Take Time for a Time Out -- "Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!" (Psalm 46:10)
Get past the obstacles that cloud your thinking, past the storms of life that come and bring devastation to your mind, body and / or soul.
Listen for that "still small voice" (1 Kings 19:12) that you might miss if you aren't immersed in the word of God.
Listen! Wake up and hear!
God is there --
in the quietness of nature ...
He surrounds us -- reveals Himself to us everywhere, but, are we buried so deep within ourselves we never hear what our Lord is saying?
Don't lose heart -- "Therefore I ask that you do not lose heart at my tribulations for you, which is your glory. For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height - to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen." (Ephesians 3:13-21)
Don't come to the conclusion you know any of the answers, unless God Himself has revealed them to you.
Don't fall into the trap of who cares, what is the point, I want, I don't understand, It don't matter, I've waited long enough, I'll do what I want to do.
Don't settle for thinking 'There is no God, so we should stop worrying and enjoy life.'
There is a God! His name is Christ Jesus! And through Him, in Him, of Him, we can stop worrying and we can enjoy life!
He is all, everything we will ever need. It may take us a long time to realize this. We do not grow at the same pace. It is not easy to wrap our thinking around the immenseness of God. Living for Him, relying totaling on Him is easy to talk about, but to actually do, that requires intense listening - a "still small voice." Studying, praying, praising, worshiping.
God's strength, when we realize we must let go of what little we ourselves have, will carry us through and beyond. His love reaches way out, beyond forever.
Don't give in. Don't give up. Don't lose heart. Listen. Be still and know.
Showing posts with label God All Sufficient. Show all posts
Showing posts with label God All Sufficient. Show all posts
Monday, July 27, 2009
Friday, March 27, 2009
To Be or Not To Be
To Be .... alive, living life
or
Not To Be ... dead
That is the question. ... the state of affairs.
There are still some, a handful or two at my workplace who continue to have jobs, yet their careers are on hold ... waiting day-to-day for that new job offer or the pink slip that confirms their greatest nightmare / fear.
Every person has (or will have) been in this type of dillemma sometime during their lifetime.
Focusing on "what if I lose my job" only leads to despair, desperation, distrust, depression. Might as well focus on "what if I die tomorrow." Well, we might. You never know what may happen. But turn the tables -- "what if you received $1,000 in the mail?" "What if all your bills were paid in full?"
We never know about the "what if's," so you might as well not go there. God alone knows where you are right now and where you are headed and the road you will take. Best to keep it all with Him.
The more we know, the more we think we need to know, is not always satisfying. As children of God, our faith and trust must rest solely in Him. He will sustain us. He is all-sufficient. God will provide for our every need.
What can we do? We have nothing. We can grapple within our minds, thinking of the best way to do things, but is it the best way? Sometimes, we simply must wait. Pray, talk with the Lord, share with Him your feelings. Then wait for His response. But we must wait, reassured God will answer, will show us the way we are to go. We must not worry or become distraught, but rely on God's promises.
"Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything, as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God." (2 Corinthians 3: 5)
or
Not To Be ... dead
That is the question. ... the state of affairs.
There are still some, a handful or two at my workplace who continue to have jobs, yet their careers are on hold ... waiting day-to-day for that new job offer or the pink slip that confirms their greatest nightmare / fear.
Every person has (or will have) been in this type of dillemma sometime during their lifetime.
Focusing on "what if I lose my job" only leads to despair, desperation, distrust, depression. Might as well focus on "what if I die tomorrow." Well, we might. You never know what may happen. But turn the tables -- "what if you received $1,000 in the mail?" "What if all your bills were paid in full?"
We never know about the "what if's," so you might as well not go there. God alone knows where you are right now and where you are headed and the road you will take. Best to keep it all with Him.
The more we know, the more we think we need to know, is not always satisfying. As children of God, our faith and trust must rest solely in Him. He will sustain us. He is all-sufficient. God will provide for our every need.
What can we do? We have nothing. We can grapple within our minds, thinking of the best way to do things, but is it the best way? Sometimes, we simply must wait. Pray, talk with the Lord, share with Him your feelings. Then wait for His response. But we must wait, reassured God will answer, will show us the way we are to go. We must not worry or become distraught, but rely on God's promises.
"Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything, as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God." (2 Corinthians 3: 5)
Monday, March 16, 2009
Preparation, planning, praying ... an important part of waiting
When I started writing this morning and getting into God's word, I wasn't quite sure where I was headed. Sometimes I have a hint of where God is leading me and sometimes I end up pondering for days what he is trying to teach me. Today it seemed to be more about pursuing dreams and getting out of comfort zones, not being okay with the status quo and not going off on tangents that may lead to places we are not supposed to go.
In "Pursue Your God-Given Dream," Daniel Ekhaifo says God seems to be preparing us and positioning us gradually for something better.
I agree with that thought. All along our journey with God we travel through peaks and valleys, good times and bad times, learning ... God is preparing us for something better. Our whole trip or journey in life is one big preparation for something better. And when God has in place what needs to be in place, then He sets us down, often abruptly, in the midst to proceed and pursue.
As we abide with God -- praying, meditating, studying, obeying, following -- He abides with us. Abiding with Him does not mean we won't have trials and tests. It does mean He will be with us as we go though them, enabling us to remain at peace and confident that God knows what He is doing even though we ourselves do not.
God will change our situation suddenly. You might think when you are laid off your job or fired it was a God thing, and it could be, but that's not always the case. God knows about every situation and He may allow things to happen, but just because He allows it, does not mean that was His plan all along.
Depending upon your personal relationship with Jesus Christ, you may know if this is (or is not) the Lord's plan and where to go from that point onward. But you have to wait, be patient, seek out what God is saying to you and proceed.
Sometimes we wait a very long time. We are not to just sit back and wait for God to make things happen. We are to prepare and plan and pray as we await God's instructions, then proceed, trusting God to provide.
God will change our situation suddenly. We must be alert to the Lord's presence everywhere and at all times ... where we least expect to see Him.
We must not become attached to the status quo -- our comfort zone. When we settle for less it is to our disadvantage wherever we are.
For every opportunity that comes our way we should attribute it to God. Give Him all the glory and honor for everything. Through Him we can be a blessing to another, we can be anothers' opportunity. When we abide with Christ, His demeanor will shine upon us as we seek to fulfill His purpose for us.
Where does God want me to go ... with everything? I think about my dream, my purpose, my plan of action. I must remember to always keep God at the helm to accomplish any desire God has given me, big and small.
Like I've said before, alternative ideas can thwart your God-given dream, causing you to lose sight of where it is God wants you. Even if the alternative is a good idea ... that doesn't mean you should go there. If you feel pulled in different directions, talk about it with God. He will never steer you wrong. He will never fail you.
El-Shaddai ... God Almighty ... God All Sufficient. Be Thou My Vision.
"Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God." (2 Corinthians 3: 5)
So true. No reason to fret whatever the situation, the circumstance. God is All Sufficient. He is everything we need. When we are one with Him, what have we to fear? He will make us strong for the journey, the pilgrimage of our life.
In today's Gazette, Steve Buttry, former editor and now Information Content conductor, wrote a commentary, "No room for smugness as Gazette experiments." (You can read it on his blog: stevebuttry.wordpress.com) He reminds us the newspaper is "just a delivery system, not the actual product. Our true product is news, information, meaning, context, connection to the community and connection to the marketplace.
The newspaper is a vehicle, one of many ways to spread news and other information to the public. It is not the actual product.
The Bible is also a vehicle, one of many ways to spread the word of God to millions of people. The Bible is not the actual product. The Gospel is.
The written word is a vehicle, as is the spoken word, sign language, radio, television, the internet, palm-held computers, and undoubtedly many more. All a vehicle -- a way to effectively and efficiently deliver, transport, spread, communicate the end product ... whether it be news and information or the gospel of Jesus Christ. If one method is faltering, then we try another. If we stop trying, death is just around the corner. ... at the next light perhaps.
In "Pursue Your God-Given Dream," Daniel Ekhaifo says God seems to be preparing us and positioning us gradually for something better.
I agree with that thought. All along our journey with God we travel through peaks and valleys, good times and bad times, learning ... God is preparing us for something better. Our whole trip or journey in life is one big preparation for something better. And when God has in place what needs to be in place, then He sets us down, often abruptly, in the midst to proceed and pursue.
As we abide with God -- praying, meditating, studying, obeying, following -- He abides with us. Abiding with Him does not mean we won't have trials and tests. It does mean He will be with us as we go though them, enabling us to remain at peace and confident that God knows what He is doing even though we ourselves do not.
God will change our situation suddenly. You might think when you are laid off your job or fired it was a God thing, and it could be, but that's not always the case. God knows about every situation and He may allow things to happen, but just because He allows it, does not mean that was His plan all along.
Depending upon your personal relationship with Jesus Christ, you may know if this is (or is not) the Lord's plan and where to go from that point onward. But you have to wait, be patient, seek out what God is saying to you and proceed.
Sometimes we wait a very long time. We are not to just sit back and wait for God to make things happen. We are to prepare and plan and pray as we await God's instructions, then proceed, trusting God to provide.
God will change our situation suddenly. We must be alert to the Lord's presence everywhere and at all times ... where we least expect to see Him.
We must not become attached to the status quo -- our comfort zone. When we settle for less it is to our disadvantage wherever we are.
For every opportunity that comes our way we should attribute it to God. Give Him all the glory and honor for everything. Through Him we can be a blessing to another, we can be anothers' opportunity. When we abide with Christ, His demeanor will shine upon us as we seek to fulfill His purpose for us.
Where does God want me to go ... with everything? I think about my dream, my purpose, my plan of action. I must remember to always keep God at the helm to accomplish any desire God has given me, big and small.
Like I've said before, alternative ideas can thwart your God-given dream, causing you to lose sight of where it is God wants you. Even if the alternative is a good idea ... that doesn't mean you should go there. If you feel pulled in different directions, talk about it with God. He will never steer you wrong. He will never fail you.
El-Shaddai ... God Almighty ... God All Sufficient. Be Thou My Vision.
"Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God." (2 Corinthians 3: 5)
So true. No reason to fret whatever the situation, the circumstance. God is All Sufficient. He is everything we need. When we are one with Him, what have we to fear? He will make us strong for the journey, the pilgrimage of our life.
~~~~~~~~~~
In today's Gazette, Steve Buttry, former editor and now Information Content conductor, wrote a commentary, "No room for smugness as Gazette experiments." (You can read it on his blog: stevebuttry.wordpress.com) He reminds us the newspaper is "just a delivery system, not the actual product. Our true product is news, information, meaning, context, connection to the community and connection to the marketplace.
The newspaper is a vehicle, one of many ways to spread news and other information to the public. It is not the actual product.
The Bible is also a vehicle, one of many ways to spread the word of God to millions of people. The Bible is not the actual product. The Gospel is.
The written word is a vehicle, as is the spoken word, sign language, radio, television, the internet, palm-held computers, and undoubtedly many more. All a vehicle -- a way to effectively and efficiently deliver, transport, spread, communicate the end product ... whether it be news and information or the gospel of Jesus Christ. If one method is faltering, then we try another. If we stop trying, death is just around the corner. ... at the next light perhaps.
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