Psalm 48:14 (NIV) For this God is our God for ever and ever; he will be our guide even to the end.

We as human beings have a tendency to take things for granted. We are quicker to complain about things than we are to give thanks for the things that are good in our lives. Life would be so much more pleasant if we could just have a better outlook than we do. But no matter how hard we try, there always seems to be something missing. That something that is missing is a relationship with the God who made us.

When we are awakened to the fact that we need a Savior and we make the life-changing decision to receive the salvation that Jesus offers us, our perspective on life changes...at least initially it does. But then many of us fall back into the patten of complaining and taking God's blessings for granted. The Bible admonishes us to be thankful always so that we can avoid falling into the trap of discontent. But if we just look into the salvation that we have and who it is that has made the way for us, we will be most joyful and thankful as we absolutely should be. The psalmist who wrote the words above from Psalm 48 was talking about the awesomeness and the splendor of God and of His power and the mighty works that He had done for His people when suddenly, it dawned on him: this God that he was talking about was his God and Israel's God! Oh that we would have that perspective.

The God who created the heavens and the earth and everything in it is our God. The God who parted the Red Sea so that His people could walk through it on dry ground is our God. The God who secured great victories for His people against enemies more numerous and more powerful than they were, that’s our God. The God who speaks to the winds and the waves and they obey Him, that’s our God. The God who came to earth and took the form of man so that He could pay the penalty for our sins by dying in our place, that’s our God. This same God is our God and it would do us well to live with that realization and with gratitude in our hearts for the amazing, eternal, life-giving privilege of loving Him and serving Him. That same God who the psalmist said would be their guide until the end will be your guide to the end until you see Jesus face to face. Hallelujah! Let our hearts rejoice and our lips speak unending praise because this God is our God!

Pastor Joey Vazquez