment, think on God and you have stepped into the holiness of heaven's throne.

Some have interpreted various Pauline statements regarding keeping faith strong to be heavy commands. They are not. They are invitations to converse with the Lord minute-by-minute. It is keeping in constant rapport, even when in sleep, realizing that your God is still awake.

He is attentive. That is why the Word states that He supplies your every need. The reason is due to the fact of His forever vigilance. God takes no time off.

Such amplifies all the more the term "Father" in relation to deity. He is the perfectly attentive Parent.

When the cross becomes excessively burdensome, do not think you have to beg for Jesus' awareness of your problem. He is more aware than you are. Consequently, cry upon Him, knowing that He sympathizes and so is carrying the heavier end of the beam.

It may not seem that way in every minute you carry the cross. You may experience what Jesus Himself experienced when He felt as if the Father had forsaken him. But in finality, Father had not forsaken Jesus; it only seemed that way. And God has not forsaken you,
though it may feel that way.

Reality is that God-availability is an expression of the nature of deity and therefore cannot be divorced from His essence. What He has stated Himself to be, He is.

Therefore, by faith, take full advantage of God being near to you, then draw near to Him for He does care for you.


  • J. Grant Swank, Jr.
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