Remember and rejoice that God saved you.

It is imperative that you understand that you did not save you. God saved you. Ephesians 2:13 says, “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.”

Remember and rejoice that God is present in your circumstances.

God has not abandoned us to our circumstances. It doesn’t matter how dark the night is. Romans 8:26 says, “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.” Consider how the Holy Spirit functioned in the life of Jesus. At His baptism, Jesus was anointed by the Holy Spirit. He was driven into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit to be tempted by the devil and overcame those temptations by the Spirit. He returned from the wilderness filled with the Holy Spirit. He began His ministry empowered by the Holy Spirit proclaiming the good news of the kingdom. By the power of the Spirit, He drove out demons and performed miracles.
 If the Holy Spirit empowered Jesus, how much more do we need the Spirit? The Spirit testifies that we are children of God and intercedes for us in our weakness. God is with us always through the Holy Spirit.

Remember and rejoice that God finishes what He starts.

You should have no doubts about whether or not you can carry your salvation to completion. You can’t. Philippians 1:6 says, “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” God began it. God will finish it. You can’t do anything to undo the salvation He has worked on your behalf. You belong to Him, and no one can pluck you out of His hand. You are His. He finishes what He starts. If you can remember and rejoice in these three things, you’ll be unshakeable, even in the darkest days. But we have a way of being forgetful of this rhythm. We have a way of quickly forgetting who is the Author and Perfecter of our faith. We have a way of quickly feeling abandoned. We have a way of quickly feeling like it’s up to us to bring this thing to completion.

~Abridged from The Village Church blog entry, A Rhythm of Remembering and Rejoicing, by Matt Chandler. 

Read full article here:

http://www.thevillagechurch.net/the-village-blog/a-rhythm-of-remembering-and-rejoicing/