God Delights in Blessing Us

God blesses us all day long in so many ways; we are just too busy to notice. If we focus on our to-do list or the negative issues we are facing, we miss seeing the blessings.

God delights in blessing His children (Psalms 8:4-5, 139: 6-7, 17). He rejoices over us with singing (Zephaniah 3:17). When we ignore or do not appreciate what He does for us, we get disappointed and frustrated by what we wanted Him to do, and what we perceive that He failed to do.

God arranged our genes, gave us our parents, and had us born in the city and country that He chose in order to give us the personality and talents we have, so that we can use them for His purposes.

Self-improvement is our carnal attempt to perfect our self. God wants to lead us, and for us to take the back seat (Mark 8:34). As we focus on praising God in the midst of our short-comings, He will replace our imperfections with His Spirit's fruit.

As we yoke up with Jesus, we find rest in God's grace. His mercy allow us to submit to His Spirit's direction each and every moment of every day. His presence eliminates the emptiness, fear and depression in our soul.

We develop a friendliness with others. We share the gospel with anyone interested in hearing that God loves them and has a plan for their life. We love God and His Kingdom as our priority and then we love others as we love our self (Matthew 6:33; Mark 12:30-31).

Prayer:

Father God, You hold us securely in Your love. We have no fear of life's storms, because You are in control of them all. You bless us with Your contentment, joy and fulfillment even in the midst of negative circumstances. You calm the storms and cause the sun to burst through the clouds, illuminating our days with Your peace.

As You shed Your love in our hearts, teach us to love others as our self. Remind us to look for Your blessings all through our day and to share Your blessings with others as You give us the opportunity to bless them. Help us not to miss Your divine opportunities or to take Your divine provision for granted.

Thought for the Day:

God does not ask us to trust one another, because we are frail humans and hurt one another - often without realizing it; but He does expect us to trust Him to bless us in His timing, will and way.

Hope in God - Part 2

 

   

We believe in God, not because we are naive, but because of His many fulfilled Biblical prophecies, as well as God's provision every day in our own life and for all of His Saints (Romans 8:24-25).

We do not have to hope only in what we already have; but we can eagerly wait in hope in the unseen promises of God. Our hope of living in the presence of God now and in eternity is the sure and firm anchor of our soul (Hebrews 6:19-20).

Believers in our Lord Jesus Christ have peace with God and grace in which we stand as we rejoice in God's glory (Romans 5:1-3, 12:12). Christ who dwells within every Believer by His Holy Spirit, helps us to hope in God's glory (Colossians 1:27-28).

Our hope in God assures us of a resurrection of the dead, both of Believers to Heaven and unbelievers, who condemn themselves to hell (John 3:16-18; Acts 24:15).

Believers have this hope, because by faith we turned away from our former sinful lifestyle. We look forward to Christ's glorious appearance on the day, which God already decided (Titus 2:13-14; Matthew 24:36).

Some people have known God's presence in their life from a young age. They learned to trust Him with a child-like faith. (Psalm 71:5-6). No matter when we come to faith in Christ, however, we realize that He has known us since conception (Psalm 139:13).

The Lord is our provision for all of our needs; therefore, we can hope in His presence in our life (Lamentations 3:24). Our hope is never disappointed, because of His love in our hearts (Romans 5:5).

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, we pray that You and our Father God, who loves us and gives us an eternal consolation, will establish us according to Your will, in all we say and do. Comfort our hearts with Your hope and abundant grace (2 Thessalonians 2:16-17). 

You give us a far better hope than anything this world can offer to us, because Christ perfects us and makes us acceptable to You, so that we can draw near to You every moment of every day (Hebrews 7:19). We completely rest our hope in Your mercy and grace that is revealed to us through Christ in us (1 Peter 1:13-14)

Thought for the Day:

May the God of hope completely fill you with all of the joy and peace, which believing in Him gives to us, so that you can abound in even more hope by the power of His Spirit. - Romans 15:13

Passing the Examination

Read: Hebrews 4: 12-13

"Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith;" - 2 Corinthians 13:5a

Having to take an exam often strikes terror in our heart. The idea of failing and looking foolish, or of disappointing the people we want to impress, causes us a great deal of trepidation. However, a test is really a very positive tool. It points out the areas in our life where we are already excelling, at the same time that it illuminates areas where we need to improve.

Examining our thoughts, motives, plans, goals and activities increases our productivity and cuts out waste and excesses that hinder our efficiency in life. Most programs created to help people to overcome addictions encourage their participants to examine their life and to evaluate their core issues and beliefs. God encourages us to do this same thing in Corinthians.

The lamp of the Lord searches the spirit of every man. It searches out our innermost thoughts and the reality of who we really are (Proverbs 20:27). This inventory gives us a true picture of our liabilities and our assets. Once we know them, we can then ask the Spirit of God to replace our faults with His fruit and to use our strengths for His Kingdom.

Sometimes, people decide that there are portions of their soul that are better off ignored. We have a past that we are not proud of, or that is full of abuse and misunderstanding. We do not want to face all of those issues again. We think that they are behind us, but we do not realize that they filter up from our subconscious mind and affect every decision we ever make, every attitude we ever adopt and every emotion we ever feel.

However, if we face even our darkest fears, attitudes and desires, we give God the opportunity to fill our empty soul with His character. Our lives are richer, fuller and more dynamic; and we can actually make a true difference in our world.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, today I want to open my heart while Your Spirit searches my innermost being. Wash me clean as I read Your Word and forgive me of my transgressions. Guide me with Your Spirit each and every new day and use me for your Kingdom.

Thought for the Day:

Clarity in our soul brings fullness to our spirit.