"He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That's why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good." Romans 8:28 (The Message)
I hear folks say a lot these days, "God wouldn't understand or accept me." They think that where they come from, who they were, or who they are would prevent God from loving them. I tell you that nothing could be further from the truth. You have a God that's only concern in life is you, and He wants everyone to understand that nothing in this world could separate His love for us. (Romans 8:35)
So why don't we just take all our sorrows, all our striving, and all our pain and give it to Him? There's nothing that you carry that's worth carrying. You're only hurting your back in the process (figuratively speaking). He wants to work everything out for your benefit if you only gave Him the chance to operate on your behalf.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
The Glory of God
"Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard? The everlasting God, Jehovah, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary; there is no searching of his understanding. He giveth power to the faint; and to him that hath no might he increaseth strength...." Isaiah 40: 28-29
To the discouraged and weak He provides strength and hope. To the person who feels useless He gives worth. How often has He disappointed? Never. How often will He? Never. With such a track record you'd think it would be a sure bet that people would turn to Him for any and everything. Hardly.
Which prompts even Isaiah to question the people. Don't you guys know? Haven't you heard? (paraphrase mine). He's too great for us to try and understand, and has too much patience to grow faint in waiting for us to turn to him. He gives to us what we cannot provide for ourselves.... Only if we entrust our cares to Him. Be encouraged for He is always there!
Monday, January 9, 2012
God
"What other great nation has gods that are intimate with them the way God, our God, is with us, always ready to listen to us? And what other great nation has rules and regulations as good and fair as this Revelation that I'm setting before you today?" Deuteronomy 4:7-8 (The Message)
Stop and think for a moment, have you ever heard of another God capable of what our God can do, or has done? Has Buddha ever saved his followers from the oppression of nations? Did Mohammed die on the cross to rid us of the condemnation that sin brought down upon us?
The question is quite simple... Is there a God like our God? The answer? A resounding no. No God loves people so much that He personally guides them our of captivity, and ensures they have all they need on their journey. That's what makes our God so great. There is no one like Him. You could try and search the annals of history and you would never come up with a god so lasting, so loving, so just.
I try (just like Moses) to understand how can we stray from a God with such a track record? What more does God need to do to make us believe? He has done everything imaginable and so much more. All He asks of us is our allegiance and our love. Simple and plain... what He asks of us doesn't even come close to comparing what He does for us. If doubt ever enters your consciousness, just pick up the Bible and rift through what God has done, for that God is the same today, and will be the same for all eternity.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Created
"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." (Gen 1:1) "I am the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last." (Rev 22:13)
God wants us to know that He is the supreme creator who always existed and will always exist. He starts his book with the unmistakable evidence as to His craft (creating). He ends the book with the declaration that his nature will endure for all time.
Don't ever overcomplicate or diminish the significance of this simple truth. As the enduring creator of all time, we must know that he can make something beautiful out of, "an empty waste without form." (Gen 1:2) Whatever the condition of your life, give it over to God for Him to produce something abundantly above whatever you could have done on your own. After all, He's spent an eternity proving He's really good at it.
God wants us to know that He is the supreme creator who always existed and will always exist. He starts his book with the unmistakable evidence as to His craft (creating). He ends the book with the declaration that his nature will endure for all time.
Don't ever overcomplicate or diminish the significance of this simple truth. As the enduring creator of all time, we must know that he can make something beautiful out of, "an empty waste without form." (Gen 1:2) Whatever the condition of your life, give it over to God for Him to produce something abundantly above whatever you could have done on your own. After all, He's spent an eternity proving He's really good at it.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Leave it all behind
"And be constantly renewed in the spirit of your mind [having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude]." Ephesians 4:23 (AMP)
How hard is it to really live above and beyond your feelings. I honestly struggle with that more than perhaps anything else. Especially when the circumstances around you vie to influence your emotions. Its tough to leave that past memory of struggle of failure behind, but it's not impossible. In fact, there is a sureproof way of getting rid of it all together. Leave it all behind.
By constantly renewing your mind you're taking the trash out of your mind and replacing it with things that give you a fresh perspective on the life you should live. God's word is full or promises that are useful for you to constantly renew your mind. You are the head and not the tail, above and not beneath. (Deuteronomy 28:13) You can do all things through Christ who empowers you. (Philippians 4:13) Why don't you start this year by making this practice a lifestyle? If you do, wholesale changes will come to your life.
How hard is it to really live above and beyond your feelings. I honestly struggle with that more than perhaps anything else. Especially when the circumstances around you vie to influence your emotions. Its tough to leave that past memory of struggle of failure behind, but it's not impossible. In fact, there is a sureproof way of getting rid of it all together. Leave it all behind.
By constantly renewing your mind you're taking the trash out of your mind and replacing it with things that give you a fresh perspective on the life you should live. God's word is full or promises that are useful for you to constantly renew your mind. You are the head and not the tail, above and not beneath. (Deuteronomy 28:13) You can do all things through Christ who empowers you. (Philippians 4:13) Why don't you start this year by making this practice a lifestyle? If you do, wholesale changes will come to your life.
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Divine Provision
"AND MOSES answered, [a]But behold, they will not believe me or listen to and obey my voice; for they will say, The Lord has not appeared to you. And the Lord said to him, What is that in your hand? And he said, A rod...Cast it on the ground. And he did so and it became a serpent [the symbol of royal and divine power worn on the crown of the Pharaohs]; and Moses fled from before it...Put your hand into your bosom. He put his hand into his bosom, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous, as white as snow. [God] said, Put your hand into your bosom again. So he put his hand back into his bosom, and when he took it out, behold, it was restored as the rest of his flesh. [Then God said] If they will not believe you or heed the voice or the testimony of the first sign, they may believe the voice or the witness of the second sign." Exodus 4:1-8 (AMP)
God has given Moses a charge to go to Pharaoh and request the freedom of his people. This charge overwhelms Moses (as it would overwhelm the vast majority of us), and so his first course of action is to tell God that He can't do this because no one will believe him. God, totally unfazed by Moses' doubt and uncertainty gives Moses two tools (that he already possessed) to execute the task. If one of them doesn't work then certainly the other will.
The interesting thing about this is that God didn't ask Moses to go somewhere far to obtain this power. He didn't ask him to scale the highest peak or fast for 40 days or something like that (not that there's anything wrong with those things if God tells you do them). He asked Moses very matter of fact-like... "What's in your hand?"... and... "reach into your bosom." Both of those actions represent something very powerful, but more importantly it was God's way of showing Moses that everything he needed was within his grasp.
Maybe God has given you something to do that requires supernatural abilities. You must first recognize that if He's asking you to do something, not only does he not expect you do to it on your own, but also He will provide all the tools you need to execute His plan. No matter how great it might be, God has fitted you perfectly for His plan and purpose, all we need to do is be willing and have faith. Learn from this story in understanding that when God asks you to do something, He already has seen the outcome before you've even decided on accepting the task.
God has given Moses a charge to go to Pharaoh and request the freedom of his people. This charge overwhelms Moses (as it would overwhelm the vast majority of us), and so his first course of action is to tell God that He can't do this because no one will believe him. God, totally unfazed by Moses' doubt and uncertainty gives Moses two tools (that he already possessed) to execute the task. If one of them doesn't work then certainly the other will.
The interesting thing about this is that God didn't ask Moses to go somewhere far to obtain this power. He didn't ask him to scale the highest peak or fast for 40 days or something like that (not that there's anything wrong with those things if God tells you do them). He asked Moses very matter of fact-like... "What's in your hand?"... and... "reach into your bosom." Both of those actions represent something very powerful, but more importantly it was God's way of showing Moses that everything he needed was within his grasp.
Maybe God has given you something to do that requires supernatural abilities. You must first recognize that if He's asking you to do something, not only does he not expect you do to it on your own, but also He will provide all the tools you need to execute His plan. No matter how great it might be, God has fitted you perfectly for His plan and purpose, all we need to do is be willing and have faith. Learn from this story in understanding that when God asks you to do something, He already has seen the outcome before you've even decided on accepting the task.
Monday, January 2, 2012
A New Mindset
"Do not [earnestly] remember the former things; neither consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs forth; do you not perceive and know it and will you not give heed to it? I will even make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert." Isaiah 43:18-19 (AMP)
Could it be that this year of new beginnings is the same year that would bring about a new way of thinking? The problem many of us faced last year or in years past were exacerbated by our own memory. We kept dwelling on things that were behind us; mistakes, bad decisions, wrong turns, etc. instead of leaving those things where they should have been... in the past.
God is telling us, "Stop doing that! I'm about to do a new thing, its a new adventure filled with highlights and unprecedented things, get on board and forget what you left behind." It stands to reason that we cannot make forward progress if we spend our time looking behind. This is a new year adopt a new mindset.
Could it be that this year of new beginnings is the same year that would bring about a new way of thinking? The problem many of us faced last year or in years past were exacerbated by our own memory. We kept dwelling on things that were behind us; mistakes, bad decisions, wrong turns, etc. instead of leaving those things where they should have been... in the past.
God is telling us, "Stop doing that! I'm about to do a new thing, its a new adventure filled with highlights and unprecedented things, get on board and forget what you left behind." It stands to reason that we cannot make forward progress if we spend our time looking behind. This is a new year adopt a new mindset.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)