God's Plans

 

Did you know that the Lord desires our continual fellowship and communion? He created us in His image and gave us Paradise to dwell in for eternity. Even though sin forfeited our chance to live in Paradise during our lifetime, God makes all things work out for our good, even in this sin-cursed world; and He promises us Paradise in the future (Romans 8:28; Luke 23:39-43).

 

God brings us out of the bondage to sin and frees us from the cravings of our soul, which bring dishonor to His name. He sets our feet on high places (Psalm 18:33). He delivers us from darkness and deprivation and gives us His glorious, new life (Colossians 1:13; 1 Peter 1:3). God always supplies all of our needs with His glorious riches in heaven (Philippians 4:19). 

Many of us cheat our self out of receiving all that God has prepared for us, because we fill our life with our own daily concerns. The plans God has for us actually give us hope and are for our good (Jeremiah 29:11). Nothing takes God by surprise. He even rescues us from life’s negative circumstances, and works them out for our benefit, if we put our hope only in Him (2 Peter 2:9; Psalm 39:7).

God made provision for us long before we were even born (Psalm 139:13). Our trials are never too painful or too long, because they cannot separate us from God’s love (Romans 8:35-39). We are more than conquerors because of Jesus, who loves us so much that He forfeited His life in glory for 33 years and lived on this earth. He suffered and died in our place, so that we might live victoriously (Romans 8:37; Philippians 2:5-11; 2 Corinthians 5:21).

Prayer:

Father God, thank You for Your presence every hour of our day. We cast our spirit, soul and body on You because You care about us. You provided us with salvation for our spirit, You are bringing salvation to our soul through sanctification, and You will even replace our body with an immortal body. Thank You for Your fellowship, which remains unbroken as long as we do not sin and grieve Your Spirit. Thank You too for restoring fellowship with us the moment that we repent.

Thought for the Day:

God provides a place of rest for our weary soul, an abundance that we never dreamed possible, a serenity of soul, which surpasses anything this world has to offer with all of its methods of meditation, karma, self-discipline and higher powers other than Christ.

 

 

Lonely, but Never Alone

 

Are you lonely and despondent? You really do not deserve to be in this pit of depression. Don’t allow Satan to tell you that you do. I have been where you are, so I am not belittling your circumstances, just encouraging you to go deeper in God during this time. I felt like you feel, but I learned a secret. Connecting to the Spirit of God in times of aloneness gives us the opportunity to walk in His peace and joy in each moment of the day. We cease our striving and daily enter His eternal rest (Psalm 46:10; Hebrews 3:19).

When we sit alone, we are never lonely as long as the Spirit of God resides within our spirit (Psalm 46:10). You will not find fulfillment with your first child, a new mate, job, hairstyle, wardrobe, car or home, another city in which to live, a facelift, etc. You will only find fulfillment in the center of His will, and this may or may not include any of these things. If His will for you does not include what you want, you will be living out of His will if you have it. You will also be miserable if you get it anyway.

The story is told: “Two teardrops meandered down the stream of life; one belonged to the girl who lost the man she loved, the other belonged to the woman who found him!” It’s all a matter of perspective, and God knows what is best for us.

When you feel lonely, or long for what you do not have, put on your praise music and sing in thanksgiving to God for what you do have. If you want to get your mind off your problems, bake a cake and take it to a neighbor. Go to the homeless shelter and help out any way you can. Go grocery shopping for an elderly person. Take a walk in the park and join in with nature as it sings praises to God. Sit at the beach and soak up the warming rays of the sun. Open your Bible and ask God to speak to your heart through His Word.

In the early morning, during our lunch hour at work or in the later part of the evening, make time to enjoy concentrated alone (all-one) time with the Lord. The world around us may just be waking up or going to sleep. The phone is silent and no one demands our attention. As we get more in-tune with God’s Creation around us, we might hear crickets chirping with an occasional frog adding his opinion to the conversation, or the waves of the sea lapping the shore or the birds singing; and we join our voice to theirs in praise to our God (Psalm 69:34; Psalm 19:1; Psalm 145:10; Luke 19:40).

We develop a deeper relationship with Him with each passing day. We find fulfillment by focusing not only on His benefits, but primarily on who God is (Psalm 103:2). Rather than quoting scriptures at Him and demanding that He fulfill His promises in our life, we simply praise Him for who He is, receiving what He gives us with a grateful heart. Do not waste your time begging God for what you want. Seek first His Kingdom and He will add to your life everything you need (Matthew 6:33). If He does not add it, you do not need it!

Prayer:

Father God, teach us to focus on what we have, rather than on what we do not have (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Then, we will move through the routine of our daily life led by Your Spirit with unending blessings and fullness of joy singing in our heart (Psalm 21:6). If we take time to listen, You make Your will known to us and You fill us with the joy of Your presence in every moment of our life. We receive eternal pleasures in our daily life as we sit at Your right hand (Psalm 16:11). Make us grateful for what You already provided for us, so we will not yearn for, cry over or be upset about what we think we need (Matthew 6:33).

Thought for the Day:

If you are home alone, and you start to feel lonely, either get out and serve, or spend time growing deeper into the presence of God.

Grasping or Receiving

Read: Ephesians 3:20-21

“To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” – Philippians 4:20

I used to grasp at God's gifts, jumping into the air to grab them out of His hands! I never could reach them, however. The more I demanded the further back God stepped. His face grew solemn and His pleasure in me diminished. He wanted to give me the gift. He already had it wrapped and prepared just for me, but my attitude grieved His heart. He had to withhold his blessings from me and to try again another day to interact with me.

I lived in frustration. I saw the gifts…peace, joy, honor, stability, kindness, financial security and cherishing love. They rested in God’s hands just a few short feet from my reach. I wanted them so much. I yearned for them. I clutched at them repeatedly, but I never quite attained them. They stood aloof, just a bit further than my arms could reach.

Then, I learned what God yearned for from me all along. He did not want me to grasp, but to receive His gifts. He wanted me to sit quietly with expectancy, my hands open, but waiting patiently in my lap. He desired for me to want Him more than His gifts, to light up in His presence, not simply because of His presents. He taught me to live in the moment as He gave it to me, rather than living in regret over the past or hungry for abundance in the future.

The result of learning this lesson is that my Heavenly Father now spoils me rotten. I receive priceless gifts from His hands many times throughout the day. The first was serenity, which I originally looked for in all the wrong places with all the wrong people. Achievement, which I once took for granted, took on a precious new aura now, because I actually felt the power of God’s Spirit using me. Financial security came as I learned to give cheerfully and spend frugally. The Body of Christ became my family and took on the role of my parents, children and siblings. Close relationships came from the most unlikely places.

Then, there were the many smaller gifts, which took on a whole new meaning for me because I actually took the time to notice them. The moon shimmering on the lake, the tinkling giggle of a child, the effortless flight of birds across the sky, meaningful shapes in the clouds, a phrase from a song that spoke to my heart, a lonely flower growing from a crack in the sidewalk, a warm hug from a friend, a cheerful email or phone call, a request to pray for a friend, a question to answer from a new Believer, the perfection of a rose, a smile from a stranger, a sale at the retail store, the purr of my cat and the wag of my dog’s tail. All of these and so much more are special gifts from my Heavenly Father who loves me more than He loves Himself.

God went on to give me contentment in the circumstances in which I found myself living. He trained me to adapt, to compromise my desires, to adjust to changing situations and to survive devastation. He instructed me to freely give His love to others as He gave it to me. He guided me to walk in His footsteps of peace and fulfillment. He gave me a vision of eternity and caused me to trade my finite thinking for eternal values. He taught me to focus on each moment as if it was the last one I would have.

He loves you just as much as He loves me. He keeps us as the apple of His eye (Psalm 17:8). He makes us more than conquerors (Romans 8:37-39). He rejoices over us with gladness and exults over us with singing. He quiets us with His love (Zephaniah 3:17), and He takes away all of our anxiety and fears, because He cares about us so much (1 Peter 5:7). He has plans to bless us and He gives us a future filled with hope (Jeremiah 19:11).

Prayer:

Father God, we humans are so ungrateful. We cry and complain that we do not have what we think we need. We grasp at Your promises and claim them for our own, rather than sitting back and receiving from You our daily bread. We rarely even thank You for sending Jesus to save us from hell and to make us a part of Your eternal family. Lord God, we thank You from the bottom of our heart. We receive all that You desire to bless us with and we thank You for providing it in Your timing and in Your own way.

Thought for the Day:

Patience and gratitude open the way for receiving.

 

 

 

 

Thank you, Susan Holsinger, for the use of your photo.

We Make The Difference

Read: Luke 10:38-42

“Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” - 1 Corinthians 10:31-32

The facts of creation prove to me that God intended for us to live in paradise. He wants an intimate relationship with each one of us. Instead of receiving His gift, mankind chose to exalt himself as equal to God and we ended up in this pain-filled world. There is good news, however. God’s Spirit within us makes this life not only bearable, but also victorious (Isaiah 41:10).

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit are gifts from the Lord that we can enjoy every day of our lives (1 Corinthians 13:14). We only need to accept God’s complete forgiveness and to surrender our will to His in order to make a lasting difference in our life and in the world around us.

In Luke 10:18-42, Mary realized this truth and she relinquished her need to control her environment and chose instead to sit at Jesus feet. Martha, on the other hand, assumed the leadership role in order to impress Jesus with her self-efforts. She ended up with bitterness and anger eating at her soul. Attempting to maintain control often causes mental breakdowns and emotional wounds.

Intimacy with God is available to every Believer. He longs for our fellowship (1 Corinthians 1:9). We only need to take the time to meet with Him in absolute quietness (Psalm 46:10), waiting and listening, getting to know Him intimately and experiencing first hand the width and length and height and depth of His love  (Ephesians 3:18). Tranquility of body, soul and spirit is the key to attaining this union with God.

Your flesh, the world and the devil will raise roadblocks to keep you from spending this quality time. As we simplify our lives, however, and walk in the Spirit, we end up doing only those activities, which the Holy Spirit leads us to do each moment of the day. This does not mean that we cannot plan ahead, but we follow the Spirit’s leading as we plan.

If we cannot hear from God, negative emotions in our soul, such as anxiety, stress, unforgiveness and anger, are probably the impediment. Negative emotions are our soul’s way of communicating to us that something is out of synchronization within us. If you pay attention to what your body, soul (mind, will and emotions) and spirit are telling you, then you can deal with the root cause. Then the negative emotions will disappear as well.

Another facet, which blocks communication are the lies, which Satan often whispers to us, and which we actually believe. These negative statements cripple us emotionally and limit us from realizing our potential in Christ. Ask God to reveal your negative beliefs and to replace them with His truth. Freed from these unconstructive restraints, we live productive, God blessed days.

Perseverance is the key to finding regular time to spend with God each day and then to guard it, making it a priority in your life.  You can choose morning, afternoon or evening to spend this quality time with Him. It depends upon the other demands in your life. If you force yourself to get up too early in the morning, you may end up resenting this time instead of looking forward to it. You can even spend time with God during your lunch break or while the children nap in the afternoon. This may be the best opportunity for you to focus on God. I love to spend the night watches (Psalm 119:148) with God. The world is quiet all around me and there are no distractions or needs that interrupt my time with the Lord.

It is impossible for God to love you more than He does right now (John 3: 16). He loves you infinitely and He exults over you with joy (Zephaniah 3:17). Your unrighteous behavior will grieve Him (Ephesians 4:30), but that does not alter His unconditional love for you. We cannot earn His love and we cannot earn intimacy with Him either. Both are free gifts from our loving Father (Romans 5:16).

Know without a shadow of a doubt that God wants to spend time with you. In fact, He is prepared to spend eternity with you. The relationship you build with Him here on earth will remain in place forever. You may think that you do not have time in your day to develop this intimacy with God. Nevertheless, it is actually all a matter of priorities. We make the difference through our choices. Trim the unnecessary activities in your schedule to free up your resources and to give you time to spend with Jesus, the lover of your soul (John 14:21).

Prayer:

Lord, teach me to adjust my priorities and to eliminate busyness and negative emotions from my life. They needlessly contaminate my thoughts and clutter up my time. Help me to make a difference for You in Your Kingdom on the earth by following the leading of Your Spirit moment by moment throughout the day.

Thought for the Day:

Though many things may seem important, only God’s will is necessary.