January 2, 2010
As we make our New Year’s resolutions, lets think about how Jesus viewed his time here on earth.
John 7:6 Therefore Jesus told them, "The right time for me has not yet come; for you any time is right.
Why was any time right for them? Because they were not seeking to move in the current of the Holy Spirit. Jesus brought all the details of his life to God and submitted them to God’s timing. We can be very busy in our lives in the church and be outside the stream of God’s moving and therefore see very little fruit of our efforts.
Many times we decide in the moment or in other words “live in the moment” rather than seeking God’s direction for us. Jesus always sought God’s will first and focused on finishing the work God had laid out for him.
John 5:30 By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.
John 4:34"My food," said Jesus, "is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.”
We can not afford to have the mind set that our time is our own to do what we want with our lives.
Eph 2:10 For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
I Cor. 3:12-15 If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13 his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. 14 If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. 15 If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.
God has designed a specific work especially suited to each of us that will bring Him the glory and bring the fruit in our lives that fulfils us the most.
Don’t you want your time in 2010 to be in sync with God’s plan and work for you? Let us take the time to search it out with our Father in Bible Study and Prayer and then put into practice what He reveals.
December 5, 2009
As women, many times we don’t know what we are really feeling emotionally without talking it through with someone. Sometimes we think we have to dress up our thoughts or work through all the sin before we take it to God in prayer. We figure God knows our thoughts, but we shy away from expressing them to him thinking lightening will strike us if we say it in prayer.
David poured out his thought and feelings to God without editing them and encouraged others to do so also. Psalm 62:8 says “Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.” David practiced what he preached. In Psalm 5:9, he speaks freely about what he thinks about some people. “ Not a word from their mouth can be trusted; their heart is filled with destruction. Their throat is an open grave; with their tongue they speak deceit.”
In Psalm 17: 10-11, 13, he pleads with God to confront someone, “They close up their callous hearts, and their mouths speak with arrogance. They have tracked me down, they now surround me, with eyes alert, to throw me to the ground. Rise up, O LORD, confront them, bring them down; rescue me from the wicked by your sword.”
In Psalm 22:6 and Psalm 31: 11-13 David expresses feelings of low self-worth. He vents his anger, even whining and complaining to God. “But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by men and despised by the people. Because of all my enemies, I am the utter contempt of my neighbors; I am a dread to my friends - those who see me on the street flee from me. I am forgotten by them as though I were dead; I have become like broken pottery. For I hear the slander of many; there is terror on every side; they conspire against me and plot to take my life.” David worked out his feelings with God’s help.
Jesus always prayed this way and encouraged others to do so also. Jesus drew out people’s inmost thoughts, motives, and feelings enabling them to deal with them and grow in their faith. For example, in John 5, Jesus asks the man if he wants to get well. Was that because Jesus didn’t know the answer or did he want the man to think about what was in his heart about his life?
In John 20:5, Jesus found Mary Magdalene and asked her why she was crying. He could have seen into her heart, but he wanted her to articulate exactly why she was crying. He wanted to hear how she felt about him.
Many times we need to state out loud our beliefs to strengthen our own faith. In Matthew 16:15, Jesus asked the disciples, "But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am? Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
Jesus goes on to bless him because of his confession of faith.
In John 21, Jesus asks Peter three times of he truly loves him. Peter has to state out loud his commitment of love for him in front of the others.
God is interested in a relationship with us. He wants us to pour out our hearts to him just as we are. He helps us sort through the feelings to separate truth from fiction and the difference between perception and reality. He needs to hear how we love him and how we need him. He will help us forgive those who have sinned against us. He will champion our cause. Food for thought. Judy Dilts