Ride or Die

The choice to serve God should never be dependent upon what God will or won’t do for us.  We have to decide in our hearts to be all in or all out.  We have to be ride or die for God. 

The story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego always remind me of what true faith looks like.  When being faced with certain death for not bowing to a false god, the three men replied to the King of Babylon’s threat in Daniel 3: 17-18, “If our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire and out of your hand, O king, let him deliver us. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods and we will not worship the golden statue that you have set up.”  For certain, whether they lived or died, they would not bow down.  They made it perfectly clear that they would never conform; that they were not interested in lives as sycophants.  Death would be better for them than being followers of foolery.

We have to be willing to die for our beliefs; to trust God even when things seem to be to our detriment.  We have to be able to stand for what is right, what is sacred, what is in line with God’s purpose for us even when it goes against what the world says or our personal agendas.  Of course this is hard, but we must have faith that God is on our side no matter what circumstance we find ourselves in.  It is important to know that God does not bend to our will; but, we are to bend to God’s, and trust that God will not put us in a situation that does not benefit God’s divine purpose.  For we must realize, God’s plan will ultimately better all humanity by bringing us all within God’s loving presence and everlasting peace. 

So stand firm.  Don’t be lukewarm.  Have no fear of the mortal but the Great Immortal!  Walk in faith knowing that God will never leave you nor forsake you.  Love hard and live free! 

To learn more about Violette, visit www.violettemeier.com. 

Mercy (love) v. Sacrifice

This morning, while doing my morning prayer and reading, I stumbled upon Hosea 6:6 and the spirit of the Lord came upon me.  The verse read, “For I desire mercy (steadfast love) not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.”  Suddenly I became painfully aware of what is most important to God.  It is simply to love one another and getting to know God on a personal level. 

Many times we try to get close to God by sacrificial offerings.  We sacrifice money (tithing); we sacrifice time (volunteering/church); and we sacrifice food (fasting), yet with all of these sacrifices we forget to be truly loving and merciful towards one another.  We sometimes forget what it means to be good to our spouses, effective parents to our children; loyal and understanding friends, helpful neighbors, and compassionate strangers.  We forget to ask the Holy Spirit to give us wisdom, knowledge, and understanding of God’s will because we are so busy bending the world to our own will.   Sometimes we are so busy sacrificing that we fail to be in relationship with the God we are supposed to be sacrificing for.

Sacrifices are necessary and God appreciates them, but that it is not the point of it all.  The point of it all is to seek God, to know God, and to let God’s light shine through us by the love we show to others.

To learn more about Violette, visit www.violettemeier.com.