A Change in Perspective. - 7/13/07

Genesis 18:13-14, "Why did Sarah laugh and say, 'Will I really have a child, now that I am old?' Is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return to you at the appointed time next year and Sarah will have a son."

Is anything too hard for the Lord? Certainly not. Is anything too hard for me? Of course. And through whose point of view do I see the world? Too often, my own. But, through whose point of view should I see the world?

If I look at life and my own situation in comparison to the control I have over it, discouragement could easily follow. I could examine my ongoing job search and my dependent living situation and get frustrated because so much of it is beyond my control. Junior High teaching jobs are strangely hard to find in Washington right now.

But, "Our hope is in the Lord." Like the verse above from Genesis asks, is anything too hard for the Lord? When I look at my life from His point of view, everything is simplified.

• Of course I'll get a job. God told me to leave Belize and move to Western Washington.
• Of course my family will heal, because Mark 11:24 states, "Whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it and it will be yours."
• Of course my neice will be taken care of when she moves to Montana. She has trusted her life to God and Luke 12:31 says if we seek His kingdom FIRST, everything else will be added to us ... by His power and authority though, not our own.

Is anything too hard for the Lord? Is anything too hard for the Creator of Heaven, the Maker of the Earth? No. We have only to wait on His perfect timing and trust that He means what He says. He's already proven that.

So now, I continue to wait. I continue to hope. I can relax, enjoy a cup of coffee, and know that I am taken care of. As a Christ follower, hope is something I am blessed with and a source of so much joy. I praise you Jesus for blessing me and guiding me here for a life I know you've prepared for me ahead of time.

Useful Pottery - 2/15/07

Jeremiah 18:4-6, “But the pot He was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him…’Can I not do the same with you as the potter does?’ declares the Lord. ‘Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in My hand.’”

I love this verse and think about it often. I came across it in my Bible today as the song, The Potter’s Hand by Hillsongs played in the background. I turned the page, and in the scripture there, God again used a clay pot as an analogy for Jeremiah. Three clay pot references. So, I decided to think on this a bit and figure out what God was saying to me.

This verse says that the clay was “marred in his hands.” If God is the potter, and we are the clay, then that is very true. We are born from sinful flesh – we all start out as marred clay. We cannot shape ourselves, so we have two choices. We can sit in a lumpy pile and let our lives remain self-absorbed and sinful. Or, we can bring our sloppy, mess of a life to our loving Father, who makes all things new. "Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation; old things are passed away, behold, all things are become new" (2 Cor. 5:17).

Once we’re transformed, we take on the shape He decided on; our lives look like His design rather than what we would have chosen for ourselves. Though we may have had a different mental picture for our lives, we should still trust Him fearlessly. We already know what it looks like when we make the decisions - and it's never as good as when we allow Him to gently guide us. That’s the hardest part of being a Christian – yielding my will to God’s and allowing Him to call the shots.

I should remember that a vessel shaped by a potter; it is not my job to tell Him what I should look like or what my role should be. That's the other thing - my purpose is not meaningless; I was created for something specific, just as a clay pot is created for a specific reason. Though it may look pretty sitting on the shelf, that was not its intended function.

The shape God gives our lives is uniquely suited for the role he has us play. A bowl is different from a pitcher which is different from a pot. I shouldn’t be discouraged if my life doesn’t look like someone else’s; if my shape is drastically different from those around me. That just means he has a drastically different plan for me.

That also means I have no right to question what my Father – the potter – fills his vessel with. How absurd would it be for a cup to come to the potter and insist on holding oil rather than tea? “I made you, you silly cup! Hold what I ask you to hold because you can’t see what I’m doing here. You can’t see the table I’m setting. Trust me, and I promise I’ll take care of you.” He’s proven time and again that He is good. He is powerful. He is loving, and He has plans to prosper me and not to harm me, plans to give me hope and a future.

“I’m captured by
Your holy presence
Set me apart, I know you’re drawing me to yourself
Make me more like You

Take me, and mold me
Use me, fill me
I give my life to the Potter’s Hands”

Christian Chameleons - 6/20/06

Galatians 2:11-12, "When Peter came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he was clearly in the wrong. Before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of [those men]."

I don't know that I've been struggling with this, or maybe I will in the near future, but it's a good reminder for me. When I read this scripture, the first thing I thought of was the term "Christian Chameleons." This does not refer to colorful lizards singing praise with long sticky tongues and testifying with their arms in the air in the jungle. I've heard this somewhere before in reference to Christians who change who they are or what they say they believe depending on their environment. Peter did this when influential believers with opposing beliefs came to visit him. He stopped doing what he knew was right out of fear that he would offend these men.

Of course, that is the exact opposite of how we're supposed to live. Think of it from the point of view of somebody who has never really seen a Christian live out his or her faith. Every time that person is around a believer, they don't see an example of Christ's love or a person living by His teachings. Instead, that person has seen watered down versions of the truth in order not to offend.

I don't care much for an in-your-face approach to sharing faith. Sometimes that is necessary, but if that is how you approach even casual conversations, your well-intentioned faith will be written off as overzealous and oppressive. But, we should not allow fear of other points of view or the influence of others censor our convictions so as not to offend. We have been commanded to go out into the world and be an influence. Refusing to share what we know to be true out of fear does nothing to fulfill that commandment.

I like this scripture because Paul confronts Peter directly. He doesn't gossip about the situation to other believers. In alignment with scripture, he told Peter to his face that he was in the wrong. Peter "...was not acting in line with the truth of the gospel" and Paul let him know it.

There are have been many times that I was confronted with opposing beliefs that forced me to identify why I believe what I believe. My faith was like the proverb, "Like a reed in the wind, I will bend but not break." Evidence of God working in my life is undeniable and reinforces my faith all the time. That doesn't mean though that I haven't questioned some things from time to time, and I believe that's healthy.

This scripture is a good reminder overall. I must be strong when faced with opposing points of view, and must not change who I am to suit my environment; I must avoid becoming a "Christian Chameleon."

Being Still - 4/26/06

2 Corinthians 12:8-10, "...take this problem away from me. But He said to me, 'My grace is enough for you. When you are weak, my power is made perfect in you.' ...when I am weak, then I am truly strong."

His grace is enough for me, too. Even though I can't see His plan for my life or where He's leading me right now, that shouldn't matter. I have His grace, meaning favor or good will. It also means mercy/clemency, and specifically the freely given, unmerited favor and love of God.

His grace is enough for me. I know that He has plans for me, ".... plans to do good and not to harm me. Plans to give [me] hope and a future" Jeremiah 29:11. I can sigh heavily in my discontent or pout, but really I should know that I am in His favor and that is enough. His grace is enough for me. Just like Psalms 46:10, "Be still and know that I am God."

"Be still and know that I am God."
"Be still and know that I am God."
"Be still and know that I am God."

That's what the scripture above means when it states that His power is made perfect in our weakness. We finally decide to be quiet and let God do His work. So often, it is only in our weakness that we rely on God, which is the opposite of how we're supposed to live. Proverbs 3:5-6, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths." We're supposed to lean on Him always so He can guide our paths, rather than make our own decisions and then look to Him for validation or supporting miracles. But, coming to Him in our weakness, humbling ourselves and relying on Him, opens the door for Him to work in our lives. That's how His power is made perfect in us -- we give Him complete control or our wills and our hearts.

There lies the greatest challenge. I had a conversation last night with the guys in my Bible study about what a mature Christian looks like. We decided that they've learned to live by faith, trusting in God and almost never questioning His will or purpose -- which makes me a toddler.

Basically, regardless of the circumstances we're facing or the uncertainty of the future, we must praise the God who has our best interests at heart and remember that no matter what, we serve Him, not the other way around. When we finally see the big picture, we'll understand how His path, while confusing from our point of view, was perfect in every way. Even when it leads us through challenges. I like the lyrics of this new song:

I was sure by now
That You would have reached down
And wiped our tears away
Stepped in and saved the day
But once again, I say "Amen"and it's still raining

As the thunder rolls
I barely hear
You whisper through the rain"I'm with you"
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God
Who gives and takes away

Chorus:
I'll praise You in this storm
And I will lift my hands
For You are who You are
No matter where I am
Every tear I've cried
You hold in Your hand
You never left my sideA
nd though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm

I remember when
I stumbled in the wind
You heard my cry
You raised me up again
My strength is almost gone
How can I carry on
If I can't find You

As the thunder rolls
I barely hear
You whisper through the rain"I'm with you"
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God
Who gives and takes away

Chorus

I lift my eyes unto the hills
Where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord
The Maker of Heaven and Earth

"Praise You In This Storm" by Casting Crowns

Waves of Doubt, or Strength? - 4/12/06

Matthew 14:29-31, "And Peter left the boat and walked on the water to Jesus. But when Peter saw the wind and the waves, he became afraid and began to sink. He shouted, 'Lord, save me!' Immediately Jesus reached out His hand and caught Peter. Jesus said, 'Your faith is small. Why did you doubt?'"

Why did YOU doubt? Why did I doubt? How many different ways does God have to demonstrate His power and faithfulness before we can rely on Him? It's sad to think, but I don't know that I would have been any more successful than Peter was in this situation. Try to imagine it. A raging sea. Dark skies. Giant waves crashing all around you - and you're walking AWAY from the boat!

What Peter failed to focus on though, as any one of us could have, is what he was walking toward. The only begotten son of the Most High God was standing right there, ON the water. His presence was safer than the man-made boat Peter was walking away from.

I like the words of the song "Borrow Mine" by Bebo Norman describing this situation - and how we can approach similar situations in life.

Take my love
when all you can see
is the raging sea all around us
And don't give up
Because I'm not letting go
and the God we know will not fail us
We'll lay it all down as we call out
Sweet Savior, help our unbelief

The scripture says that if you ask anything in Jesus' name and do not doubt, it is yours. Doubt undermines our faith and tells God, "I don't really believe you can do this."
Doubt and faith - a constant struggle for us. Another great song, "Voice of Truth" by Casting Crowns emphasizes this idea,

Oh what I would do to have
the kind of faith it takes to come out of the boat and then
on to the crashing waves
To step out of my comofort zone
into the realm of the unkown where Jesus is
and He's holding out His hand

You can analyze Peter's example to see how to combat doubt & fear. Why did Peter doubt? Read the scripture above, "...he saw the wind and waves, he became afraid and began to sink."

Peter let what he saw scare him away from what he knew. That's how the enemy prevents us from praying dynamically with the faith moves mountains. He knew Jesus could save him and cause him to walk on water. After all, He was standing there to prove it. But Peter focused on something else, letting those distractions steer his faith away from Jesus.

So that's how we can strengthen our own faith and prevent doubt and fear. Focus on Jesus. Remind yourself of previous times Jesus answered your prayers. Use answered prayers to ediy your faith, and quote scripture, the word of God that's referred to as the "sword." You can stab and cut at doubt with the word of God. You can use a model similar to this one: Jesus, you said that ________, so I believe you will do ________ here and now.

It's not easy. Melissa and I are reading the book Left To Tell by Immacullée Ilibagiza, a Rwandan survivor of genocide and a fellow believer. Her prayers and God's protection are the only things that kept her alive while over one million of her people were butchered in one of Africa's smallest countries. In one instance, she was praying against being discovered in her hiding place while thoughts of doubt and fear flooded her mind. She had an intense battle to fight, then a vision of Jesus (one of several) appeared to her and told her to have faith, noting that it wouldn't be easy. If it were easy to have enough faith to move mountains, there wouldn't be any still standing!

So, she chose to be strong and trust His word, and pray - relying completely on Him. Now, she's left to tell her story due to His protection that she prayed for in faith. Just as thousands of others have throughout history.

So, why do you doubt? Sure, you may drown at any moment, but Jesus Christ is with you...

April Showers...Elijah's Rain? Or God's Reign? - 4/5/06

Zechariah 10:1, “Ask the Lord for rain during the springtime rains. The Lord is the one who makes the clouds. He sends the showers and gives everyone green fields."

It has been rainy where I live the past few days. I keep thinking about the rhyme I learned as a kid, “April showers bring May flowers.” I can already see the results of that here – greenery returning to the rolling hills that surround this city.

When I read this verse in Zechariah, I felt the twinge that so often accompanies a verse that I feel God has led me to. Then I thought of the rain over the past few days. Wasn’t enough confirmation for me, though! I turned the page to look for a verse elsewhere. I soon turned back though, accidentally. That confirmed that God really wanted to speak to me through this verse tonight.

I thought about it, and I think this verse is awesome. “Ask the Lord for rain … the one who makes the clouds.” The One who makes the clouds! Go to the source! Right now it’s the season for springtime rains. If you’re not receiving what you need, if you are not experiencing blessings raining down in your life, then go directly to the One who made those things.

Let’s see … what else did God make? Oh, maybe … EVERYTHING? So, are we trying to make our own plans or provide for ourselves according to our own ability? Or, are we letting God truly reign in our lives, coming to Him with our petitions, cares, or concerns?

If you need a quenching rain in your life, let God reign in it first. Pray to Him, sincerely with faith, and give Him the glory when He answers that prayer. There is so much power in prayer. Believe me, God hears us when we pray. Elijah prayed for rain, and against it. God heard him. James 5:17-18, “Elijah was a human being just like us. He prayed that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years! Then Elijah prayed again, and the rain came down from the sky, and the land produced crops again.”

Elijah wasn’t a powerful being with supernatural powers, it says plainly right here that he was a human being just like us. Every one of us can see the power of God moving in our lives like this if we aren’t praying selfishly and are willing to give God the glory. But first, we have to pray.

Think of the fig tree Jesus cursed. One of my favorite stories, actually. Jesus was hungry and approached a fig tree for food, finding none growing there. He cursed the tree and it immediately dried up. It seems even inanimate objects should be prepared to serve the son of God and are subject to His judgment. Plus, when I’m hungry, I get crabby. I can use this as justification for being short with people when I haven’t eaten… just kidding.

It’s what Jesus said after cursing the tree that is really powerful. Matthew 21:21-22, “… I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will be able to do what I did to this tree and even more. If you believe, you will get anything you ask for in prayer.”

I wrote a scripture like that one (Mark 11:24) on the top of each page of my prayer journal. When I’d ask for something in prayer, I’d read that, believe I received it, and wrote the prayer down with the date that I asked for it. When Jesus answered my prayer, I’d write that date on the other side of it.

After a few pages of answered prayers, I was humbled to think I could have ever doubted God’s power or involvement in my life. He loves us SO much He’d give us whatever we ask for!

Anyway, it’s raining outside right now. Did you pray for this? Or do you need to so that it will rain in your life? Well then, let Him reign…

How do these scriptures apply to your life? Are you in a season of rain or draught? Let me know!

________________________________________________________________________

First, Fruits,Then Blessings - 4/2/06

Malachi 1:2, “The Lord said, ‘I have loved you.’”

… I have loved you … That’s what God said to me on Thursday. My wife suggested that this evening I look into the book of Malachi. I opened to it, and the second verse of Malachi basically read itself to me; it was so clearly the focus of the page. And, it reiterated Thursday's message.

I know that the Lord has loved me. I can look throughout my life and count my blessings. He has indeed loved me. More than any blessing He has ever given me though, He died for me. His blood paid off my great debt. He said the greatest love a man can give to his friend is to die for them. So, He has loved us.

Should we not honor the greatest love then with the highest honor? How do we do that? Maybe through sacrifice? You could you say that He has honored His love for us through His sacrifice. He said He loved us. Then, He proved it - honored His word - in the biggest possible way - He gave up His life for His friends.

This was his Father’s idea, to bring about reconciliation between Man and God. Jesus honored His father as we’ve all been commanded to do by fulfilling the request to lay down His life in place of ours. His sacrifice was honor. “The Lord All-Powerful says, ‘A child honors his father, and a servant honors his master. I am a father, so why don’t you honor me? I am a master, so why don’t you respect me?’” Malachi 1:6.

The Jewish people offered sacrifices to honor God and to atone for the sin debt. Our debt has been paid by His ultimate sacrifice so blood is no longer required. So, we are left to honor God in another way. What then? We can sacrifice our wallets and our purses. Do you believe and trust God enough to actually give Him your money?

He’s asked for ten percent of what we bring in to be returned to the storehouse. Malachi 3:10, “Bring to the storehouse a full tenth of what you earn so there will be food in my house. Test me in this.’” Here you will find the only plce in the Bible where God asks US to test HIM. Plus, we still get to keep most of it – a full ninety percent.

What do the results of this test look like? The Lord of All Creation will protect your assets. If you’re using them to help further the kingdom, then why wouldn’t He protect them? “I will open the windows of heaven for you and pour out all the blessings you need. I will stop the insects so they won’t eat your crops. The grapes won’t fall from your vine before they’re ready to pick,” Malachi 3:10-11.

Most of us don’t plant crops. But we all spend our days planting and harvesting something. The Lord will place His protective hand over what you’re working on, so that it may bear fruit.

When it does, we must remember to offer to Him our firstfruits. The best of the crop. By His power and protection, they’re His anyway. Proverbs 3:9-10, “Honor the Lord with your wealth and the firstfruits from all your crops. Then your barns will be full, and your wine barrels will overflow with new wine.”

This is the heart of the message of the book of Malachi. The Lord took no honor in the half-hearted offerings, the second-rate sacrifices the people brought to Him. They weren’t firstfruits. They were leftovers. Blind sheep. Crippled calves. It was no sacrifice for the Israelites to sacrifice them. They saved the best for themselves. So, the Lord All Powerful said to them, “…You have robbed me in your offerings and the tenth of your crops. So a curse is on you…” Malachi 3:8-9. Don't steal from God! God! All-Powerful, remember?

All Powerful, and Loving. He has loved us with His sacrifice. We can return that love through action, demonstrate our faith in Him through works. He has told us to test him, and to honor Him. Why shouldn’t we show honor to the One who paid the greatest price? He alone is worthy of it. If we do, we’re blessed. If we don’t, we are stealing from the Lord God All Powerful. I wouldn’t steal from my wife, or a friend. Why should I consider stealing from the only one who has the ability to curse me for doing so?

Honor through our firstfruits - our tithe; a return on the Lord's investment of great love, and then blessings for us.

The choice is clear, so why not make it already? If you don’t believe it, test Him…

Money Money Money ... (MONEY!) - 3/25/06

Ecclesiastes 5:10&11, “Whoever loves money will never have enough money; whoever loves wealth will not be satisfied with it. This also useless. The more wealth people have, the more friends they have to help spend it. So what do people really gain? They gain nothing except to look at their riches.”

I don’t really feel like I’m struggling with materialism at this point in my life, but I know I have in the past and there may be a point in the future when I’ll do so again. So, I’m going along with what I feel to be God’s direction here in His word today.

I came across this scripture almost immediately after opening my Bible. It used to be a favorite of mine — probably back when I first discovered my materialism, “He who loves money will never have money enough.” This from the wisest King ever to rule — and probably the wealthiest. I believe Solomon was speaking from wisdom AND experience here.

The line directly following this quote in the scripture explains a bit about why the lover of money never has enough, “whoever loves wealth will not be satisfied with it.” That’s because happiness isn’t found in wealth. Wealth is “useless,” as it says here. Happiness cannot come from things. Sure, you may have more friends with increased wealth, but they’re not the kind that bring happiness either, they’re the kind that help you spend money. Chances are when the money runs out, so will they.

A favorite quote of mine I heard a couple years ago goes, “If you can’t be happy without it, you won’t be happy with it.” If there is one thing you’re pining for — putting your hope for happiness into — you’ll see when you get it that it wasn’t what you really wanted or expected because such things cannot bring lasting satisfaction or happiness. Hope in Christ is the only lasting source of satisfaction and pure joy.

Yesterday I was listening to the “Spirit” SIRIUS radio station at work. Between songs, the DJ played a great quote that caught my attention, “Envy is counting someone else’s blessings instead of your own.” If we focus our energy on serving God rather than ourselves, our needs will be met AND we’ll be rewarded. If we are good stewards of what we have been given, even more will be added to our lives, according to the parable in Matthew 25:14-30. I believe that applies to being good stewards of everything God has given us, not just money: our homes, the people in our lives, our bodies … we must demonstrate responsibility to our God before we’re blessed with increase.

To do so, we must constantly seek His will to truly serve Him and not ourselves. Remember, you cannot serve yourself and Him at the same time. “No one can serve two masters. The person will hate one master and love the other, or will follow one master and refuse to follow the other. You cannot serve both God and worldly riches” Matthew 6:24.

I will then continue to try and serve God — something permanent — rather than the temporary possessions and lifestyles of this world.

Longing, Love, & Loyalty - 3/22/06

James 4:2-5, 7 & 10, “You do not get what you want, because you do not ask God. Or when you ask, you do no receive because the reason you ask is wrong. You want things so you can use them for your own pleasures. So, you are not loyal to God! You should know that loving the world is the same as hating God. Do you think the scripture means nothing that says, ‘The Spirit that God made to live in us wants us for himself alone?’

So give yourselves completely to God. Stand against the devil, and the devil will run from you. Come near to God, and God will come near to you. Don’t be too proud in the Lord’s presence, and He will make you great.”

There is so much truth here. James 4 is a great chapter. Here, we are reminded that we need only to ask and we shall receive what we need from our loving God. It's possible though that if we have asked and did not receive it's because the reason we asked is wrong. Are we asking Him to provide something that would help us to better serve Him? Or are we asking for something that will serve our own will and our own desires - or for our own plan in our lives rather than His? MY GOD IS NOT MY GENIE. I've had to remind myself of that several times. I serve Him, not the other way around. Yes, he has the power to give me anything, but won’t do so if that thing will replace God in my life.

Read the next part of the above scripture — if you ask of something for your own pleasure, you are not loyal to God. In fact, loyalty to the world makes us God’s enemy. Hmmm...that’s not really a position I want to be in. At some point, every Christian has to face his or her longing for worldly things, and power — absolute control over every aspect of our lives. This is one of the hardest things to give to God; control of our will.

The scripture above also quotes a line from Exodus, reminding us that God wants us for Himself alone. This is from the original Ten Commandments where God admits to being a jealous God. In fact, the very first commandment is to have no other Gods except Him, followed by the commandment to worship no idols. We worship Him and Him alone.

Check, and, check. I’ve never made a Golden Calf or a statue of a man with the head of a jackal. You can come over and check for yourself. Definitely never worshiped either of them.
Except … we can idolize and worship less obvious replacements of God. Fame. Money. Power. Money. Control. Success. Money. Good looks. Talent. Money. Control. These are the true American Idols, Simon.

Read the book of Hosea. He was an Old Testament prophet, and God commanded him to marry a prostitute, Gomer. He made her promise to stop doing her business and devote her love and loyalty to him. So she did. For awhile, then she started to go back to her old ways. Grounds for divorce, right? Nope. God commanded Hosea to take her back and ask her to re-commit herself to him. Whoah! Why? Because the Israelites — and we — have done the exact same thing to God. There is no other human experience that can explain the emotions God has when we replace Him with other things except infidelity. He feels cheated, and rightfully so.

I have been Gomer. I’ve let the devil tempt me in the past to seek out my own will or chase sin; to make my own selfish plans for my life and I know that it hurt God. But He took me back and would a thousand times over. The scripture in James clearly states that if we resist the devil and his temptations, he will flee from us. The One whose Holy Spirit lives within us has already defeated the devil so we need only to declare our allegiance to Jesus and that will chase him away. And if we come near to God, He will come near to us. So we can easily prevent any future "Gomerisms" by making an effort to draw near to God every day.

His love will never fail us, never end, and never give up. We’re human and make mistakes, but we’re forgiven before we even ask for it. That’s living under grace. What’s more, living for Him rather than ourselves will bring about greater blessings than anything we would have chosen for ourselves anyway. “Don’t be too proud in the Lord’s presence, and He will make you great.” Humble yourself enough to serve His will instead of your own, and He will take great joy in elevating you so all can see God’s power in your life. You will have great success and blessings so that He may receive the glory. Then, our longing will not be for material things, but only for Him and His Love, and He will have our Loyalty until that day when we get to be with Him and His other servants for eternity in His love, His peace.

Additives & Preservatives - 3/16/06

(Nutrition = Bible)
2 Peter 1:3, “Jesus has the power of God, by which He has given us everything we need to live and to serve God. We have these things because we know Him. Jesus called us by His glory and goodness.”

Read that verse again, slowly.

By the power of God, given to Jesus, WE have been given EVERYTHING we need to live and to serve God. Remember Luke 12:22-31? Your God has taken care of you; He knows everything you need before you do. Think of these as preservatives. In one sense, He’s brought these things into your life to keep you fresh and healthy, so you can focus on more important things rather than seeking them out on your own. In another sense, they are pre-serve-atives. “Pre” meaning “before,” and “serve” referring to serving God. They are first given to you when He calls you so you can be free to go out and serve God without worrying where your next meal will come from.

Now read the second line of the scripture — we have all we need to live, and serve God, because we know Him. We have a relationship with the source of all things. God is our one true God, but also our father, our friend, our teacher, our love. He doesn’t want the relationship a donor has with a charity — He wants to be a part of our lives.

Look at the next line in the scripture to confirm that. HE called US. It’s not like He was playing intergalactic monopoly with angels and then we interrupted Him with a prayer or petition. He first chose us, our entering into His presence is the return of our heart to His call.

So if we don’t have to worry about the basics in life, then what? Read on! 2 Peter 1:5-9, “Because you have these blessings, do your best to add these things to your lives:

To your faith, add goodness; to this add

Knowledge; to this add

Self Control; to this add

Patience; to this add

Service for God; to this add

Kindness for Brothers and Sisters in Christ; to this add

Love

…if all of these things are in you and growing, they will help you to be useful and productive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

These are the additives that follow Jesus’ pre-serve-atives. He’s taken care of you, and now you are free to respond to the call of His service. There are more blessings for you in doing so. God still has a lot of work to do in this world, and wants to use us as His hands and His feet to go out and do that work. But, we’re not puppets or robots. We have free will, and must make a conscious decision and honest effort to add this list to our lives and serve Him, always giving the credit, the glory, and honor for what we’ve achieved to our Lord.

Trust in Faithfulness - 3/12/06

Galatians 3:6, "...Abraham believed God, and God accepted Abraham's faith, and that faith made him right with God." (Quoted here from Genesis 15:6)
Galatians 3:11, "...Those who are right with God will live by trusting Him." (Quoted here from Habakkuk 2:4)
Galatians 3:3, "You began your life in Christ by the spirit. Now are you trying to make it complete by your own power? That is foolish."

As a practicing Christian I believe God, and know He has accepted my faith to make me right with Him. This is a gift offered to me through the price His son paid; I have faith in Jesus who died for my sins - in my place. That faith has reconciled me with the one holy Creator of all things.

Therefore, according to this scripture and countless others, I must live by trusting in Him. Given the price He paid, I cannot live for myself anymore. I am called now to be His hands and feet with all other Christians, doing His work here before we're blessed with eternity in His presence.

I must be careful always though not to take back the control of my life that I've given to the only one who deserves that control. The first of these scriptures sets the model for faith leading to a right relationship with God. The second scripture commands how I should live my life after being right with God - by trusting in Him. The third scripture warns against the foolishness of trying to use my own power to complete my life.

There is no reason not to trust Him; no reason to take back control when I can't see the whole picture. "...In Christ, God has given us every spiritual blessing in the heavenly world." Ephesians 1:3. He's given us everything. What's more, "Because of His love, God had already decided to make us his own children through Jesus Christ." Ephesians 1:5. We have been given everything in the spiritual realm. Then as his children, why wouldn't he give us everything we need in the earthly realm?

Sadly, I don't believe He could give us everything in the material sense and still trust us to keep him as the center of our lives. If we have control over all the material things we desire, we would feel mighty important and focus our attention on things rather than God. But He will give his children everything according to their need.

Going back to Galatians 3:11 then, we must live daily trusting that He will provide. In my case, I don't know where I will live or work in five months. But God led me tonight to the scripture James 4:13-15, "Some of you say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go to some city. We will stay there a year, do business, and make money.' But you do not know what will happen tomorrow. Your life is like a mist. You can see it for a short time, but then it goes away. So you should say, 'If the Lord wants, we will live and do this or that.'" Again ... I must trust the God of All, in all things...