He is the God of the living!
He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living. You are therefore greatly mistaken.” ~ Mark 12:27
Have you ever found yourself saying, “If I can just make it through this week, then everything will be better”? We often live as though God’s greatest work is waiting somewhere in the future. We look forward to heaven, future blessings, or the day when all our problems disappear. While those promises are wonderful, Jesus reminds us that God isn’t only preparing our future, He’s actively involved in our lives today.
God isn’t absent while we wait. He’s present while we live, everyday.
In today’s reading, the Sadducees came to Jesus with what they thought was an impossible question. They didn’t even believe in the resurrection, but they tried to trap Jesus by asking about a woman who had been married multiple times and whose wife she would be when they all get to heaven. Jesus quickly exposed the problem.
It wasn’t that they had asked the wrong question. It was that they didn’t know the Scriptures or the power of God. Then He reminded them that God is “the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Those men had physically died centuries earlier, yet God spoke of them as though they were still alive because life with Him never ends.
Then Jesus made this powerful statement. “He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living.” Those words are just as important for us today.
Sometimes we think salvation is simply our ticket to heaven. It certainly secures our eternity, but it also transforms our present. Jesus didn’t come only to prepare a place for us someday. He came so we could walk with Him today, experience His peace today, receive His wisdom today, and know His presence every step of our journey in this life.
Our God is the great “I Am.” Not “I was.” Not “I will be.” But, “I Am.”
He is the God of right here, right now. Here are some ways we can live with that confidence every day?
- Invite God into today’s challenges. Don’t wait until you’ve exhausted every other option before praying. Begin your morning by talking with Him about your schedule, your family, your work, and the decisions ahead. He cares about every detail of your life.
- Look for His presence in ordinary moments. God isn’t only at work during church services or special events. He’s with you while you’re driving to work, folding laundry, sitting in meetings, or standing in the longest grocery line ever created. Sometimes His greatest miracles begin in the most ordinary places.
- Choose faith over fear. When unexpected circumstances arise, remind yourself that the God who promised never to leave you is already standing in tomorrow before you arrive there. His presence gives you courage to keep moving forward.
One of the things I’ve learned over the years is that God’s faithfulness usually shows up one day at a time. There have been seasons when I wanted Him to hand me the entire blueprint for the future. Instead, He simply gave me enough direction for the next step. Looking back, I can see His fingerprints all over the journey. He was opening doors, closing others, providing exactly what I needed, and teaching me to trust Him along the way.
I’ve also discovered that God has an amazing sense of timing. Rarely does He seem to operate on my schedule. Even when I’ve prayed, “Lord, I needed that answer yesterday.” Somehow, He lovingly shows me that His timing is still perfect. I’ve stopped telling Him that because, let’s be honest, He hasn’t missed it yet.
The beautiful truth is that His presence isn’t limited to mountaintop moments. He walks with us through the valleys, strengthens us in the waiting, and fills our ordinary days with extraordinary grace.
Today I want to encourage you to stop thinking of God as only the hope of your future and begin embracing Him as the strength for your present. Invite Him into every conversation, every decision, every challenge, and every opportunity. He is the God of the living, and that means He is walking beside you today, right here and now. Whatever you’re facing, you don’t face it alone. His presence is your peace, His wisdom is your guide, and His power is more than enough for every obstacle in front of you. Trust Him one step at a time and watch Him faithfully lead you through every season of life.
Today’s scripture reading: Mark 12:18-27
18 Then some Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Him; and they asked Him, saying:
19 “Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if a man’s brother dies, and leaves his wife behind, and leaves no children, his brother should take his wife and raise up offspring for his brother.
20 Now there were seven brothers. The first took a wife; and dying, he left no offspring.
21 And the second took her, and he died; nor did he leave any offspring. And the third likewise.
22 So the seven had her and left no offspring. Last of all the woman died also.
23 Therefore, in the resurrection, when they rise, whose wife will she be? For all seven had her as wife.”
24 Jesus answered and said to them, “Are you not therefore mistaken, because you do not know the Scriptures nor the power of God?
25 For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.
26 But concerning the dead, that they rise, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the burning bush passage, how God spoke to him, saying, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’?
27 He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living. You are therefore greatly mistaken.”
Journal:
- Have I been treating God as someone I’ll need someday instead of Someone I can depend on today?
- Where have I seen God’s presence and faithfulness in my life recently?
- What situation do I need to intentionally place in God’s hands today?
- Am I allowing fear or faith to shape my decisions?
- What is one practical way I can become more aware of God’s presence throughout my day?
The Daily Dose 