Every Little Thing is Gonna Be Alright

As I write this I am sitting on the deck of my host family's home here in Lake Stevens, WA on an absolutely gorgeous morning. It is 42 degrees outside, the sun is shining brightly and just down the hill and across the street the Lake is shimmering in the coolness of the day. It is one of those days where you know that God is in control and His mercies are new each morning. I have been struggling to get this article written for the past
three or four days because of different reasons, but something that stands out to me even right now as I write is that God is in control. I have been wanting to write about the glory of God all week, because that is what we talked about at youth group the other night. I have just really been thinking about how a surrendered life to God brings Him so much glory. A person who has committed their life to Christ, and lives in denial of himself and in complete surrender to God, for the sake of Christ, is truly a majestic thing, and here is why. Irenaeus, a bishop in the second century once said, “The glory of God is man fully alive.” I completely agree with Him. My agreement is based upon the Scriptures in Matthew 16 in which Jesus says that in losing our life we will find it. When someone loses their life for Christ, gives up all of their hopes, ambitions, dreams, and talents — their whole life, they will find life in Christ, and a life in Christ is a most glorious thing.
When God can take a life and use it to accomplish His purposes, in His way and time, its awesome. The glory goes to God. (p.s. I just saw a raccoon with no tail go running by. Those things creep me out.) I can't even begin to tell you how this desire to bring God glory in my life consumes me today. I just want to go shout it from the tree tops that God is alive and that He is in control. I love God sooooo much. (p.p.s. The creepy raccoon is coming towards me; I am seriously freaking out. Thankfully I think that all it wants is the cat food and not my body. I just hissed at it and it is walking away. Whew.)

As I was driving back to my host family's house from our staff meeting this morning I had the radio on and a song by Bob Marley (whom I am not saying listen to or do not listen to) came on that seemed to be God's little answer to me about getting this article written because I had been so worried about getting it written and having it be just so perfect and all of that jazz, but this is what it said, "Don't worry about tomorrow, every little thing is gonna be alright." How fitting, huh? A pleasant little reminder of Matthew 6. God is in control. Don't be afraid to give up your life Christ, for in doing so you will find life and all of the glory will go to God.

by Justin Kantonen
originally posted February 2009