Hope and a Future

A new year offers hope.  It offers a chance to start anew and make things better than before.  We enter the New Year during the winter when the earth is most bear, almost like it’s in a deep sleep awaiting the morning light to start afresh.  But just around the corner is the promise of spring, when new life begins and the earth renews itself.  Like the New Year our walk with Christ offers many new beginnings.  His desire for us is to have a good life, hope and a future.  He is a merciful and forgiving God. He is always available to us, and desires the best for us. As we enter this New Year, we enter with the promise of God’s plan for our lives, His compassion, His mercy and His guidance.

What is interesting is that God knows, all too well, our shortcomings and He is still ready to help us.  It is up to us to both see our shortcomings and desire to rid ourselves of them.  Truly, God does not see what man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD sees the heart."   I Samuel 16:7. 

Consider Rahab the harlot, out of all the people in Jericho, He chose to save her.  The scripture tells us she was living in a house of ill repute, a practicing sinner.  Society would condemn her on the spot, without a conversation.  However,  the God we serve could see much more, he could see her heart. Even though people could not see, Rahab had turned to the living God.  He recognized her desire for Him.  He could see her heart was no longer in her profession, her potential, her sincerity, and her humanity.  Out of all of the people in Jericho, God knew who would hide the spies that Joshua would send.  He knew Rahab was on his side.

We serve a redeemer who is able to see our hearts.  He knows when we are longing for his presence, no matter what our situations are today.  Even though people may judge what they see outwardly, God sees your heart. So start this New Year with the God of mercy on your side.

Lamentations 3:22-23 (NIV) 22 Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,     for his compassions never fail.
23 They are new every morning;     great is your faithfulness.

He is faithful and just and will forgive…

Unlike most people, our God forgives, and He justifies, our mistakes and sins in life.  Even when we feel that we have done too much to be forgiven, or that perhaps even we are not worthy of the blessings of God, He still forgives.  He shows us that His love extends far beyond our own tolerance even for ourselves.  There is a scriptural account of a woman named Rahab of whom the Bible refers to (depending on the translation) as a whore or prostitute.  Generally, on the sin register that humans use that rates high in the unworthy zone.  However, God many times chooses those who are considered least in their families to use mightily.  He gives examples of how he can take our lives, no matter how bad things seem, and put us on track to greatness.

Rahab was a woman who by all definitions appeared doomed in her sin.  She ran a brothel which was located in Jericho.  The bible clearly outlines the sinful condition of her life.  But what is interesting about her story is that a slow conversion transpires in her life that probably went unnoticed to her peers, and even her customers.  She began to believe in the God who lives.  Before the spies show up in Jericho, she began her faith journey as she hears of the wonders that the almighty is performing.  It is true that faith comes by hearing.  She made up her mind about who the real God is, is ready to make the decision to side with Him, and boldly hides the spies when they show up at her door.

Rahab is found in the new testament of the bible twice mentioned because of her great faith.  She is saved by the Hebrews, marries, and God places her in the lineage of Jesus Christ!  God can take your life and make it great as well!

The lesson: Whatever your condition is today, God is able to turn your entire life around.

 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.  John 1:9

Waiting on a Miracle?

How can it be that you have a promise from God and it does not seem to be working for you? There are times when we can be tempted to think that God has let us down.  We prayed, fasted, waited, and still there is no manifestation.  What happened?  Did we ask for something that is too hard for God?  Was there some fine print in the Bible that we did not read?  We can be flooded with questions and doubt when we are unable to explain the movements of God.

Let’s consider Sarah.  She was a woman who was unable to have children.  For her it was a great disgrace, an embarrassment, and a reason for other women to make fun of her.  She lived in shame, even though she had what would seem to others like a great life.  She married well, had servants, and was the wife of a prominent man.  Isn’t it strange how we can have an abundant life, with blessings overflowing, and let one instance of lack ruin our happiness?  The problem appears so big to us that we miss how blessed we really are?  It’s time to trust God and let the problem be the small thing, and the blessings be the great thing in our lives.

God visits and promises the child that she has dreamed of having.  But, twenty five years passed and no baby!  Was this some kind of cruel joke? At sixty five years old what must she have thought?  And when time continues to past and she hits seventy, eighty, and ninety??  Could they possibly have misunderstood?  If God is going to give my husband a child then maybe I am in the way.  So she tries to help God.  Big mistake!  What He has promised He is also able to perform.  At ninety Sarah does have her child. She not only has her son, but lives to see him grow up!   There is no doubt by this time, God Himself has done this.

Sometimes God makes us wait until it is impossible for us to take credit for the miracle.  You may be waiting and feeling like you were let down as Sarah did.  But He is still God, and still able to give you what he promised.  It may be impossible for you, but not impossible for him! 

Psalm 27:4   Wait patiently for the LORD. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the LORD.

When Life Doesn’t Go Like You Planned, Consider Joseph

The story of Joseph paints a vivid picture of how God can be with you when nothing seems to be working out like you thought it would.  Details of life’s events sometimes make us very unhappy and can be very disturbing.  You can be tempted to feel abandoned by God when you experience defeat after defeat.  However, we must at all times remember that God has a plan for our lives, plans to prosper us and to not harm us, plans to give us hope and a future.  (Jeremiah 29:11) It is the details of our transformation that gets to us.

Joseph was chosen and ordained by God to be a deliverer of his people.  Yet, he suffered at the hands of people over and over.

God uses the details in our lives to smooth out our rough edges, refine our responses, and reposition us for our ultimate roles in life.  So, although we cannot see the end result, our situations are not just random acts, but a carefully woven tapestry of happenings and incidents that are leading us to His Kingdom.  Joseph did not perceive this as he cried in terror for mercy from his brothers, and could not comprehend this as a scenario God would use to transport him to Egypt.  He had no clue as to why he served in Potiphar’s house, but there he learned the ways of the country he would rule.  While in prison in Egypt, he probably could not see this as the route to Pharaoh’s house.  At that moment he was caught up in the day to day details of life.  But the Bible says “the Lord was with him.”  Joseph would emerge from this as the second in command in Egypt.

 Face today with joy in your spirit and soul.  God has designed your life so that your experiences will emerge as your teachers.  You are neither forsaken, nor forgotten.  He is closely monitoring your progress.  Look for opportunities to change and submit yourself to God.  The Lord is with you even in the details of your everyday journey.  Joseph is a great example. Your trouble is also your opportunity for victory!

Genesis 50:20 As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.

Consider This: The Garden

Consider This: The Garden: I planted a summer garden this year and waited with great anticipation for the seedlings to grow and bear their vegetables.   I watered the...

The Garden

I planted a summer garden this year and waited with great anticipation for the seedlings to grow and bear their vegetables.  I watered them daily and woke up every morning to check their progress.  I was like an expectant parent waiting on the birth of the new addition.   As I tended the plants, I took pictures, and talked to them.  Finally the plants began to flower, which signaled the coming of the veggies. I could hardly contain myself. It was much like God, when we are born again and overflowing with potential.  How he must wait with anticipation as we learn and grow, waiting for our maturation when we too will become fruitful in his kingdom. Then one morning, I checked on them, and noticed parasites had attached themselves to my beautiful plants.  They were visible at first on the leaves, then on the veggies themselves.

The okra plants were my personal favorite. They produced abundantly, but alas, I applied plant food on them and left for vacation.  When I returned the leaves were all dead, and it looked as though it were over.  But I nurtured them, cut off the old leaves, and tended them back to health.  To my surprise only one plant started to bear again.  The other grew beautiful leaves and flourished but…no okra!!!  I began to understand the story in Matthew 7:9: “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” If beauty was its only virtue, this plant had become useless to me.  If it did not bear; it would be cut down and replaced.

I immediately understood the word, we can be beautiful and filled with God’s spirit, but exist only for ourselves, and be useless to God.   We must use our gift to do kingdom work, and enrich other’s lives.

The tomatoes bore plentifully, and presented yet another scenario.  They became riddled with parasites, and no matter how many times I sprayed them the parasites persisted.  They penetrated the tomatoes, and ate them from the inside out.  Finally I cut the plants down, and threw them away.  The parasites had corrupted them. I only kept the healthy one, the infected plant produced many tomatoes, but the corruption would make them useless.

The lesson:  We can be powerfully used by God producing fruit, and still become infested by parasites, people, and things that corrupt us from the inside out.  And if we do not respond to the remedies which are in God’s word, we risk being discarded by Him.   Our associations matter, after all, 1 Corinthians 15:33 says, ‘Do not be deceived: "Bad company corrupts good morals."

The lesson:    “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.” John15:16

Consider This: It's Not My Fault

Consider This: It's Not My Fault: Genesis 3 11 And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?" 12 Th...

It's Not My Fault

<sup>Genesis 3

11</sup> And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?" ¹² The man said, “The woman you put here with me —she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.” ¹³ Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

It’s Not My Fault

So whose fault is it when your life spins out of control?  Who is really to blame for what happens to you?  Is it just random stuff, or could it have been avoided?  Adam and Eve blamed each other. 

 It is said that where ever you are in life, your best thinking got you there.  It is convenient, and even comforting to blame life, and other people for your mistakes.  But here’s the truth.  You made the decisions that got you either in a wonderful, successful life, or a struggle to stay alive.  You made the decision about college, you made the decision to spend the money that way, to live at the maximum extreme of your income, you made the decision to date that person, you made the decision to take that advice.  Nobody but you!

It is the truth that makes you free.  Start taking 100 percent responsibility for your actions and you will find yourself being more careful.  Acknowledge God in all your ways and He will direct your path.  His word is our counsel and contains our roadmap.  Follow the Word to victory!

Love or Infatuation?

Have you ever wondered what the difference is between love and infatuation?  Maybe you have never even thought about it. We know it is linked with love somehow, and is used to describe feelings associated with love, but what exactly are we talking about? Infatuation does not only involve feelings, it has biological implications as well.  Infatuation may be needed as a prerequisite to, or component of love; but it is not love.

Infatuation is exciting, exhilarating, and it gives you that warm all over feeling when you just think about someone you like.    The first date, first kiss, and the way you relate to one another, all of these are necessary steps in the intriguing game of “love”.  They are not love, but they play an important role in the process.  It is electric, it is great, everything is new, everything feels good, we love the process, but a process is just that.  It is a process, and not the final product.  .  This is only stage one.  We fall in love with the process, the series of “firsts.”   

Here are some things to consider:  because infatuation may be a necessary element when falling in love, and can be mistaken for love, there are several symptoms you really help you recognize where you are.  Here I will show you just three: overwhelming excessive excitement, little or no self control, and jealously. These are sure signs that you are in trouble.  That is the behavior of an emotionally needy person who is not happy with themselves. If God is a part of the plan, you can wait. 

Infatuation is thought to be fueled by natural chemicals produced by our bodies and is said to last three to five years.  There are several chemicals that are released in our brains to produce feelings of bliss, pleasure, that help attach us to one another, and feelings that mediate alertness and sexual arousal.  They influence our reward system, affect our generosity, fuel our empathy, and nourish our feelings when becoming involved with someone.   Are you “in love with being in love?” 

Do you love the chemical rush of brain chemicals, which is commonly associated with the pleasure system of the brain and provide feelings of enjoyment?   Being under the influence may explain why some people stay in relationships for only relatively short periods of time.   Attaching themselves to new relationships exposes them to the “infatuation chemicals” over and over again.  It mirrors addictive behavior, and it is not love.

Love never fails  I Corinthians 13:8

The Process

Have you seen something that you want and possibly even need, and wish there was a simpler way to get it? Or perhaps you are experiencing some difficulty that you wish would just go away.  As it seems, not many people like the process it takes to reach success, not naturally or spiritually.  However, it is the process that takes us to victory!

We want success and victory, but not the process it takes to get it.  We are like children who want to swim without lessons, who want to drive without instruction, or graduate without school.  We want a great car, but no payment, a great house with no mortgage; we want a wonderful family with no sacrifice.  Whatever your heart’s desire is, if it’s worth it there is a process to get it.  We want the prize, but not the process.

It’s not always easy to see that it is the process, and not the prize, that brings value to our lives.  It is the process itself that teaches, refines, restores, and uplifts us.  The process leads us from our own way, to God’s way.  The process removes our imperfections, and leaves us strong and able.  The process enlightens us, and imparts wisdom.  We become more capable to show compassion, and have empathy.  The process strengthens us.

It is hard to remember that it is normal and natural to experience difficulty.  We naturally seek a life full of goodness and beauty.  But we are destined to be tempted and tried. Jesus has promised us life and life more abundantly.  Perhaps if we embrace moments of difficulty, it would make those moments easier to come through, knowing that they (moments of difficulty) have purpose, and we will be better people once we have overcome them.  God promises us blessings and the greatest prize of all.  So relax, the trials you are facing are designed to bring you to a better place!

James 1:12 Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.