Just a quick thought from 1 Cor 1:30, (NIVUK) It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God – that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.
Believe that because Jesus, God’s wisdom, is in you, there is no reason you cannot prosper today, and astound the world in the same way Solomon did!
It was once alive!
Beloved!
Today, I read this devotional from RBC Ministries’ “Our Daily Bread” and I immediately sensed a very strong leading in my spirit to share it with you. Bad things do happen to God’s People; things do sometimes go very wrong for God’s people. If that is you reading this blog, take heart because Jesus Christ has you covered!
Read Psalm 37:1-8
Rest in the Lord. —Psalm 37:7
This isn’t the way I expected my life to be. I wanted to marry at 19, have a half-dozen children, and settle into life as a wife and mother. But instead I went to work, married in my forties, and never had children. For a number of years I was hopeful that Psalm 37:4 might be for me a God-guaranteed promise: “He shall give you the desires of your heart.”
But God doesn’t always “bring it to pass” (v.5), and unmet desires stir up occasional sadness. Like mine, your life may have turned out differently than you planned. A few thoughts from Psalm 37 may be helpful (even though the psalm is primarily about comparing ourselves to the wicked).
We learn from verse 4 that unfulfilled desires don’t have to take the joy out of life. As we get to know God’s heart, He becomes our joy.
“Commit your way to the Lord” (v.5). The word commitmeans “to roll.” Bible teacher Herbert Lockyear, Sr., says, “‘Roll thy way upon the Lord,’ as one who lays upon the shoulders of one stronger than himself a burden which he is not able to bear.”
“Trust also in Him” (v.5). When we confidently entrust everything to God, we can “rest in the Lord” (v.7), for He is bringing about His best for our lives. —Anne Cetas
As I walk along life’s pathway,
Though the way I cannot see,
I shall follow in His footsteps,
For He has a plan for me. —Thiesen
A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps. —Proverbs 16:9
Courtesy of General Colin Luther Powell:
1. The less you associate with some people, the more your life will improve. Any time you tolerate mediocrity in others, it increases your mediocrity. An important attribute in successful people is their impatience with negative thinking and negative acting people. As you grow, your associates will change. Some of your friends will not want you to go on. They will want you to stay where they are.
2. Friends that don’t help you climb will want you to crawl. Your friends will stretch your vision or choke your dream. Those that don’t increase you will eventually decrease you.
3. Never receive counsel from unproductive people. Never discuss your problems with someone incapable of contributing to the solution, because those who never succeed themselves are always first to tell you how. Not everyone has a right to speak into your life. You are certain to get the worst of the bargain when you exchange ideas with the wrong person. Don’t follow anyone who’s not going anywhere.
4. With some people you spend an evening: with others you invest it. Be careful where you stop to inquire for directions along the road of life. Wise is the person who fortifies his life with the right friendships. If you run with wolves, you will learn how to howl. But, if you associate with eagles, you will learn how to soar to great heights.
5. “A mirror reflects a man’s face, but what he is really like is shown by the kind of friends he chooses.” The simple but true fact of life is that you become like those with whom you closely associate – for the good and the bad.
Note: Be not mistaken. This is applicable to family as well as friends. Yes…do love, appreciate and be thankful for your family, for they will always be your family no matter what. Just know that they are human first and though they are family to you, they may be a friend to someone else and will fit somewhere in the criteria above.
6. “In Prosperity Our Friends Know Us. In Adversity We Know Our Friends.” “Never make someone a priority when you are only an option for them.”
“If you are going to achieve excellence in big things, you develop the habit in little matters. Excellence is not an exception, it is a prevailing attitude..”
Of all the blogs I have written, none carries more weight and involves the core of my being than this. When pain comes; when dreams and hopes are shattered; when your light turns into sudden darkness; when confidence ceases; when loneliness assails; when confusion reigns; when the heart struggles to beat, overwhelmed by sorrow and sadness; when all goes deathly silent…………This is for YOU my Friend!
You still matter; you still count for something; it’s never over until He who sits enthroned in Heaven above says it’s over. This is for YOU my Friend! You are precious and honoured in His sight; the precious Apple of His Eye; His Righteousness in Christ Jesus. This is for YOU my Friend! You are COMPLETE in Him; YOU lack nothing – He says to you: “YOU are all fair, My love, and there is no spot in YOU!”
God sees REALITY like no one else sees it. God seeks in your life the perfection of His Son’s finished work and NOT your own accolades no matter how others find such great. Do you not know? Has it not been told you? By one offering of Himself at the cross, Jesus has perfected you forever! (Heb 10:14) That means that others ought to and must find you fit, suitable, acceptable, pleasing – because even they shine and are “good” on account of Him. Oh, have you not heard?
This is for YOU my Friend! You, that is all beat, discouraged, in despair, despondent, alone, rejected, ignored, condemned. This is for YOU my Friend! You will laugh again; You will love again and be loved, AGAIN; You will shine again; You will rise up again; You shall live and not die; YET a little while and He will come and save YOU! God says in Isaiah 41:13 – 14 For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you. Do not be afraid, O worm Jacob, O little Israel, for I myself will help you,” declares the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.
When someone reaches out to take your hand in theirs, they are communicating powerfully to you, more than words can ever do. That hand in yours speaks of: Friendship – no one holds the hand of their enemy; Assurance – “hey, am here!”; Trust – dependability at ALL times, in ALL things; Intimacy – “I care, I love YOU; Connection – at heart level! You feel the beautiful pulse and throbbing of their heart. It says “I feel YOU”; Unity – am one with you, here with you, PRESENT!
When God spoke to the Israelites that time in Isaiah 41, He was not physically present with them. he spoke through His Servant. Through His Words He gave them an imagery, vision, a dream perhaps. But He showed them something unforgettable, unparalleled. That whoever holds your hand in theirs is communicating in powerful symbolism a wonderful truth that words can never do however well meant. Are you sinking? Jesus reached out to Peter on the lake one stormy night and extracted him from deep waters! Did someone dependable drop you and leave you crippled and done with? King David reached out to Mephibosheth to give him grace (2 Samuel 9:11 “As for Mephibosheth, said the king, he shall eat at my table, as one of the king’s sons.”) Are you crippled by self afflicted mistakes, bad choices for as long as you can recall? In Acts 3, Peter and John lifted up the crippled man by his right hand and “and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.” There is hope for you! You are NOT the failure and nobody you have been told that you are.
Lift up your eyes to the Maker of heaven and earth, He Will come and save you: “For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.” AND NEVER FORGET: whether you have seen it in a dream or vision or it’s happened to you in the physical world – NO ONE holding your hand is unfit and unworthy of you, THAT One, is your True Friend – Thank YOU Jesus, You are the Lord!
2 Cor 4:7 - 9
2 Cor 4:7 – 14 (NIV)
“7But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 8We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 10We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. 11For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body.
12So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you. 13It is written: “I believed; therefore I have spoken.”b With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak, 14because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence.”
Bad stuff happens to all of us. Some self afflicted. Some through no fault of your own. Some because you are satan’s enemy because you are in Christ! Others still, “well, stuff just happens!” Most others because people close to you do bad things…………….
Nineteen years on, going to twenty, that I have Followed after Jesus Christ, my Good Shepherd, I still find myself thinking and believing that I’m no good to Him because of the many cracks and gaping holes in my life. Mess up is something I do one time too many! Failure and defeat seem at times like my middle name. All around me and in my life are men and women who have been saved by grace yet take the earliest opportunity to deny me grace. Sadly, I do the same thing to others! God’s Children are constantly in this hot pursuit of “self righteousness” for their selves and demand it of others because somehow we are convinced that God’s Offer of His Son Jesus as a perfect substitute is a deal too good to be true, eeeeiiiish!
This morning, thanks be to Jesus, I read a Facebook update from Joyce Meyer that helped bring peace and calmness into my heart: “God knows the mess we’re in when He calls us. His light shines greater through cracked pots than through perfect ones!” Lori West says: “Have you ever felt trapped by the circumstances of life? Are you wondering how you can ever move ahead and get out from under the dark cloud of depression? YOU, have a choice to make every day. YOU, can allow Jesus’ love to shine through your broken body, your jar of clay. Or YOU can take matters into your own hands, dwell on the cracks in your jar, feel sorry for yourself, and allow all the joy to run out of the cracks, leaving you an empty, broken vessel. We cannot spend our life bemoaning yesterday’s shattered dreams or waiting for tomorrow’s “major move of God”; we have to value what God has given us (however cracked a pot they may be); value what we have and are today. Don’t allow unbelief, ignorance, fear and other of life’s obstacles to hinder your progress, or render you useless, or destroy what God is doing in your life. BUT, take what God has placed in your hands, (BROKEN, UGLY OR WHOLE), and make something good from it. Pain is inevitable, but misery is optional, says author and speaker Barbara Johnston.
Joy isn’t found in having friends, mates, parents or a spouse who loves us; it isn’t found in being strong and healthy, or in having a picture-perfect body. Nor is it found in being an academic success or climbing the corporate ladder. Joy and contentment are not found in possessing a beautiful home or vehicle. If these were the conduits of joy, I’d have missed out.
True joy comes when you know whose you are, when you believe in what you’re doing, and when you learn to accept who you are: a jar of clay, and accept that other’s are too! It comes in being willing to use what you are to hold life’s greatest treasure, and allowing the treasure to shine through your life. True peace comes when we learn to see Jesus living not only in jars polished and whole, but also in our cracked jars – when we can see Christ in a jar battling cancer or depression, or in a jar that’s wearied and tarnished by seemingly never ending conflicts in life.
How confident are you in your God? Can you trust your life into His care? There may be times when you feel your life and faith are under siege. The situation seems hopeless. Let me remind you: Faith is easy when you’re up on the mountain and you’ve got peace of mind like you’ve never known. Things change when you’re down in the valley. But don’t lose faith – you’re never alone. For the God of the mountain is still God in the valley, and the God of the day is still God in the night.
Let me reassure you from the pages of Scripture, that Christ laid aside the glories of Heaven. He became a Man of sorrows and today makes His home in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. There are times when we pray for a miracle, yearn for answers and NOW solutions, but circumstances may not change; things may not work out the way we want them to. The cost may be tremendous, but God has promised that His grace is sufficient.
Here’s the last word: When days are dark and you are discouraged and perhaps you feel isolated and helpless for the task at hand. With God by your side, pick up the shattered dreams, disappointments, discouragement, the broken promises, and give them to Jesus. Mourn your losses but don’t wallow in the valley of indecision and defeat; retrace your steps to where you left the Lord; live your life as a monument to the living God. He is more than adequate to meet our needs and gives hope for a hopeless situation.
May God help us all to finish well the life He’s called us to – broken jars of clay are all God Needs!
Together we can!
Ephesians 5:15 – 16 (NIV) says: “Be very careful, then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every OPPORTUNITY, because the days are evil.” And Colossians 4:5 (NIV) says: “Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every OPPORTUNITY.”
I love that word “opportunity”, reading those verses got me thinking. IF you are like me, though I must admit God’s Word has influenced so much positive change in my life, then you will FEEL me when I say how we find it easier to sit, pray and do nothing else because, ostensibly, we are WAITING ON GOD to tell us what we need attend to!
Of course there is a place for that. Do not the same Scriptures teach and exhort us to “wait” on God? (Psalm 27:14); To “be STILL”? (Psalm 46:10); And, to still “wait” some more? (Isaiah 40:31). Yes, we must learn and discipline ourselves to be still and wait but we must understand that to do so is no licence to procrastinate, be lazy or indulge in inertia! That is NOT what our Lord had in mind when He said we would be His “Witnesses” after His ascension.
In the words of Apostle Paul, we have the responsibility to take care of how we live. From his words, it is apparent that some do live “unwisely”, wasting precious time and opportunities. It is also noteworthy that time and opportunities come to all of us. Take another look around you: at home, the office, the shopping mall, at church, at school – whichever direction we turn, opportunities exist and abound for us to shine as Lights and be the Salt of Christ upon the earth.
“To EVERYTHING there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven….” (Eccl 3:1 NKJV). What season are you in? Do YOU know God’s purpose for your life? Key word being “God” not your own purpose! Let’s awaken to the Truth of God’s Word and realize that each day we live on this earth, Jesus Christ Will bring opportunities our way so we can bear Him witness and help point “outsiders” His Way. I dare say that even within the Body of Christ, any individual that has not yet been mentored or discipled is on the “outside” of God’s Things and we who are “advanced” in our knowledge of God’s Will and Word, bear the responsibility to reach out and impact a life.
Now we know, I hope, let us arise and “GO make disciples of ALL nations……….” Indeed, together we can!
Digging in
This last week, someone wrote on twitter the following words: “When you need a break, take a break. You will often find that the world does not crumble when you are resting.” How profound those words, yet how often we disregard the counsel until it’s too late! Do you ever get disgusted when you see someone stuff their mouths full of food? Or talk with their mouths full of some delicacy? God created us with immense abilities. The human body is capable of amazing contortions that leave many wide eyed.
And then some more..
The Holy Scriptures even teach us that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us (Philippians 4:13). But that same Bible also teaches us that the body is one unit yet made up of “many parts” (1 Cor 12:14). What that means is, many hands make light the work. You can do all things through Christ Jesus who strengthens you BUT you are not the only one through whom God accomplishes His work on earth.
Rest for all creation
Neema - God's Grace
The same goes for the Church of Christ as well. IF we learnt to delegate more of what we do to other saints; IF we sat in fewer meetings; IF we had more confidence in the Holy Spirit to manage His affairs; IF we rested more – would not the quality of our efforts increase? Would not more souls be won to the Lord? Would we not smile more often and worship the Lord longer?
Any nutritionist will tell you that IF you made a habit of putting into your mouth a spoonful of food at a time and proceeded to chew it thoroughly before swallowing it, the food would not only travel down with ease into your stomach but you would also derive the maximum nutritional benefits from whatever you eat. That translates to less illness and a longer, healthier lifespan.
As it is, Christians have joined the world in a rat race, a chasing after the wind! Even Jesus took time out! God rested on the seventh day and He even appointed man to manage his affairs on earth.
Why wont we?!
