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"Rejoicing in
hope:" Rom. 12:12
What is going to happen when February
29, 2,000 begins? There has been wide spread speculation by
some Y2K "experts" that there are going to be major disruptions in
life as we now know it. Some alarmist doomsdayers
are calling for families to sell what they have and move into the deep rural
areas of our country. Others with bunker mentalities are urging people to hord up food, water, guns, ammunition, and cash to feed a
family for a year. The whole mentality seems to be born of fear of loss of
the unprecedented prosperity we have had in the last decade. Certainly we
should not be controlled by fear since perfect love for Christ casteth out fear. Fear also leads to a loss of faith in
Christ. We should have a reverential fear of God and that fear should not be
controlled by a computer glitch. The same God who created the universe is
still in control of everything. God is not the author of confusion. Nothing
ever happens by accident. Chrises do not just pop
up without God knowing about them since eternity past. God is not worried or
surprised. God is still sovereign. The wonderful truth of John 16:33 has not faded away. "These things I have spoken unto
you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation:
but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." Matt. 6:25-33 tells us
not to worry about tomorrow. We are totally dependant upon God for our next
breath, so why should we worry about our next meal. The same God who fed the
5,000 and feeds the birds of the air will also feed us. Many people believe
that God is in control of everything, but are still determined to go off and
lean unto their own understanding. Prov. 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." Economic
uncertainties have always been with us in the past, so why should the
Christian response be any different. God doesn't change with every crisis. If
a Christian is living in obedience to God's word regarding his finances, i.e.
avoiding debt, having reserves for any crisis, living within his income,
being eternal in his planning and perspective, and understanding God owns it
all, why should he fear the future? God expects us to be practical, be
prudent, and not to panic. God did not changes his
promises because of Y2K. Our response needs to be: Rom. 12:12 "Rejoicing
in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer."
Conc. It is more important to have faith possess
you, than to be driven by fear of gigabytes.
Blessed are they that
mourn: Matt. 5:4
At the churches annual missions conference, the missionary recounted her
testimony of how she was captured and kept as a prisoner of war for four
years. She had been a missionary in Southeast Asia
when the war broke out. The enemy had come into her little orphanage and
taken everyone to be slaves for the war effort. Soon she found herself being
treated like a disposable piece of scrap, living in sqaller,
and having to live by eating rice porridge, dogs, mice, or whatever else that
could be found. One by one she saw her co-workers and eventually her loving
husband die from the malicious treatment of humanity. It seem like too much
tragedy for a newly wed to have to face. Its has
been 50 years since that time yet her pain was real as if it happened
yesterday. Is there meaning in her suffering? What could God
possibly achieve from this kind of suffering? How can God allow such
suffering? Is it possible that such suffering can be used in our life to draw
us closer to God so that we may feel the hand of God brush away our silent
tears. The inner pain and emptiness may seem unbearable, but we do not have
look far to see God's greater purpose in our circumstances. Isaiah 43:2 says,
"When thou passest through the waters, I will
be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou
walkest through the fire, thou shalt
not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee." How can we
expect to be exempt from suffering in a fallen world when God the Father
permitted His Son to die for us on the cross? Sooner or later all of us will
face the silent pain of walking into an empty room where there are only
memories of a loved one. In the cathedral of our mind a smile and a hug can
be felt, but oh how sweet the memories are and how there is comfort as we
lean on our Lord. Mt. 11:28-29 "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are
heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of
me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your
souls." God can give us divine rest like no one else can in the world,
but we must be willing to take His yoke upon us and accept what ever burden
God puts upon our shoulders. We must be willing to say,
"Yes, Lord. I accept whatever you have allowed to happen in my
life." When things seem impossible and suffering is
overwhelming bow yourself down before His wisdom and pray, " Not my will
be done, but thine be done. God you didn't allow
this to happen for nothing. May you be glorified through this."
Jesus taught His disciples in John 12:24, "Verily, verily, I say unto
you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it
bringeth forth much fruit.
Thought:"No Man is so
filled with sorrows that he cannot draw strength within from
the God above."
When your brook
dries up I Kings 17:1-7
Elijah had announce
that there was to be no rain for three years. King Ahab was angry with Elijah
and wanted him dead. The Lord always takes care of His own when circumstances
do not work the way we would like them . Sometimes
God uses the natural (brook), the unnatural (birds), or the supernatural
(barrel) to meet our needs. He is not going to lead us only part of the way then forget us. The Lord sent Elijah
eastward to the brook Cherith. Eastward was toward
the desert. Its not the direction you would want to
go when you are out of water. God had a special place for Elijah. At Cherith God supplied Elijah water when no one else had
it. God supplied him food when food was scarce. Everything is wonderful for
Elijah. He has worked hard and now he can enjoy the fruit of his labor and
faithfulness. During this time everyone else is having a hard time, but not
Elijah. Suddenly one day the brook dries up. Everything that Elijah relied
upon was gone. God never promises that our brook will never dry up. Perhaps
your brook is drying up and your security is vanishing. Maybe your brook is a
loved one that is taken away, or a job that is lost during a critical
financial time, or an investment that you relied upon for your financial
security. We live in a sinful world. We are not immune from
the effects of sin upon our brook. We are not always going to be spared from
a dried up books. The problem with the Cherith
brooks in our life is that we can get too comfortable and forget that God is
our source and supply. The important thing to remember is that we are not to
complain and find fault with what God is doing in our life. Elijah didn't cry
or pout when the brook dried up. He left the matter in God's hand. He knew
that there was something better to come, because God is in control. Certainly
he missed his source of strength and blessing, but he didn't stay there and
cry in self-pity. From time to time God give us a gentle push into new areas
that are going to allow us to be more greatly used of Him. Don't allow your
countenance to look so sad. Thank God for the wonderful times you have had by
the brook. Keep your eyes on the Lord and follow the new
course where God is pointing you. Your new course will lead you from the
valley up to Bethlehem.
God's leading and not man's reasoning will cause you not to lack.
The all
sufficient Shepherd Psalm 23:1
God is interested in the little things
that concern your and me. He loves us even when we do not deserve it. We need
to understand that God wants to walk with us every step of the day, every
moment, and every hour. He never stops caring for you. There is not one need
that you may have that He is going to overlook. Most people go thru life
never realizing that Jesus is all that they need. He knows our ever need and
all our desires. Your number one need is to know that you are forgiven,
emotionally and spiritually. Only Jesus can meet that need. Do not expect
your spouse or friends to fulfill those needs that only Jesus can meet. They
will eventually withdraw when you uphold demands that only Jesus can meet. If
all the people in the world worked just on meeting your needs, your needs
would still be unmet if you left Jesus out of your needs. People will
eventually let you down, but God will never let you down. No amount of self
effort will meet all your needs, but self effort will make matters worse if
you leave Jesus out. When we try to get our meeds
meet apart from God, we will only be met with disappointment, discouragement,
and despair. Only God can meet your inner most needs of peace, love,
wholeness, and forgiveness. Do you have unmet needs in your life? Perhaps
your intimate relationship with God is not what it should be. Allow God to
heal your relationship with Him. He is able to be with you through every
storm of life. God is concerned about your human needs. He knows all about
your unresolved problems. He is the eternal and all sufficient one. Allowing
God to meet your needs is essential to your worth and value as a person. His
forgiveness can make you whole again. Only thru forgiveness of past sins can
you truly be a loving partner in a lasting relationship. Emotional wounds of
the past should and must be dealt with prior to any lasting relationship.
Every emotionally wounded believes that love will heal their wounds. Their
real need is a healing forgiveness of God through the power of the Holy
Spirit. He wants to be your shepherd. Only a loving shepherd can defeat the
enemy from within. He will not shut you away from any need that will help you
to be conformed to Him.. His resources are
immeasurable and unlimited. If He is your shepherd you can not have a need
that God cannot supply, but if the Lord is not your shepherd, you
shall want.
Time
Management Ephesians 5:16
The
old gentleman exclaimed, "The older I am the faster time
seems to go by." Everyone seems to experience that phoneme. When I was ten
years old I wanted to be eleven, so that I could join the boy scouts. When I
was eleven I wanted to be sixteen years old, so that I could drive a car.
When I was sixteen I wanted to be eighteen, so I could leave home and go to
college. When I got away to college I wanted to be twenty two, so I could get
a job and quit studying. When I was twenty two I wanted to be twenty five, so
my auto insurance would go down. When I was twenty five I wanted to be forty
five, so the children would be grown up and on their own. At forty five many
want to be sixty five, so that they can retire. At sixty five many people
wish that they were ten years old again.
Everyone needs to be good stewards of the time that God
gives them. Good time management means that we take an inventory of the those things that need to be done. Keep a list of
things to do. Disorganization is a great time waster. Evaluate,
eliminate, and prioritize those things on your list. Do those things you have
the most disinterest first or the things you least like will never
get done. Avoid distractions while you work. Expect some disappointments
to come along your way , but do not throw your
system into coast when things do not go your way. Have a clear direction
of those things you must get done. Don't let Satan steal your desire
to serve the Lord in whatever project you may start. Keep your determination
up by keeping your focus on God's plan for your life. Whenever possible delegate
the authority to complete the project to someone else. The key to success
in any organization is delegation. Have discretion and learn to say,
"no!" If you have too many irons in the fire you will eventually
put the fire out and turn into a puff of smoke. Redeem your time by thorough
planning. A failure to plan, is a plan to
fail.
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