Fret busters #16, #17 and #18

Fret buster #16:

The government (the rule and reign of your life) is upon His shoulders. He hasn’t placed any of it on yours. He has a plan and purpose for your life and He not only knows where He is taking you, but He also knows how to get you there.

Fret buster #17:

God is in control. Things won’t always be the way they are right now.
God knows how and when to bring about change. Trust His timing, He doesn’t make mistakes.

Fret buster #18:

“Be still, and know that I am God;” Psalm 46:10

“Have Joy”

“Have a good time” and “have fun” are common sayings we use with one another. It’s not a bad thing to say to someone, but it does have its limitations.
I would like to see a different saying become more common among God’s people. How about if we replace “have fun” with “have joy.” Joy is one of the greatest things we can possess on earth and differs greatly from fun.

“Fun” is fine, but we can’t always have fun. Fun depends so much on where we are in a given moment and what we are doing. It’s not fun to be caught in a traffic jam, to have a financial set back, to go through a difficult trial, to be without heat in the winter, or to have a mechanical breakdown when you are trying to meet a deadline. It’s fun to go skiing, but it’s not fun to break your leg; it’s fun to watch a baseball game, but it’s not fun to watch your team lose; it’s fun to eat at a nice restaurant, but it’s not fun to get food poisoning; it’s fun to hook a big trout, but it’s not fun to have it get away.

Joy is a grace gift from God, not the result of a particular circumstance that happens in our lives. Joy touches our spirits, fun touches our emotions; joy abides, fun comes and goes; joy flows like deeps waters, fun skips along like a rock upon the water’s surface.

Joy is amazing and strength giving. Joy isn’t just for the good times, but for the hard times as well. Jesus knew joy even while going through the agony and suffering of the cross. The joy that Jesus knew is the joy we need to know as we face every circumstance of life—hard or easy, bad or good, pleasant or difficult—and it is His joy that He gives to us.

The Lord has blessed by wife with the gift and ministry of hospitality. Early on, the Lord taught her an important lesson about this ministry. She was once served a meal of tortillas and eggs by a Christian woman who lived in an adobe house with dirt floors, in the back country of Mexico. To this day, my wife has never been served more graciously. Her hostess had so little to offer materially and yet she radiated joy in everything she did. 

It would be fun if my wife had a super gourmet kitchen to work in and the latest fine china to put at each place setting, but that has nothing to do with her ministry or her joy. Her joy comes from the Lord, not our kitchen or our dishes. At the end of the evening it may not be fun to face a stack of dirty dishes, but for my wife, the time at the sink is a time of joy. It has become something she looks forward to; it is here that she celebrates her calling, reflects upon the evening, and recalls the ministry of the Lord to those who were in our home.

Whatever your day might be, “Have joy”; whatever your circumstances, “Have joy”; whatever you need, “Have joy.” Have God’s joy. Have it in abundance. Have it in its fullness. Be filled with joy. Have the joy of His presence, and the joy of His salvation. May His joy greet at the start of each step of obedience, meet you at the end of every tear, cover you in every trial, and sustain you in every labor of love. May His joy remain.

“Have joy!”

“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy…” Romans 15:13

Bread

Our forefathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as the Scripture says, He gave them bread out of heaven to eat. 32 Jesus then said to them, I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, Moses did not give you the Bread from heaven [what Moses gave you was not the Bread from heaven], but it is My Father Who gives you the true heavenly Bread. 33 For the Bread of God is He Who comes down out of heaven and gives life to the world. 34 Then they said to Him, Lord, give us this bread always (all the time)! 35 Jesus replied, I am the Bread of Life. He who comes to Me will never be hungry, John 6:31-35 AMP

Jesus is Bread.
He doesn’t have bread to give us; He is the Bread He gives us.
He is the Bread of the Passover—Unleavened. Striped. Pierced.
He is the Bread of the Tabernacle—Made with fine flour. Bread of the assembly and Bread of the individual. The Bread of God’s presence, whose face shines upon you.
He is the Bread of Bethlehem—Sent from Heaven. Given for all who receive.
He is the broken Bread—the Bread of Emmaus, the Bread of Melchizedek, the Bread of the wilderness.

Bread is not made to be displayed, to be admired, to be studied, to be analyzed, to be compared with other breads, to be used as a center piece, or to be packaged. Bread is not made to educate or entertain; it is made to sustain. Bread is to be eaten.

Jesus is the Living Bread. He is the Bread of communion, the Bread of fellowship, the Bread of covenant, the Bread of healing and wholeness, the Bread of intimacy, the Bread of revelation, and the Bread of blessing.

By faith, receive Him, eat of Him, delight in Him, partake of Him. He is fresh Bread, daily Bread.
Take as much as you can, again and again, there will always be enough and more than enough.

Jesus is Bread baked in the oven of  affliction. The Bread of our sorrows and the Bread of our tears. He is the Bread of all mercies, the Bread of all compassion, and the Bread of all grace.

Bread of life.
Bread of glory.
Bread of beauty.
Bread of health.
Bread of deliverance.
Bread of joyful journeys.

Bread of Heaven, feed me…nourish my soul…fill my hunger… be my strength. Be in every fiber of my being, in every heartbeat, in every longing, in every hope, in every work, in every step, in every plan, in every purpose.

Our Home

That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.” But it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets. 1 Corinthians 2:9-10 NLT

Jesus came to us from heaven, lived among us, and returned to heaven. Heaven is His home and it is ours. Jesus talked a lot about heaven and told us that He was going there to prepare a place for us, and what a place it must be!

One of the things that the Holy Spirit is working within the hearts of God’s people is the knowledge that heaven is greater than anything we have ever thought about or imagined. Reading books about heaven, looking at paintings about heaven, or even listening to stories about heaven don’t help us very much. These sources are much too limited to give us a full account.

The Bible mentions heaven many times, but it does not tell us a lot about the details of heaven. The Scripture passage in 1 Corinthians 2:9-10 may explain why. It appears that the subject of heaven and what God has ahead for us is so big, so great, so awesome, and so overwhelmingly magnificent that God could only say, “If I painted it, your eye couldn’t grasp it all; if I told it, your ear couldn’t absorb it all; if I wrote it; your mind couldn’t imagine it all.”

Often, people who do not listen to what the Holy Spirit is saying, tend to minimize heaven. They think that life here on earth (based on what they have seen, heard, or imagined) is as good as it gets. Their concept of heaven is not very exciting, but rather dull, monotonous and boring; they know nothing of the language, the sounds, the sights, and the realities of heaven.

What is God saying to you in 1 Corinthians 2:9-10? He is saying, “Have you seen snow capped mountains, rushing rivers, white-sand beaches, rain forests, or redwood forests? Have you been to Yosemite, the Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls, or Yellowstone? Have you toured the seven natural wonders of the world? Even if you have seen them all, they cannot begin to describe what your eyes will see in heaven. You will have to see it for yourself, for even if I used every word you can presently understand, or let your imagination explore its farthest boundaries, you would not grasp it. I have sent the Holy Spirit to let you in on some of my secrets; to let you know that it’s all true; to assure you that its better than you think; to fan the flame of your hope; to give you a foretaste of things to come; and to assure you that at my right hand there are pleasures forevermore.” 

“There is no need to be worried by facetious people who try to make the Christian hope of ‘Heaven’ ridiculous by saying they do not want ‘to spend eternity playing harps’. The answer to such people is that if they cannot understand books written for grown-ups, they should not talk about them.”
-C.S. Lewis.

Christ in You, You in Christ

God alone made it possible for you to be in Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made Christ to be wisdom itself. He is the one who made us acceptable to God. He made us pure and holy, and He gave Himself to purchase our freedom.
I Corinthians 1:30 nlt

For it has pleased God to tell His people that the riches and glory of Christ are for you Gentiles, too. For this is the secret: Christ lives in you, and this is your assurance that you will share in His glory.
Colossians 1:27 nlt

As a child of God, you are in Christ and He is in you. Each is significant in the following ways:

Being in Christ means that you receive the benefits of all that He has done for you through His death, burial, resurrection and ascension;
Christ being in you means that you receive the benefits of His presence, His character and His nature within you.

Being in Christ changes your position before God;
Christ being in you changes the inward condition of your heart.

Being in Christ brings you into heavenly realities;
Christ being in you brings heavenly realities into your earthly walk.

Being in Christ opens your eyes to the beauty of God’s love;
Christ being in you floods your heart with that same love.

Being in Christ allows you to see what God wants you to become;
Christ being in you means that you can become what God wants you to be.

Being in Christ means that He is the atmosphere in which you live your day;
Christ being in you means that each day His strength is your strength, His peace is your peace, His power is your power, His victory is your victory, His life is your life.

Fret busters #13, #14 and #15

Fret buster #13:

If you don’t have peace about what you are doing, stop doing it.

Fret buster #14:

“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” John 14:27

Fret buster #15:

The peace that God gives you is not circumstantial peace. Being in a hammock at the beach on a warm sunny day is not a picture of God’s peace. Remember, the peace in your heart is God’s peace; it’s there because He’s there, not because everything around you is calm and serene.

A Couple of Stories

Today, I have two postings that I am including in the “Stories” category. I trust they will be a blessing to you.

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The first is the powerful and amazing true story of a woman whose life was miraculously spared when she was aborted in the late stages of her mother’s pregnancy. Rather than tell her story, I would rather have you hear it directly from her. Her name is Gianna Jessen and you can find her story on youtube.com on the internet (in two parts.) At the end of her story she makes this moving statement about her life, “My whole intent in living here is to make God smile.” Can you think of a better way to greet each day?

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The second story I want to share with you comes from a young mother who is a member of our family. Her name is Rocio Lessin. She and her husband Mike live in Mexico. Her story is another witness to God’s amazing grace.

I WOULDN’T HAVE MADE IT WITHOUT HIS MERCY

Translation of “NO LO HUBIERA LOGRADO SIN SU MISERICORDIA”
by Rocío Patrón de Lessin

I consider myself a real fighter.  But, you know, in September of 2003 I was diagnosed with that disease called CANCER, which we always relate with death.  During those years, the disease took its toll.  Tumors appeared all over my body, including the right side of my chest, my breastbone, and in my lungs.  The doctors said I had 6 months to live, but I should tell you that they were some of the best moments of my life.  I felt privileged.  I know that sounds strange, but it’s true.  During that time I was closer to God than ever – heart to heart.  I can’t really describe it.  But the important thing is that I always gave Him thanks.  I never blamed Him, and most importantly, I never lost faith!  God always held me up when I felt like I couldn’t make it any further.  I felt wrapped in the refuge of His arms, and He told me that He was taking care of everything.

I just want to tell you that God is faithful, and even though sometimes the outlook is bleak, He is there to sustain you, and the most important thing is to profess it with your mouth.  I have given my life to Jesus, and I have asked Him to do with me what He will – and believe me, that’s no small thing.  It’s a commitment.  I’ve told Him that I won’t remain silent about all He’s done in my life.  Medically my situation has been pretty difficult, but thanks to His mercy and faithfulness I’ve been able to get through the toughest times of chemotherapy and radiation treatments, as well as several surgeries.  It’s all been successful!  The doctors are surprised.  They tell me that I’ve handled everything amazingly well, and that I must have a gene for resisting disease.  And yes, I believe that’s true, but it’s GOD’S gene, and if you believe Him, it’s true.

I just want to tell you that He’s waiting for you with open arms, but it depends on you.  It’s your decision.  Don’t avoid the blessing of having Jesus in your heart, where no matter the situation, you’ll always have freedom with Him, and you’ll always have victory in your life.

I’m happy because he freed me from death.  Five years have passed and I still have a clean bill of health.  What are you waiting for?  Don’t avoid His welcoming embrace.  JESUS LOVES YOU.

- Rocío Patrón de Lessin