Inching through Life

We can ask God for what we want; and if He wants us to have it, He will give it to us (James 4:3). Yet, it is futile to waste time wanting what we do not have.

If we do, we are telling God that He is a poor provider and He does not have our best interest at heart (1 Peter 5:7). We are exhibiting a lack of faith in His faithfulness and exalting our self over Him.

We are also lacking in gratitude for all that He has already given to us (Philippians 4:6). We are keeping our focus on the temporal aspects of this life and functioning with human understanding.

Jesus died for us all, and rose again - giving us supernatural power so we will not live for our self, but for Him (John 3:16-18; 2 Corinthians 5:15). Jesus is the only way, truth and life; and no one comes to God except through Him (John 14:6).

Our Father God knows best. As we seek His Kingdom first, He provides us with everything we need for our spiritual, physical, emotional and mental well-being (Matthew 6:33). God also gives us wisdom as we ask for it, which guides us in our desires, thoughts and choices.

We stop inching through life as a caterpillar; and instead, we soar like a butterfly on the winds of adversity and trials. We mount up on wings like eagles (Isaiah 40:31); and rise above the earth as we glide on the air currents that God provides for us.

God gives us the wisdom we need to navigate through life, encourage the downtrodden, reject the devil's temptations to sin, and to make the decisions which affect the rest of our life.

Prayer:

Father God, we do not have to spend one moment longing for anything or anyone but You. We no longer love this world nor the things, which it offers us. If we really need something in our life, which we do not have, You will give it to us. You will move us to another state; or give us a different car, vocation or house; or provide us with a spouse or a child, if it is Your will for us.

Remind us to trust only in You and in Your provision and timing. You have a perfect plan for each one of us and living in the center of Your will is the happiest place on earth. We seek You with all of our heart and we rely on Your wisdom and grace to help us to navigate the decisions in our life.

Thought for the Day:

Jesus is our gift and reward in this life and the next, because He is our all in all. - Colossians 1:17

Inner Light

It is possible to know about the Lord and to walk in obedience to His precepts; yet still walk in darkness, because you are not Born Again by His Spirit (Isaiah 50:10). We can live with a mental understanding of God, without a personal relationship with Him. Even those who walk victoriously in God’s presence may lose their faith from time to time, especially if God suddenly interrupts His blessings as He did with Job. We think that God is mad at us or not sovereign after all.

When we gauge our spiritual connection by our outward circumstances, we often grow disheartened. This leads to wallowing in the darkness of depression and discouragement. However, this will only happen if we depend more upon the provision than the Provider. When we seek God’s supply rather than His presence. Actually, God’s blessings do not depend on our position with Him, because they come to the unjust as well as to the just (Matthew 5:44-45; Psalm 37).

However, only those who persevere to the end will receive the prize of the high calling of God (Matthew 24:13; Philippians 3:14). This has nothing to do with material blessings and everything to do with enjoying God’s presence in our life moment by moment throughout the day. We can live in a den of squalor or in a state of homelessness, and still have the full blessings of God on our life. Worldly success is no indication of God’s favor; even the vilest of human beings often live in the lap of luxury.

God’s blessings are spiritual and often overflow into the physical realm; however, earthly treasure is not an automatic outcome of living for Christ. Believers in third world countries are no less blessed than Americans living in the lap of luxury. In fact, they live the blessing of a much simpler life, unencumbered by the cares of this world. They need not toil or sweat to keep up with their neighbor or to have the best and the most, which money can buy.

Once we call out to God in our sinful state and completely surrender our life into His protection and provision, we can know without a doubt that He will supply all of our needs according to His abundant riches (Philippians 4:19). The next time God pulls the rug out from under you, and you land in an unbecoming pose, remember that you are always sheltered in the everlasting arms of God. There is no calamity, which can separate us from the love of God (Romans 8:35-39).

 

Prayer:
Father God, You give us both the desire and the strength to work out our own salvation (Philippians 2:12-13). You comfort and direct us through Your Spirit within and Your Word without. Your joy is our strength and You give us hope by Your presence in our life, even in the most discouraging of experiences. Help us to persevere until the end of our days, so that we can receive the crown of life (James 1:12).

Thought for the Day:
God leads us through the darkness by His inner Light within us. - John 8:12

 

Father God

Read: Ephesians 3: 14-15

“In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents." – Luke 15:10

God knows everything about us. We are individuals, and unique in Him. He loves us and makes a difference in our life. He knows when we sit down, sleep and rise up. He is familiar with all our ways (Psalm 139:1-3). He knows the exact number of hairs on our head, even when our brush has more than we can count (Matthew 10:29-31). We depend on Him more completely as each day passes, because we learn more about Him and grow closer to Him. In fact, eventually, when we become one with Him, we actually live and move and have our being in Him (Acts 17:28).

God made us in His image (Genesis 1:27). He is Father, Son and Spirit. We are body, soul and spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:25). We are fearfully and wonderfully made. He knit us together in our mother's womb. He brought us forth on the day we were born (Psalm 139:13-14, 71:6). We are His offspring. He knew us even before we were conceived (Jeremiah 1:4-5). He chose us when He planned creation (Ephesians 1:11-12). He determined the exact time of our birth and where we would live and when we will die (Acts 17:26; Job 14:5). None of us surprised Him with our birth and none of us are a mistake, because all of our days are written in His book (Psalm 139:15-16).

Those who do not understand His ways, malign God. He is not distant and angry, but is the complete expression of love. And it is His desire to lavish His love on us, simply because we are His children and He is our Father (John 8:41-44; 1 John 4:16, 3:1). He offers us more than our earthly father ever could, because He is the perfect Father. Every good gift that we receive comes from His hand. He is our provider and He meets all of our needs (Matthew 7:11, 5:48; James 1:17; Matthew 6:31-33).

His plans for our future are filled with hope and a promise. He loves us with an everlasting love. His thoughts toward us are as countless as the sand on the seashore. He rejoices over us with singing (Jeremiah 29:11, 31:3; Psalms 139:17-18; Zephaniah 3:17). He will never stop doing good for us. We are His treasured possession. He desires to establish us with all of His heart and soul. He wants to show us great and marvelous things, which we cannot even envision (Jeremiah 32:40, Exodus 19:5, Jeremiah 32:41, 33:3).

If you seek Him with all of your heart, you will find Him. Delight in Him and He will give you the desires of your heart. He is able to do more for us than we could ever imagine. He is our greatest encourager (Deuteronomy 4:29, Psalm 37:4, Philippians 2:13, Ephesians 3:20). Jesus gave up everything He loved and died on the cross so that we might come to know Him. If we receive the gift of Jesus’ righteousness, He comes to reside in our spirit, and nothing will ever separate us from His love again. (Romans 8:31-32, 1 John 2:23, Romans 8:38-39)

He is also the Father who comforts us in all of our troubles. When we are brokenhearted, He is closer to us than at any other time. Just as a shepherd carries a lamb, He has carries us close to His heart (2 Thessalonians 2:16-17, 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, Psalm 34:18, Isaiah 40:11). One day He will wipe away every tear from our eyes, and take away all the pain we suffered on this earth. For now, He is keeping every tear we shed in His bottle and records them all on His scroll. He will bring revenge on our enemies and give us His everlasting life (Revelation 21:3-4; Psalm 56:8; Hebrews 10:30).

Prayer:

Father God, You love us as much as You love Your son, Jesus. In Jesus, You revealed Your great love for us. Jesus is the exact representation of You. You are in Him and He is in us; therefore we are one with You also (John 17:23, 17:26, Hebrews 1:3; John 17:21). Jesus came to demonstrate that You are for us, not against us. You do not count our sins against us. We condemn our self through our unbelief. Jesus died so that we can be reconciled to You. His death is the ultimate expression of Your love for us (Romans 8:31; 2 Corinthians 5:18-19 Jon 3:18; 1 John 4:10)

Thought for the Day:

”Will you draw near to Him? He is waiting for you.” - James 4:8; Luke 15:11-32





Thank you, Marianne Lordi, for the use of your photo.

The God of Balance

Read: Isaiah 55:5-9

“May the God of hope fill you with joy and peace in your faith, that by the power of the Holy Spirit, your whole life and outlook may be radiant with hope.” -Romans 15:13

Some of my friends and family are afraid to rely on God for their needs, because they see Him as an angry Being ready to pounce on our smallest mistake. I understand how they feel, because I used to view God as a wrathful ruler, extracting a great price from His followers. I imagined him like the perceived Wizard of Oz…with smoke and fire and angry words and faces. What I did not understand at that time is that God’s people fear Him, not because of His fury, but because of His love.

During my first year of college, God revealed to me that He is not a punisher, but a provider for those who trust in Him. He is not wrathful, but graceful. He is not hateful, but loving. He does not extort, but gives liberally to all who will ask of Him. God constantly reaches out to those who do not know Him. And when we take the chance and trust Him with our life, we feel His divine forgiveness pouring over our soul like a waterfall (Psalm 130:4). We can readily forgive the harm others inflict upon us, because we have been forgiven much as well (Luke 12:48). 

Another reason people do not trust in God as their Savior is because of Satanic lies that they believe. They worship the creature rather than the creator (Romans 1:25). They follow humanistic reasoning and worldly perceptions rather than asking God for true wisdom from above (James 3:17). They allow science and history revisionists to overrule the principles they learned at their mother’s knee. They reject the Gospel and cling to fables instead of to the Truth (2 Timothy 4:4; John 14:6).

Unbelievers say that we are misinformed, brainwashed, deceived, unenlightened, narrow minded, misled and bigoted. They cling to the flotsam and jetsam of their shipwrecked lives, not realizing that they are inches away from sinking into eternal damnation. All it takes for them to be saved is for them to surrender to the Lordship of Jesus Christ and to allow Him to lead them by His Spirit into all truth (John 16:13).

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, shower those who do not know You with Your loving kindness. Cause them to desire the fullness of a life found in You. Give them a vision of Your mercy and grace. Open the eyes of their understanding and trouble their dreams until they reach out and allow You to enfold them in Your sacred heart.

Thought for the Day:

God is not constantly watching out for you to sin, but He is always watching out for you.

Hope Deferred

Read: 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17

“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when dreams come true, there’s life and joy.” - Proverbs 13:12 (TLB)

Depression often accompanies a time of disappointment or discouragement. We watch our hope dwindle away and our heart sinks into the quagmire of despair. A lost job, a failed relationship, a wayward teen, a child lost to tragedy or war, frustration with our government, the world’s environmental deterioration, the failing economy, disillusionment in the church’s leadership and so many other life events contribute to our mood. I know there is hope in Jesus, but sometimes I just cannot sense God’s direction for my life. I struggle to make a connection, yet He remains aloof.

At times like this, God knows there are worst gales of adversity ahead. He utilizes His silence to draw me closer. Like the tree planted by the water, I sink my roots deeper into Him. I follow the Psalmist’s example by encouraging my soul (Psalm 42:5). Only under the shadow of His wings do I find true and lasting peace. My only secure hope is in God. I praise Him, for He alone is the source of my comfort and joy.

PRAYER:

Lord, help us to remember that happy are they who have the God of eternity as their provider, and who keep their hope in You. Amen.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

I put my hopes and dreams in the Lord’s hands. I know they are safe there.