Where God Wants to Lead You First

Fresh Manna
by Pastor Tim Burt

Renee and I live on a creek. A few years back, the city put in a walking path on the opposite side of our creek. They installed a bridge over it so that people could get to the beautiful walking path boarding the creek lined with wild flowers. The bridge and walking path have become a wonderful blessing to many people—at least to those that know about it and that use it.

God has created that for us. Jesus Christ made Himself the bridge to a beautiful path in God. Through Him we can cross over from our life without God and laden with sin and burdens, to God—the place were Jesus washes all our sins away, lifts our burdens, and reveals to our heart, the beauty of living the Christ-life. Through Jesus, we can begin to see God the Father as He really is. Upon receiving Jesus, the Holy Spirit of God comes to live within us and help us grasp the depth of God’s love for us. And by crossing over through Jesus, we can actually have an intimate relationship with Almighty God! It’s amazing and sometimes mind-blowing just to think about!

Sin was what separated God from man—something we were all guilty of and needed rescuing from. Jesus became the bridge. Sin is unholy and God cannot associate with it. It is contrary to who He is. Jesus offered His life as a substitute for ours, paying the price for the punishment we deserved. 2 Corinthians 5:21 NLT puts it like this: “For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.” When this verse says, “…so that we could be made right with God through Christ…,” it’s implying that Jesus washed away our sins and became our bridge to reconciliation with God. We see it again in Acts 3:19 NIV. “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.”

This truth is initially hard for anyone to wrap their mind around. Most people wrestle with the thought of future sin that they are confident they will be guilty of. How could God keep loving us? It’s not that people don’t trust God. It’s that they don’t trust their own ability to not fail and sin again. They are confident that they will. Then what? Are we separated from God again? It immediately stops people in their mind and heart from reaching out to Jesus in the first place. What they don’t know is that God’s love is so great, it almost seems too good to be true. What they don’t know is that God covers us with robes of His righteousness and that is what He sees when He looks at us. Isaiah 61:10 “I am overwhelmed with joy in the LORD my God! He has dressed me with the clothing of salvation and draped me in a robe of righteousness… .” Our sins have been washed away. He sees us washed. He is not looking for sin. This can only be grasped by spending time with God in His Word so that His Holy Spirit can reveal this glorious truth to you. It’s what makes us fall in love with the Jesus.

The first place God wants to lead you, is to grasping the depth of His love for you! He wants good and blessing for you more than you want it for yourself. That is what a good parent desires. He is your Heavenly Father if you’ve received Jesus as your Savior. You no longer have to run or hide from Him, but instead run to Him. Nothing is hidden from Him and He is ready and waiting to accept you and help you as you are. When you begin to grasp the depth of His love, you’ll know He is not judging you but there to teach, instruct and help you follow His path for your life. That is where the multitude of all His promised blessings lie. He will help you develop fervent faith rooted in love and trust in Him.

Allow Jeremiah 29:11 to ring in your ears and heart and be a reminder of His love and intent of the good He’s planned for your life. “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”

Ephesians 3:19 (NLT) “May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.”

In His love,
Pastor Tim Burt

If Fresh Manna is a blessing to you, I’d love to know. Click here: FreshMannaFeedback

If your heart has been touched by God’s love through Fresh Manna, would you like to help Pastor Tim reach others also? Please prayerfully consider donating. No gift is too small.