Grow in Faith by Being Faithful

"Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.” John 16:22 (NIV) Do you find that some days you’re staring at your circumstances and making faithless judgments about the things you see? I know I struggle with believing the biblical truth that God is present in all circumstances, particularly when it is a no-good-dirty-rotten day. Jesus, on the other hand, was certain about the reality of God and certain about God’s presence in his life. Think about this: Heading into a crisis that would cost him his life, Jesus was so certain of God’s presence that, during the Last Supper, not one of his disciples discerned the gravity of the circumstances! Jesus was confident that God was not only present, but also working through the circumstances. And, yes, later that evening Jesus began sweating blood from the strain of it all, but he still remained confident that the Father was there and aware. He trusted God was working things out. We, too, can be certain that God is working in our lives. We develop this radical faith when we learn to trust in God’s character, when we decide, in faith, that God is who he says he is and that he will do what he says he will do. We come to know that God is faithful when we do the things he tells us to do and then see that he did come through on his promises. In other words, we grow in faith by being faithful. We trust Jesus and see that he is real, and that makes us trust him even more.

by: Jon Walker

We May Suffer Even When Obedient

“If any of you want to come with me,” he told them, “you must forget yourself, carry your cross, and follow me.” Mark 8:34 (TEV)

When we suffer, we can cling to the truth that God is not surprised. We do not suffer outside the sovereignty and power of God.

We can rest in his promise that he has our best interest at heart and so, when suffering and rejection come, we can obediently trust that our suffering is not an accident but a necessity used by God to lovingly squeeze the things out of us that we might otherwise ignore or excuse -- the sin, disobedience, and apathy that we like to think isn’t so bad.

And this is why Jesus so often addresses the weary and brokenhearted (see Matthew 11:28-30). In a sense, ‘Come to me if you are desperate because only desperate men and women are willing to suffer for my cause.’

They alone understand God will give them “treasures of darkness and riches from secret places, so that you may know that I, the Lord, the God of Israel call you by your name.” (Isaiah 45:3 HCSB)

Consider this: The cross did not just happen to Jesus; it was part of his purpose for coming to earth. Suffering does not just happen upon you; God uses it to help you fulfill the purpose for your life.

You may face suffering even as you walk obediently into this decade of destiny. Don’t let it distract you; instead, let it drive you deeper into the heart of God. Even if you can’t see the work of God’s hand, place your faith in the loving and good nature of God.

by Jon Walker

God Meant It for Good

You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result. Genesis 50:20 (NASB)

Joseph’s life was anything but peaceful. He was sold into slavery by jealous brothers and thrown into prison on false charges. Yet, he remained free of bitterness or regret and saw God as the “Great Engineer” behind even the worst of circumstances. 

In a final confrontation with his brothers, he graciously noted, “You meant it for bad; God meant it for good.”

“God meant it for good” says:

You can accept the past. No sin, no action, no choice on your part is too big for God to handle or too big to be worked out for good (Romans 8:28). Just ask Joseph! Better yet, ask his brothers who ended up relying on him for their survival.

You can embrace the present. There’s no need to play the “what if” game. The past is forgiven and gone, and the future is in God’s omnipotent hands; so you’re free to focus on the present: “Wherever you are, be all there,” says Jim Elliot. God wants you in the present because that’s where his grace will flow.

You can look expectantly toward the future. Even if you make mistakes today, God still controls your future. Walking in the Spirit, you can live life to the fullest, without fear of making mistakes that take you out of God’s control. Even when things appear to be terrible, you can trust that God is still working out his divine plan for your life.

         
by Jon Walker

God Will Never Run Out of Love for You

Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22–23 (NIV)

"Since God's compassion starts new every morning, you will never reach a point where his supply of love is exhausted."

Years ago there was a television commercial that featured Jay Leno eating a snack chip. The premise was that the chips had become so popular there were people concerned that grocery stores would run out. Leno, biting into a chip with a loud crunch, says, “Crunch all you want; we’ll make more.”

God’s love is like that; you can’t exhaust the supply. It’s sort of like -- “Accept all you can of God’s love today; then he’ll still have more tomorrow.” God will supply more and more and more love today, tomorrow, and forever. The ancient poet-prophet Jeremiah says this merciful love from God never fails; it’s like an inexhaustible supply of fresh, loving-compassion each morning.

Since God’s compassion starts new every morning, you will never reach a point where his supply of love is exhausted. God will never run out of love and compassion. This means you can never blow it so bad that God will abandon you. He is the God-of-second-chances. If you’re uncertain that God can (or has) forgiven you for things you did in the past, ask him to help you replace your fears with faith.

God will make it so. The Hebrew word for faithfulness is related to the word amen, which means “so be it.” When you close a prayer with amen, you’re quite literally acknowledging that God is faithful to make it so. How would your prayers be different if you deeply believed God will make it so?

(This devotional is by Jon Walker, editor of the Daily Hope Devotionals and author of Costly Grace.)

"What do you fear?"

I watched a child in the mall yesterday as she was kicking and screaming. 
Her parents were trying their best to calm her down.

I also watched the people passing by them. Some shook their heads and
saw the child as a spoiled, "give me what I want now," child.  Others paused
and offered a few kind words to both the child and parents.

"You're such a beautiful little girl.  Such a beautiful girl shouldn't cry,"
one lady said.

"Don't be so sad.  We all have bad days," added another.

"I think she's a spoiled brat," I heard one whisper to a friend.

None of them were right.  The child was neither spoiled nor having a bad day.

She was afraid.

The parents told me afterwards that someone carrying a coat scared her. 
She's afraid of dogs.  The coat looked like a big dog.

They went on to explain that it is a challenge for them to go places. 
Friends have dogs, neighbors nearby walk their dogs down the street.

So, you can imagine what it's like to try to get through a day without sending
your child into a panic.

I can remember, as a child walking up the steps at night I would get the feeling
that someone or some thing was going to grab my feet.  So, I ran most of the time.

I'll admit that occasionally as an adult I do the same thing.

Fear.  What you fear the most in life, owns you,controls you, limits you. 

I struggle with the fear of heights, but I fight it.

My wife sent me off in a glider on my 60th birthday.  I was fine.  I was better than
fine, I was great!

If I could have one foolish child-like wish come  true it would be to have the ability
to fly like a bird.

The truth is fear can be debilitating.  Fear cripples many, limits abilities to enjoy
even the simplest things in life and in some cases stops people from having
medical procedures that could prevent major health issues.

Fear also crushes dreams.

Sometimes our own fears are imposed on others around us affecting their views
and impacting their ability to live life fully...all in the name of love, concern and
good parenting.

Someone once used the acronym F.E.A.R as False Evidence Appearing Real.

I'm not sure that applies to all fear.  One might have had a bad experience with
a dog and now that fear is real, relevant in their lives.

But, I think the kind of fear I believe we can deal with is the fear that reinforces
doubt.

In particular poor self image issues either self imposed or wrongfully fed to you
by others in your life or the world in general.

Fear and doubt are enemies of faith.  They are the enemy that you permit to
control your decisions even when you declare your faith in God.

You give them power over you.  The enemy doesn't want you to be happy,
successful, or faithful.  The enemy wants you to fail and stay there.  Why?

Because successful, happy, healthy people give credit for their happiness to
God even when they face their fears they declare their belief in the God who fears nothing.

"Fear prevents, faith prevails!"

By Bob Perks

Faith: Doing Exactly What Jesus Says to Do

“Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means Sent). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing. His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, “Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg?” John 9:7–8 (NIV) "Jesus uses your desperation to push you toward your purpose." Then Jesus said, “Go . . . wash in the pool of Siloam” (John 9:7 NIV). At first, the blind man may have hesitated, confused about how going to Siloam would give him sight. He may have been wondering, “Why would Jesus make me do this when he could have simply healed me back there?” But his desperation pushed him toward the Pool of Siloam, just as Jesus uses your desperation to push you toward your purpose. The blind man may have heard the laughter and ridicule as people watched him stumble toward the pool: “Look at that fool with the mud on his face.” “Even we can’t see with mud in our eyes!” “Are you crazy enough to think you’ll really be healed?” But the blind man could not be shamed from doing whatever it took to be healed. Jesus told him what to do, and if that meant washing his face in the Pool of Siloam, then that’s what he’d do, no matter what anyone else said. Siloam means “sent”—Jesus sent and the man went, and once he’d washed his face, the man could see! Faith means doing exactly what Jesus says to do. When Jesus finished rubbing mud into the blind man’s eyes, he didn’t say, “Now quickly wipe away the mud.” He didn’t say, “Go to the nearest well for water and then wash your face.” He said. “Go to Siloam.” When Jesus tells us what to do, we need to pay close attention to the details. Otherwise, we may act according to our assumptions -- according to what the Jesus we imagine in our minds might tell us to do. You want to follow the real Jesus, who not only knows what he is doing, but also has your best interest at heart. by Jon Walker, author, Costly Grace

Overrated

Proverbs 23:4, Do not overwork to be rich; because of your own understanding, cease!
First, I want you to notice that this verse does not say don't work.  And it does
not say don't work hard.  It says don't overwork.

There are some people in God's family who are not led, they are driven.  They
are so focused on reaching their goals and achieving whatever level of success
they are going after, that they are making a lot of sacrifices along the way.

But they are making the wrong sacrifices.  They are sacrificing their marriage
and they are sacrificing their relationship with their kids.  Why?  Because they
overwork.  And, friend, that is not healthy.

In fact, I would say that overworking is as unhealthy as not working.  You miss
out on the grand things in life, the important things in life.  With some people,
even their relationship with God gets squeezed out because they overwork.

You need to be motivated; you need to work hard; but you don't want to overdo
it to the point that you don't have time for your children.  You don't want to work
so hard that you don't have time for your spouse.  And you don't want to so
overwork that you don't have time for your God. 

You are missing life if you are just after possessions, and you are sacrificing
the more important things along the way.

How does your work life measure up today?  Are you overworking at the expense
of your marriage, your family, and your relationship with God?  If so, determine
today to get your life back in balance.

Overworking is overrated! 

When you carry the Bible, Satan gets a headache.
When you open it, he collapses.
When he sees you reading it, he faints.
When he sees that you are living what you read, he flees.

forwarded by: Enrico Plamenco