For Sure
By Vernette Kureck
“Know that the Lord is God. It is He who made us and we are His,
we are His people, the sheep of His pasture.”
Psalm 100:3 (NIV)
Oprah Winfrey’s magazine “O” ends each issue with a column called “What I Know For Sure.” Her original intention “was to have a magazine that would serve as a manual for living your best life.” Many of the monthly essays deal with relationships to self, family, nature, etc. As God’s people, we don’t need a magazine! We have the Bible, God’s inspired Word - - our believers’ manual - - which reveals how to live our best life and have our best relationships. Most important is our relationship with God Himself.
For sure, know that you are connected to God through Jesus His Son. Without Jesus, there’s no relationship with God. In John 14:6, Jesus says, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Have you invited Jesus to live in your innermost being? Acts 2:21 says, “And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord is saved.”
For sure, know “that it is by grace that you are saved, through faith - - and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God - - not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). God sees the work of His Son when He sees you. You are loved forever and never will be separated from God.
For sure, know that when “we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9-10). How liberating it is to know I am free from sin’s power; that when I mess up, I can turn away from sin and seek forgiveness and restoration.
For sure, know that every day God is available to talk with you. God’s Spirit searches our hearts and minds and intercedes in our weakness according to God’s will. The Creator of the universe has time to listen to you pour out your heart.
For sure, know that you have received gifts from the Holy Spirit. Everyone’s gifts are different and God places you where your gift can best be used. The important thing is to be using your gift to build up God’s family.
For sure, know that your future is in heaven. As a believer, your life is hidden in Christ who’s seated at the right hand of God and, when He appears in glory, you also will appear (Colossians 3:1-4). How exciting is that!
For sure, know that the Bible is inexhaustible. It needs to be read and studied and read again! For sure, know that, unlike a magazine that comes and goes, it serves as the ultimate manual for leading your best life!
GOING DEEPER:
1. Make your own list of “For Sures.”
FURTHER READING:
Romans 8:26-28; Romans 8:35-39; Romans 12:4-8
Vernette and her husband Ken have been married 48 years and are blessed with 8 grandchildren. She serves Oakwood on the prayer chain and with Family Promise.
