"If you happen to think to yourself, These nations are greater than we are; how can we possibly possess their land? don't be afraid of them! Remember, instead, what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and all Egypt." (Deuteronomy 7:17-18)
Most of us are far enough along in life that we have decades of experience with almost everything. Those of us fortunate enough to have known the Lord for most of this time could write a library of books about Father's actions on our behalf during most of these experiences. This means we have a wealth of testimonies to draw on when we need to encourage ourselves in the Lord during any valley moments.
We should, but often, in our panic, we forget where our salvation comes from. We forget who has never failed us. We forget who has all the resources. And we forget who loves us more than any other. No one can touch his wisdom. And no one is as intensely occupied with our success in this journey.
Like Israel, when we face giants, mountains and situations that are greater than we are, we need only remember our past experiences with Father and trust. He is forever the same. His love is a constant because he can't be any more or any less than himself. He is our rescuer. He is our provider. He is our teacher. He is our corrector. He is our guide. He is ... more than enough in every situation.
Trust.
"Don’t be troubled. Trust in God. Trust also in me." (John 14:1)
Showing posts with label provider. Show all posts
Showing posts with label provider. Show all posts
Saturday, March 24, 2018
Monday, September 22, 2014
What's So Wrong With Wanting More In Life?
Can we ever have enough? Is there ever a point where we say "I am content with what I have?" It just seems we are always looking at that supposed greener grass on the other side of the fence. Instead of being thankful for what we have we long for what we feel we are missing. It is hard to be happy, to find contentment when we think life, or maybe God, is holding out on us.
Christianity isn't suppose to be like that. Jesus brought us to a different perspective, mentality, place of existence. He first told us to stop putting our priorities in the temporary things of this world. He taught us that the Kingdom's values are different. Then he transformed us into a new creation, filling us with his Spirit, and making us capable to live as he had lived. What he taught was not suppose to be an outside edict conforming our behaviour but a heart transformation that provoked the fruit of change. The problem is, this fact is not always explained to Christians as they struggle with the pull of this world and their changed heart.
Listen to this wisdom from Proverbs:
Give me neither poverty nor riches—
Feed me with the food allotted to me;
Lest I be full and deny You,
And say, “Who is the Lord?”
Or lest I be poor and steal,
And profane the name of my God. (Proverbs 30:8-9)
There is much wisdom here. Just imagine if we could apply it. Imagine accepting to live with what we have. Imagine being able to resist the temptation of credit cards. Imagine being able to live with Yahweh as our provider, recognizing him as a good provider and not longing for things he has not provided.
It is not a matter of money being evil, although it is a root of evil. Jesus told us to use money as a tool, to control it, use it and not become enslaved to it. We get off track when we think we are suppose to provide for ourselves. Yahweh opens the doors of opportunity and closes them as well. He provides through the harvest but he also sometimes has to send manna. When we go searching outside of his provision we are disrespecting him, telling our Father he is not a good provider.
Maybe someday perhaps we will understand this but as long as the system of the world continues to dominate the Kingdom in us, we will continue to struggle to be content. Jesus should be sufficient and most of us claim that he is. It takes real honesty with self and the conviction of the Spirit to know the real condition of our hearts.
Christianity isn't suppose to be like that. Jesus brought us to a different perspective, mentality, place of existence. He first told us to stop putting our priorities in the temporary things of this world. He taught us that the Kingdom's values are different. Then he transformed us into a new creation, filling us with his Spirit, and making us capable to live as he had lived. What he taught was not suppose to be an outside edict conforming our behaviour but a heart transformation that provoked the fruit of change. The problem is, this fact is not always explained to Christians as they struggle with the pull of this world and their changed heart.
Listen to this wisdom from Proverbs:
Give me neither poverty nor riches—
Feed me with the food allotted to me;
Lest I be full and deny You,
And say, “Who is the Lord?”
Or lest I be poor and steal,
And profane the name of my God. (Proverbs 30:8-9)
There is much wisdom here. Just imagine if we could apply it. Imagine accepting to live with what we have. Imagine being able to resist the temptation of credit cards. Imagine being able to live with Yahweh as our provider, recognizing him as a good provider and not longing for things he has not provided.
It is not a matter of money being evil, although it is a root of evil. Jesus told us to use money as a tool, to control it, use it and not become enslaved to it. We get off track when we think we are suppose to provide for ourselves. Yahweh opens the doors of opportunity and closes them as well. He provides through the harvest but he also sometimes has to send manna. When we go searching outside of his provision we are disrespecting him, telling our Father he is not a good provider.
Maybe someday perhaps we will understand this but as long as the system of the world continues to dominate the Kingdom in us, we will continue to struggle to be content. Jesus should be sufficient and most of us claim that he is. It takes real honesty with self and the conviction of the Spirit to know the real condition of our hearts.
Thursday, May 1, 2014
How Do You Find Peace In Troubled Times? Remember.
We must be a huge source of frustration for Jesus. No wonder we need a Shepherd; we are spiritually dull, as sheep are dumb. We get ourselves into a panic over the least little thing. It is like we have no memory of anything beyond today. Either that or we think Yahweh is a constantly changing God. Why can't we remember who he is and what he has done?
How many times has Jesus either rescued you from situations or provided you with what you needed to get through it? Probably countless times. But do we remember these things when we find ourselves in trouble? Hardly. Is he the first one we run to? Not very often. Normally we turn to family, friends, banks, credit cards and only after everything else fails do we consider prayer.
We pray but it is not with boldness and confidence, it is more a desperate hope. We so quickly forget how he gave us the wisdom and strength to deal with that big thing just last week. And remember last year when we felt the world was falling in on us and he stepped in with that big miracle? But we don't remember; we panic. Even if we don't panic we do allow fear to disturb our sleep and we allow worry to dominate our day. Are we ever going to grow up?
Let's take a second and see what we look like. Jesus just finished a huge ministry to a great multitude and was also walking away from another confrontation with the spiritual leaders. He was trying to teach his disciples while they traveled by boat but the disciples couldn't understand because they were too concerned that they had forgotten to bring food. If I was Jesus I would have been frustrated with the lot of them. But Jesus took the opportunity to point out the obvious because they could not see the obvious:
He said to them, “Why are you discussing that you do not have any bread? Don’t you understand or comprehend? Is your heart hardened? (Mark 8:17)
Now understand the context here. Jesus has just fed a multitude of four thousand (more when you add in the women and children) with a bit of bread and a bit of fish. The fact he did this is awesome in itself but the fact that they had left overs, and a lot of left overs, just adds to the wonder of this thing. The disciples were not observers in the event either; they were participants. They were the ones who distributed the food so it isn't like they could forget. Yet, they saw Jesus do this and they still allowed the fact they had forgotten food to interfere with what Jesus was trying to teach.
Jesus referred to a hard heart here due to their inability to shift from what they had known to the new reality of the Kingdom. What they had known before had to be let go of because they were now with the one who walked on water, quieted storms, gave sight to the blind, cast out demons, made the lame walk, brought life to the dead and fed multitudes with scraps. We seem to be able to accept the reality of the Kingdom when we are told our sins are forgiven but we have a struggle accepting all the rest of it. Our hearts are hardened into the old reality.
Jesus said to them:
Do you have eyes, and not see, and do you have ears, and not hear? And do you not remember? (v. 18)
Look in the mirror and ask yourself those three questions. Examine your own recent history: Do you have eyes, and not see? Examine your journals for the many lessons the Spirit taught you as you sat in loneliness and despair, a broken person: Do you have ears, and not hear? And the worse question of them all: Do you not remember? How easily we forget what Jesus has done for us. How easily we forget our own testimony. How easily we forget what he has brought us through to get us to today. Do we really think he is going to change his mind and abandon us now?
Jesus asked them how many baskets of left overs there were after he feed the five thousand with five loaves of bread. Twelve. Jesus asked them how many baskets of left overs there were after he feed the four thousand with seven loaves of bread? Seven. Then he asks them one simple question:
"Do you not understand yet?"
My friends, do we not understand yet? After all the things he has helped us through and rescued us from, do we not understand? He loves us. He has promised that if we obey him and concern ourselves with the matters of the Kingdom, he will look after all our needs. He has promised to rescue us. He has promised to lead us through the difficult places. He has promised and he has been faithful to these promises. Why is today any different? Remember your testimony. Remember his promises. Remember his love. Remember his power.
Remember and rejoice because Father is good all the time. You, remain faithful and obedient. Stay the course. Hold his hand. Sing his praises. Speak of his wonderful love. Trust. Lean. Abide in him because he abides in you. Remember.
How many times has Jesus either rescued you from situations or provided you with what you needed to get through it? Probably countless times. But do we remember these things when we find ourselves in trouble? Hardly. Is he the first one we run to? Not very often. Normally we turn to family, friends, banks, credit cards and only after everything else fails do we consider prayer.
We pray but it is not with boldness and confidence, it is more a desperate hope. We so quickly forget how he gave us the wisdom and strength to deal with that big thing just last week. And remember last year when we felt the world was falling in on us and he stepped in with that big miracle? But we don't remember; we panic. Even if we don't panic we do allow fear to disturb our sleep and we allow worry to dominate our day. Are we ever going to grow up?
Let's take a second and see what we look like. Jesus just finished a huge ministry to a great multitude and was also walking away from another confrontation with the spiritual leaders. He was trying to teach his disciples while they traveled by boat but the disciples couldn't understand because they were too concerned that they had forgotten to bring food. If I was Jesus I would have been frustrated with the lot of them. But Jesus took the opportunity to point out the obvious because they could not see the obvious:
He said to them, “Why are you discussing that you do not have any bread? Don’t you understand or comprehend? Is your heart hardened? (Mark 8:17)
Now understand the context here. Jesus has just fed a multitude of four thousand (more when you add in the women and children) with a bit of bread and a bit of fish. The fact he did this is awesome in itself but the fact that they had left overs, and a lot of left overs, just adds to the wonder of this thing. The disciples were not observers in the event either; they were participants. They were the ones who distributed the food so it isn't like they could forget. Yet, they saw Jesus do this and they still allowed the fact they had forgotten food to interfere with what Jesus was trying to teach.
Jesus referred to a hard heart here due to their inability to shift from what they had known to the new reality of the Kingdom. What they had known before had to be let go of because they were now with the one who walked on water, quieted storms, gave sight to the blind, cast out demons, made the lame walk, brought life to the dead and fed multitudes with scraps. We seem to be able to accept the reality of the Kingdom when we are told our sins are forgiven but we have a struggle accepting all the rest of it. Our hearts are hardened into the old reality.
Jesus said to them:
Do you have eyes, and not see, and do you have ears, and not hear? And do you not remember? (v. 18)
Look in the mirror and ask yourself those three questions. Examine your own recent history: Do you have eyes, and not see? Examine your journals for the many lessons the Spirit taught you as you sat in loneliness and despair, a broken person: Do you have ears, and not hear? And the worse question of them all: Do you not remember? How easily we forget what Jesus has done for us. How easily we forget our own testimony. How easily we forget what he has brought us through to get us to today. Do we really think he is going to change his mind and abandon us now?
Jesus asked them how many baskets of left overs there were after he feed the five thousand with five loaves of bread. Twelve. Jesus asked them how many baskets of left overs there were after he feed the four thousand with seven loaves of bread? Seven. Then he asks them one simple question:
"Do you not understand yet?"
My friends, do we not understand yet? After all the things he has helped us through and rescued us from, do we not understand? He loves us. He has promised that if we obey him and concern ourselves with the matters of the Kingdom, he will look after all our needs. He has promised to rescue us. He has promised to lead us through the difficult places. He has promised and he has been faithful to these promises. Why is today any different? Remember your testimony. Remember his promises. Remember his love. Remember his power.
Remember and rejoice because Father is good all the time. You, remain faithful and obedient. Stay the course. Hold his hand. Sing his praises. Speak of his wonderful love. Trust. Lean. Abide in him because he abides in you. Remember.
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