Love God And Let Him Work It Out

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Romans 8:28

There are positive outcomes to your circumstances that appear to be negative… Notice that I used the word “Appear”... Often times we equate obstacles with negativity, but Paul reminds us today that this concept is false… In the Old Testament Abraham had to relocate in order to be blessed and called the father of many nations, Joseph had to endure slavery to see His dream fulfilled, Jacob ran from Esau and was subject to countless attacks before being named Israel… The point is that when we are walking according to the will of God, everything in our paths will be used as a tool to mold us and guide us toward the ultimate prize… Paul wrote a letter to the church of Corinth about the “thorn in his flesh”, he ended by saying that God told him “His grace is sufficient…” When storms rise, learn to appreciate the rain because that is what helps flowers grow just like the sunny days… Paul declares to the Church of Rome that all things work together for the good of them that love God. Notice that he states all things work, the bad and the goodwill come together and fulfill God’s purpose. Some of us take this verse to read that everything will be peaches and cream when in reality Paul is saying your suffering has a place in God’s divine will for your life! 

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

Chastening Is A Form Of Love

My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction:  For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.

Proverbs 3:11-12

Growing up I believe that I was whipped more than I was congratulated… I believe that the scars and welts on my backside far outnumbered the hugs for a job well done… This is not to suggest that I endured an abusive childhood (which I did not), but this is just to set the foundation of how bad and rebellious I was growing up and how love takes different forms. With that being said I look back on my childhood and thank my parents for correcting me back then, instead of allowing me to suffer the consequences of my actions now… When a parent loves a child, correction is a form of throwing a lifeline before it’s too late… There is nothing worse in life than to lose the support of your parents… I can recall a time in my life when I was all about fitting the image and being amongst my friends… School was nothing to me and my grades showed that. I can remember a time when I received my report card and it seemed as if my parents would have been proud just to see a “C” on the paper. There is one time in particular when my actions actually sunk in, my father looked at my report card and said, “If this is what you have decided that you want to be and do, fine…” I realized at that point that my father wasn’t going to beat me, he wasn’t going to ground me, but that he simply had come to the realization that his love to see me prosper was completely poured out. I could feel the disappointment, but more importantly, I could feel the separation… The book of Proverbs teaches us today that discipline is love, not that your parents love to beat you, but that they love you enough to try and get you on the right path and course. God demonstrated in love for the Israelites every time they were in captivity, He demonstrated His love when Job lost everything, Daniel was in the Lion’s Den, David was pursued by Saul, Joseph was sold to slavery and Paul was blind and in the desert… Love takes many forms, sometimes it's shown through tears or periods of discomfort, but just know that love always brings forth growth and a positive outcome.

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

God's Spirit Empowers You

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

2 Timothy 1:7

There is nothing of this world that we should fear… In this world so many people have their minds filled with nonsense and things of no significant value that they inherit this worldly fear spoken of in this passage by the apostle Paul… We fear losing jobs, a lower income or alterations to our lifestyle; however, in the body of Christ we are reminded today that we have not been given a spirit of fear… More importantly, the spirit we have and have been given in Christ is a spirit that contradicts what the world thinks we should be afraid of… When you are under the spirit of fear, there are elements in your life that you are scared to lose or allow to change; however, when you are in Christ, you don’t fear these things but learn to trust that God doesn’t make mistakes. This is why Paul says the spirit you have been given is a spirit of “power, and of love, and of a sound mind…” Understand today that you cannot be a child of God if you are walking in fear of things changing in this world or around you… A child resembles their parents; so if you call yourself a child of God, then you shouldn’t fear what circumstances you face in this world or endure through your life’s journey… 

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

Everyday Is A Day Of Celebration

Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our LORD: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength.

Nehemiah 8:10

Even in times of despair, heartbreak and frustration you have a reason to celebrate… Whenever you feel down, your pick-me-up can be found in knowing that “the joy of the Lord is your strength…” When you go through things don’t fret because your weakness will open the door for God to display His strength. When you are faced with a daunting task, don’t give room to the debilitating fear that lurks because the joy of the Lord is your strength… We all have fallen short or missed the mark which was the case at the time of this word being recorded in the book of Nehemiah. You can take courage and find peace today in knowing that you will have provisions, protection and prosperity through the good and perfect gifts which only come from above. Even though we don’t like to make mistakes or mess up from time to time, in reading this passage we know that we as well as the people of that particular time should be overjoyed because God’s word has convicted them and paved the way to repentance… God has paid the penalty of sin on our behalf; we understand that God has delivered us from captivity, now we must put our faith into action by living a life that pleases the Lord… 

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

Look Unto God And Be Saved

"Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else." 

Isaiah 45:22

Your search ends here; all the crevices, nooks and crannies that you have checked which did not produce the results you were looking for can be forgotten… The Lord declares through the prophet Isaiah that if you “Look unto me” you will “be saved…” Simply put, if you aren’t looking to the Lord then you must be looking toward other things and all the wrong things… If you aren’t seeking Him then you must be seeking something else… Wherever you are today and whatever you seek, just know that if your focus is not on the Lord then the emptiness, void, or empty space you seek to fill will never be satisfied or resolved… Understanding the call to “Look unto me” today leads me to pose a question as we study this powerful verse; how many times have you tried to figure things out on your own? How many times have you tried to take matters into your own hands just to watch your plan fail or come up short…? Today, through the prophetic book of Isaiah we are reminded of how we obtain success; today we are called to remember how it is that we have life and have it more abundantly, today we are called to remember how it is that even in the worse times or situations we still have a reasonable portion of health, food on the table, a roof over our heads and clothes on our back… This passage starts off by saying, “Look unto me…” The reason that our plans have failed or keep coming up short is that they are not derived from the will of God… There is no reason to look away because there is no other way to inherit Eternal Life, there is no other way to be saved… Don’t look to your finances, your friends or your job stability as a means of comfort for all those things will pass away… Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the light, no man come unto the Father but by me…” Isaiah echoes the same thing today, “...for I am God, and there is none else…”

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

Call Unto Me And I Will Answer

Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.

Jeremiah 33:3

Your life will never be complete nor will you accomplish all that you can until you realize that you must call on the Lord… It isn’t until you open your heart, mind and soul unto the Lord that He can begin to impart His divine will and plan for your life… This scripture speaks to the covenant that bonds us with the Lord; He will answer as evident in the many storms we have been able to endure and come through; however, the phone must ring in order for it to be answered and this is the step that often times is missed… I often times here people quote different scriptures about the saving power and grace that is our God, but do we realize that His saving power will be idle until we allow it to be manifested in our lives…? True, God has promised to never leave us nor forsake us, He has promised to protect us from the fowler’s snare and be a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path…All these promises are real; however they will never see fulfillment in one’s life unless they have faith which requires a connection or call of total submission to the Lord… The book of Jeremiah teaches that God promises to show us great and mighty things, Jesus said that He came that we might have life and have it more abundantly… Until we walk according to the will of God, until we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior, we are not living nor do we have abundant life… Jeremiah starts this verse by saying, “Call unto me and I will answer thee…” The promises of God can’t be fulfilled until you step up and call upon His name… 

God can’t answer the phone unless you call!!!

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

Christ Has Conquered All

These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

John 16:33 

There are two things that we are promised in this life; one is obstacles and two is the ability to overcome them… Notice that Jesus didn’t say in the world you might have tribulation, He said, “In the world ye shall have tribulation…” As a child of God, we are sure to endure hardships, we are sure to endure challenges and that’s why Paul said that we must “press toward the mark…” Today, find joy in your challenges and obstacles because you know that Jesus has already overcome them and will provide all the tools that you need to do the same… Jesus assures us that there will be many days that we are left scratching our heads and wondering about the current events of the world and the lack of humanity shown to one another. This world is a diseased place that slowly is killing each person that resides within it (those who desire and adhere to worldly standards and ways of living). The desire of Christ is that nobody should perish and that we all be saved… At this time in scripture, Jesus is preparing for His departure from earth and instructing His disciples of the times which lie ahead of them… We all must suffer from time to time in the body of Christ, we all must endure tribulation on this earth, but we find joy in the fact that we can “be of good cheer” because He has overcome the world… Your victory is assured, your foundation is set and your breakthrough is guaranteed… We will indeed suffer in this world, but we take pride in nothing that this is not our permanent residence and that we are storing up our treasures in heaven “where thieves cannot steal and the moth cannot corrupt…” 

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!