I am enough.
Something very sweet and beautiful has been being preached to me and it's filling every crevice of my heart.
I am enough.
Because of my position in Christ and HIS beautiful work in me, I am enough.
Week after week this has been poured into me and yesterday while I was out running errands and maybe singing along with the radio, it hit me. I am enough. I am valued.
Last night I was blessed with the sweetest fellow during tutoring. My tutoree was sick so I got to sub for an absent tutor.
Our devotional was the Crucifixion of Jesus.
At the end when we were discussing it, my tutoree asked, "Why didn't Pilate do anything to help Jesus?"
I replied, "The crowds pressured him. We do the same thing when the Holy Spirit whispers what's right and good and pure and what He wants us to do, but instead, we choose our own way because what will our friends and family think?"
We looked at something soooooo cool last night in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. I never even noticed this before...
In
Christ's genealogies - In Matthew 1:16, it shows how Jesus was born of a
virgin and Luke 2:23 emphasizes that He was He was born the (step-) son
of Joseph whose genealogy lists back to Adam. John doesn't list a
genealogy b/c his emphasis was Jesus is God - "In the beginning was the
Word..." Mark doesn't even list a genealogy - he delves right in to
Jesus' earthly ministry!
Matthew 1:16 - And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.
Luke 2:23 - And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli,
I had never noticed the (as was supposed) in Luke. Did you ever notice that? When my pastor read that verse, I thought to myself, Has that always been there? Clearly it has. I just never noticed it. Thus the beautiful gift of Wednesday night Bible study.
Speaker: David Sommerdorf
Windsor Baptist Church
Sunday, April 19, 2015
Sunday School Lesson
Text: Matthew 7:7-8
Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
1. The call to prayer
A. The Word of the Father is a call to prayer.
Matthew 7:7...Ask
Matthew 9:38...Pray ye
Luke 18:1...Men ought always to pray
Matthew 26:41...Pray that ye enter not into temptation
I Thessalonians 5:17...Pray without ceasing
B. The example of the Son is a call to prayer.
1) While on earth
- in His baptism, before sending the disciples, at the grave of Lazarus, for Peter's faith, on the Mt. of Transfiguration, at the last supper, in Gethsemane, on the cross for His enemies
2) While in Heaven
- Hebrews 7:25 - Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them.
C. The urging of the Spirit is a call to prayer.
- Romans 8:26 - Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
D. The needs of our life are a call to prayer.
- Psalm 72:12 - For He shall deliver the needy when he crieth; the poor also, and him that hath no helper.
E. The anxiety of out hearts is a call to prayer.
"The beginning of anxiety is the end of faith." ~ Andrew Murray
- Philippians 4:6 - Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication let your requests be made known unto God.
1) Hinders our faith in God
2) Hinders the power of God
3) Hinders our peace with God
F. The temptations of the flesh are a call to prayer.
- Matthew 26:41 - He went away again the second time and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.
2. The practice of prayer
Begins by asking....Matthew 7:7
1. Be instant in asking.
2. Be constant in asking.
3. Be complete in asking.
There is a 'giving of God' that only comes from our asking.
3. The certainty in prayer
Everyone that asketh, receiveth...Matthew 7:8
A. Every one that asketh, receiveth something.
B. Every one that asketh, receiveth good things. Matthew 7:7-11
1) light and understanding
2) peace
3) Holy Spirit
C. Every one that asketh, receiveth the very thing he NEEDS. Matthew 6:8
I'm going to go out on a limb and announce that I truly believe spring is here. Having said that, it may now snow the final snow of 2015. {Insert nervous laughter.} I don't believe there's snow in the forecast but you know how March is, right? One minute - spring and tulips and people are twitter-pated and the next, BAM! a freak snow storm making us loathe this March-ish weather. I do not loathe this weather. Let me say that again...I. DO. NOT. LOATHE. THIS. WEATHER. March is fickle. One minute it's warm and you are wearing a maxi dress with sandals to church and then SURPRISE! it's cold and you are digging out your tights, winter dress, and a thicker sweater. Either way - soon, it will be spring for real. For now, I just enjoy it day-by-day...and isn't that the way we are suppose to enjoy life. Moment by moment and day by day...trusting Jesus and His wisdom to lead us and bring about His will in those moments and days. That's what His will is...it's daily. It's in the moments of this life that we are abundantly blessed in and with. Tomorrow is Monday. Am I looking forward to going back to work? Honestly...not so much. Not. So. Much. But I know that this is where God wants me. I know that I am doing what He wants me to do. This morning I taught Sunday school. Our lesson was on the Garden of Gethsemane when Jesus prayed and the Disciples slept. One of my students raised his hand and asked, "If you are praying and asking Jesus to forgive you of your sins, and you die before you say 'Amen' - will you still get to go to Heaven?" "I believe yes because God's forgiveness is instant. His forgiveness is not like when you ask your brother or sister to forgive you and they take FOR-EV-ER to answer. You pray and ask for forgiveness and it's granted like that." {snapped} It was quite a deep question as most of this fellow's questions are. Keeps his Sunday school teacher on her toes. :) When I read through the 4 Gospel accounts of the moments in the Garden, I was intrigued with something Luke wrote. He wrote that the Disciples slept out of sorrow {Luke 22:45}. I had forgotten this... They slept out of sorrow. Sometimes you just need a good cry, a cup of tea, and a nap. This lesson about Jesus' night of prayer has me pondering the lyrics to Whisper A Prayer...
Why do I need to know God? Because it is difficult to love someone that I don't know. Matthew 22:37 Because if I don't know the truth about God and His Son, I will believe Satan's lies. Ephesians 6:10-13 Because life is ALL about God and not about me.
"If our view about God is not right, nothing can ultimately be right in our lives. The reality of life is that life isn't supposed to make sense or bring any lasting peace and satisfaction apart from God." ~ Jim Berg, Changed into His Image
In her third session, Mardi shared... We need to carefully juggle our priorities. She said to think of each priority in our life as a "ball" that we are to carefully and expertly juggle. Not everyone can juggle the same amount of balls. Don't judge other people and the "balls" they are juggling!!!
Significant "balls" to juggle... 1) Your relationship with priority people. 2) Your relationship with God 3) Your other "balls" - job, friends, etc.
God may ask you to remove an other "ball" to make way for another one. If something is weighing you down, pray about it and ask the Lord to give your discernment.
Do not take on another "ball" before removing one.
Why do we need balance when it comes to juggling? Because God is a God of order.
Try to be as organized as you can be. Make lists. Mark priority items - 1, 2, 3...do those three and then come up with your next 1-3 items. This will maximize your efforts.
People typically fall under one of three categories... 1. Disorganized - loves life but makes excuses 2. Naturally organized 3. Organized wanna-bees
If you want to be more organized, find a naturally organized person and ask for their help...but don't exasperate them! And make sure that you thank them for their time.
Find an organizational tool that works for you. (I heart lists!!!)
And be balanced...don't try to organize / schedule every minute of every day. This will leave you little time for God-moments {friends spontaneously gathering for coffee, meeting someone to peruse the yarn store, washing an elderly person's windows, surprising someone with muffins / cookies, etc.}.
Angie confession: Most of the time, I am ridiculously organized. I find myself most overwhelmed when my schedule is crammed full. It's not full of "bad" things...just things. I've done a lot of soul-searching at Ladies Retreat and while reading Lysa TerKeurst's book The Best Yes. Through 2 studies and retreat, the Lord has been teaching me the SAME truth...it's ok to not try to juggle a gazillion things. It's ok to say "no" to something that would be viewed as good.
My cup runneth over...not literally because I would be terribly sad to have compromised coffee. My figurative cup runneth over...
November is the month in which we celebrate thankfulness and the abundance of blessings in our lives. I do hope that you don't just leaving the thankfulness for one month out of 12 because, friend, you are missing out if you do!!!
This past weekend I've been reminded of all the wonderful blessings in my life...
My Sunday school kids who love me because I'm their crazy Sunday school teacher. Never mind the fact that I oftentimes take a break from the story to insert a way that the lesson applies to my life...or the many rabbit trails we go on. Yesterday's lesson was about Martha being busy-busy-busy and Mary worshipping Jesus. I like this story because for so much of my Christian life, I thought I had to do-do-DO all these things {Listing A....B....C....D...and so on and so forth} and if I did all these things, Jesus would love me more and would bless me more. Wow - was I ever off the mark!!! I wasn't even "aiming" at the right target. Christ saved me not by any thing that I have done/did/will do. I don't remain saved because I do-do-do things for Him. I don't keep His love by doing more and more. He loves me. No strings attached. I think it's hard for us to swallow - especially if we have been around "performance-based" love. {I'm sure there's a technical name for this but I am not a therapist.}
In the middle of story, one my girls raised her hand. I called on her and she asked me, "How do you love a bully? You know - someone who is really mean to you." Immediately verse after verse came to mind...and I could've spouted them off like a fountain but would that have applied to this little gal's life? I prayed silently and asked for wisdom and words. The Lord gave and gave... Instead of just throwing verses at her tender third grade heart...I told her about a bully in my younger years. This classmate was un-beeee-lievable!!! He was rude and crass and just down-right mean and nasty to me. Even thinking about his name kind of gives me the heebie-jeebies. I carefully explained that Jesus wants us to love our enemies and to pray for them. I shared my journey to deal with this difficult individual and how eventually I went to the proper authorities (NOT the police...I was in 6th grade. I went to the bus driver! She was equally as law-enforcefulness as the police in my 6th grade mind!) and I was allowed to sit near the front of the bus while my tormentor sat in the back of the bus. I encouraged her (and the class) to pray & love our enemies.
I love my Sunday school kids. They know that they can come to me with anything and I will take the time - pause the story - and address this ....because bullying and meanies are a part of life.
We've not been the best of friends. Infact -- barely acquaintances is how I would sum up our relationship. I mean, if while getting groceries, I happened to meet up with this person, I would say, "Hi." Maybe even inquire on their day. But friends, we are not.
Last week, this individual and yours truly ventured on an researchful (pretty sure that should be a word) outing. I learned more in those few hours than I had learned in years of working together. Sad, I know.
I have shied-away from anything more than the acquaintance status completely out of fear. Writing the word "fear" made me recall the Bible verse that God has not given us the spirit of fear but of a sound mind. II Timothy 2:7: "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." How is it that all this time, I have read this verse but overlooked the "and of love" part. My brain got so wrapped around the fear and power and sound mind that I, Angie Good, missed out on the "and of love" part.
The verse before (which would be verse 6) talks about stirring up the gifts of God and the verse following (verse 8), it talks about not being ashamed of our testimony. Wow! I'm talking jumps-off-the-page-WOW!!!
Today my day ended with a series of computer-generated smiley faces and an encouraging comment.
I must digress for a moment - last weekend I was given the opportunity to talk to my former boss. Not my most former-former boss. But my former-former-former boss. His wife inquired about my current employment and I was sharing how God had opened up the doors. She said something to the effect, "Angie, where you are is where you are supposed to be. It's your mission field."
As I considered her words, the song This Little Light of Mine came to mind. Not so much the first verse or even the second -- but around the 3rd or maybe it's the 4th verse - the one that talks about hiding your light under a bushel (basket). It wouldn't be a good idea to hide your light under a bushel basket.... A) They are usually made of wood. Lit candle near wood - POOF! Fire!!!! Danger-danger! B) Some baskets are made of plastic. Plastic + a flame = a melted mess of goo.
Tonight I shared a snippet of the story with my pastor's wife who eloquently replied, "It's a mended fence." This got me thinking about how long it must've taken farmers, in the olden days, to mend a fence. When I say, "olden days" I do mean back in the day FOR REAL...not my usual circa 5 years ago when I was young and crazy. No, I mean OLD-EN DAYS. Plows with oxen. Think Little House on the Prairie. Would you like a confession about Little House on the Prairie? I thought so! :) I was in my 20's (TWEN-TIES!) before I realized Little House on the Prairie was filmed in the 80's. I don't know when I thought it was filmed/recorded but I did NOT think it was the 80's. Logically - HELLOOOO! It was playing on a t.v. and it was in color. Those two facts should've been Clues 1 and 2 respectively. I've always wanted to type "respectively" and use it properly.
Mending fences isn't something that can be done in 10 to 15 minutes. I was thinking about why you would have to mend a fence...animal stampede, inclement weather, etc. Both of those seem to be BIG things which would cause BIG damage needing BIG mending. Our relationships are like that...we can stampede over someone's feelings - this leaves a hole in need of repair. We can say something mean and hurtful - the equivalent of the herd of cattle charging the fence. And occasionally we can do damage to a fence and not even realize we are damaging it.
In the Old Testament account of Jacob, every time the enemy came upon their freshly dug well, Jacob would tell his men to pick up their tools and they were going to dig another well. Pastor Schettler preached from this passage. And even though college was a lifetime ago, I still remember him giving us circumstance after circumstance and after each hurtful thing, he would say, "Dig another well!"
Whether it's fences to be mended or wells to be dug, we've got work to do!!! Happy mending and/or digging!!! :)
Tonight we were blessed beyond measure to have Jim and Myra Wright at mid-week Bible study. Oh, how I love this dear couple. They are furlough-replacement missionaries. What a blessing to hear about their 2.5 month adventure in Hungary. (I did think of that scene in the opening of the Muppets when Walter and his brother are talking and Walter says, "Like Hungary's even a country!")
Mr. Wright (it's so strange to write that...I want to write "Pastor Wright." There happens to be a lot of Wright/rights in this sentence, right?) preached from John 6 - verses 1-15. Here are some of the things I jotted down...
The feeding of the 5,000 ~ there were more than 5,000 as the Scripture only notes the men not the women and children...and we know from the text that there were children there.
* My proximity to God
is dependant upon me
NOT Him. *
* God knows exactly who I am and He's perfectly content to let me be what/who He created me to be as long as I am growing closer to Him. God loves me because I am me. He loves me for no other reason. His love is not conditional. He loves me unconditionally. "Amazing love, how can it be that thou my God should die for me?"
* God does not compare us to others. He never once told John that he should be like Peter. God wants us to put ourselves in His hand and let Him mold us.
Can you imagine Andrew's internal conflict? The young boy has 2 fish and 5 loaves. The boy brought his lunch to Andrew. Andrew may have looked at the lunch and looked at the crowds and looked back at the smallness of the lunch. Andrew made the right choice when he was in conflict -- BRING THE CONFLICT TO THE LORD...even when it's a struggle. Have faith in God. Choose to believe.
Come to God with your conflict or need and fall humbly before Him.
When you give a gift to God, He is greatful!!! In the story, He (Jesus) thanked God for the lunch. The size of the gift (small or great) doesn't matter and is not important to God. The value (importance) of the gift is the receiver of the gift -- God.
I've been thinking and contemplating John 11:1-44. Earlier this morning, I read through the first third of our Ladies Club Bible study book, Refresh My Heart by Claudia Barber. Our lesson tonight is having a peaceful heart. We all want more peace...maybe in the form of peace & quiet...or peace with a friend or family member.
I know that I love to have peace in my workplace - not that it's tumultuous all the time. It's just tense right now as we gear-up for big projects and I am forced to work with a procrastinator. I don't like to procrastinate. Infact, not procrastinating was one of my 2012 resolutions and I must confess, only by God's grace did I not procrastinate too much last year. :) Too much might be the key phrase.
Here's what happened in John 11. The Angie paraphrase is...
Lazarus, friend of Jesus, was sick. He lived in the city of Bethany with his two sisters - Mary and Martha. If you read verse 2, the Bible tells us this very Mary was the one who anointed the Lord's feet with ointment.
Mary and Martha knew Jesus could heal their brother, so they sent word to him - most likely via a messenger. "Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick."
When Jesus heard the message, He said "This sickness is not unto death..." (verse 4).
I love verse 5.... "Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus."
When Jesus heard that Lazarus was sick, He did not drop what He was doing and go attend to Lazarus. Verse 6 says that He stayed another two days where He was when He received the message.
After two days, He said to the disciples, "Let us go into Judaea."
Imagine the disciples shock when the Lord told them Judaea. You see, by going there, the disciples knew the Jews had attempted to stone Jesus during the previous journey.
Jesus knew His mission and it was to travel to Judaea so he explained to the disciples that they needed to go there because men are walking around in darkness (spiritual darkness) and they need THE LIGHT.
Jesus went on to tell them that Lazarus sleepeth. When He used the word sleepeth, He wasn't referring to a nap or slumber. Jesus was referring to Lazarus' death. He even went on to plainly say that he is dead (verse 14).
In verse 15, Jesus explained why they needed to go...
"And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe; nevertheless let us go unto him."
Jesus is telling them that something BIG is going to happen and I don't think that disciples fully comprehended what was about to take place. The magnitude of what they would witness. In verse 16, Thomas basically told the others, "Let's go with him so that we can die too."
The journey must've taken them two days since when Jesus received word of Lazarus' illness, He stayed two more days before going to Judaea.
Jesus enters Bethany to see a great group of professional mourners. The first time I ever heard about this - I was amazed. People were hired to come and cry and wail and mourn. Basically they were paid actors/actresses. Paid to grieve. If you are paid to grieve, how sincere is your grief? Not very, I would think.
Mary, Martha, and the mourners were gathered. Mary stayed in the house while Martha ran to meet her Lord. Mary immediately declared, "Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died."
God oftentimes does not remove us from trials and make our way paved with yellow bricks. No, He sometimes leads us through storms and the brambles to teach us to trust Him more.
Jesus tried explaining to Martha that she would see Lazarus again, when He said, "Thy brother shall rise again." Martha thought He meant in the resurrection of the saints but Jesus was speaking plainly. Your brother is going to live again...TODAY!!!!!
Jesus delivers a powerful I AM statement in verses 25 and 26, "I am the resurrection, and the life; he that believeth in me though he were dead, yet shall he live. And whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die. Believest thou this?"
Martha answered that she does indeed believe and then in verse 28, she exits stage left and goes to find Mary. Martha informs Mary of Jesus arrival and Mary arose quickly and came unto Him.
Verse 30 gives us some useful information. Martha had met Jesus when He wasn't in town yet; therefore, when Mary went to find Him, the crowd thought she was going to Lazarus' grave to weep.
When Mary found Jesus, she fell down at His feet and told Him that had He been there, Lazarus would still be alive. Jesus saw her weeping. He saw the crowds weeping. What sadness. In verse 35, we see His compassion - Jesus wept. I speculate that He wept for their unbelief and for their sadness. Do you ever cry when you see someone else crying? I do...and for the longest time, I thought (and was told) that being too compassionate was a bad thing. It's not. The world needs more compassionate people.
When the Jews saw Jesus weeping, they said, "Behold how He loved him!"
The next scene takes Jesus to the cave where Lazarus was buried. There is a stone. Jesus commands the stone to be rolled away. The sisters point out the fact that Lazarus is going to stink! (It's what sisters do - state the obvious. I think it's our sisterly duty!)
Jesus then said, "Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?" Basically - if you were to only believe, then you would see the blessing of the glory of God!
They removed the stone. Jesus then prayed to His Father and then in a loud voice, Jesus commanded, "Lazarus come forth!" Can you even imagine what it would've been like to be gathered with Mary and Martha and see Lazarus come out of the cave?
Imagine sharing this story with others...
Neighbor: "What did you do yesterday? Me - not much. Fixed the wagon wheel."
Me: "I saw Jesus and He raised Lazarus of Bethany from the dead! I SAW IT!"
We can share with others the wonderful miracles that Christ has done in our lives. How He's transformed us from an old creature and made us to walk in newness of life.
To know if you qualify for
God’s love, think about these questions…
Are you one of the people
on earth? If so, God loves you.
Are you a sinner? If so, God loves you. Romans 5:8
Are you a part of the body of believers, the church? If you are saved, you are. You are one of his special “called out” ones
and He loves you. The Lord uses marriage
as a metaphor of His loving relationship with us.
Ephesians 5:25-29 *Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and
gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of
water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not
having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and
without blemish. So ought men to love
their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but
nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:
He sweetly loves us – the
church.
Because God does love us,
we learned from the verses just read, God has goals for us…
* to be sanctified
* cleansed
* be without spot
* be holy
When difficult
circumstances come in our life, we need to remember that God is too loving to
not be trusted.
I John 4:8
* He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
This verse tells us God is
love. He is not merely loving. He is love.
Love is His essence and His nature.
As long as He is God, He will love and He will love you. You can trust your loving heavenly Father.
Last week, I was reading
and studying about the life of Rahab.
The authors of the study wrote something that jumped off the page –
“When we trust God, He will always use our faith in someone else’s life as
well.”
I’d like to conclude with
a short excerpt from Lysa TerKeurst’s book:
"Because we love God, we
look for and trust in His purpose in everything. The persistent person understands the meaning
of Romans 8:28 , “And we know that all things work together for good to them
that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose.” This does not mean that everything that
happens to us will be good, but that God will work in and through every
situation to bring good from it. And
let’s not miss the last four words of this verse, where we are reminded that it
is all “according to His purpose.” God
has a purpose, and His plans to accomplish that purpose are perfect. Trusting God’s good purpose, and seeking to
understand that He takes all the events from our life and orchestrates good
from them, leads to a changed perspective."
We need to remember that
we can trust God because He… is omniscient – knowing our past, present &
future; faithful and just; promises to supply our needs; does not lie; is
powerful – controlling nature, people, & circumstances; has power over
angels and over death. And lastly He is
loving.
God knows
our past, our present, and He certainly knows our future.
You can
trust your Heavenly Father to meet every coming need. Women are experts at worrying about the
future – at imagining all the horrid things that could happen. I think it’s our tragic flaw.
How
comforting it is to know the Lord can see all the way down the road and that He
has anticipated every need. Just as
long-distance hikers have supplies for their upcoming trail, you have supplies
from His inexhaustible resources waiting along your path. They will be there for you, exactly when and
where you need them.
Philippians 4:19 *
But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory
by Christ Jesus.
God has
promised to supply our every need.
Numbers 23:19 * God is not a man, that he
should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and
shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?
God does
not lie! He is God and not man.
God gives
us two commands in Matthew 6:33-34 * But
seek ye first the kingdom
of God, and his
righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for
the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day
is the evil thereof. Seek His kingdom
and His righteousness
What does
this mean? We are to love what God loves
and seek Him in every area of our lives.
In What
Happens When Women Say Yes to God, Lysa shared this statement about obeying
God. “It [obedience] is having the
overwhelming desire to walk in the center of God’s will at every moment. Don’t stumble over fearing you won’t be
perfect or that you are sure to mess up.
Saying yes to God isn’t about perfect performance, but rather perfect
surrender to the Lord day by day. Your
obedience becomes radical the minute this desire turns into real action. Radical obedience is hearing from God,
feeling His nudges, participating in His activity, and experiencing His
blessings in ways few people ever do.”
Proverbs 3:5-6 * Trust in the Lord with all
thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall
direct thy paths.
James 1:5 * If any of you lack wisdom, let
him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it
shall be given him.
Isaiah 46:4 * And even to your old age I am
he; and even to hoar hairs will I carry you: I have made, and I will bear; even
I will carry, and will deliver you.
Deuteronomy 33:25 * Thy shoes shall be iron and
brass; and as thy days, so shall thy strength be.
We can trust
God to supply what we need today for today.
We don’t have to worry or fret.
God cares about the sparrows and He surely cares about us.
One of
our cantata songs, titled If God Sees the Sparrows Fall, the lyrics spoke to my
heart.
If God
sees the sparrows fall and watches flowers grow, I know He’ll care for me each
day that I live on earth below; Though trials come my way and life may troubled
be, If God sees the sparrows fall, then I know He’ll care for me. Though trials rise that I don’t understand, I
know it’s part of God’s almighty plan; In the time of pain I can trust God
above, I lean on Him; it’s Him I love.
God is omnipotent.
A friend,
a sister, or even your husband may sympathize but be helpless to solve your
problems. God, however, can change your
circumstances. As the ultimate Ruler of
the universe, He can do anything. He has
the power!
Let’s see
how God controls nature.
Isaiah
40:12 * Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and
meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a
measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?
Psalm 147:8-9, 16-18 * Who covereth the heaven with
clouds, who prepareth rain for the earth, who maketh grass to grow upon the
mountains. He giveth to the beast his food, and to the young ravens which
cry. He giveth snow like wool: he scattereth the hoarfrost like ashes. He casteth forth his ice like morsels: who
can stand before his cold? He sendeth
out his word, and melteth them: he causeth his wind to blow, and the waters
flow.
Mark 4:41 * And they feared exceedingly,
and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the
sea obey him?
Psalm 89:9 * Thou rulest the raging of the
sea: when the waves thereof arise, thou stillest them.
Nothing
that we would consider as a natural disaster is out of God’s control. Nature should stimulate us to worship the
Creator – not worship His creation.
Psalm 36:5-6 * Thy mercy, O Lord, is in
the heavens; and thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds. Thy righteousness
is like the great mountains; thy judgments are a great deep: O Lord, thou
preservest man and beast.
No matter
what happens in nature, Psalm 36:6 says – God keeps all men and animals safe!
I was
thinking about His protection and in Mark 4:36, Jesus told the disciples that
they were going to go across the Sea of Galilee to the other side. Somewhere between the two sides, a storm
arose. The water was coming over the
boat and everything was amok. The
disciples thought for sure that Jesus had lead them there to drown. Jesus didn’t say, “Let’s row out to the
middle and drown.” He told them they
were going to other side.
No only
does God have power over nature; He also has power over people.
Proverbs 21:1 * The king's heart is in the hand
of the Lord, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will.
Romans 13:1 * Let every soul be subject unto
the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are
ordained of God.
Both of
these verses tell us the king’s heart is in God’s hand and we are to be subject
to God because He is the “Higher Power.”
Jesus Christ made His authority over human governmental authority
unmistakable in a remarkable exchange with Pilate in John 19:9-11. Pilate threatened Jesus, asserting he had
power to put Jesus to death. Jesus
answered, “You could have no power at all unless it came from heaven.” Even if rulers do not believe in our heavenly
Father, He still exercises power over them and uses them to protect or chastise
us. Political leaders are subject to
God’s rule.
He has
power over angels.
Good
angels. Angels are God’s servants. One of their assignments is YOU!
Psalm 34:7 * The angel of the Lord
encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them. – the angel
surrounds us to deliver us.
Psalm 91:1 * He that dwelleth in the secret
place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. – They are
to watch over us.
Your
kind, loving Father has provided you with these helpers and protectors. You can trust Him.
Evil
angels. Demons are fallen angels –
Revelation 12:9 tells us the angels who
rebelled with Satan against God’s authority.
James 2:19 * Thou believest that there is
one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.
The
demons believe and tremble.
In the
Gospels of Matthew and Mark, demons encountered Christ on earth. They even called Him “Son of God” and “the
Holy One of God.” They feared He would
send them to what they know is their ultimate destination – everlasting
fire. Demons are already-defeated foes
of God and His children. They are active
in this world but face doom in the next.
These ugly “powers of darkness” cannot harm you, the child of God they
fear. You can trust your heavenly Father
to protect you from their attacks.
He has
power over death.
Unless
the Lord returns in your lifetime – you will die. It’s something we have to accept. We do not need to fear death. We don’t need to fear it because physical
death is not the end of life – it’s simply a passing from our earthly life to
our heavenly life. The Bible says in 2
Corinthians 5:8 – when we are absent from our bodies, we will be in the
presence of the Lord.
I Corinthians 15:12-22 * Now if Christ be preached that
he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of
the dead? But if there be no
resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: And if Christ be not risen,
then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God;
because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not
up, if so be that the dead rise not. For
if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: And if Christ be not raised,
your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen
asleep in Christ are perished. If in this life only we have hope in
Christ, we are of all men most miserable.
But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of
them that slept. For since by man came
death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ
shall all be made alive.
Christ’s
resurrection is important because it’s the epitome of our faith. Without His resurrection, all else is vain. In those verses, without faith in the
resurrection, we are most miserable and without hope.
God has
power over nature, people, angels and even death. We can trust Him.
For the past 2 months (or so), I've been studying having a trusting heart. Instead of posting the entire lesson in one post - and potentially scaring you by the length of it (smiles) - I am going t post the lesson in three parts. :)
I hope and pray that this lesson is a help to you. It was such a blessing and convicting to my not-so-trusting heart.
~ Angie
* * * * * * * * * * *
God is omniscient.This means
He sees all eternity at once:past,
present and future.God is
all-knowing.He knows your past.He is aware of your present and has full
understanding of your future.“The more
you know God, the more you will trust Him.”
Lysa TerKeurst, in her
book What Happens When Women Say Yes to God?, she writes,
"Being a woman who says yes to God
means making the choice to trust Him
even when you can’t understand why
He requires some of the things He does.
It also means that once you’ve said yes
to God, you refuse to turn back, even
when things get hard."
Corrie Ten Boom has been
noted as having said:“When a train
goes through a tunnel and it gets dark, you don't throw away the ticket and
jump off. You sit still and trust the engineer.”
We need to ask ourselves
some pretty pointed questions:
Does your heart (and my
heart) trust God believing that He is working out everything for your
good?Or do you (and I) worry that He
may make mistakes?
We need to consider God
knows our past.You may be tormented by
your personal history, even the moments over which you had no control.God does know about all your yesterdays.
Perhaps it’s the memory of
past sins that haunts you.If so
remember this:If you have confessed
those sins to your Father and asked for His forgiveness, they are gone.He has freely forgiven you of the guilt and
penalty due for those sins.
I John 1:7-9 * But if we
walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another,
and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.If we say that we have no sin, we deceive
ourselves, and the truth is not in us.If
we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to
cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
According to those verses,
Jesus’ blood cleanses us from sin.We
are not able to work out a payment plan for our sins.Jesus’ blood paid the entire debt.
According to verse 9, the
only “if” condition we have to be abide by is – If we confess our sins.
Two attributes of God are
listed after the conditional “if” statement…God is faithful and just.
Micah 7:18 * Who is a God
like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of
the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he
delighteth in mercy.
Our sins are cast into the
depths of the sea.They can never ever
be retrieved.
We’ve seen that God knows
our past.Now we need to realize God
knows our present.
I can choose to trust Him
because He knows what is going on right now.Let’s be honest – trusting Him is a choice!Every single day, we are given
“trust-opportunities.”
For me, trusting God with
my singleness has been a bit of a struggle.My single status is often looked-down upon.I’ve been told by well-meaning people to
lower my standards.The closer that I
get to the Lord, the more in love with Him I fall.When I am lonely, I trust Him because He has
promised to my ever-present Guide.He
knows where my road is leading. He can
see what lies ahead.He knows my
concerns.He knows what I feel.He knows the pain I cannot explain to someone
else ... God knows. The fear of the unknown—He knows. And He offers me
Himself.Perhaps you feel overwhelmed
today. You may be experiencing some sadness, loss or worry. You may find that
God has called you to a difficult path. "Surely," you think,
"God has an easier road for me to travel."
The truth is, we aren't
wise enough to assume another path would be best for us. Maybe the easier road
won't make us into the person God intends us to be.Perhaps the difficult road is a path of
grace—protecting us from the worst.Maybe this road is about learning something new about God or ourselves.
Could it be the difficult journey is the path that prepares us for a greater
purpose or a greater faith in God?In my
kitchen, I have a hand-painted sign with the verse Proverbs 18:30:“As for God, His way is perfect.”I can trust God because He knows the best
path.Isaiah 55:9, “For as the heavens
are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my
thoughts than your thoughts.”This verse
tells us, we can trust the path God has laid out for us today. We can trust,
and not fear, in His infinite wisdom and love. And we can be certain that God
will never lead us down the wrong road.
Psalm 139:2-4 * Thou
knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar
off.Thou compassest my path and my
lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word in my tongue,
but, lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether.
There was quite a list of
mundane activities of our daily life that God knows.
Downsitting, uprising, our
thoughts (daydreams), our path, lying down, and the words we speak
Psalm 139:8-12 * If
I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou
art there.If I take the wings of the
morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand
lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be
light about me.Yea, the darkness hideth
not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are
both alike to thee.
Here we see places of
escape…Heaven, Hell, flight, swim, darkness, daylight.We see that we cannot escape from God and His
presence.We cannot escape from God
because He is omnipresent.
God knows where you are
every moment.He is a Father watching
over us…as a shepherd watches over his sheep.Yes, He does have to correct me – OFTEN…but He is always there…watching
and guiding me.The closer I stay to Him
– the less likely I am to stray off and do my own thing.God watches over us – this should comfort
us.His purpose, according to verse 10,
is to lead and guide us.
Psalm 139:17-18 * How
precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!If I should count them, they are more in
number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee.
God is continually
thinking about me.Me.Angie Good.
The God of the universe
doesn’t think about you just forty-two times a day.His thoughts are continuous – He never
stops!Why does He think about so much?What is His purpose?
Proverbs 24:12 * If thou
sayest, Behold, we knew it not; doth not he that pondereth the heart consider
it? and he that keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it? and shall not he render
to every man according to his works?
I am the kind of girl that jots notes in the margins of her Bible. When I re-stumble on one of these notes, I find myself considering the ink scribbled words. This happened to me over the weekend when I was reading my Sunday school lesson. We were in Mark 4 - learning about Jesus calming the storm. Verse 35 - Jesus told the discipes "Let us pass over unto the other side." He did NOT say, "Let us go to the middle of the sea and drown." The disciples (like us) should've had more faith that Jesus had everything under control even though - per verse 38 - He was asleep on a pillow. I reminded my Sunday school girls, the Lord is always with us. The Bible, God's Word, tells us that He will never ever, ever, ever leave us or forsake us. It was a wonderful reminder for me - the teacher - that although trials and storms will arise, Jesus is with me all along the way. :)
The 35th (yes, 35th!) definition found at www.dictionary.com has keep defined as "to remain or stay in a particular place."
As we learned in our first lesson of Claudia Barber's book Refresh Your Heart, our heart is...
Our emotional self
Our thinking self
Our spiritual self
Diligence: Constant and earnest effort to accomplish what is undertaken
We are to take our heart (our emotions, thoughts, and spirituality) and apply constant & earnest effort in guarding it...because as the verse concludes...OUT OF IT ARE THE ISSUES OF LIFE! (Emphasis added. :))
Jeremiah 17:9 warns us about our hearts.
"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it."
I've recently had a discussion with a friend about God giving us the desires of our hearts. He longs to do this for us...however we need to acknowledge what Jeremiah so eloquently wrote in Chapter 17, verse 9.
Our hearts often long for things that God knows in His infinite wisdom that we are not capable of handling. We must be reminded that what God has given us for today - those things, relationships, etc. - are what we are able to handle. He does not give us more than we can bear.
He's too good to make any mistakes. He's too loving not to care.
When I was a child, I thought if I were to hold a kitten tightly that it would be the best way to hold it. You know, tightly by its neck. Squeezing it, lest it fall to the ground and "break." I've been thinking about this lately...not squeezing a cat...but squeezing relationships.
Just like I had to learn as a child, sometimes the best thing for a friendship (or any other relationship) is to loosen your hold on it so that the other person will... see that you care... know that you trust them... not view you as needy & depending on their every move...
...so that when the time arises, they know that they can come to you.
If you cling to that relationship and continue to not loosen your grip, the friendship (like the poor kitten whose airway was becoming more and more restricted until my mom stepped in) begins to suffocate...and eventually dies.
A couple of things that have helped me... 1. Loosen my hold on the relationship; 2. Step back and access the situation. Put yourself in their shoes. (Let's just hope their shoes are fabulous!); and 3. Ask yourself honestly, "Am I being ridiculous and needy?"
If this is not the first time that you've experienced friendships/relationships dying, be realistic and FINALLY REALIZE --> YOU...not the other person...ARE THE COMMON DENOMINATOR and then ask the Lord to change you and the value that you've put on others instead of on Him.
6 Lessons - When Jesus puts you in the midst of a storm...
Matthew 14: 19-34
Lesson 1: He brought you here.
* Our disappointments are God's appointments.
v. 22 - And straightway Jesus constrained His disciples to get into a ship, and to go before Him unto the other side, while He sent the multitudes away.
Lesson 2: Jesus sees my circumstances, my joy, my troubles, and my storms.
* All my storms are His concern!
v. 24-26 - But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw Him walk on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.
Lesson 3: Jesus, in the midst of my storms, is praying for me because my storm is His burden.
v. 23 - And when He had sent the multitude away, He went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, He was there alone.
Lesson 4: He will speak to you!
v. 25, 27 - And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea...but straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I, be not afraid.
Lesson 5: He will help my faith to grow!
* Our storms are His classroom.
v. 28 - And Peter answered him and said, "Lord, if it be thou, bid me to come unto thee on the water.
Lesson 6: God will always see me through! My storms are for HIS glory.
v. 30, 31 - But when He saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?
When you are hospitable, you don't apologize for the dust bunnies lurking under your bed. (Everyone has them.)
When you are hospitable, you don't stress out about potential cobwebs --> unless I suppose they are cobwebs so large that the resident spider might be the size of a TIGER!
When you are hospitable, you are more concerned about making the other person feel welcome.
It doesn't matter if you are serving a 10-course meal or just a large watermelon & a package of raspberries. :)
Romans 12:13: "Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality."
I Peter 4:9: "Use hospitality one to another without grudging."
Luke 10:25-37 And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?
He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou?
And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thyself.
And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.
But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?
And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.
And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.
And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.
But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him,
And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.
And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.
Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves?
And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.
I. Condition of the stranger
A. He had been assaulted. B. He was naked. C. He was wounded. D. He was left half-dead. E. He was abandoned.
Evangelist Farrell reminded us -- no one ever gets saved until they realize they are lost.
II. How to have compassion of the Good Samaritan
A. Be willing to stop for the emergencies of others. ~ Mark 5:30-43 - Realize every day you are on a mission of mercy.
B. Be on the lookout. ~ The first two men (the priest and the Levite) saw danger and how they could be hurt; the Samaritan saw a dying man.
C. Sense other people's needs ~ Jude 22 - Evangelist Farrell said "Compassion is your pain in my heart."
D. Be willing to sacrifice.... 1) time
2) toil * You have to work at evangelism. Don't be a casual Christian.
3) treasure * Two pence (in the story) was two (2) days wages.
