Trials are not Punitive

 

Some people think that if someone is going through a prolonged illness, time out of work, heart-wrenching grief or a trial of some sort, that God is trying to teach them something; and that once they learn it, they will be freed from the trial. Those in the trial beat themselves up by thinking they need to pray more, read their Bible more or make some attempt to appease God's wrath.

This causes people to doubt their connection to the Lord and gives them hours of unrest and soul searching. Trials are not only times of correction and repentance, but also of renewal and sweet fellowship with our Father God. God is jealous and enjoys having us all to Himself. We find our self lost in the presence of God. We surrender all control to Him.

During times of trial, we have an abundance of time to spend with God. When we think back on those days of horrid illness, stress or persecution, we smile; not because we are masochists and love pain, but because our normal schedule is totally interrupted and we have free time. We are isolated from the world and able to spend that sweet time of oneness with the Lord.

Often, the Lord will give us a "holiday" through a trial, during which we can spend focused time worshipping the Beloved of our soul. During trials, do not trust in your own efforts or expect generosity from family, church and friends. Instead, wait with your whole soul – your mind, will and emotions – and put complete hope in the Lord and His Word.

Prayer:

Father God, You hear our voice in the morning, as we lay our requests before you and wait expectantly on You (Psalm 5:3). You love to spend all of Your time with each one of us. The next time we are without work, isolated by sickness or find our self alone through the death of a loved one or the devastation of divorce, we will take this time to spend entirely with You. When we do, we always find our self irrevocably changed in spirit, soul and body.

Thought for the Day:

We walk in the ways of the Lord and wait for Him, because His name and fame are the desires of our heart. - Isaiah 26:8

Abide in Christ

 

Abiding is one of the most beautiful words in the English language! It includes the concept of union, oneness, fullness, belonging, continuity, prevailing, resting and being made complete. It conjures up visions of luxuriating in a huge feather bed, floating on still waters, lying down in a field of flowers, of having no lack and feeling perfectly comfortable. Abiding in Christ actually does supply us with this combination of safety and provision.

Abiding in Christ also provides us with a restored soul as His goodness and mercy pursue us all the days of our life (Psalm 23). God gives us all of His blessings, but so often we turn from them and from Him. We choose to live life through our own effort, so that we will gain the power and praise. We refuse to submit to the Spirit’s direction because we want to live life our own way. We compromise with the flesh, the world and the devil and we ruin our testimony to the world and our union with our Heavenly Father.

I challenge you to turn from living life your way and choose God’s way instead. Hold fast to His promises, acquire His blessings and allow His Spirit to incorporate His fruit and gifts into your life. God beckons us to come to Him to find rest for our soul – our mind, will and emotions (Matthew 11:28-29). God calls us to take up His yoke, so that He may bear the weight of our load. A yoke is not torturous or restraining, but enabling; as long as we yield to His will each moment of the day.

Abiding in Christ brings us complete peace and joy, which defy description and go beyond human reasoning. The longer we walk with God, the deeper we abide in His rest. We feel complete in Him and experience intimate fellowship and enduring fulfillment. This happens gradually as we surrender more and more of our humanity and carnality to Christ’s divinity within us, as we abide under the shadow of His wings (Psalm 91:1).

We live in perfect rest as we relinquish our self to God and entirely surrendered our life to His management and care. Christ reigns supreme in every area of our life. We live in undivided commitment to Him with our whole spirit, soul and body. We seek to please Him and to further His kingdom with our every thought, word and action. We have no hidden agendas or ulterior motives. We simple rest in His love and abide in His presence continually.

Prayer:

Father God, simply taking up Your yoke eases our burdens and keeps us in the center of Your will. You care for us as a mother nurtures her child. You protect us as a father who rises up to defend his family. We are joint heirs with Christ and children of Your Kingdom (Romans 8:17). As we fully trust in You, You supply all of our needs and fill our soul with gladness (Philippians 4:19; Psalm 4:7). Remind us to surrender every part of our life to You. Help us to obey your directives, walk in Your Spirit and abide in You.

Thought for the Day:

In the heart of God we find safety and victory, peace and rest, acceptance and encouragement.

He Remembers Them No More

Read: Psalm 103: 9-13

“But with you there is forgiveness, so that we can, with reverence, serve you.” - Psalm 130:4

God is collecting His anger over the sin of mankind in a cup of wrath. He also declares that He will not always strive with us or harbor His anger forever. God does not want anyone to perish (2 Peter 3:9). His desire is that everyone will spend eternity with Him. He does not even make us pay the consequences we deserve for our sins. Once we repent, He covers us with the blood of Jesus and He casts our sins

as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12).

Imagine a plane flying north. Once it reaches the North Pole, and follows the curve of the earth, it will begin to head south. So, if God removed our transgressions from us as far as the north is from the south, there would be a definite limit to His forgiveness.

Now, imagine a plane flying east. When does it start to fly west? At what point does the east meet the west? It never does. There is no polar axis going through the earth from east and west as there is going north to south. The plane continues flying east until it lands or runs out of fuel. It never, ever meets the west. That is exactly how far from us God removed our sins. They will never ever catch up with us. They will never be returned to us or thrown back up into our face. They are gone forever.

Our Heavenly Father has compassion on those who fear Him. Once we recognize the omniscience, the omnipresence, the omnipotence of God, we realize how truly great He is. Jesus paid a debt, which He did not owe. He suffered persecution and crucifixion for sins, which He did not commit.

When we realize the great sacrifice, which He made for us, we have no recourse but to fall on our face and repent of our sins. We are humbled by His love, grace and mercy, which we do not deserve. We reverence Him as He deserves to be worshipped. At some point we ultimately make up our mind to serve Him with every ounce of fiber in our being, because of the obligation we owe the perfect Lamb without spot of blemish for paying our sin debt for us.

Having an eternal viewpoint of our life on this earth, gives us a whole new perspective on what we experience. The carnal world and fleshly desires fade away, and we focus on doing the will of God (1 John 2:17). We learn to be content just as Paul did when he was shipwrecked, beaten, imprisoned, hungry, exhausted, lonely and forsaken by everyone he held dear (Philippians 4:12).

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, we will rejoice in You always (Philippians 4:4). Help us to trust in You, instead of relying on our human wisdom (Proverbs 3:5). This way we will walk in Your perfect will for us moment by moment throughout the day.

Thought for the Day:

As Christians, we receive such a feeling of oneness with our Creator, such fulfillment from helping others in their time of need and such a deep joy in His love that it defies description (1 Peter 1:8).