Wherever, whoever, or whatever we are, we need to make the very best of it.

In our day we hear much of discrimination for almost every reason. There is oppression. There is injustice. None of us chose where to be born or who to be born to.

Success seems to be the goal of all, but the definition of success is so subjective that there are as many definitions as there are people.

When Jesus Christ the Son of Almighty God entered the world as the God-man — 100 percent God and 100 percent man — he came not as one of the ruling elite, but as a commoner in a diverse and complicated culture. Jesus was born a Jew. The Jews were a conquered people and lived under the oppression of Roman rule.

The life and teachings of Jesus Christ gave great hope to those who heard and believed, because His message was relatively simple. No matter who you are, you matter to God Almighty, and God can and will work in your life regardless of your station to give you peace or rest.

Jesus said, in the gospel of Matthew 11: 28-29, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Jesus was successful in that He had peace with Himself and with God, and that is all anybody is looking for regardless of their stated objectives.

Life is not always what it appears. We see people who should have it all together, but when you scratch the surface of their lives, you see the same insecurities and weaknesses that plague us all.

The message of Jesus Christ is called the gospel or good news. The good news is that God can and will transcend our lives into glory. There is glory now even in this present world. We can by the grace of God live above our circumstances, love people, and be a light of God in the midst of darkness.

God gives us no guarantee in this present world except His presence. Our lives might be offered up prematurely because of our stand for Christ, but the other part of the gospel is that our future is secure. Life does not end here on earth through death. There is eternal life. The soul lives on forever, so the essence of who we are is eternal. Through belief in the finished work of Christ on the cross, we can partake of eternity with God.

The gospel lifts us. We literally become indestructible in that our body may die, but we live on. So, what is there to fear? There is nothing to fear except God Himself.

The Apostle Paul wrote, in the epistle to the Galatians 3:28, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” There is no discrimination with God. We can be all we are meant to be with God. The only limitations are those we place on ourselves because of lack of faith.

The Rev. Dan Puckett is a minister with Life Action Ministries.