Ps 94:16-19 "Who will rise up for me against the wicked? Who will take a stand for me against evildoers? 17 Unless the LORD had given me help, I would soon have dwelt in the silence of death. 18 When I said, "My foot is slipping," your love, O LORD, supported me. 19 When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul." NIV
Can you hear the echo of the cries of those who need your help? This psalm is such an echo! The psalmist is crying out for help against the wicked with a sense of desperation as if to say “can anyone hear me?” “Don’t you know that I am in need?” “Won’t you please do something?” “Can’t you please help me?” This passage is the cry of hearts that are all around us and it leads us to consider our responsibility in the face of wickedness, injustice and need. What will we do about the pain that is all around? Will we pass by like the first three people in the story of the Good Samaritan or will we hear the cry and see the need? Will we get involved and become the source of deliverance for the ones within our reach?
Verse sixteen is a call to action even as it a prayer for help. A well known minister in Brooklyn, NY has lived by the motto “the need is the call!” When we live surrounded by need the heart of God requires us to get involved. Even as we accept the limitation that says we will never be able to help everyone it is our responsibility to reach out where we can. For certain it matters to the one that is waiting for YOU to act!
The second facet of this passage is a call to the true source of help. Throughout the pages of scripture a consistent pattern emerges of the Lord rising up to deliver and help, the Lord being the minister of divine justice that brings hope in desperate situations. When the nation of Israel cried out to the Lord He always raised up a deliverer. Consider Moses, Gideon, Sampson and more; people who answered the call and received the help of heaven to meet the needs of men in time of great struggle or oppression. Men turn their face to towards God for help and God turns His heart towards men for action!
The psalmist depicts so clearly the emotional pain and anguish that touch the heart in times of crisis; images of slipping feet, the silence of death, great anxieties within. For each of these feelings of pressure the psalmist points to one clear and consistent remedy; the Lord’s help, the support of His love, and the joy of His consolations! How deep is the work of God’s Spirit to give our hearts strength when we call out to Him? Man may fail to hear the God’s call to help us, but at all times and in all things God is there. In every situation God is faithful to touch the need within us and give us strength to face the day! Jesus points us to a daily walk of confidence in God as He speaks to His disciples in Mt. 6:28-34 and calls us to seek God and His kingdom as our priority with the promise that our needs will be met as we walk in a trusting relationship with Him. Comfort for the soul, provision for every need and the conviction of God working in the midst of every situation to prepare the way for you! This is the goodness of God at work. Rest in Him and seek His face!
Friday
Psalm 94:12-15 - September 25, 2009
Ps 94:12-15 "Blessed is the man you discipline, O LORD, the man you teach from your law; 13 you grant him relief from days of trouble, till a pit is dug for the wicked. 14 For the LORD will not reject his people; he will never forsake his inheritance. 15 Judgment will again be founded on righteousness, and all the upright in heart will follow it." NIV
This passage is a continuation of the call to learn wisdom found in verses 8-11. “Blessed is the man you discipline, O Lord…” Have you ever considered the discipline of God as the path to blessing? It is! So many people relate to the concept of being disciplined as a negative concept. This is because in our fallen world, too often, those who are the dispensers of discipline are flawed by the presence of impatience, anger, and improperly biased judgment that results in discipline that is not expressed from a heart of love and communicated through patient wisdom that is intended to instruct and train us rather than through impatient anger that is equally motivated by a compulsion to punish and vent anger. This warped concept of discipline too often separates us from embracing the blessing of God’s hand of discipline. The nature and motive of God’s discipline is clearly expressed in Heb 12:10 “God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness",and again in Prov 3:11-12 “My son, do not despise the LORD's discipline and do not resent his rebuke, 12 because the LORD disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.” The dealings of God to discipline us are one of the greatest possible expressions of His love. He delights in us, therefore He desires to train us in a lifestyle that will lead to blessing!
Psalm 94:12-15 points the way for us to finding the rich blessing of God’s wisdom in our lives. Where Does wisdom come from? How does God discipline us? He does it through the teachings of scripture. King David wrote in Ps 119:11 “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” David understood the power of the Word of God to protect us from life choices that are destructive and fruitless. Psalm 94:13 tells us that the man who builds his life on the Word “finds relief in the day of trouble” until God has dealt with the wicked. Each one of us is called to build our lives through thoughtful reflection upon the word of God and as we do His wise counsel guides and protects, disciplines and corrects with the loving heart of a Father and His disciplines lead us into the path of blessing. Imagine a life where we are making fewer and fewer flawed and costly choices in life. The result of consistent God directed choices will certainly improve the quality of our health, our relationships with both God and man, our financial lives, our careers and our ministry functions within the body of Christ. Choose a God directed life today and yield to His voice of discipline!
This passage is a continuation of the call to learn wisdom found in verses 8-11. “Blessed is the man you discipline, O Lord…” Have you ever considered the discipline of God as the path to blessing? It is! So many people relate to the concept of being disciplined as a negative concept. This is because in our fallen world, too often, those who are the dispensers of discipline are flawed by the presence of impatience, anger, and improperly biased judgment that results in discipline that is not expressed from a heart of love and communicated through patient wisdom that is intended to instruct and train us rather than through impatient anger that is equally motivated by a compulsion to punish and vent anger. This warped concept of discipline too often separates us from embracing the blessing of God’s hand of discipline. The nature and motive of God’s discipline is clearly expressed in Heb 12:10 “God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness",and again in Prov 3:11-12 “My son, do not despise the LORD's discipline and do not resent his rebuke, 12 because the LORD disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.” The dealings of God to discipline us are one of the greatest possible expressions of His love. He delights in us, therefore He desires to train us in a lifestyle that will lead to blessing!
Psalm 94:12-15 points the way for us to finding the rich blessing of God’s wisdom in our lives. Where Does wisdom come from? How does God discipline us? He does it through the teachings of scripture. King David wrote in Ps 119:11 “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” David understood the power of the Word of God to protect us from life choices that are destructive and fruitless. Psalm 94:13 tells us that the man who builds his life on the Word “finds relief in the day of trouble” until God has dealt with the wicked. Each one of us is called to build our lives through thoughtful reflection upon the word of God and as we do His wise counsel guides and protects, disciplines and corrects with the loving heart of a Father and His disciplines lead us into the path of blessing. Imagine a life where we are making fewer and fewer flawed and costly choices in life. The result of consistent God directed choices will certainly improve the quality of our health, our relationships with both God and man, our financial lives, our careers and our ministry functions within the body of Christ. Choose a God directed life today and yield to His voice of discipline!
Thursday
Psalm 94:8-11 - September 24, 2009
Ps 94:8-11 "Take heed, you senseless ones among the people; you fools, when will you become wise? 9 Does he who implanted the ear not hear? Does he who formed the eye not see? 10 Does he who disciplines nations not punish? Does he who teaches man lack knowledge? 11 The LORD knows the thoughts of man; he knows that they are futile." NIV
A call to the foolish! This passage is God crying out to provoke us to thought, to stir us to wise thinking. Too often each one of us yields to the tendency to think poorly or not at all. Many of us are driven by impulse and presumption. Still others of us are inclined to rush into decisions without considering either God OR common sense. WE WANT IT! Whatever IT is! We want to do it, buy it, spend it, use it, eat it, and feel it. For many of us there is an inner desire, sometimes so deep that we haven’t even acknowledged it to ourselves, to live without restraint, without discipline; a desire to simply yield to the seductive appeal of pleasure and comfort, or the rush of impatience and rashly vented anger. Psalm 94:8-11 is the voice of God calling us back to sound thinking.
“When will you become wise?” What a simple yet confrontational appeal from the heart of God. There is a profound implication resting within this simple phrase: “Anyone can walk in wisdom… it is a choice!” God would not ask of us “when” if wisdom was not a commonly available attribute. God has placed within His word the principles of life to make us wise and commands us in the proverbs to Prov 4:5-8 “Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or swerve from them. 6 Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you. 7 Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding. 8 Esteem her, and she will exalt you; embrace her, and she will honor you.” How powerful and clear this simple principle “Wisdom is supreme, therefore get wisdom!” It can’t be any plainer than that. God has provided wisdom in His word that is available to all and then exalts it before us as the supreme necessity of a blessed life.
Psalm 84:8-11 is a reminder to us that it was God who made us, every detail, every ability, every thought of man is known to God. Nothing is hidden from His eyes. It is a reminder that because He is all knowing He disciplines us and His discipline is perfect because it is perfectly informed. There is no issue He does not fully know and fully comprehend concerning us and so His dealings are both merciful and just. Because this is true the Prov 1:7 reminds us of the foundation of knowledge and the fountain of wisdom, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.” To despise wisdom and discipline is to be a fool. To fail to recognize that these things come from God is the greatest form of foolishness. God calls us to Himself, gives us the source of ALL wisdom through Christ, and instructs us to build our lives on a disciplined application of this wisdom in the context of every decision and desire so that we can have the fullness of life and yet man’s tendency is to be self-willed and independent of this wise counsel and yet he dares to lift a voice of accusation against God when hard times touch His life.
The Apostle Paul points us to God’s provision for us in Col 2:1-3 “My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” Know this without any doubt that God’s desire for you is that you have the full riches of complete understanding! The desire of God is clearly known and the pathway leads us into the depths of knowing Jesus Christ “in whom are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” Give yourself to knowing Him today. Seek diligently the wisdom that is revealed as we learn His Word and His ways and heed the warning that God sends to preserve our lives from the evils that lie all around us.
A call to the foolish! This passage is God crying out to provoke us to thought, to stir us to wise thinking. Too often each one of us yields to the tendency to think poorly or not at all. Many of us are driven by impulse and presumption. Still others of us are inclined to rush into decisions without considering either God OR common sense. WE WANT IT! Whatever IT is! We want to do it, buy it, spend it, use it, eat it, and feel it. For many of us there is an inner desire, sometimes so deep that we haven’t even acknowledged it to ourselves, to live without restraint, without discipline; a desire to simply yield to the seductive appeal of pleasure and comfort, or the rush of impatience and rashly vented anger. Psalm 94:8-11 is the voice of God calling us back to sound thinking.
“When will you become wise?” What a simple yet confrontational appeal from the heart of God. There is a profound implication resting within this simple phrase: “Anyone can walk in wisdom… it is a choice!” God would not ask of us “when” if wisdom was not a commonly available attribute. God has placed within His word the principles of life to make us wise and commands us in the proverbs to Prov 4:5-8 “Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or swerve from them. 6 Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you. 7 Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding. 8 Esteem her, and she will exalt you; embrace her, and she will honor you.” How powerful and clear this simple principle “Wisdom is supreme, therefore get wisdom!” It can’t be any plainer than that. God has provided wisdom in His word that is available to all and then exalts it before us as the supreme necessity of a blessed life.
Psalm 84:8-11 is a reminder to us that it was God who made us, every detail, every ability, every thought of man is known to God. Nothing is hidden from His eyes. It is a reminder that because He is all knowing He disciplines us and His discipline is perfect because it is perfectly informed. There is no issue He does not fully know and fully comprehend concerning us and so His dealings are both merciful and just. Because this is true the Prov 1:7 reminds us of the foundation of knowledge and the fountain of wisdom, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.” To despise wisdom and discipline is to be a fool. To fail to recognize that these things come from God is the greatest form of foolishness. God calls us to Himself, gives us the source of ALL wisdom through Christ, and instructs us to build our lives on a disciplined application of this wisdom in the context of every decision and desire so that we can have the fullness of life and yet man’s tendency is to be self-willed and independent of this wise counsel and yet he dares to lift a voice of accusation against God when hard times touch His life.
The Apostle Paul points us to God’s provision for us in Col 2:1-3 “My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” Know this without any doubt that God’s desire for you is that you have the full riches of complete understanding! The desire of God is clearly known and the pathway leads us into the depths of knowing Jesus Christ “in whom are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” Give yourself to knowing Him today. Seek diligently the wisdom that is revealed as we learn His Word and His ways and heed the warning that God sends to preserve our lives from the evils that lie all around us.
Wednesday
Hebrews 11:1-3 - September 23, 2009
Please enjoy our guest writers devotional for today!
Hebrews 11:1-3 “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good report. Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.” KJV
Have you ever been in a situation that really challenged your faith in God? On Monday we talked about patience and the testing of our faith and that we can choose how to respond to seasons of trials and testing. Being a christian surely doesn’t mean that we are not going through difficult times, but it does mean that God gives us the strength to face, go through and come out of those seasons stronger than we’ve been before – if we let him!
God’s desire is, to bring us to completion and that we grow in our dependency to him. We are supposed to “live by faith and not by sight”. If we knew how things would work out from the beginning, there was no need for faith. But faith is
“the evidence of things not seen.”
Remember the testing of Abraham’s faith in Genesis 22. God said to Abraham to take his only son Isaac and to sacrifice him as a burnt offering! How about that one? Think of Abraham’s situation: Years before he had received the promise of God to become a great nation but he did not have a son to fulfill this promise. He and Sarah tried to help fulfill this promise by doing something other than God told them and as we know, Hagar gave birth to Ishmael. After Sarah did receive the promised child Isaac, Abraham had to send Ishmael away. And now God asked of him to offer up the only son through which the promise to become a great nations could be fulfilled.
Even though this must have been an unbelievably hard decision, Abraham chose to obey God. He chose to let go of how he thought things would work out even though he had received the promise that it would be through Isaac that his offspring would be reckoned. Abraham’s obedience to God was even greater than the love towards his son. Even though he did not understand the reason for what God was asking of him, he was about to offer up Isaac by faith, knowing that God could raise the dead if he chose to. In the end, God greatly rewarded this obedience and Abraham’s trust in him.
This is a very dramatic example, but the principle is the same in every situation that you face. Are you willing to lay it all down at the feet of Jesus; your desires, your thoughts, your own abilities? Sometime when we receive a promise from God, things seem to go in the exact opposite direction. But how do we react in those moments? Hebrews 11:6 “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” NIV It doesn’t matter how the testing of your faith might look like. Even though at times you’ll find yourself stuck in situations that you don’t understand, believe that God is bigger than those circumstances! Embrace those circumstances as a chance to grow. If you seek the Lord in the middle of the testing of your faith, he will surely reward that and your faith will increase more and more – even if you can’t see it yet! Because “faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen”.
Hebrews 11:1-3 “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good report. Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.” KJV
Have you ever been in a situation that really challenged your faith in God? On Monday we talked about patience and the testing of our faith and that we can choose how to respond to seasons of trials and testing. Being a christian surely doesn’t mean that we are not going through difficult times, but it does mean that God gives us the strength to face, go through and come out of those seasons stronger than we’ve been before – if we let him!
God’s desire is, to bring us to completion and that we grow in our dependency to him. We are supposed to “live by faith and not by sight”. If we knew how things would work out from the beginning, there was no need for faith. But faith is
“the evidence of things not seen.”
Remember the testing of Abraham’s faith in Genesis 22. God said to Abraham to take his only son Isaac and to sacrifice him as a burnt offering! How about that one? Think of Abraham’s situation: Years before he had received the promise of God to become a great nation but he did not have a son to fulfill this promise. He and Sarah tried to help fulfill this promise by doing something other than God told them and as we know, Hagar gave birth to Ishmael. After Sarah did receive the promised child Isaac, Abraham had to send Ishmael away. And now God asked of him to offer up the only son through which the promise to become a great nations could be fulfilled.
Even though this must have been an unbelievably hard decision, Abraham chose to obey God. He chose to let go of how he thought things would work out even though he had received the promise that it would be through Isaac that his offspring would be reckoned. Abraham’s obedience to God was even greater than the love towards his son. Even though he did not understand the reason for what God was asking of him, he was about to offer up Isaac by faith, knowing that God could raise the dead if he chose to. In the end, God greatly rewarded this obedience and Abraham’s trust in him.
This is a very dramatic example, but the principle is the same in every situation that you face. Are you willing to lay it all down at the feet of Jesus; your desires, your thoughts, your own abilities? Sometime when we receive a promise from God, things seem to go in the exact opposite direction. But how do we react in those moments? Hebrews 11:6 “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” NIV It doesn’t matter how the testing of your faith might look like. Even though at times you’ll find yourself stuck in situations that you don’t understand, believe that God is bigger than those circumstances! Embrace those circumstances as a chance to grow. If you seek the Lord in the middle of the testing of your faith, he will surely reward that and your faith will increase more and more – even if you can’t see it yet! Because “faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen”.
Tuesday
Psalm 93:1-2 - September 22, 2009
Ps 93:1-2 "The LORD reigns, he is robed in majesty; the LORD is robed in majesty and is armed with strength. The world is firmly established; it cannot be moved. 2 Your throne was established long ago; you are from all eternity." NIV
These two verses in Psalm 93 are one of the clearest statements found in scripture of God’s eternal attributes. “You are from all eternity.” This phrase is written in the context of God’s throne being established long ago in ages past, making it clear to us that this Psalm is not just talking about God’s eternal future, but also that He is uncreated in His past, with no beginning and no ending. This understanding, that there never was a time when any material substance existed, of which God was not a part and in control of is a central justification for His right of dominion over all creation and in particular all mankind.
We are called by this passage to acknowledge that it is God who reigns in all things past, present and future. “The Lord reigns…” This statement is so direct that it leaves no room for any other being to be considered His equal. His kingly robes are majestic and He is full of strength that is unequalled amongst all beings in heaven or on earth and because of this the world which He has created, stands unmovable in the midst of His creation. The majesty of God is expressed to us through the glorious man Christ Jesus through whom we have been given a revelation of God’s power and essence and through whom we see the extent of God’s authority over all created things. In Heb 1:1-3 the scriptures develop this thinking “God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, 2 in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. 3 And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power.” NASU Jesus is the exact representation of God’s nature and as an expression of God’s dominion this passage tells us of this rule through the man Christ Jesus who is not only the radiance of His glory but also “upholds all things by the word of His power.”
During His earthly years of ministry Jesus spoke of the eternal nature and dominion of God expressed through Him when in two powerful statements. In Matt 28:17-18 Jesus taught His disciples about His power, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” And in John 8:58 He confirmed God’s eternal nature as expressed through Him by saying "I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!" Jesus came into the earth to be a visible representation of God’s character, power and nature so that we might more fully understand who God is and how He cares for this. He said confidently to His disciples in John 14:9-10 “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? 10 Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.” Every time that he healed the sick, raised the dead, walked on water, multiplied the bread, turned water into wine, and cast out demons Jesus was demonstrating the throne of God and God’s absolute authority over creation. His disciples watched Him calm the storm with the words of His mouth and said Mark 4:41 "Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!" Look to Jesus today and meditate upon the glory of God and the power that is in Him. Consider also the eternal nature of God and find comfort in His reign over all that concerns you both in this life and the life to come.
These two verses in Psalm 93 are one of the clearest statements found in scripture of God’s eternal attributes. “You are from all eternity.” This phrase is written in the context of God’s throne being established long ago in ages past, making it clear to us that this Psalm is not just talking about God’s eternal future, but also that He is uncreated in His past, with no beginning and no ending. This understanding, that there never was a time when any material substance existed, of which God was not a part and in control of is a central justification for His right of dominion over all creation and in particular all mankind.
We are called by this passage to acknowledge that it is God who reigns in all things past, present and future. “The Lord reigns…” This statement is so direct that it leaves no room for any other being to be considered His equal. His kingly robes are majestic and He is full of strength that is unequalled amongst all beings in heaven or on earth and because of this the world which He has created, stands unmovable in the midst of His creation. The majesty of God is expressed to us through the glorious man Christ Jesus through whom we have been given a revelation of God’s power and essence and through whom we see the extent of God’s authority over all created things. In Heb 1:1-3 the scriptures develop this thinking “God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, 2 in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. 3 And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power.” NASU Jesus is the exact representation of God’s nature and as an expression of God’s dominion this passage tells us of this rule through the man Christ Jesus who is not only the radiance of His glory but also “upholds all things by the word of His power.”
During His earthly years of ministry Jesus spoke of the eternal nature and dominion of God expressed through Him when in two powerful statements. In Matt 28:17-18 Jesus taught His disciples about His power, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” And in John 8:58 He confirmed God’s eternal nature as expressed through Him by saying "I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!" Jesus came into the earth to be a visible representation of God’s character, power and nature so that we might more fully understand who God is and how He cares for this. He said confidently to His disciples in John 14:9-10 “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? 10 Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.” Every time that he healed the sick, raised the dead, walked on water, multiplied the bread, turned water into wine, and cast out demons Jesus was demonstrating the throne of God and God’s absolute authority over creation. His disciples watched Him calm the storm with the words of His mouth and said Mark 4:41 "Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!" Look to Jesus today and meditate upon the glory of God and the power that is in Him. Consider also the eternal nature of God and find comfort in His reign over all that concerns you both in this life and the life to come.
Monday
James 1:2-4 - September 21, 2009
Today, enjoy our guest writers devotional!
James 1:2-4 “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” NIV
Drive- through’s are found more and more everywhere. What began with fast food chains is now found at pharmacies, banks and even the Post office. Entering the Drive-through, you expect to get the requested product fast and convenient. But have you ever stood in the line and there where three cars waiting in front of you? Have you ever paid attention to the reaction of the people waiting in the other cars? Or have you even been one of the people that start sighing just by entering the line? Two minutes later you started complaining, because you didn’t place your order yet and you really didn’t have the time to wait any longer? You started getting angry at the workers in the store, because they worked too slowly or because people didn’t order quick enough?
Patience! Everything around us is about getting the most out of something in the shortest amount of time possible. We are not used and willing to wait for things over a longer period of time. Unfortunately, we relate in the same way to God. We do it in prayer, in worship and in our quiet time before the Lord. We are so often looking for the spiritual “Drive-through”, without even
recognizing it.
When facing trials, we try to get out of it as soon as possible. “Consider it pure joy…” James tells us to rejoice in our trials and to let patience have the saying and doing of it. God wants us to grow in faith through all our circumstances by facing them in patience, believing that he will use every situation for the good. He is bringing us to completion, situation after situation. We have to make the choice wether we get angry over circumstances and complain or instead draw closer to our Comforter, our Counselor and Deliverer.
“Blessed is the man who perseveres in trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.” James 1:12 NIV
No condition of life should hinder us to rejoice in God. In trials, seek joy in and from God, not from any substitutes the world has to offer. You can rejoice, knowing that God has the crown of life in store for us. He promises it to us in his word! The question is: Will you stand the test? How are you choosing to face your trial?
God is so much longing for time with us, longing for intimacy. He doesn’t want us to come and expect answers to our pleas within 5 minutes so that we can go back to business. When our faith is being tested, whenever we face difficulties, let us draw close to God in those situations, choosing to embrace those seasons as possibilities to spend even more time with him, getting to know him better and trusting in him, that he will lead us right through our circumstances as we trust that he is developing perseverence in us and brings
us to completion!
James 1:2-4 “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” NIV
Drive- through’s are found more and more everywhere. What began with fast food chains is now found at pharmacies, banks and even the Post office. Entering the Drive-through, you expect to get the requested product fast and convenient. But have you ever stood in the line and there where three cars waiting in front of you? Have you ever paid attention to the reaction of the people waiting in the other cars? Or have you even been one of the people that start sighing just by entering the line? Two minutes later you started complaining, because you didn’t place your order yet and you really didn’t have the time to wait any longer? You started getting angry at the workers in the store, because they worked too slowly or because people didn’t order quick enough?
Patience! Everything around us is about getting the most out of something in the shortest amount of time possible. We are not used and willing to wait for things over a longer period of time. Unfortunately, we relate in the same way to God. We do it in prayer, in worship and in our quiet time before the Lord. We are so often looking for the spiritual “Drive-through”, without even
recognizing it.
When facing trials, we try to get out of it as soon as possible. “Consider it pure joy…” James tells us to rejoice in our trials and to let patience have the saying and doing of it. God wants us to grow in faith through all our circumstances by facing them in patience, believing that he will use every situation for the good. He is bringing us to completion, situation after situation. We have to make the choice wether we get angry over circumstances and complain or instead draw closer to our Comforter, our Counselor and Deliverer.
“Blessed is the man who perseveres in trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.” James 1:12 NIV
No condition of life should hinder us to rejoice in God. In trials, seek joy in and from God, not from any substitutes the world has to offer. You can rejoice, knowing that God has the crown of life in store for us. He promises it to us in his word! The question is: Will you stand the test? How are you choosing to face your trial?
God is so much longing for time with us, longing for intimacy. He doesn’t want us to come and expect answers to our pleas within 5 minutes so that we can go back to business. When our faith is being tested, whenever we face difficulties, let us draw close to God in those situations, choosing to embrace those seasons as possibilities to spend even more time with him, getting to know him better and trusting in him, that he will lead us right through our circumstances as we trust that he is developing perseverence in us and brings
us to completion!
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