Trials

"To keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me." - 2 Corinthians 12:7-9

People who live with chronic pain tell us that after a while the real hardship is not that it hurts but that they have little hope that it will ever stop hurting. Trials can present themselves as never-ending: Will this grief ever end? For believers, time often allows us to see that God is in fact working all things together for good (see Romans 8:28).

Meanwhile, lasting trials fit within the following five biblical borders:

• Omnipotence has its limits. When you say God is all-powerful, that doesn't mean God can do absolutely anything you can conceive of. There are many things God can't do. God can't make a round square or even a married bachelor. God can do anything that can be done. God can't contradict or contra-act Himself.
• The world God made is good. In its original form the world was perfect. But God wanted a world in which people were free to choose. God wanted meaningful relationships. In order to have heartfelt worship and meaningful obedience, there had to be the possibility of meaningful disobedience.
• In a world in which people are truly free to choose, not everyone chooses God. God could not make a world in which people were free to choose and, at the same time, guarantee that everyone would choose Him.
• Given the kind of world God created, the effects of sin randomly visit themselves on creation. Created free to choose, we chose to sin. Because of sin, creation is broken (see Genesis 3:17-18; Romams 8:20). The world doesn't work right. People get cancer, die prematurely, and suffer accidents. Marriages fail.
• God could prevent the effects of sin. God intervenes to prevent the effects of sin; but normally, God allows broken creation to function and horrible events to happen. God doesn't cause those things, but He allows them. But after the event occurs, He promises Himself to the people who face the trial so that we can display the superiority of a life lived in God.

We go through the same hardships that people who don't know the Lord go through. Yet our experience is very different. We know we will leave every trial behind when we enter God's presence.

A Restful Beauty

A geode is a rock with beautiful crystals inside. These are formed as water, high in mineral content, flows through the rocks. When the minerals become trapped in the rock and the water continues to flow, the crystals are created. The more the water flows – the more beautiful the crystals become - on the inside. The outside of the crystal; however, suffers underneath the wear and tear of the weather and fades from any form of beauty it once held.

That is the picture of someone in whom and through whom the Spirit of God is flowing. Although our outer appearance may age with time, and wrinkles may begin to show, we are to grow more exquisite inside with each passing year. This happens when we look to God for inner transformation. God works on our spirits, resulting in a glorious beauty.

One way God works within us is by teaching us to rest in Him.

Have you ever seen eagles fly? They are known for soaring and gliding as their wings catch the wind. But did you know that if eagles could not soar, they would crash? Their wings are too heavy for them to flap continually the way some birds do. So eagles flap their wings until they catch an air current, and then they soar.

God has designed each of us to soar on the wind of the Holy Spirit. He says that He will do the work; we only need to be still and rest. He wants us to position ourselves in Him and glide in His power. As we rest in Him, He will transform us into the beautiful reflection of His glory that He has created us to be.

Life's Greatest Pursuit

There are many things in life that are worth pursuing. For example, a fine education, a promising career, and financial security are frequently pursued with great vigor. Interestingly, once these pursuits come to fruition, they frequently lead to a false sense of self-worth and fulfillment. There is nothing wrong with pursuing these interests; however, if our primary focus is limited to these or other pursuits, we will assuredly miss the greatest pursuit of life – KNOWING GOD. It demands that we accept His revelation of Himself which, in turn, leads us to a changed life.

In Jeremiah chapter 9, Israel is in a bad situation. There is a pronouncement of future judgment upon the nation because of Israel’s decision to trust in other things rather than the one true God. God spoke these words to Israel, “Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might; let not a rich man boast of his riches,” verse 23. Placing human achievements first in our lives will never bring true meaning, value, or fulfillment that we all crave; however, knowing God will. To know God means to know Him beyond being a mere acquaintance. It involves more than attaining information gathered from a book, being fascinated about His abilities, or even having emotional religious experiences. Knowing God means plunging to the depths of His being in a personal, intimate relationship, spending undistracted time alone with Him. Appropriately, God says that we should boast about knowing Him!

The beautiful thing about pursuing an intimate relationship with God and accepting what He reveals about Himself is that He changes us. How do we know if we are experiencing God? “I am the Lord who exercises lovingkindness, justice, and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,” verse 24. We know we are experiencing God when His character begins to “rub off” on us through the pursuit of intimacy. We find ourselves doing things we normally would not do because of the change that is occurring within, change that begins to affect our normal activity. Through intimacy, God is revealing loving kindness, the unconditional mercy, grace and love that God has toward us. This loving kindness, in turn, becomes a part of who we are, and we, in turn, express it toward others.

Have a great day!

Your Spiritual Responsibility

Every one has been give a garden, a sphere of influence that God holds us responsible to manage. In managing this garden, we need to know who we are, legal representatives of the Kingdom of God. From this viewpoint, we discover that God has created each one of us for a purpose and has divinely ordained a special work for us to complete. Here are three reasons why we should press on towards our divine purpose.

We were saved to work for the Kingdom of God. We need to know who we are in Christ to successfully rule God’s way. By the perfect work of Jesus Christ, we are saved by grace and placed in a position to accomplish good works for the Kingdom. God has given us legal authority and resources needed to rule. We are His workmanship, made suitable for the work assigned to us.

We were created for a purpose. God has made each one of us special. We are divinely created and uniquely made. We are created for a special work that will have an eternal effect in the kingdom. God is involved in crafting our lives into masterpieces of art as we serve Him. The ultimate purpose of one’s life is to accomplish the work of God.

We must take the responsibility for completing our assigned work. Every believer has a particular assignment that God wants him to accomplish during his earthly lifetime. Every decision made has a direct effect on the plans God has predestined for us. Our purpose is fulfilled when we make choices that align with the Kingdom agenda and take responsibility for our actions.

Every believer has been created to accomplish good works for the Kingdom. God has given us the legal rights and resources to complete pre-determined tasks. Everyday we are faced with decisions that fulfill God’s plan, our divine purpose. We each have to make decisions and take responsibility in completing our God-given works.

Today's reading: Ephesian 2:8-10

Trusting the Lord

"To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul. O my God, in you I trust; let me not be put to shame; let not my enemies exult over me." - Psalm 25:1-2

Our passage for today covers one of the basics of what it means to really live a life of faith in God: "O my God, in you I trust." How's the trust-in-God thing going with you? Because trusting God is really the centerpiece of the Christian life. If you're doing well at trusting God, you're doing great with your faith. If you're not doing well at trusting God, you're not doing so great with your faith.

Here's some good news. Each time we open our Bibles, we are opening a primer on trust. God has given us in His Word everything we need in order to trust Him. Trusting God is a decision. It's a choice that every person has to make. The decision to trust God or not is unavoidable. You will choose to trust or not to trust God - but you will choose.

Think for a moment of life as a car. In that car, either you're driving or God is driving. When you're holding the wheel, you're taking charge. When you're driving, you're not trusting. Here is the truth. God really is a better driver, so if you haven't pulled over to the side of the the road and switched places, perhaps today would be a great day to do so.

The good news about the Christian life is you get to ride. You are in the car - in the front seat. You get to talk to the Driver. He's interested in your input, but as the trip unfolds, God is the One who's making the calls. God determines where and how fast your life is going. He checks the map and provides the GPS. God is driving. That's the life of trust.

Have a geat day!

Expect Great Things

If you want to rise up spiritually, you need to hang out with people who will inspire you to higher expectations and help you reach them. If you want a better job, you hang out with the experts in the field, not with unmotivated, unfocused people. If you want to see God move supernaturally in your life, you hang out with people who believe in God’s power.

Too many Christians have put a lid on God, expecting little from Him because they don’t know the power of His name. The apostles, Peter and John, gave the lame beggar at the gate, Beautiful, something more valuable than silver or gold.

The apostles offered the lame man the name above every other name with all authority: Jesus! There’s power in that name, and you TOO can expect great things from that great name.

Prepare the Way!

In ancient days, most roads were hardly more than dusty paths. When a king was about to visit a certain place, a runner would run some distance ahead of the king and shout, "Prepare! The king is coming." And the people would immediately begin to clean and level the road for the coming king.

John Mark begins the Gospel of Mark with the good news that Jesus is coming and quotes the prophet Isaiah, who said, "I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way, a voice of one calling in the desert, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.'" Mark 1:2-3. The prophet was making reference to John the Baptist. "John was saying, "I am but a voice crying, 'Make ready! Prepare! The King is coming!'" John's purpose was to make the roads (people's hearts) clean and help them prepare for the coming of Christ. He preached a heavy message of turning from sin and returning to God. To the amazement of the religious establishment of the day--the people did. John became the official washer of people (baptism). It was a sign that people had repented, had been forgiven, and had aligned their hearts and lives with God.

The message of Isaiah has not changed, "Prepare a pathway for the Lord's coming." Now, the messenger isn't John the Baptist, but people who have received Christ and have chosen to follow Him. We are to be runners with the same purpose as John the Baptist--to help prepare people's hearts to receive Jesus Christ. We do this by loving them, showing them acts of kindness, becoming their friends, speaking truth to them, and allowing our testimonies to become a light in a darkened place. To put it simply, we are to be Christ's disciples. The good news is we don't run by ourselves, but we have a running partner called Holy Spirit. He does what we cannot do on our own. He brings hope, conviction and a clear understanding of Christ. We make an excellent team together. The Holy Spirit's purpose and ours is the same. May we always remember to run with a divine purpose--"Prepare the way!"