(Rom 15:13 NLT) I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in Him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Have you ever been in a place without hope, feeling the weight on your shoulders is too much? Do not feel condemned for losing hope not everyone is tested the same, not everyone matures to the point where God can trust them to be tested to this extent but look up for this test will also pass and when it does the richness of God’s kindness will shine upon you. Paul’s prayer for the Romans was exactly what I needed to hear today, for my hope is in nothing less than Jesus Christ and His righteousness. Often I forget and think it is my own ability to be strong enough or smart enough to work through whatever the day may bring but God being a good Father allows us to come to the end of our own abilities so that He may gently lift our chins causing our eyes to meet His; this way we might know it is not our abilities but His that brings us through every situation that will ever confront us. Remember this, all this life is practice and preparation for what comes next and though it has not been revealed to us I know it is beyond our imagination! As wonderful as that may be the real treasure is being with our Lord, being able to walk hand in hand and talk with Him about how He cared for us through each one of these tests we go through now. My heart longs to be with Him in this way but inside I can hear Him say, “Just a little further, son.”
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Do You Have Convictions?
(Rom 14:23 NLT) But if you have doubts about whether or not you should eat something, you are sinning if you go ahead and do it. For you are not following your convictions. If you do anything you believe is not right, you are sinning.
Conviction is the agreement between a person’s soul and God about the line that should not be crossed. Unfortunately, our convictions are also influenced by people around us. As children this is good, for our parents guide us but as we become adults we too often spend time worrying about what the people at the office think, wondering how friends see us, and paying attention to family members who clearly think we should be doing things differently. All of this distracts us from the only opinion that matters – God’s. Yes Proverbs 22:6 tells us to “Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it.” But the training you receive as a child are as tools to a carpenter, as he becomes more skilled his tools become more focused so that the work he does becomes more detailed. We too develop the guidelines set before us as children by our parents, so that as an adult when we depend more and more upon God to lead us we might fulfill His master plan for our lives. For each one is to develop the relationship with God for themselves so that His Holy Spirit may guide them. What Paul said in Romans is to help us realize this so that we might stop trying to influence others to believe as we believe, for each person belongs to God and God alone is responsible for guiding them and that brings us back to the beginning – conviction is the agreement between a person’s soul and God. What are you doing to make sure your spirit can hear what He is saying?
Conviction is the agreement between a person’s soul and God about the line that should not be crossed. Unfortunately, our convictions are also influenced by people around us. As children this is good, for our parents guide us but as we become adults we too often spend time worrying about what the people at the office think, wondering how friends see us, and paying attention to family members who clearly think we should be doing things differently. All of this distracts us from the only opinion that matters – God’s. Yes Proverbs 22:6 tells us to “Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it.” But the training you receive as a child are as tools to a carpenter, as he becomes more skilled his tools become more focused so that the work he does becomes more detailed. We too develop the guidelines set before us as children by our parents, so that as an adult when we depend more and more upon God to lead us we might fulfill His master plan for our lives. For each one is to develop the relationship with God for themselves so that His Holy Spirit may guide them. What Paul said in Romans is to help us realize this so that we might stop trying to influence others to believe as we believe, for each person belongs to God and God alone is responsible for guiding them and that brings us back to the beginning – conviction is the agreement between a person’s soul and God. What are you doing to make sure your spirit can hear what He is saying?
Friday, July 12, 2013
Wisdom
(Pro 1:7 NLT) Fear of the LORD is the foundation of true knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.
Those who think themselves wise are blind for wisdom comes from God and God has many instruments that He uses to help us become wise, if we will listen. Why do you think God instructed Israel to honor their fathers and mothers? It’s not because parents are always worthy of honor, for they are people too and people fail but in honoring them you will listen, when you listen you gain experience beyond your own years. Those who don’t listen, those who don’t honor, are bound to repeat the same mistakes their parents made and if they still don’t listen they condemn themselves to things even worse.
You want to be wise don’t boast in your own abilities, rather be quiet and allow the Lord to honor you, for you are the apple of His eye and constantly on His mind. When God allowed Job to be tested was it because God did not like him? No, just the opposite God mentioned Job to the Accuser because Job was honorable and God had a great purpose in the changes that were about to take place in his life. When the test was complete Job’s faith increased and God’s blessings were beyond compare.
(Job 42:12-17 NLT) So the LORD blessed Job in the second half of his life even more than in the beginning. For now he had 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 teams of oxen, and 1,000 female donkeys. He also gave Job seven more sons and three more daughters. He named his first daughter Jemimah, the second Keziah, and the third Keren-happuch. In all the land no women were as lovely as the daughters of Job. And their father put them into his will along with their brothers. Job lived 140 years after that, living to see four generations of his children and grandchildren. Then he died, an old man who had lived a long, full life.
All our hard work to become something doesn’t matter if we don’t honor our parents, if we don’t keep God’s commandments and how will we know His commandments if we don’t read His Word, if we don’t spend time with Him in prayer? No, you will work harder than anyone else and still not be fulfilled because wisdom comes from God and by doing things your own way you become a blind, foolish person… the very thing you fear.
Those who think themselves wise are blind for wisdom comes from God and God has many instruments that He uses to help us become wise, if we will listen. Why do you think God instructed Israel to honor their fathers and mothers? It’s not because parents are always worthy of honor, for they are people too and people fail but in honoring them you will listen, when you listen you gain experience beyond your own years. Those who don’t listen, those who don’t honor, are bound to repeat the same mistakes their parents made and if they still don’t listen they condemn themselves to things even worse.
You want to be wise don’t boast in your own abilities, rather be quiet and allow the Lord to honor you, for you are the apple of His eye and constantly on His mind. When God allowed Job to be tested was it because God did not like him? No, just the opposite God mentioned Job to the Accuser because Job was honorable and God had a great purpose in the changes that were about to take place in his life. When the test was complete Job’s faith increased and God’s blessings were beyond compare.
(Job 42:12-17 NLT) So the LORD blessed Job in the second half of his life even more than in the beginning. For now he had 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 teams of oxen, and 1,000 female donkeys. He also gave Job seven more sons and three more daughters. He named his first daughter Jemimah, the second Keziah, and the third Keren-happuch. In all the land no women were as lovely as the daughters of Job. And their father put them into his will along with their brothers. Job lived 140 years after that, living to see four generations of his children and grandchildren. Then he died, an old man who had lived a long, full life.
All our hard work to become something doesn’t matter if we don’t honor our parents, if we don’t keep God’s commandments and how will we know His commandments if we don’t read His Word, if we don’t spend time with Him in prayer? No, you will work harder than anyone else and still not be fulfilled because wisdom comes from God and by doing things your own way you become a blind, foolish person… the very thing you fear.
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
To be clear
To be clear about my post this morning I am not judging, though I am not diabetic I have been guilty of too much sugar and though I am not obese too many times have I gone back to fill my plate more than once and I am certainly not rich though I am puzzled at the amount of time I spend looking and day dreaming about things I do not own. My point is though I listed three areas where people commonly fall into a trap I could have listed many more and so that the reader is clear I deal with the same things but it struck me this morning that even though we know ourselves pretty well God knows us better. To trust the Lord, whole heartedly is a rich blessing that goes beyond comprehension.
I know what is right for me
Romans 13
Have you ever heard someone say my body knows what it needs, the diabetic who’s consuming candy, the obese who’s portions are larger than others, the rich man blinded by the idea of more, the truth is we don’t gravitate towards healing but more hurt. To do what is right will always take a conscious effort, a trained mind set on God’s commands. It does not come natural to love those who treat you wrong yet Romans 13:10 says, “Love does no wrong to others, so love fulfills the requirements of God’s law.” God’s law is evidence of our misguided nature if we were righteous God’s law would not be necessary, yet that does not keep us from thinking we know best. We like to think with our vast experience and capable minds we make right decisions as choices present themselves but we simply do not. Verse 14 tells us to, “Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires.”
Lord, forgive me for thinking I know what is best and help me to have the mind of Christ, your Son. Things that upset me, let these be the things that remind me that You have a better way. Help me to repay evil with righteousness so that your presence will be known. Thank you for your instruction and your Word so that I may know your ways. Thank you for second chances when I get it wrong. Thank you for loving me as I am so that I may be more like you each day.
Have you ever heard someone say my body knows what it needs, the diabetic who’s consuming candy, the obese who’s portions are larger than others, the rich man blinded by the idea of more, the truth is we don’t gravitate towards healing but more hurt. To do what is right will always take a conscious effort, a trained mind set on God’s commands. It does not come natural to love those who treat you wrong yet Romans 13:10 says, “Love does no wrong to others, so love fulfills the requirements of God’s law.” God’s law is evidence of our misguided nature if we were righteous God’s law would not be necessary, yet that does not keep us from thinking we know best. We like to think with our vast experience and capable minds we make right decisions as choices present themselves but we simply do not. Verse 14 tells us to, “Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires.”
Lord, forgive me for thinking I know what is best and help me to have the mind of Christ, your Son. Things that upset me, let these be the things that remind me that You have a better way. Help me to repay evil with righteousness so that your presence will be known. Thank you for your instruction and your Word so that I may know your ways. Thank you for second chances when I get it wrong. Thank you for loving me as I am so that I may be more like you each day.
Monday, July 8, 2013
Don't Give Up
Back in May my computer crashed and the last good backup I had was October 2011. Recovering as much as I could from different sources felt more and more like something I didn’t want to do; I even was tempted to stop writing but God was working on my heart. Now I don’t know if my computer failing had spiritual meaning but God sure did use it to see if my writing and even my quiet time with Him was just a habit or if there was a deeper purpose. I knew in my inner being I wanted to pick up where I left off but wasn’t eager about copying all my journal notes from almost two years ago, still the longer I waited to get started the more this hunger from inside my heart grew. I have caught up now and this is what I have found – my notes, no my time with God is everything to me and though I had to work hard to gain the ground I lost my determination is stronger now than I think it ever has been. This is true in all areas of our lives, the things we live for, the things that compel us point to who we are. If our life is centered on Jesus then He is the thing we cling to when all else has been stripped away and as we work to once again be on the mountain top with Him we realize just how important those moments are when we are with Him even, no especially in the valley.
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