Aging Gracefully

 

Getting old is difficult. Energy, bodily organ functions, and attention span all diminish; while aches and pains, pill intake and doctor bills all increase. We get discouraged, lose self-esteem and feel useless in so many areas.

Eventually, we even have to cut back on our energy outgo; limiting our activities to one major event a day. Many are required to give up the keys to the car, join a geriatrics exercise program and get more sleep with less productivity.

God knew, before the day we were born, that we would grow old (Ephesians 2:10). He has plans for us, which includes this time in our life (Jeremiah 29:11). We do not need to confine our self to the rocking chair on the front porch - although that is fun sometimes too.

We just change our focus and keep a positive attitude. We keep walking in the Spirit and continue to fulfill the will of God for each moment of our life. We exchange youthful ministries for the equally as important ministry of prayer and mentoring (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18; Titus 2:4).

Sitting at Jesus' feet, we worship Him by singing and praying the scripture. We lift up the needs of our fellow Saints and family members, the church's pastor and staff and the ministry leaders and volunteers, the world and its leaders, the persecuted church and the unreached people groups.

Another way to minister is by writing a blog, emailing, fellowshiping on social media and private messages and texts. This way, we can communicate and minister all over the country and the world.

God teaches us to set boundaries around our time; to take a day off; to enjoy time in nature, at the pool or walking on trails each day; to play with our pets; to write letters and books and to make cards to brighten someone's day; to bake a pie or a dozen cookies to share with the neighborhood kids after school - all in His name and all for His glory (1 Corinthians 10:31).

Prayer:

Father God, when we are drained, worn and weary from life, we are still Yours with a unique calling on our life. Remind us that until our dying breath, You call us to seek You and to walk in Your perfect plan for us by Your Spirit. We surrender all to You and worship You with all of our thoughts, words and deeds.

Remind us that the girl checking us out at the grocery, the waitress, the retail clerk, the person next to us on the bus or airplane, the librarian, etc. all need us to recognize them as a person too, and to tell them that You and we really care about them. Let Your light shine in us so brightly that everyone will see our good works and give You the glory (Matthew 5:16).

Thought for the Day:

God uses us in so many ways, regardless of our age, energy level, health issues and physical limitations, to share His wisdom, ways and wonders with those He brings into our life.

Struggling with Our Faith - Part 2

 

 

Our struggles with our faith come because God does not meet up to our selfish human expectations. He does not answer our prayers or provide for us in the way that He does for other people who claim to preach His Word.

This faulty understanding of God is not scriptural, and must fail in time. Isolated verses from the Bible, taken out of the context of the verses around them and the rest of the verses pertaining to this same issue, are not firm enough on which to rest our faith.

Our faith only grows firmer and stronger as we increase our understanding of God and His ways by considering the whole Bible in its context (Romans 10:17). God’s Holy Spirit comforts, guides and nurtures us in our walk as Believers.

The Spirit of God within us is the truest proof of our relationship to God. We no longer live according to the dictates of our flesh, conscience or human instincts.

Our life changes; we grow discontent with this world and we look forward to serving God for eternity. Reading and believing God’s Word fortifies our faith and hope and fills our Spirit with spiritual food. 

Prayer:

Teach us to humble our self and to minister in this world as a servant for Your glory (Matthew 20:26-28). We will stand firm in our faith regardless of either approval or criticism from other people, or how or when You choose to meet our needs. We pray that You will strengthen our loved ones in their inner being, so that they can believe in Jesus through Your Holy Spirit (Ephesians 3:16).

Thought for the Day:

As selfishness, pride and flesh decrease in us, God can fill us through all of our being with all of His fullness. - John 3:30; Ephesians 3:19

Never Grow Up!

 

Do you ever get tired of adult responsibilities? In Christ, we never “grow up”. You are His child, totally dependent upon our Father God’s divine power for everything pertaining to life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3-4). This is not an ethereal metaphor, but a simple, sensible and sincere relationship. As God’s children, we fully realize in spirit, body and soul – our thoughts, choices and emotions – that only He can sustain our life. He calls us to share in His glory and virtue.

God does not remove our free will, but simply loves us so much that we joyfully submit to His desires. We soon realize that we are totally incapable of supplying what we truly want and need from life. In total surrender to His will and ways, we find complete fulfillment that transcends anything this world, the devil or the flesh have to offer. We shed our molting skin of flesh and walk in newness of life by God’s Spirit (Galatians 5:16,25).

We can fully trust our Father God. We serve the God of nations, and there is no one like Him (Psalm 33:12; Jeremiah 10:6; 1 Samuel 2:2). He is greater than every one else (2 Chronicles 2:5). He is the God of angel armies (Malachi 2:16). He gives us rest all around us (2 Chronicles 20:30; Joshua 21:44; 2 Samuel 7:1). History proves the words of scripture, which diagram God’s hand in the lives of mankind throughout the ages. There is not one reason for us to distrust Him.

When we come into union with our Father God through salvation, His will becomes our will, His choices become our choices, and the objects of His love become the objects of our love. We exhibit His divine nature in us, as our old human nature diminishes, because it is dead and buried with Christ in God. Jesus Christ is our whole life (Colossians 3:3-4). This union through Christ inseparably binds us together in union with our Father and His.

Prayer:
Father God, we will rejoice in You, even if life throws at us one catastrophe after another (Habakkuk 3:17). You give Your angels charge over us, to protect us wherever we are and to keep us from harm (Psalm 91:11-12). If darkness dares to surround us, You come as our Light (Micah 7:8). Whenever we fall, You are right there to pick us up again (Psalm 37:24; Proverbs 24:16). No one can ever separate us from Your love (Romans 8:35). We praise You and give You all of the honor and glory due Your name (Psalm 29:2, 96:8).

Thought for the Day:
Our Father God may put us flat on our back, but it is only so that we will finally look up into His loving face.

 

 

One Spirit and One Body

The Spirit of God gives each of us gifts to use in our lifetime in service for the Kingdom of God. We have one God and Spirit, but there are many different types of gifts, which He gives to us to use for His glory. Some people are very wise with common sense and can give advice to those who need it. Others have knowledge from books and can pass along their understanding to the rest of us, or a specific word of knowledge directly from God for our benefit.

Some people have great faith in God’s faithfulness and can help us to trust in God when our faith is weak. God gives the power to do miracles to a few trusted Saints who can pray for us as we see God intervene in our life. Many have the gift of speaking, preaching and teaching God’s Word to help us to understand the divine teaching in the scripture.

Then, we have people who can discern evil spirits and can help us to avoid the devil’s traps. The Spirit gives the gift of tongues to some, so that He can use us to intercede in prayer through the Spirit and to speak God’s message to us, with others who can interpret that message when it is spoken in public. One Spirit gives to each Born Again Believer the gift, which he or she needs to fulfill God’s call on our life for each moment of time (1 Corinthians 12:4-11).

How would the human body function without a liver? We cannot see it, but we all realize the unique and essential purpose the liver performs in our body. We cannot live without a functioning liver. The liver can be damaged in a matter of days by certain medications we take, addictions we partake of and some foods that we eat. However, the liver is able to repair itself and to grow healthy cells in place of the damaged ones in as little as one month.

Like the liver, no part of the Body of Christ is better than any other and the Spirit of God uses each one. We are all equally as important and the Spirit directs us what to do, when to use them, in what setting and in what way He needs them used. We are God’s Body, and we all minister to one another (1 Corinthians 12:24). God’s Spirit may give us more than one gift, or change the gifts He gives us according to the circumstances in which He leads us. God has a very special place for each of us who are called to His Body.

Prayer:

Father God of all the earth, You are our Maker and You are our husband. You called us and You have a plan for each life (Isaiah 54:5-8). Remind us not to think too highly of our self, but to realize that we are the gloves and You are the hand within us, directing us to accomplish great things for You (Romans 12:3-4). Whatever we do, even if it is just in what we eat and drink, we will do it all for Your glory (1 Corinthians 10:31-33).

Thought for the Day:

In Christ, we who are many, form one Body and we all belong to one another. – Romans 12:5

 

 

 

Living in God's Will

 

The Bible tells us to wait on God and to be led by His Spirit (Proverbs 3:5-6; Romans 8:9). If you want to walk in God's will, then wait on the Lord to tell you what to do and when to do it (Proverbs 3:5-6). Follow His perfect peace within your spirit. Do not make decisions out of fear, but out of faith and obedience. If you do not feel the Spirit prompting you to do something in particular, and you do it anyway, you are operating out of fear or presumption, and you may miss God's perfect will for your life. We do not have to sit idle, but we seek God's will for each day.

Get your advice from the Bible, not from people! People can confirm to us what God already spoke to us from His Word, but do not rely on anyone but God to tell you what to do. Ahithophel is a good example to show us why we cannot always trust a person’s advice. He started out as King David’s advisor and he had the reputation of someone who could hear from God (2 Samuel 16:23). However, he turned against King David because of David’s mistreatment of his granddaughter Bathsheba and her husband. 

We never know the reasons behind someone’s advice. They may have self-centered motives or misguided, worldly considerations. Paul commended the Bereans for being noble, because they searched the scriptures daily to prove if the words the preachers were expounding were God’s Words (Acts 17:11). Rather than following the direction of our circumstances, or some advice that is not based on scripture, we only follow God’s peace within us (Philippians 4:7). That is how Jesus lived. He only did what He saw and heard our Father doing (John 5:19).

The reason you have insecurity or confusion, and no peace about some decisions in your life at this time, is because God is not telling you to do it right now. You keep trying to summons the energy to do it, but you only feel conflict within. That is humanistic thinking. So, relinquish the decision to the Lord. Wait on the Lord's peace and just enjoy His presence until then. Never forget that God has a perfect plan for our life. We thwart His purpose when we independently make our own choices. We only succeed as we submit to His will (Proverbs 3:5-6).

You may repeatedly go to God for an answer and He remains silent. That means that you do not need that answer right now, so He is there just to hang out with you. Words are not always necessary when friends get together. Sitting in companionable silence with us is something God loves to do. You do not need to speak either. Just sit in His presence, allow His love to flow over you like a waterfall and enjoy being still. God will direct you to accomplish His purposes in your life in His timing and way (Isaiah 55:11).

Prayer:

Father God, as we walk in Your Spirit, our decisions are not based on the desires of our flesh, but on Your will for our life (Galatians 5:16, 25). As you lead us by Your Spirit, we do not fulfill the works of our flesh, but we walk by Your Spirit and reap the fruit of righteousness (Isaiah 32:17-18). Please strengthen us by Your Spirit and teach us to walk in Your ways (Ephesians 3:16, 5:18). We hinder You by our humanistic efforts, so teach us to walk by Your Spirit and to wait on Your timing.

Thought for the Day:

As long as we live in surrender to God’s Spirit, we will walk in God’s will.