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| April 2009 »
A quote by A.B. Simpson, focusing on how often God works through the unexpected, brought some of the following Biblical examples to mind…
When the disciples were faced with the need of feeding thousands of people who were hungry, they took inventory of their circumstances and concluded they were in an impossible situation. In their thinking, there were too many empty stomachs for the amount of food on hand. Their solution was a pragmatic one, “send them all away and let them find their own food.”
When Jesus told them to feed the crowd they quickly replied, “With what?” “What’s available?” Jesus asked them. Through their eyes they could only see a tiny snack made up of a few fish and a couple of loaves of bread, but through Jesus’ eyes, He could see a feast in the making. Jesus took something that was right in front of their eyes and did the unexpected. By blessing the fish and breaking the bread He multiplied what was available and used it to feed a multitude.
The book of Second Kings tells the account of a widow who was in a desperate situation. She had no money and faced losing her two sons, who were about to be taken as slaves by a creditor. When the prophet Elisha asked her what she had of value in the house the widow said, “Nothing really, just a small jar of oil.” Through her eyes the oil didn’t amount to much, but through Elisha’s eyes the oil amounted to a treasure chest of wealth. The widow never expected God to use her little jar of oil to bring about her deliverance as she obediently poured it from vessel to vessel.
When Moses asked God how he could convince the elders of Israel that the Lord had sent him and appeared to him, God answered Moses by saying, “What is in your hand?” Moses answered, “A rod.” Surely, Moses must have thought, “What’s so special about this old piece of wood. I’ve used it in my shepherding work for years. How can this lifeless thing convince anybody that God has sent me to lead His people out of Egypt?” Moses was not expecting God’s answer. Moses didn’t think he held anything in his hand that God would use to reveal His glory and power in delivering a nation.
Are you facing something that looks impossible? Do you need to see God move in a mighty way? Don’t be surprised if His answer comes in a way that is unexpected and that He uses something that is already in your hand, or right under your nose.
Here is the quote by A.B. Simpson …
But their eyes were prevented from recognizing Him. Luke 24:16
And their eyes were opened and they recognized Him. Luke 24:31
There is much precious significance in this. The Lord is often present in our lives in things that we do not dream possess any significance. We are asking God about something which needs His mighty working, and the very instrument by which He is to work is by our side, perhaps for weeks and months and years all unrecognized, until suddenly someday it grows luminous and glorious with the very presence of the Lord, and becomes the mighty instrument of His hand through the unexpected. Often He keeps us from seeing His way until just before He opens it, and then, immediately that it is unfolded, we find that He was walking by our side in the very thing, long before we even suspected its meaning.
Fret Buster #30
If you ever see a lily toiling or a bird storing up food in a barn, then you will know that the time to worry has arrived.
That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? “And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?” Matthew 6:25-30 NLT
Fret Buster #31
Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.
-Corrie Ten Boom
Fret Buster #32
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.
-Corrie Ten Boom
So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you! Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised. Hebrews 10:35-36 NLT
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. 2 Thessalonians 3:18
A famous quote by Shakespeare begins with these words, “All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players.” For many people, life is nothing more than playing out a role. They “act” their way through life, trying to gain the approval and acceptance of others. They are bound by the fear of being exposed for who they really are, and so they perform, playing out a role in order to receive applause and recognition. Sadly, many Christians live this way, trying to impress others by acting out a spiritual role.
The call of Jesus upon our lives brings us into reality, not role playing. In order to live in the reality of Jesus Christ, we must first be real with Him. He wants us to come to Him as we are. He knows everything about us. We do not need to try and impress Him or win Him over with a good performance. We must come to Him in sincerity and truth, in humility and brokenness, and in openness and honesty. When we come to Him in this way, He will not cast us out. He does not meet us with judgment but with mercy; He does not extend condemnation but grace.
He gives more grace. Therefore He says: "God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble." Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. James 4:6-8
Grace is one of the most freeing things we can ever receive and experience in life. Grace justifies us and brings us His salvation (Titus 2:11, 3:7.) Grace means that God has accepted us and received us into His family as His children, not because of our good performance, but because of what Jesus Christ has done for us. Grace means that God freely gives us what we don’t deserve.
God has not called us to role playing, but to reality living based upon His grace.
A role is earned. Grace is given.
A role is performed. Grace is received.
A role produces effort. Grace produces rest.
A role says “do.” Grace says “be.”
A role is labor. Grace is a flow.
A role depletes. Grace energizes.
A role demands. Grace releases.
A role produces results. Grace produces fruit.
A role brings praise to man. Grace brings praise to God.
Are you in need? There’s no point in “acting” like everything is great, instead, go to God in prayer and receive His grace.
Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:16
Do you sense your weakness? There’s no need to grit your teeth and bear it with a painted smile, instead receive the strength that God gives you through His grace.
Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 Timothy 2:1
Are you discouraged? There’s no need to try and “keep your chin up”, instead, draw upon the comfort and wonderful hope that comes to you through His grace.
Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal comfort and a wonderful hope, comfort you and strengthen you in every good thing you do and say. 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 NLT
Do you want to live a life that is pleasing to Him? There’s no need to strive and try to make things happen, instead, walk in the grace that enables you to glorify Him.
That the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Thessalonians 1:12
Do you feel blue? There’s no need to “whistle a happy tune”, instead, let the grace of God put a new song in your heart.
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom;…singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. Colossians 3:16
1. The Power of the Gospel: nothing else can save your soul.
Romans 1:16
2. The Power of the Blood of Jesus: nothing else can cleanse you from sin.
I John 1:7
3. The Power of the Cross: nothing else can deliver you from yourself.
Romans 6:6
4. The Power of the Word: nothing else can bring you transforming truth.
John 17:17
5. The Power of God: nothing else can keep you from evil.
Matthew 6:13
6. The Power of the Holy Spirit: nothing else can make you like Jesus.
2 Corinthians 3:18
7. The Power of the Resurrection: nothing else can give you eternal hope.
1 Peter 1:3
8. The Power of Prayer: nothing else can move the hand of God.
Matthew 21:22
9. The Power of Grace: nothing else can make you completely sufficient.
2 Corinthians 9:8
10. The Power of Faith: nothing else can keep you till the end.
1 Peter 1:5
Fret Buster #25
The crosses which we make for ourselves by a restless anxiety as to the future, are not crosses which come from God. We show want of faith in Him by our false wisdom wishing to forestall His arrangements, and struggling to supplement His providence by our own providence. The future is not yet ours; perhaps it never will be. If it comes, it may come wholly different from what we have foreseen. Let us shut our eyes, then, to that which God hides from us and keeps in reserve in the treasure of His deep counsels. Let us worship without seeing; let us be silent; let us abide in peace. –Fenelon
Fret Buster #26
God is tranquil. So must your spirit become a tranquil and clear little pool, wherein the serene light of God can be mirrored. Therefore shun all that is disquieting and distracting, both within and without. Nothing in the whole world is worth the loss of your peace; even the faults which you have committed should only humble, but not disquiet, you. God is full of joy, peace, and happiness. Endeavor then to obtain a continually joyful and peaceful spirit. Avoid all anxious care, vexation, murmuring, and melancholy, which darken your should and render you unfit for the friendship of God. If you perceive such feelings arising, turn gently away from them. –Gerhard Tersteegen
Fret Buster #27
Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow. It empties today of its strength.
-Corrie Ten Boom
Fret Buster #28
Worry is a cycle of inefficient thoughts whirling around a center of fear.
-Corrie Ten Boom
(This is the final posting in the series Jesus, Our Only Option)
In order for us to have Jesus as our only option it means that we cannot be half-hearted about our commitment to Him. Jesus made it clear, when He said, “So then, any of you who does not forsake (renounce, surrender claim to, give up, say good-bye to) all that he has cannot be My disciple.” Luke 14:33.
In order for Jesus to be wholly yours, you must be wholly His. There is no compromise, no going back, and no holding back if you want to follow Him. Is your heart wholly His? The hard heart receives nothing; the stony heart endures for a season; the cluttered heart gets choked off. It is only the fully surrendered heart that bears fruit that will remain.
In the book of Ruth we are told that Ruth followed Naomi wholeheartedly. Orpah, Naomi’s other daughter-in-law, gave herself to Naomi for a season and followed her for a distance before turning back. When Orpah made her choice to turn back, Ruth said to Naomi, “Entreat me not to leave you, or to return from following after you.”
The Bible tells us that King Amaziah had something in common with Orpah.
We are told that “he did not serve with a whole-heart.” King Amaziah was a “nice guy” but his half-heartedness displeased the Lord and caused King Amaziah to make poor decisions that led to his ruin and defeat.
God has made it clear. His Son, Jesus Christ, is our only option. He asks us to give our hearts to no one else, to believe in no one else, to listen to no one else, and to follow no one else. Is Jesus your only option?
Talk to most investment firms and they will tell you it is best to diversify. We are often warned about the danger of putting “all our eggs in one basket.” That may be good advice for investing, but when it comes to the subject of your life, the Bible tells us something very different.
God does not tell us to diversify our faith, and He does tell us to “put all our eggs in one basket.” God has only one Begotten Son, and He has provided only one way for us to be saved and come into a personal relationship with Him.
The only way we can ever receive any spiritual blessing from God is through Jesus Christ. There are no diversified plans in heaven. Read the Scriptures and you will not come up with a list of multiple choice options for you to pick from regarding where to place your faith.
The idea behind “not putting all your eggs in one basket” is a good one if the basket falls and all the eggs are smashed. Having Jesus as your only option would be a bad decision if Jesus stumbled and fell—it would mean that if He fails, you fail; if He loses, you are lost; if He cannot bless you, you are empty; if He is not triumphant, you are defeated; if He is not in control, you are in great danger.
When Jesus is your only option you don’t need to say “I’m His sink or swim,” because He will not sink; “I’m His win or lose,” because He will not lose. Everything that is written about Jesus in the Scriptures is true, the decision to have Him as your only option is the wisest, surest, greatest, highest, and absolutely the best decision you could possibly make.
To have Jesus as an option is to see Him as “present” in your life.
To have Jesus as the best option is to see Him as “prominent” in your life.
To have Jesus as the only option is to see Him as “preeminent” in your life.
To have Jesus as an option is to say that “He means something” to you.
To have Jesus as the best option is to say that “He means a lot” to you.
To have Jesus as the only option is to say that “He means everything” to you.
During World War Two, Corrie Ten Boom and her family were taken from their home and placed in a Nazi concentration camp. She miraculously survived the horrors of the camp, but suffered the loss of her entire family. Later on, as she looked back over those dark days in her life, she was able to say, “I know that with Jesus the worst can happen, the best still remains, and His light is stronger than the deepest darkness.” She could say this because Jesus was her life, and she had learned through the most difficult experiences of life, that nothing and no one could take from her what mattered most.
As the enjoying of Christ is the enjoying of all, so the loss of Christ is the loss of all.
--Richard Baxter
Jesus is God’s plan “A”. Because plan “A” is perfect and complete, there is no need for a plan “B”. God has no backup plan for your life. He doesn’t need one. God never says to us, “If Jesus, my Son, doesn’t work for you, let’s try something else.”
Any plan “B” is our plan, which comes from our own thinking and rationale. God tells us not to lean upon our own understanding, but to acknowledge Him, the Lord in every decision and the director of our steps.
Here are several quotes from men of God who understood what it meant to have Jesus as their only option:
"God designed us to run on Himself. He Himself is the fuel our spirits were designed to feed on. There is no other. That is why it is just no good asking God to make us happy in our own way…God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing." C.S. Lewis
"Troubles nearly always make us look to God; His blessings are apt to make us look elsewhere. Narrow all your interests until the attitude of mind and heart and body is concentration on Jesus Christ." –Oswald Chambers
"In Jesus all needful things are laid up for you." C.H. Spurgeon
What did having Christ as his life, look like for Paul? Here are 7 things:
"1. Christ was the author of his life.
For me to live at all is Christ.”
2. Christ was the sustainer of his life.
For me to continue to live is Christ. Paul was fully aware of his helplessness. He could say, “I have not kept Him; He has kept me.”
3. Christ was the law of his life.
My life is summed up in Christ. Paul was not living by a list or set of rules or principles, but by the law of love within him. He didn’t live by maxims but the ever-present Christ stretching to the farthest territory of his being, and by His presence there ordering all of life within the bound of His own will and heart.
4. Christ was the product of his life.
My life is to reproduce Christ. What he believed was lived out through choices, his attitudes, and his actions. The life and character of Christ was being formed in him through the shaping of character.
5. Christ was the aim & influence of his life.
My life is to lead men to Christ.
6. Christ was the impulse of his life.
My life is to move under the compassion of Christ.
7. Christ was the finisher & crown of his life.
My life is to be what He is and receive from Him all that He gives."
-G. Campbell Morgan
“Christ who is our life” Colossians 3:4
Jesus is our only option in death and in life; in sorrow and in joy; in disappointment and in delight; in testing and in triumph; in loss and in gain; in grief and in comfort; in battles and in victories won.
In Jesus we find the answers to life’s greatest questions:
How do we:
Function in the day to day? By the life of Jesus.
Know what to believe? By the truth of Jesus.
Experience comfort? By the compassion of Jesus.
Have strength to face life’s heartaches? By the tenderness of Jesus.
Overcome hardship? By the faithfulness of Jesus.
Keep free from bitterness and resentment? By the mercies of Jesus.
Make the right choices? By the wisdom of Jesus.
Live free from worry and anxiety? By the peace of Jesus.
See the enemy defeated? By the victory of Jesus.
Walk in consistency? By the power of Jesus.
Care about your neighbor? By the love of Jesus.
Not carry a cloud of guilt? By the forgiveness of Jesus.
Know rest? By the yoke of Jesus.
Have purpose? By the call of Jesus.
Live with hope? By the resurrection of Jesus.
Function without timidity? By the authority of Jesus.
Stand free of condemnation? By the intercession of Jesus.
Follow His will? By the grace of Jesus.
Find guidance? By the voice of Jesus.
Know you are loved? By the sacrifice of Jesus.
Know God’s heart? By the fellowship of Jesus.
Be enriched? By the blessings of Jesus.
Have strength? By the joy of Jesus.
Feel secure? By the covering of Jesus.
Stay focused? By the return of Jesus.
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