Let's Be Honest

May my words and my thoughts
be acceptable in your sight,
O Lord, my sheltering rock and my redeemer.

Psalm 19:14 

 

I've been honest and have mentioned that I'm not exactly a chipper morning person (before coffee).  But l want to take this a bit further....there are times when I feel the stress and frustrations and anxieties of life that I can get more than a bit cranky.  And during those times, my words and my thoughts are usually not expressing "God's Blessings Upon Thee."  Having confessed that, I must also add, most days are not like this. 

 

Let me put it another way, when you wander into the kitchen in the dark for water and you stub your toe or hit your shin, do your thoughts and words reflect "May God Rain Down His Love Upon Me"?  Probably not.  However, once that incident has subsided, we return to our normal caring selves.

 

I've had to learn something (again) over the last several weeks, God allows us to be put in situations where we get stretched so we can grow.  And He will continue to allow it until we learn what He wants us to learn.  I openly admit that I am stubborn and learn slowly at times.  But I also admit that I am thankful for the opportunity to learn.

 

How about you?

Choose Wisely

Do not be deceived. God will not be made a fool. For a person will reap what he sows.

Galatians 6:7 

 

If you plant corn, what will grow?  If you hit a brick wall with your car, what will happen?  If you decide to spread a lie about someone, what will be the result?

 

Every decision we make....every....single....decision, has a good or bad consequence?  If I decide to have lunch with someone, chances are we will eventually discuss personal matters.  If I decide that I no longer want to actually do my job, but I still expect a paycheck, guess what will happen?  If we are rude to someone, chances are they will be rude in return.

 

Every decision we make has a consequence.   And the ultimate consequence will be the result of our true intention!  You can't fool God! 

God Has A Purpose For Your Life, Part 3

III. Think About This

But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. ~Romans 5:8

*  God NEVER said, "Wait until you are 'good enough' before coming to Me." He already had a plan.

 

But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength.
    They will soar high on wings like eagles.
They will run and not grow weary.
    They will walk and not faint.

~ Isaiah 40:30

* When your focus is on Loving God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, you will find that you have a renewed sense of purpose.

 

For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. ~ Ephesians 2:10

* God has NEVER made anything other than masterpiece and THAT includes YOU!  I may not be the best looking part of His Kingdom, but I am still one of His masterpieces!

So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor. Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.

~ 1 Peter 5:6-7

*  When we remember that God is God and we are not, our perspective on everything else changes and we realize that God wants us to unload our burdens to Him so He can remind us how much He loves us!

God Has A Purpose For You, Part 2

II. God’s Purposes And Plans Take Time

Wait patiently for the Lord.
    Be brave and courageous.
    Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.

~Psalm 27:14

  

Ever wondered what your purpose for being on this Earth could possibly be and wish God would just go ahead and show it to you?

May I be honest with you?  Too bad, I'm going to be honest with you anyway.  If God had shown me at age 7 what I would be doing at age 54, I would have become catatonic!  I NEVER imagined that God's purpose for me would be to try to get to know some of the most suspicious people ever, ride with them as they deal with the worst incidents imaginable, attempt to help them realize that they do have love to share with others (especially their families), try to help them make some sense of what they deal with, and try to be God's representative of love and caring for them in the face of all that is portrayed in the media outlets.

What has God purposed you to do?  Maybe it is to show just one person that they are loved.  Perhaps it is to reach out to help someone who is struggling.  Could be that you get in the trenches with someone and walk with them through a tragedy.  But the one purpose we all have is to BE the reflection of Christ in an ever darkening world.

God Has A Purpose For You Part 1

I.  God Made Us With Purpose And A Plan

You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body
    and knit me together in my mother’s womb.
Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
    Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.
You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion,
    as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.
You saw me before I was born.
    Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out
    before a single day had passed.

~ Psalm 139:13-16

Think about this, before you the God spoke creation into being, He had already looked down the plane of time and saw YOU.  Not only did He see you, but He loved YOU.  Not only did He love YOU, but He made a plan specifically for YOUR life!  As a matter of fact, before He gave you your first breath, your purpose was already being worked out.  

Now....consider this:  The same One who so carefully planned everything planned YOU for a specific purpose!  Everything in your life (good, bad, seemingly neutral) leads you toward your purpose.  And it all starts with "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. And love your neighbor as yourself."

How can you care for others if you don't let them care about you? Just food for thought.

Are You Afraid?

He said: “Pay attention, all you people of Judah, residents of Jerusalem, and King Jehoshaphat! This is what the Lord says to you: ‘Don’t be afraid and don’t panic because of this huge army! For the battle is not yours, but God’s. 

2 Chronicles 20:15 

Have you ever felt like you were being hammered with issues and problems and frustrations and irritations?  Have you ever felt as though you were in a boxing match and you were on the receiving end of the beating?  Have you ever felt like you are losing ground in this life?  When facing life's challenges, we can often feel overwhelmed!

 

The back story of today's passage is that King Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah looked over the walls and saw what appeared to be an army so large they had no idea how they would survive.  Sound familiar?  Look at your bills and wonder how they will ever get paid; look at your refrigerator and wonder how you will ever find food to put in it; see someone needing help or caring (warning: cops are among the most prickly porcupine people ever, and aren't prone to let others get close to them) and you wonder how you can reach out to that person? 

 

I love the key part of verse 15: FOR THE BATTLE IS NOT YOURS, BUT GOD'S.  When we try on our own, we will fail over and over, but let God fight the battles and we will see victory after victory.  Our enemy likes to stay in our face so we are too distracted to look to God, but when we are wise to his tricks, we are able to step aside and let God do His job!

Life is to be LIVED!

Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!

Deuteronomy 30:19 

 

Every single day, we have to decide to live or merely exist and our perspective will reflect out decision.  As believers, one of the best ways we can make positive decisions is to come together, if possible; to pray for and with each other daily; to encourage each other frequently. My own weakness is in believing that I have to be able to handle everything myself.  Were that true, I would not need a relationship with anyone else.  My own weakness in trying to do everything myself will reveal itself quite quickly as I become overwhelmed and the enemy will use that to generate negativity toward others.

 

Paul David Tripp wrote, "If sin is part of our nature, we will always be dealing not only with our history, but with how sin distorts the way we handle it. Help will only come as we deal with our past and our own sin.  This is essential because sinners tend to respond sinfully to being sinned against."

 

We are sinful people and we need to understand that we are to BE the iron that sharpens iron with each other, like it or not.  And in so doing, we will understand that Life is to be LIVED!