11/23/2011
Weather Report From Heaven: Sunny and bright, with an abundance of light and lots of singing and rejoicing.
Bible Verse of the Day: Psalm 75:1 " We give thanks to you, o God, we give thanks, for your Name is near; men tell of your wonderful deeds."
We as Americans take time every year to stop and give thanks for all of the gifts we have been given. It is a truly American tradition and it is awesome. We eat turkey, watch football and spend time with our families and the people we care about most. We feel pride in our country and in our generous hearts. It connects us to the Pilgrims who suffered greatly in both their voyage to America and in their first year of settling here, but still took time to thank God for making it here alive and for the blessings they had received upon arrival. Although challenged greatly during that time, they still recognized and appreciated that the God of the universe had provided for them in amazing ways, and humbly and in reverence, they wanted to praise Him. We as a country are going through some very difficult trials as well right now. The financial crisis shows no sign of abating, unemployment is high, many people have lost their homes and their confidence and there is a real tenseness around our whole political process. But we must still remember that the God of our founders still is worthy of our praise and Thanksgiving as we are the most prosperous and blessed country that has ever been created. I Thessalonians 5:16-18 states " Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." I believe as Christians that we should naturally be joyful and give thanks on a daily basis. The recognition of the magnitude of what Jesus did for us on the cross at Calvary should always give us hearths full of thanks, and that should naturally extend to all facets of our lives, especially our prayer life. The grace with which God has set us free from our sins and transgressions should always lead to an overwhelming thankfulness. 2nd Corinthians 9:15 says ' Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift." I hope that I reflect that joy and thankfulness to those who know me best on a regular basis. Sometimes the world overwhelms us, and can snatch our joy for awhile and turn our thankfulness into despair or disillusionment. But we must remember even then that life isn't about waiting for the storm clouds to pass, it is about learning to dance in the rain. By focusing on Jesus, and what He did for us, our thanks should be as free flowing as a river after the spring snow melt cascades down into it. Our great nation was founded with a reverent respect and gratitude for what God had given us. As Christians we recognize also what God has given us in Christ. Hebrews 12:28 summarizes then what our natural response should be, " therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe." I thank God for our country and for the things He is doing in my life and will continue to do in Christ Jesus, and I pray that we will have a revival in this country back to the One who is worthy of all praise and thanksgiving. May God bless the United States of America.
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Friday, November 18, 2011
The Test of Stewardship
November 18, 2011
Weather Report From Heaven: Sunny and bright, with an abundance of light and lots of singing and rejoicing.
Bible Verse of the Day: Luke 16:10 " Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much."
What we do with what we are given tells a lot about our relationship with God. If we see all the things we are given as "ours" we are missing the big picture that really everything we have is "His." There is no one I know that has figured out how to keep hold of what he has on earth once he has passed into eternity. The old saying that there "aint no U-haul behind the hearse" applies here. On the day we pass, we will never have to write another check, pay another bill, make a deposit into our checking account or try to figure out the value of a home. It will all be meaningless in the blink of an eye. But Christ spent a lot of time preaching about money because he knew how important it would be in our lives. In the 16th chapter of gospel of Luke, Jesus tells the parable of the shrewd manager. I believe the message delivered here is a key to understanding God's expectations for the opportunities he gives us in our lives. He wants us to use our resources to benefit His kingdom and to touch people's lives from a platform of hope and love that illustrate the love that we have been given as believers in Jesus Christ. We should always keep in mind the hierarchy of the relationship between God and money. If God is our master, than money is our servant. It can be used for Kingdom building purposes that will be pleasing to the Lord and will have eternal consequences for us as well. We should keep in mind that what we do with what we are given today will be something that we must give account of before Him for eternity. Think of all of the faces we will get to see in heaven from the people whose lives have benefited from our generosity. Many of these people we will never even meet on earth, but they will be the benefactors of our giving to a homeless shelter, or an Evangelical Church or a mission's trip. How great will it be to see how the money or time or conversation you gave impacted other people's lives for eternity. On the other hand, If money is our God and God is a servant to that wealth, woe be to us. If we hoard what we are given and do not act as faithful and trustworthy steward's of all we have been given on earth, how lonely will it be when we show up to a party in Heaven, and there is no one there to join us. The guilt and shame of our selfishness will haunt us. John 16:11 warns, " So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?" The implication here is that if you have not been trustworthy with things that are temporary or perishable, how in the world can God trust you with things that are imperishable? The problem with our stuff here is that it is temporary. But how we view it is key. If we truly understand that it all belongs to God, then we should act like that in our mindset and actions. I am learning as I go in life how to practically apply these lessons in my own life. I don't believe that the people who advocate giving it all away are being practical because God expects us to be good stewards with all He has given us, including our families, and leaving them homeless or without food, would be failing in our basic responsibilities. If we all gave everything away to those who play that guilt card, then they would all be very rich and everyone else would be very poor. That would not solve anything. But I believe God is interested in the intentions of our hearts and our willingness to view everything that He brings into our life as an opportunity to prove our worthiness as stewards. I believe this applies to not only money and possessions but also to opportunities and motivations. Do we do our best with what we have been given at any given time to make decisions that are worthy of God? Do we trust that when we give it away, then he can bless it one hundred fold? I have struggled throughout my life with letting go of "my stuff." That I believe is traced back to my childhood and living with the stress and uncertainty of knowing if my mother would have enough money from week to week to provide for us as my parents messy divorce always entailed a good deal of stress around the control mechanism of money. But by the grace of God, I have never had to miss a day of eating in my life. As my relationship with God has continued to develop, I have been trying to grow in my understanding of the relationships between God's expectations and money. I am trying to become a truly joyful giver, one who sees the benefit of giving as much more rewarding than the fear of my own insecurities about "loss of my stuff." That is where I think the breakthrough is occurring in my walk. The mindset with which I approach decisions are starting to change from my perspective to God's perspective. I want to understand and live out the truth that none of what I have is mine and therefore I should pay it forward. This is also true of any wisdom or conversation that are needed to be shared. A good steward is always looking for ways to benefit others to please God. The steward with a heart focused on God can not help but be generous and bold. On the other hand, when we look at ourselves, we tend to become fearful and have a narcissistic tendency to view things as ours. Like we can do anything with the wealth we have been given except use it for our pleasure and ultimately in most cases, our pain. A man's heart that clearly understands that God is master, and money is a servant, will make good decisions that will lead to an eternal abundance awaiting him in Heaven for he will have touched many. The heart of a man who views money as the master will be held captive by his greed and held in bondage by his lack of generosity. John 16:13 clearly states that " No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money." I believe that when you faithfully serve God and have a heart that is in alignment with His will, that His abundance will continue to flow through those who are proving themselves to be worthy stewards. He will continue to give you opportunities to prove your worthiness. If you view things from the perspective that He is the Creator of all abundance, than what a blessing it is in your life to be able to pay it back to Him in a way that glories Him and grows His Kingdom work. You will make friends and influence people for His glory through your actions. Praise be to God that He entrusts enough to prove ourselves worthy of being His stewards. May we take this privilege and responsibility with the seriousness it requires.
Weather Report From Heaven: Sunny and bright, with an abundance of light and lots of singing and rejoicing.
Bible Verse of the Day: Luke 16:10 " Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much."
What we do with what we are given tells a lot about our relationship with God. If we see all the things we are given as "ours" we are missing the big picture that really everything we have is "His." There is no one I know that has figured out how to keep hold of what he has on earth once he has passed into eternity. The old saying that there "aint no U-haul behind the hearse" applies here. On the day we pass, we will never have to write another check, pay another bill, make a deposit into our checking account or try to figure out the value of a home. It will all be meaningless in the blink of an eye. But Christ spent a lot of time preaching about money because he knew how important it would be in our lives. In the 16th chapter of gospel of Luke, Jesus tells the parable of the shrewd manager. I believe the message delivered here is a key to understanding God's expectations for the opportunities he gives us in our lives. He wants us to use our resources to benefit His kingdom and to touch people's lives from a platform of hope and love that illustrate the love that we have been given as believers in Jesus Christ. We should always keep in mind the hierarchy of the relationship between God and money. If God is our master, than money is our servant. It can be used for Kingdom building purposes that will be pleasing to the Lord and will have eternal consequences for us as well. We should keep in mind that what we do with what we are given today will be something that we must give account of before Him for eternity. Think of all of the faces we will get to see in heaven from the people whose lives have benefited from our generosity. Many of these people we will never even meet on earth, but they will be the benefactors of our giving to a homeless shelter, or an Evangelical Church or a mission's trip. How great will it be to see how the money or time or conversation you gave impacted other people's lives for eternity. On the other hand, If money is our God and God is a servant to that wealth, woe be to us. If we hoard what we are given and do not act as faithful and trustworthy steward's of all we have been given on earth, how lonely will it be when we show up to a party in Heaven, and there is no one there to join us. The guilt and shame of our selfishness will haunt us. John 16:11 warns, " So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?" The implication here is that if you have not been trustworthy with things that are temporary or perishable, how in the world can God trust you with things that are imperishable? The problem with our stuff here is that it is temporary. But how we view it is key. If we truly understand that it all belongs to God, then we should act like that in our mindset and actions. I am learning as I go in life how to practically apply these lessons in my own life. I don't believe that the people who advocate giving it all away are being practical because God expects us to be good stewards with all He has given us, including our families, and leaving them homeless or without food, would be failing in our basic responsibilities. If we all gave everything away to those who play that guilt card, then they would all be very rich and everyone else would be very poor. That would not solve anything. But I believe God is interested in the intentions of our hearts and our willingness to view everything that He brings into our life as an opportunity to prove our worthiness as stewards. I believe this applies to not only money and possessions but also to opportunities and motivations. Do we do our best with what we have been given at any given time to make decisions that are worthy of God? Do we trust that when we give it away, then he can bless it one hundred fold? I have struggled throughout my life with letting go of "my stuff." That I believe is traced back to my childhood and living with the stress and uncertainty of knowing if my mother would have enough money from week to week to provide for us as my parents messy divorce always entailed a good deal of stress around the control mechanism of money. But by the grace of God, I have never had to miss a day of eating in my life. As my relationship with God has continued to develop, I have been trying to grow in my understanding of the relationships between God's expectations and money. I am trying to become a truly joyful giver, one who sees the benefit of giving as much more rewarding than the fear of my own insecurities about "loss of my stuff." That is where I think the breakthrough is occurring in my walk. The mindset with which I approach decisions are starting to change from my perspective to God's perspective. I want to understand and live out the truth that none of what I have is mine and therefore I should pay it forward. This is also true of any wisdom or conversation that are needed to be shared. A good steward is always looking for ways to benefit others to please God. The steward with a heart focused on God can not help but be generous and bold. On the other hand, when we look at ourselves, we tend to become fearful and have a narcissistic tendency to view things as ours. Like we can do anything with the wealth we have been given except use it for our pleasure and ultimately in most cases, our pain. A man's heart that clearly understands that God is master, and money is a servant, will make good decisions that will lead to an eternal abundance awaiting him in Heaven for he will have touched many. The heart of a man who views money as the master will be held captive by his greed and held in bondage by his lack of generosity. John 16:13 clearly states that " No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money." I believe that when you faithfully serve God and have a heart that is in alignment with His will, that His abundance will continue to flow through those who are proving themselves to be worthy stewards. He will continue to give you opportunities to prove your worthiness. If you view things from the perspective that He is the Creator of all abundance, than what a blessing it is in your life to be able to pay it back to Him in a way that glories Him and grows His Kingdom work. You will make friends and influence people for His glory through your actions. Praise be to God that He entrusts enough to prove ourselves worthy of being His stewards. May we take this privilege and responsibility with the seriousness it requires.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Abundance of the Vine
11/16/2011
Weather Report From Heaven: Sunny and bright, with an abundance of light and lots of singing and rejoicing.
Bible verse of the Day: John 15:5 " I am the vine and you are the branches. if a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."
The 15th chapter of the gospel of John is one of my favorite chapters in the whole bible, because it uses the analogy of the vineyard to make it's point and I happen to be a person who loves every type of grape and the wine they produce, in moderation of course! Jesus is using the Vineyard analogy because it was one that most people in His time could relate to, being that most people lived off the land. He sets the hierarchy straight right off the bat and He makes it perfectly clear that He is the Vine, responsible for the abundance of all good fruit, and we are the branches. Branches that are not connected to the vine are worthless, and no matter how good they look at a given time, they are destined to wither away and die, for they can no longer bear any fruit. John 15:7-8 says, "If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be given to you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples." This gives me great hope, that God the Father will be glorified if I bear much good fruit. So what is my responsibility? To abide in Him who is the vine, Jesus Christ. His wisdom and word must be the defining truth in my life. Abide means to remain or continue in a particular condition, attitude or relationship. In this case, we must remain in relationship with Christ if we expect to bear much good fruit. In order for us to bear an abundance of fruit for God's kingdom, pruning will be required from time to time. Pruning can be a painful experience in the short term, but in the long term it prepares the branches for a much larger and more abundant harvest. It cleans up the branches and allows for more light to enter in to help grow the grapes in the future. Pruning removes growth that is dead or dying to encourage new fruit to develop. We are in need of clean up and pruning on an on going basis in our walk with the Lord, but we must remember that it is being done so that we can produce even more fruit in the future. How does God prune us? He cuts away the parts of our lives that drain precious time and energy on less than ideal pursuits. He may take things away from us that are keeping us from fully abiding in Him. He works in each life uniquely to prune that branch in the way that it needs to be pruned. He is the Vine and we are the branches, so we must grow our faith through this pruning process. However, this chapter of John also warns us that if we try to go off on our own way and do it ourselves, we will be cut off from the vine and bear no good fruit. John 15:6 says, " if anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned." Pruning can indeed be painful, think of giant shearer's coming to do their work on the branches, but the abundant harvest can't come without the pruning first taking place. God has a place of abundance He wants to take us to, but we must abide in Him. Abiding in Him is a command and it is imperative. It is not a suggestion or a request. Jesus using the term abide 10 times in John 15. I think He is trying to get our attention! Whenever a theme repeats in the Bible, we best pay attention. He wants us to abide in Him so He can protect us, but also so we can enjoy a deep friendship with God in order to feel His joyful presence. He craves a relationship with us on the deepest level, and like any relationship, that takes time spent together. He will remove, or prune away the things that take away from that time spent together so that we can bear more fruit in the future. In essence, a part of us ( self ) must die so that a new better part can come to produce even more fruit (Spirit ) in the future. Our busyness on things that don't really matter and only serve to distract us will be removed. In their place, an abundance of fruit that comes from abiding in Him will come to be harvested. The grapes will be the fullest and sweetest we have ever tasted. All praise and glory to God!
Weather Report From Heaven: Sunny and bright, with an abundance of light and lots of singing and rejoicing.
Bible verse of the Day: John 15:5 " I am the vine and you are the branches. if a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."
The 15th chapter of the gospel of John is one of my favorite chapters in the whole bible, because it uses the analogy of the vineyard to make it's point and I happen to be a person who loves every type of grape and the wine they produce, in moderation of course! Jesus is using the Vineyard analogy because it was one that most people in His time could relate to, being that most people lived off the land. He sets the hierarchy straight right off the bat and He makes it perfectly clear that He is the Vine, responsible for the abundance of all good fruit, and we are the branches. Branches that are not connected to the vine are worthless, and no matter how good they look at a given time, they are destined to wither away and die, for they can no longer bear any fruit. John 15:7-8 says, "If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be given to you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples." This gives me great hope, that God the Father will be glorified if I bear much good fruit. So what is my responsibility? To abide in Him who is the vine, Jesus Christ. His wisdom and word must be the defining truth in my life. Abide means to remain or continue in a particular condition, attitude or relationship. In this case, we must remain in relationship with Christ if we expect to bear much good fruit. In order for us to bear an abundance of fruit for God's kingdom, pruning will be required from time to time. Pruning can be a painful experience in the short term, but in the long term it prepares the branches for a much larger and more abundant harvest. It cleans up the branches and allows for more light to enter in to help grow the grapes in the future. Pruning removes growth that is dead or dying to encourage new fruit to develop. We are in need of clean up and pruning on an on going basis in our walk with the Lord, but we must remember that it is being done so that we can produce even more fruit in the future. How does God prune us? He cuts away the parts of our lives that drain precious time and energy on less than ideal pursuits. He may take things away from us that are keeping us from fully abiding in Him. He works in each life uniquely to prune that branch in the way that it needs to be pruned. He is the Vine and we are the branches, so we must grow our faith through this pruning process. However, this chapter of John also warns us that if we try to go off on our own way and do it ourselves, we will be cut off from the vine and bear no good fruit. John 15:6 says, " if anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned." Pruning can indeed be painful, think of giant shearer's coming to do their work on the branches, but the abundant harvest can't come without the pruning first taking place. God has a place of abundance He wants to take us to, but we must abide in Him. Abiding in Him is a command and it is imperative. It is not a suggestion or a request. Jesus using the term abide 10 times in John 15. I think He is trying to get our attention! Whenever a theme repeats in the Bible, we best pay attention. He wants us to abide in Him so He can protect us, but also so we can enjoy a deep friendship with God in order to feel His joyful presence. He craves a relationship with us on the deepest level, and like any relationship, that takes time spent together. He will remove, or prune away the things that take away from that time spent together so that we can bear more fruit in the future. In essence, a part of us ( self ) must die so that a new better part can come to produce even more fruit (Spirit ) in the future. Our busyness on things that don't really matter and only serve to distract us will be removed. In their place, an abundance of fruit that comes from abiding in Him will come to be harvested. The grapes will be the fullest and sweetest we have ever tasted. All praise and glory to God!
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Like Little Children
11/12/2011
Weather Report From Heaven: Sunny and bright, with an abundance of light and lots of singing and rejoicing.
Bible Verse of the Day: Mark 10:14-15 " Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the Kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it."
The Bible is full of references to little children. It is something that is obviously very important to God. How we are to raise them up and train them in the ways of the Lord, Proverbs 22:6, the responsibilities that we have in raising them properly, Colossians 3:21, and how we discipline them will be things that we are held accountable for before the Lord. But the above verses had me bewildered for the longest time. What does it mean that unless we receive the Kingdom of God like a little child we will never enter it? Well, I think that it has to do with two things that became clear to me over some readings and some other scriptures that began to shed some light on the meaning. Little children are humble, fully recognizing and accepting their dependence on others for their survival and they are willing to listen to instruction in most instances ( add jokes and disclaimers here ) to further their growth. When we are little children, we have no agenda of our own. We pretty much do what our parents have in store for us at any given moment. We may wish to change up the plans or itinerary on occasion, but we don't have the means necessary to accomplish it, meaning money or transportation, so we go with the flow. The key is that most of the time, kids not only want to please their parents, ( add jokes and disclaimers here ) but they actual like being dependent on them. They are free to play and enjoy living life while the parents plan out their agenda and fill in the calendar. I believe the meaning of the scriptures above is along these lines of thinking. We must not only recognize our need for our savior Jesus Christ, but we must also accept it. In humility, we admit that our sinful nature will lead us to our grave and we must depend on someone greater than us to lead us from our predicament. We need to follow a teacher with more wisdom and love than we can ever accumulate. He knows what is best for us. We must learn to listen to His will, and turn our agenda over to him. Our hearts should be joyful as we are freed up like little children to enjoy life and focus on our stability in Him. Matthew 18:3-4 seems to confirm this train of thought, " I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." So this seems clear to me now that we must completely reverse our way of thinking in order to change and become like little children. Most of my early life, say from 12 years old on, was spent wanting to grow up fast and gain my independence, proving to myself and my parents that I could survive on my own. As I became a college student, I didn't want to live under their rules any more. At a certain age, this is mostly a great sign of progress in our lives, when we can move out of the house, support ourselves and make our parents proud. It is the same goal the parents have for their children. However, what the Bible is telling us is that while that is all well and good, and we should be all that we were created for using the God given gifts to the best of our ability, we also should be aware that we have an eternal destination that requires us to humbly admit our dependence on somewhere far greater than us. We must go forth with this as a main tenant of our life and become like little children in our acknowledgement that we can't get there on our own. When we not only recognize this fact, but also fully accept it, then we can truly begin to change again, to humbly learn to have the mindset of little children, and to trust in God's plan for our lives. For He truly knows and wants what is best for us. May we find freedom in that truth. Matthew 18:5-6 tells us how serious God is about this humble conversion process and the consequences for anyone who would try to interfere with it " And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me. But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea." See the world through the eyes of a little child, fully and gratefully dependent on your Father in Heaven, and that will make God smile.
Weather Report From Heaven: Sunny and bright, with an abundance of light and lots of singing and rejoicing.
Bible Verse of the Day: Mark 10:14-15 " Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the Kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it."
The Bible is full of references to little children. It is something that is obviously very important to God. How we are to raise them up and train them in the ways of the Lord, Proverbs 22:6, the responsibilities that we have in raising them properly, Colossians 3:21, and how we discipline them will be things that we are held accountable for before the Lord. But the above verses had me bewildered for the longest time. What does it mean that unless we receive the Kingdom of God like a little child we will never enter it? Well, I think that it has to do with two things that became clear to me over some readings and some other scriptures that began to shed some light on the meaning. Little children are humble, fully recognizing and accepting their dependence on others for their survival and they are willing to listen to instruction in most instances ( add jokes and disclaimers here ) to further their growth. When we are little children, we have no agenda of our own. We pretty much do what our parents have in store for us at any given moment. We may wish to change up the plans or itinerary on occasion, but we don't have the means necessary to accomplish it, meaning money or transportation, so we go with the flow. The key is that most of the time, kids not only want to please their parents, ( add jokes and disclaimers here ) but they actual like being dependent on them. They are free to play and enjoy living life while the parents plan out their agenda and fill in the calendar. I believe the meaning of the scriptures above is along these lines of thinking. We must not only recognize our need for our savior Jesus Christ, but we must also accept it. In humility, we admit that our sinful nature will lead us to our grave and we must depend on someone greater than us to lead us from our predicament. We need to follow a teacher with more wisdom and love than we can ever accumulate. He knows what is best for us. We must learn to listen to His will, and turn our agenda over to him. Our hearts should be joyful as we are freed up like little children to enjoy life and focus on our stability in Him. Matthew 18:3-4 seems to confirm this train of thought, " I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." So this seems clear to me now that we must completely reverse our way of thinking in order to change and become like little children. Most of my early life, say from 12 years old on, was spent wanting to grow up fast and gain my independence, proving to myself and my parents that I could survive on my own. As I became a college student, I didn't want to live under their rules any more. At a certain age, this is mostly a great sign of progress in our lives, when we can move out of the house, support ourselves and make our parents proud. It is the same goal the parents have for their children. However, what the Bible is telling us is that while that is all well and good, and we should be all that we were created for using the God given gifts to the best of our ability, we also should be aware that we have an eternal destination that requires us to humbly admit our dependence on somewhere far greater than us. We must go forth with this as a main tenant of our life and become like little children in our acknowledgement that we can't get there on our own. When we not only recognize this fact, but also fully accept it, then we can truly begin to change again, to humbly learn to have the mindset of little children, and to trust in God's plan for our lives. For He truly knows and wants what is best for us. May we find freedom in that truth. Matthew 18:5-6 tells us how serious God is about this humble conversion process and the consequences for anyone who would try to interfere with it " And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me. But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea." See the world through the eyes of a little child, fully and gratefully dependent on your Father in Heaven, and that will make God smile.
Friday, November 4, 2011
Hope
11/4/2011
Weather Report From Heaven: Sunny and bright, with an abundance of light and lots of singing and rejoicing.
Bible Verse of the Day: Romans 18:24-25 " For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently."
What exactly is hope? I think it means different things to different people at different times. If you are sick, you hope for better health. If you are unemployed, you hope for a job. If you are hungry, you hope for food. If you are in bondage, you hope for freedom. In any of these cases, it relies on some future event happening that will relive the stress of a current situation or predicament. It is forward looking in nature. As the Bible verse above states, we do not hope for what we already have, but rather for something we feel can improve our circumstances in the future. So by its very nature, hope may require some or all of these characteristics before it becomes manifested in our lives: faith, patience, determination, belief, renewal, enthusiasm, persistence, vision and resiliency. I am sure there are others depending on you personal situation. There is the idea of hanging in there until things change for the better. The old saying " If there is life, there is hope" applies here. But in Positive Thinking, by Norman Vincent Peale, he turns that around to say " If there is hope, there is life." I like that one better because it mentally postures us to expect good things to happen through our faith in God. The Bible is full of God's promises to deliver us from our trying circumstances, but we must believe in what it says. That takes faith and without faith, there can be no hope. I have found that when we actually go through trials in our life, it is easy to say you have faith or hope in the promises of God, but in actuality our faith is so weak. We struggle to believe that God's promises can apply to us or to our situations. We grow impatient and start to doubt God's ability to deliver us from our distress. I believe this happens because we are trying to tell God what we need, instead of trusting in what God wants to accomplish through our trials. It is the biggest problem in my prayer life. I tend to prayer for things that I want rather than to seek God's wisdom and trust in His plan. Instead of forcing my will into the equation, I am learning to trust more. It is an ongoing battle because of my impatient human nature. I want comfort, when He may need me to have more character. I want a job that makes me feel good about myself and my ability to provide for my family, and he may want me to grow in my faith by having me trust in him more. He may want to give me a dose of perspective. Failure may help me to appreciate success more in the future. The idea is that to have hope, I need faith, and that comes from realizing that God's promises are real and true and that I must depend on him for everything in my life. My hope must be anchored in my belief. I hope for financial freedom so that I can spend my time on earth touching others from a platform of hope and love, using the compassion that was given me in Christ Jesus. He knows that because He gave me that dream. I believe that someday that will happen. I must anchor that in my reading of the scriptures that God will work "all things for the good of those who believe" and have faith that He will " deliver me at the perfect time," because He loves me and He is my Father. But I can't make myself believe. Faith is a gift from God available only through the Holy Spirit. When I am connected to the Spirit in prayer, my faith and hence my hope, is strong. But when I look at myself or my circumstances, my faith can quickly dissipate and fear can replace hope. Therefore, I hope only through my faith in the ability of the Holy Spirit to connect me to the energy and love of the living God in Christ Jesus, that He can bring manifestation of my hopes in my life to fruition. Romans 12:12 says to " be joyful in hope, patient in affliction and faithful in prayer." Being joyful in our hope is what allows us to carry on when times are tough. We can find freedom in that. It keeps our eyes on the future and that hope that is ours in Christ Jesus and off of our current circumstances. Easier said than done I have often found. But so very real when we allow the Holy Spirit to strengthen our faith and to be joyful in our hope. When there is hope, there is life!
Weather Report From Heaven: Sunny and bright, with an abundance of light and lots of singing and rejoicing.
Bible Verse of the Day: Romans 18:24-25 " For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently."
What exactly is hope? I think it means different things to different people at different times. If you are sick, you hope for better health. If you are unemployed, you hope for a job. If you are hungry, you hope for food. If you are in bondage, you hope for freedom. In any of these cases, it relies on some future event happening that will relive the stress of a current situation or predicament. It is forward looking in nature. As the Bible verse above states, we do not hope for what we already have, but rather for something we feel can improve our circumstances in the future. So by its very nature, hope may require some or all of these characteristics before it becomes manifested in our lives: faith, patience, determination, belief, renewal, enthusiasm, persistence, vision and resiliency. I am sure there are others depending on you personal situation. There is the idea of hanging in there until things change for the better. The old saying " If there is life, there is hope" applies here. But in Positive Thinking, by Norman Vincent Peale, he turns that around to say " If there is hope, there is life." I like that one better because it mentally postures us to expect good things to happen through our faith in God. The Bible is full of God's promises to deliver us from our trying circumstances, but we must believe in what it says. That takes faith and without faith, there can be no hope. I have found that when we actually go through trials in our life, it is easy to say you have faith or hope in the promises of God, but in actuality our faith is so weak. We struggle to believe that God's promises can apply to us or to our situations. We grow impatient and start to doubt God's ability to deliver us from our distress. I believe this happens because we are trying to tell God what we need, instead of trusting in what God wants to accomplish through our trials. It is the biggest problem in my prayer life. I tend to prayer for things that I want rather than to seek God's wisdom and trust in His plan. Instead of forcing my will into the equation, I am learning to trust more. It is an ongoing battle because of my impatient human nature. I want comfort, when He may need me to have more character. I want a job that makes me feel good about myself and my ability to provide for my family, and he may want me to grow in my faith by having me trust in him more. He may want to give me a dose of perspective. Failure may help me to appreciate success more in the future. The idea is that to have hope, I need faith, and that comes from realizing that God's promises are real and true and that I must depend on him for everything in my life. My hope must be anchored in my belief. I hope for financial freedom so that I can spend my time on earth touching others from a platform of hope and love, using the compassion that was given me in Christ Jesus. He knows that because He gave me that dream. I believe that someday that will happen. I must anchor that in my reading of the scriptures that God will work "all things for the good of those who believe" and have faith that He will " deliver me at the perfect time," because He loves me and He is my Father. But I can't make myself believe. Faith is a gift from God available only through the Holy Spirit. When I am connected to the Spirit in prayer, my faith and hence my hope, is strong. But when I look at myself or my circumstances, my faith can quickly dissipate and fear can replace hope. Therefore, I hope only through my faith in the ability of the Holy Spirit to connect me to the energy and love of the living God in Christ Jesus, that He can bring manifestation of my hopes in my life to fruition. Romans 12:12 says to " be joyful in hope, patient in affliction and faithful in prayer." Being joyful in our hope is what allows us to carry on when times are tough. We can find freedom in that. It keeps our eyes on the future and that hope that is ours in Christ Jesus and off of our current circumstances. Easier said than done I have often found. But so very real when we allow the Holy Spirit to strengthen our faith and to be joyful in our hope. When there is hope, there is life!
Thursday, November 3, 2011
From Suffering to Enlightenment
11/3/2011
Weather Report From Heaven: Sunny and bright, with an abundance of light and lots of singing and rejoicing.
Bible Verse of the Day: psalm 34:3 " Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt his name together.
November is the month that we give thanks for all that we have as individuals and as a Nation. We should be sure to remember ultimately that we are thanking God for all things. For it is from Him that all things are given. But let's face, life is often filled with painful experiences, whether it is a loss of a job, a house or other earthly possessions, a painful divorce, or a bad diagnosis from the Doctor. At these moments, thanking God or being thankful in general can be the furthest thing from our minds. We often fall in to a place or despair and separation from God can easily take place. We may even feel like blaming God when things are going against us in our lives. But we must remember that there is always a purpose in our various trials, and ultimately they are opportunities to draw closer to God, rather than running away from Him. In the book " In A Pit With A Lion on A Snowy Day, the Author, Mark Batterson, reminds us that when we face trials, how we respond is critical to how much we grow through our trials. He says it is imperative that when facing adversity, that we stop focusing on what is wrong with us, and instead we focus on what is right with God. God is good always and wants what is best for us. Sometimes we have a hard time letting go of our independence and trusting in our dependence upon him, especially in tough times or difficult trials in our life. But our ability to be filled with gratitude even during our suffering is the gateway to our greater dependence upon Him in all areas of our life and can ultimately lead to living a less stressful life as we gain the deeper knowledge of who is really in control. Ever since Eve reached for the fruit in the Garden, we have been reaching for our independence from God ever since. Sometimes God uses trials and hardships to shake us enough that we realize that our ways are not the best ways. Only through letting go and letting God transform us during our trials can we begin to reach the enlightenment that we seek. When we recognize His ability to transform our suffering into something beautiful on the other side is when we can begin to praise Him no matter what, even during those painful periods. Starting each day out with a prayer of all that we are thankful for would seem to be a good way to begin each day. I am going to try and do this for the rest of November and notice how my thoughts change. I am going through a tough time emotionally right now having lost my job in June after 17 years in the same industry. I find myself quickly becoming fearful whenever I look at my situation from my own perspective. I begin to doubt myself and my ability to provide and I feel like I have no control over the situation and it scares me. On the other hand, when I get in the presence of the Lord, and pray for His will to be done in my life and begin to humbly thank Him for all He has provided for me during my life, I quickly feel His grace and peace rush in to my place of fear. By being grateful, their is no room for fear at the same time. Clergyman Henry Ward Beecher said " A humble mind is the soil out of which thanks naturally grow." Being humbled can be a very good thing if we allow our low position to make us aware of God's high position and the gap that exists between our thoughts and ways and His, as Isaiah tells us in 55:8-9. When we focus on the length God went to to save us from the depths of our sin, and realize how much His only begotten Son suffered so that we could have eternal life, then our momentary, light affliction ( 2 Cor 4:17 ) can be truly transformational, and we can learn to give thanks far more easily. The Irish writer G.K. Chesterton said in his book " Irish Impressions", that the critical thing in life is whether you take things for granted or with gratitude. I had been taking my job and my lifestyle for granted, rather than with gratitude. By taking that away, I believe one of the lessons for me was to be more grateful for the blessings in my life, and not to take things for granted. It has opened my eyes to my need to have more compassion for others who are struggling and to be more dependent on God. If I become more grateful, I will naturally become more loving and compassionate, and in the process I will become more like Jesus wants me to be. Giving thanks in hard times can be tough, be going through tough times without God is impossible. I need to trust in His plan to turn my suffering into enlightenment. Praising all that is right with Him, when things are trying for me, helps me to keep my focus where it should be, on the Creator of life, who "in all things works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to His purpose" Rom 8:28. If in God's love the big purpose of all of our various trials is to draw us closer to Him, than they are not really trials at all, but rather enlightening experiences to the truth about how much we are dependent upon Him and how great His love is for us though Christ Jesus. At that point, we may be amazed at how easy giving thanks becomes.
Weather Report From Heaven: Sunny and bright, with an abundance of light and lots of singing and rejoicing.
Bible Verse of the Day: psalm 34:3 " Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt his name together.
November is the month that we give thanks for all that we have as individuals and as a Nation. We should be sure to remember ultimately that we are thanking God for all things. For it is from Him that all things are given. But let's face, life is often filled with painful experiences, whether it is a loss of a job, a house or other earthly possessions, a painful divorce, or a bad diagnosis from the Doctor. At these moments, thanking God or being thankful in general can be the furthest thing from our minds. We often fall in to a place or despair and separation from God can easily take place. We may even feel like blaming God when things are going against us in our lives. But we must remember that there is always a purpose in our various trials, and ultimately they are opportunities to draw closer to God, rather than running away from Him. In the book " In A Pit With A Lion on A Snowy Day, the Author, Mark Batterson, reminds us that when we face trials, how we respond is critical to how much we grow through our trials. He says it is imperative that when facing adversity, that we stop focusing on what is wrong with us, and instead we focus on what is right with God. God is good always and wants what is best for us. Sometimes we have a hard time letting go of our independence and trusting in our dependence upon him, especially in tough times or difficult trials in our life. But our ability to be filled with gratitude even during our suffering is the gateway to our greater dependence upon Him in all areas of our life and can ultimately lead to living a less stressful life as we gain the deeper knowledge of who is really in control. Ever since Eve reached for the fruit in the Garden, we have been reaching for our independence from God ever since. Sometimes God uses trials and hardships to shake us enough that we realize that our ways are not the best ways. Only through letting go and letting God transform us during our trials can we begin to reach the enlightenment that we seek. When we recognize His ability to transform our suffering into something beautiful on the other side is when we can begin to praise Him no matter what, even during those painful periods. Starting each day out with a prayer of all that we are thankful for would seem to be a good way to begin each day. I am going to try and do this for the rest of November and notice how my thoughts change. I am going through a tough time emotionally right now having lost my job in June after 17 years in the same industry. I find myself quickly becoming fearful whenever I look at my situation from my own perspective. I begin to doubt myself and my ability to provide and I feel like I have no control over the situation and it scares me. On the other hand, when I get in the presence of the Lord, and pray for His will to be done in my life and begin to humbly thank Him for all He has provided for me during my life, I quickly feel His grace and peace rush in to my place of fear. By being grateful, their is no room for fear at the same time. Clergyman Henry Ward Beecher said " A humble mind is the soil out of which thanks naturally grow." Being humbled can be a very good thing if we allow our low position to make us aware of God's high position and the gap that exists between our thoughts and ways and His, as Isaiah tells us in 55:8-9. When we focus on the length God went to to save us from the depths of our sin, and realize how much His only begotten Son suffered so that we could have eternal life, then our momentary, light affliction ( 2 Cor 4:17 ) can be truly transformational, and we can learn to give thanks far more easily. The Irish writer G.K. Chesterton said in his book " Irish Impressions", that the critical thing in life is whether you take things for granted or with gratitude. I had been taking my job and my lifestyle for granted, rather than with gratitude. By taking that away, I believe one of the lessons for me was to be more grateful for the blessings in my life, and not to take things for granted. It has opened my eyes to my need to have more compassion for others who are struggling and to be more dependent on God. If I become more grateful, I will naturally become more loving and compassionate, and in the process I will become more like Jesus wants me to be. Giving thanks in hard times can be tough, be going through tough times without God is impossible. I need to trust in His plan to turn my suffering into enlightenment. Praising all that is right with Him, when things are trying for me, helps me to keep my focus where it should be, on the Creator of life, who "in all things works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to His purpose" Rom 8:28. If in God's love the big purpose of all of our various trials is to draw us closer to Him, than they are not really trials at all, but rather enlightening experiences to the truth about how much we are dependent upon Him and how great His love is for us though Christ Jesus. At that point, we may be amazed at how easy giving thanks becomes.
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