“There comes a time when it is no longer important to prove one’s point, but simply to live, to surrender to God, and to love.” Thomas Merton
Love really is the greatest! How many problems would be averted, sins covered, marriages reconciled if love would abound in our hearts and in this world. Lord, teach me to love like you do.
“And now these three remain, faith, hope and love. But, the greatest of these is love.” 1 Cor 13:13
| The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.- Martin Luther King Jr., |
Where do you turn in troubled times? Who do you go to? What sort of diversion or anesthesia do you look for? Some turn to drugs, some to retail therapy. Some look for a friendly shoulder to cry on. Some yell at others or kick the dog. I’ve heard it said that under stress what’s inside comes out. When you’re squished , what comes out of you? Where do you stand?
The truth is that we have not been promised a trouble free existence, even with Christ in our lives. Jesus, in fact declared “in this world you will have trouble.” (John 16:33) “But take heart! I have overcome the world.” He has overcome the world. Let me say that again, HE HAS OVERCOME the world. The story is finished and yet we are living it out. In the midst of trial, we can stand firm in Christ, receive His peace and trust Him. Better times really are ahead. No matter what it looks like now. “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, trust also in Me.” (John 14:1).
They will see the glory of the LORD,
The majesty of our God.
Encourage the exhausted, and strengthen the feeble.
Say to those with anxious heart,
“Take courage, fear not.
Behold, your God will come with vengeance;
The recompense of God will come,
But He will save you.”
Isaiah 35:3,4 NASB
Father, I thank You for peace in times of trouble. I thank You for Your victory and for the promise of the future. Thank You for better days ahead. Be glorified in me I pray, even in adversity. Amen.
“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Gal 6:9
Just this week, I’ve encountered a handful of women who separately have confided that they are feeling spiritually stagnant. These are women who truly love God and love others and have had incredible harvests of spiritual fruit in their lives. A couple of them have frequented mission fields and all have boldly answered the call of God on their lives. Still, they are concerned about their present spiritual condition. I can relate. These are hard times. Churches seem harder to plug into. Our bulging schedules leave us weary. It’s more difficult to connect for fellowship.
What is God saying to us in and through seasons like this in our lives? Does He know? Does He care? Have I let Him down? Am I a detriment to His Kingdom? The devil would like to defeat us altogether in our down times! He would like to take you out of the race entirely. The Good News is that God does care! He is with you!! He will never leave or forsake you (Joshua 1:5).
While you may condemn yourself, God has not condemned you. What I believe God is saying now is this, as He did to the Church of Philadelphia in Revelation 3: 8,10 “I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept My word and have not denied my name…I am coming soon. Hold onto what you have, so that no one will take your crown.”
Sometimes, when we feel like we’re not advancing spiritually it’s because we’re being called to simply hold our ground. By doing so, we learn endurance. God who knows your heart, and every limitation in your life, is fully invested in you!! God is with you. Endure patiently. Keep loving God and loving others. Just don’t give up, a harvest awaits you.
“A difficult time can be more readily endured if we hold the conviction that our existence holds a purpose, a cause to pursue, a person to love, a goal to achieve. -John Maxwell
There is usually some sort of pay-off at the end of a difficult time. Even if loss is involved, with God on our side there is also something we have gained if we dig deep enough to find it. Character built. Disciplines applied. Humility developed. Tempers tempered. Stewardship dispensed. Priorities needed. Lessons learned.
Sometimes our own actions have put us in a hard place – overspending, temper flared, words spoken, irresponsible actions. Sometimes in spite of our best actions loss invade our lives – downturn economically, job loss, death, illness. Sometimes the pursuit of God’s call, or a goal or dream pursued causes major life changes while being built into our lives. The times are difficult.
The difficult times won’t last forever. For now, we can turn to God ; who will surely use them for His glory.
God, who is on our side will build in us a godly discipline. Discipline is not a nice word. It doesn’t make me feel all warm and fuzzy. But, I do like the fruits of it once it becomes applied to my life. God wants the very best for you and I.
“Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?” Heb 12:7
Heb 12: 10,11 ” Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in His holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”
Father, I thank You for Your love. Thank You that You can and will use even the difficult times in my life; in a way that will promote Your glory. I ask that You would mold Christ in me and help me to endure. I present my life before You and pray that You have Your way; in Jesus name. Amen.
Well, it seems that a daily blog is too daunting a task at this point of my life. I’m sorry to all of you who have read it daily. I will continue to post, so don’t forget to check now and again. Thanks for reading, and God bless you!
“We always seem to find the time to grumble and complain; to think of all our troubles, our sorrows and our pain. Yet if we would but stop and think, I’m sure we would be glad; If we counted all the troubles that w never had. The loved ones we still have with us, the house that didn’t burn; our automobile that didn’t wreck, the money we still earn. When we’re counting all our blessings God gives us by His grace, Let’s think today of all the trials we were not asked to face.” – Unknown
Father, for all I have lost; I have so much left. I am rich in friends. I am so grateful for Your provision of love in my life. I thank You for Your goodness and grace and the attention You have always and forever will give to me needs. You have been so faithful to me. You take care of me so well. Thank You, Lord!
2 Corinthians 1:10 “He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and He will deliver us. On Him we have set our hope that He will continue to deliver us.”
“Nearly all the great examples of faith and victorious grace that we find in Scripture came out of situations of extremity and distress. God loves hard places, and faith is usually born of danger and extremity.” A.B. Simpson
Hebrews 11:1, 2 “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for.”
Hebrews 11. What a fabulous group of Christians. They didn’t see, but they believed. They took steps of obedience as God directed. They followed God. They trusted. They had fears, but God helped them to overcome them. They looked ahead. They trusted that their difficult days would pass and better days would be ahead. They knew the reward would be in their future. “The world was not worthy of them” v. 38.
The truth is that God sees you the same way. Their reward is actually linked to the completion of all that God is doing in Your life too. Heb 11:40, “God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.”
Father, I am humbled by Your goodness. I am humbled by the stories of faith of those who have gone before me. Lord Jesus, i am not worthy, but I pray for the perfection of Your faith in me. I need You Lord, and want to walk filled with faith and faithful to You in all ways. In Jesus name, I pray. Amen.
David Langerfeld wrote a devotional in wich he relayed a story of travelling with a friend to the Alamo. On a wall there hangs a portrait of James, a nephew of Major James Bonham. The inscription indicates that no portrait of the Major exists; and his family wanted the world to see a picture of a man who died for freedom.
Wow! The nephew only resembled the appearance of a great man and his portrait is hung for the sake of history! And while the Major was undoubtedly a brave man, he was after all still a man. The nephew’s portrait hangs in perpetuity simply because of a family resemblance. That’s interesting
It leads me to think about my family. For better or for worse at times we can be connected to our family. Sometimes I see my mother in the mirror. I have been told that I also resembled a cousin. My Mom looked an awful lot like one of her sister’s daughters too. They were about the same age and actually could have passed for one another if you didn’t know them well.
But, if I am to be associated with another’s reflection in this Earth, I want to look like Jesus. We have artist’s renditions of what Jesus may have looked like when He walked in this world. I wonder how close they came to His real appearance. You may know what He looks like if you study the face and actions of someone who knows Him.
“And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love, lives in God, and God in Him. In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like Him.” 1 John 4:16,17
Dear God, I want to be one who looks and acts like You. I want to reflect Your love and goodness in the world around me. I want to be one who is able to show others who You are and how You act and who You wnat to be to them. In Jesus name, I pray. Amen.
“With Him the calf is always the fatted calf, the robe is always the best robe, the joy is unspeakable and the peace surpasses understanding.” -Haddon W. Robinson
Whatever you or I can think of God, He is always more. Whatever we recieve from God, there is always more. Whatever we deisre for our lives, His desire for us is always greater. However much we love Him, His love for us is vastly greater and unending.
Father, Thank You for Your endless and bountiful blessings. Thank You for the priviledge of knowing You. Think You for Your mindfulness and attention to all of the details of Your children’s lives.
“The Lord remembers us and will bless us; He will bless the house of Israel, He will bless the house of Aaron.” Psalm 115:12
“God is very good to those who trust in Him and often surprises them with unlooked for blessings. Little do we know what may happen to us tomorrow, but this fact may cheer us, that no good thing shall be withheld. Chance is banished from the faith of Christians, for they see the hand of God in everything. The trivial events of today or tomorrow may involve consequences of the highest importance.” – Charles Haddon Spurgeon
Several years ago, I had the opportunity to travel to Africa with my pastor at the time; and a couple of others. Our goal was to provide some teaching and encouragement to a church in Nigeria. I can only hope they were as blessed as I was after our time together. I was the one who left feeling strengthened and encouraged by the church. It was a wonderful experience.
Interestingly, God did many things by way of provision for this trip. He provided money, time off, messages to share… so many BIG things came together. But, the stand out provision in my mind is a small notebook. I had written messages out on an unusual size of notebook paper that was about the same size of my Bible. Was it 5×7? Something like that. Evidently while I had, in my opinion, the perfect size of paper, I didn’t have the notebook to put them in. I also didn’t know how hard it would be to find. I looked everywhere! I would find something I thought would work and the holes wouldn’t fit right for the paper… it was complicated. I prayed that God would lead me to the right notebook. One day, while driving to work, I took a different route. For some reason, I felt prompted to stop at a drug store on the way. I went in and looked at their school supplies. They had just the right size notebook! I was so thrilled!!
This little notebook spoke to me more about God’s care and interest for me as an individual than His whole provision for the trip. Why? It wasn’t a need. It was just a silly little desire of my heart. But, God cared and wanted to delight my heart. It was more than the right size of vinyl and some hardware. It was a desire of the heart. Was it a “coincidence” that I took a different route to work; felt prompted to stop at an unfamiliar drugstore, and find this notebook? You will never be able to convince me of that!
Father, I thank You that You are involved in every little thing that impacts my life. I thank You that You delight in blessing Your children. Help me to see You more in the little day to day things. Help me not to miss Your blessings or insult You by calling them a coincidence. Thank You for Your surprises and unlooked for blessings!
Psalm 37:4 “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.”
