Or So It Seems!

Read: Romans 8: 26-28

“How much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask Him?” Matthew 7:11 (NKJV)

Sometimes, because of the circumstances in our lives, God appears unavailable, judgmental, distant, unjust, condemning, neglectful, and even unkind. We look at Him from an earthly, carnal perspective and expect Him to act like a human being instead of a holy, omnipotent God. God’s ways are so much higher than our ways that we often fail to see His provision when it comes, or His love when it is offered, or His direction when He speaks in His still, small voice. Often, we fail to believe it if we do not see it with our own eyes!

In actuality, nothing happens to God’s children that He does not allow. Look at Job! For a season, his life lay tattered and ruined by Satan’s design. What we often fail to realize is that Job sat at Jesus’ feet throughout his whole ordeal. Then, in the end, God blessed Job with an abundance of every good thing, which this life offers. We can learn from Job’s example.

We can also learn from Paul when he begged God three times to heal him of the infirmity in his flesh. God told him, “My grace is sufficient for thee.” Paul accepted God’s answer and surrendered his will to the Lord’s will. King David’s baby was sick. He fasted and prayed for days, begging God to save this child’s life. When the child died, David accepted God’s will, got up and bathed and returned to his kingly duties. Eventually, God gave him another son by Bathsheba, and God chose Solomon to continue the bloodline of our living Savior.

We can take encouragement from the lives of the characters that God chose to include in the Bible. They and all of their fellow soldiers for Christ put up a good fight throughout their lives, but they were all merely human. Life is never as it seems. God puts a silver lining on every black cloud. He causes the earth to revolve, the stars to remain suspended in the sky, and a blade of grass to flourishes before it withers and dies. Therefore, we too can rest in complete confidence that God will work all things out for our good too.

Prayer:

Lord, remind us that in you all things are possible. All humans go to one of two destinations when they die, help us to reach as many as we can, and to help them to choose life and peace rather than the torments of hell for eternity.

Thought for the Day: 

We tolerate the intolerable and bear the unbearable only by keeping our focus on Jesus, who keeps us in perfect peace.

Pleasures Forevermore

Read: Ecclesiastes 2:10-11

“I have seen all the things that are done under the sun;
all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.” - Ecclesiastes 1:14

KinKKing Solomon spent his time, wealth
and efforts attempting to discover the missing piece in his life.
He sought for true satisfaction in worldly pursuits.
As the King, he had all the resources he needed to ascertain
whatever pleasures he desired.
In the book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon tells us the story of his quest. He attempted to gain
 satisfaction in his soul by pursuing
addictions of every kind.

Even with all of his God given wisdom, it took Solomon years to concluded that what the world offers is fun for a season, but eventually every one of his acquisitions turned out the same way. They were all vain and empty. Solomon repeatedly described his investigation as chasing after the wind. He traveled the world to find out what the Psalmist discovered on the hills watching his sheep, “God makes known to us the true path of life; in His presence there is fullness of joy; at His right hand are pleasures forevermore (Psalm 16:11).

When we seek God first, He brings fulfillment to our life in a multitude of areas. He opens doors for us that no one else can open and He closes those that no one else can close. He knows exactly what we need in our life to feel fulfilled. Therefore, our initial pursuit in life is to first become whole in Christ. Then we get grounded in His Word, filled with His Spirit and lost in His love. We need nothing and no one to make us happy apart from Him.

Single people are not "half" a person, nor are they deficient in any way. They do not need another person in their life to fulfill them. They are capable of meeting most of their needs and going to God to supply the rest. Oh the other hand,
when two people who are replete in Christ (Colossians 2: 10) come together in marriage, they
compliment and edify each other
because Christ resides in both of them. They serve Him together and they fulfill His will for their lives. Our relationship with Christ is what really bring us true pleasures forevermore.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, earthly pursuits are vain and fleeting. Teach us to value eternal treasures and to seek Your will for our lives each and every day. Help us to make You the focus of our life and to enhance all of our relationships through your wisdom and love.

Thought for the Day:

Man is like a breath; his days are like a fleeting shadow. – Psalm 144:4

The Lily in My Deep Valleys

Read: Psalm 18:2-6

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be known to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” - Philippians 4:6-7

Wise Solomon, who had more wives than I can count, said in Proverbs 21:9 “It is better to live in the corner of an attic than with a crabby woman in a lovely home.” (TLB) He should know...he lived in a palace! 

From his vast experience, Solomon often compared different types of wives. “A wise woman builds her house; a foolish woman tears hers down with her own hands.” (Proverbs 14:1) “A worthy wife is her husband’s joy and crown; a shameful wife saps his strength.” (Proverbs 12:4) 

My former husband acused me of tearing down my house with my own hands. In the unstable financial, emotional and sometimes physical environment he provided for me and my three children, fear and insecurity often overwhelmed me. I over-reacted when something disturbed the well-planned order, which I used to insulate myself from a world that sometimes really, really scared me. 

Over the years, God taught me how to trust HIM, instead of people or circumstances, especially when I am afraid. Proverbs 31:26 advises us to open our mouth with wisdom, and on our tongue to have the law of kindness. I am learning to get all the facts and to think before reacting. This way I can give a lucid response with a loving attitude. Do I still slip now and then? Oh yeah! But, I'm mellowing with age. 

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, sometimes I still shiver with fear when circumstances spin out of control. You are my Rock, my Sword and my Shield. You are the lily in my deep valleys. You are my bright and morning star.

Thought for the Day:

When life flies at me with blinding speed, I am learning to duck…
behind the Rock.