Joh 15:16 You have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you and I have appointed you [I have planted you], that you might go and bear fruit and keep on bearing, and that your fruit may be lasting [that it may remain, abide], so that whatever you ask the Father in My Name [as presenting all that I AM], He may give it to you.
He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Psa 40:3
God invites us to see his face so he can change ours. He uses our uncovered faces to display his glory. The transformation isn't easy. The sculptor of Mount Rushmore faced a lesser challenge than does God. But our Lord is up to the task. He loves to change the faces of his children. By his fingers, wrinkles of worry are rubbed away. Shadows of shame and doubt become portraits of grace and trust. He relaxes clenched jaws and smoothes furrowed brows. His touch can remove the bags of exhaustion from beneath the eyes and turn tears of despair into tears of peace. How? Through worship. We'd expect something more complicated, more demanding. A forty-day fast or the memorization of Leviticus perhaps. No. God's plan is simpler. He changes our faces through worship. Just Like Jesus (by: Max Lucado) Every action you take is a seed you sow, and every seed you sow is a harvest you'll reap.
Have you ever had a thought like this: "Nobody would ever notice"? Or this: "It's just a little thing"? But to God, every action -- big or small -- is important, because every action you take is a seed you sow. For example, say that you tell your boss you worked eight hours when really you only worked six. But on the other hand, it's only two hours, and "nobody will ever notice." However, you're sowing seeds of dishonesty in your life that will reap a harvest of the very same thing. Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. (Galatians 6:7-8) Don't think that you can lie to someone (i.e. sow a seed of dishonesty), but yet expect to reap a harvest of truth in your life. Proverbs 22:8 warns that He who sows wickedness reaps trouble. Therefore, be very careful about how you act in every area of life, because every action you take is a seed you sow, and every seed you sow is a harvest you'll reap. Too often, we fall into the trap of trusting God to give us more things—a new car, a bigger house, a better computer. We turn God into little more than a supernatural Santa Claus, who gives us what we want.
Although God does want his people to prosper and be blessed, it is much more important to him that you entrust him with your life. Proverbs 3:5-6 says, Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Trusting God is simply having faith in him—that he is who he says he is. In tough circumstances, trusting God means believing his promises, that he will work all things out for good. Trusting God does not mean trusting that he'll send Santa to give you what you want. Especially during difficult times, putting your faith and trust in God brings rewards. Isaiah 26:3 says, You [God] will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. Perfect peace is available if you're willing to trust God in the midst of challenging times. 1John 4:7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is (springs) from God; and he who loves [his fellowmen] is begotten (born) of God and is coming [progressively] to know and understand God [to perceive and recognize and get a better and clearer knowledge of Him].
'I, the Lord have called your business to demonstrate my righteousness, I will guide you, and I will give you all the people that you need to do business with, as sign of my covenant with you and you will be the light to guide the nations"
Isa 42:5 Thus says God the Lord--He Who created the heavens and stretched them forth, He Who spread abroad the earth and that which comes out of it, He Who gives breath to the people on it and spirit to those who walk in it: Isa 42:6 I the Lord have called You [the Messiah] for a righteous purpose and in righteousness; I will take You by the hand and will keep You; I will give You for a covenant to the people [Israel], for a light to the nations [Gentiles], Isa 42:7 To open the eyes of the blind, to bring out prisoners from the dungeon, and those who sit in darkness from the prison. [Matt. 12:18-21.] Those who believe in the Son have eternal life, but those who do not obey the Son will never have life. Joh 3:36
When does salvation come? When we look to Christ. When we embrace him as Saviour. Astonishingly simple, isn't it? Claim the great promise of Joh 3:16 : "God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son so that whoever believes in him may not be lost, but have eternal life." God, the Lover. God, the Giver. God, the Saviour. And man, the believer. And for those who believe, he has promised a new birth. But despite the simplicity, there are still those who don't believe. They don't trust the promise… If only they would try. If only they would test it. But God is as polite as he is passionate. He never forces his way in. The choice is theirs. A Gentle Thunder (by: Max Lucado) |
Ana & Andre Schoonbee God uses us to motivate and encourage the body. Authors
All
Archives
June 2015
|