"Faith In Suffering"

"From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the Lord's name is to be praised".  Psalm 113:3

Praising the Lord from the time we wake up in the morning until we go to sleep at night is not always an easy thing because there is a lot that can happen to us in a day.  And not all that happens to us is good. 

Trying times happen.  Tragedy strikes.  Grief comes.  Sickness attacks our bodies.  Pain enters.  It happened to Job.  I don't believe there is any way we can fully comprehend all that this man went through.  (I can't.)  He lost all his children.  He lost his herds and flocks.  He lost his health.  All he had left was a wife who out of her own pain encouraged him to curse God and die.  Yet in the midst of all his pain and suffering, he worshipped God.  "Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord". (Job 1:21)

 

He didn't worship God for the suffering, he praised Him in spite of it.  He knew that his relationship with the Lord was the only thing that was going to carry him through the pain, sorrow and grief.  He knew he had to maintain his relationship with the Lord if he was going to survive the agony of what he was going through.  He knew that he had to stay close to the Lord if he was going to have any peace.  He knew his strength to make it through was found in the Lord.  He knew his comfort would not come from man but from God. 

 

Like Job, our worship is an indication of our faith.  Sometimes, when going through difficulty praise doesn't always come automatically or easily.  Often it is a sacrifice.  I am very sure Job didn't feel like worshipping the Lord, but he did anyway as an act of faith-- faith that he still trusted God, he still knew God was faithful no matter what he was going through, he still knew that God would be with him and he still knew that God would turn this around for good. 

 

Are you going through something today that makes it hard for you to worship the Lord?  Do it any way.  Let your faith speak for you-- not your pain.  Job did and as a result he made it through his time of suffering.  

Have a great day.  Praise the Lord even in suffering.   

"How'd You Wake Up?"

"Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you".  1 Peter 5:7

There were a thousand different ways a person could have woke up this morning.  Some woke up to a "perfect" world--- no problems at all and all is well.  But that wasn't the case with everyone.  Some woke up burdened this morning.  Some woke up with pain, sickness and disease in their bodies.  There are those who woke up in grief-- grieving over the passing of a loved one, over a relationship that has been broken, over a misunderstanding, etc. 

Some woke up to find themselves homeless.  Some are uncertain as to the state of their employment.  There are others who are wrestling with the question "why".  Some woke up feeling hopeless.  Many woke up addicted to things that have a stronghold in their lives.  Some people woke up struggling with guilt, condemnation, confusion, fear, anger and bitterness.  Some are facing the decision of a lifetime and need an answer.  

Some woke up incarcerated.  Some woke up in a hospital.  Some woke up in a strange bed.  Some woke up in a shelter.  Some woke up having to live with relatives or friends.  Some woke up in a mental institution.  Some woke up in a palace; others woke up in a shack.  Some woke up fighting on a battlefield.    

Wherever you woke up this morning, and whatever state you awoke to, I want to encourage you that there is a God who sits high but looks low.  He sees where you are.  He knows what you are going through.  He sees the conditions and situation that surrounds you.  He has your answer.  He knows your need.  He has peace and comfort for you.  He has strength and guidance available to you.  He has hope and help.  Bring Him into your day.  Bring Him into your situation.  Bring Him into your struggles.  Bring Him into your good times and bad times.  He is a present help and a God who loves you, cares about you and desires to be active in your life.

Have a great day.  How did you wake up this morning?  Bring God into it and let Him give you all you need to make it through it.       

"Sin Exposer"

"For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more".  Hebrews 8:12

What a wonderful promise!  When we confess our sins, the Lord is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us.  He not only forgives but He "forgets" our sins.  He doesn't keep reminding us of what we have done.  He doesn't remind us of "that time when".  He doesn't use the knowledge of our past sins against us.  He doesn't use them as a "bribery" or "tool" against us, threatening to expose us if we mess up or don't do exactly what He tells us to do or wants us to do. 

It is hard for us to believe that because the only example we have comes from each other-- mankind.  We see it a lot now in the politic arena.  Politicians are "exposing" one another's past sins and failures.  We see it in marriage relationships.  One spouse doesn't live up to the demands or expectations of another, so they keep "throwing up" the mistakes they have made.  In the business world there is a "little black book" of failures, mistakes, compromising situations, etc., that are used against, and by, those who are trying to "climb the corporate ladder".  And the list goes on.  It is everywhere.  People are trying to find and use as much "dirt" as they can against each other.

Newsflash--- we all have a past.  We all make mistakes.  None of us are perfect.  We have all said and done something wrong at some point in life.  We have all sinned.  We should worry about getting the log out of our own eye before we try to point out the speck in someone else's.  We need to sweep around our own door before we expose the dirt around another's. 

Don't be throwing up someone else's mistakes, sins and past.  Don't use what they "did" against them.  Don't listen to the condemnations of the devil when he throws up your past sins.  Thank the Lord for His mercy and grace in forgiving you.  And if He has, then you not only need to forgive others, but you also need to stop exposing their past sins and extend the same grace to them that God has extended to you--- don't remember their past sins to use as a weapon against them anymore.

Have a great day.  God never uses our past sins against us-- can you say the same when it comes to others?
 

"Figuring It Out"

"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".  Proverbs 3:5,6

There are some who are reading this that are in the "valley of decision".  You are in a place where you have to make a decision about a matter, but you don't know what to do.  You have tried everything.  You have looked at the situation from all angles trying to make the right move.  You have tried to figure it out on an educational level.  You have looked at it through the eyes of "common sense".  You have gone from person to person-- family, friend and professionals-- to help give you an answer.  But still to no avail.  You are just as confused now as you have been.

The problem is not the problem.  The problem is that you are not going to the right source for help-- the Lord.  Bring Him into your decision.  Acknowledge Him concerning the direction you are to go and the move you are to make.  It is not in our ability to direct our own steps.  We can't make a wise determination of the situation.  Our knowledge is limited.  Our resources are weak.  Our understanding is carnal. 

Go to God and ask Him.  You may say that you already have but still don't know what to do.  One little prayer quickly "thrown up" is not how you get the answer.  You have to seek Him until you find the answer.  You have to ask until you receive direction.  You have to knock until you have gained access. 

We try to figure things out on our own without the Lord's help.  We can't.  When we finally realize we can't, we go to Him and expect Him to answer us in 20 seconds, or we move on to the next thing we think might work.  Well, it doesn't.  It often takes time to hear.  You have to be prepared sometimes to wait for the answer.  You have to learn to be patient and still long enough to hear.  When you are, you will know what to do because you will hear Him speak in the matter.

Have a great day.  You can't figure out what you need to do on your own.  You need the Lord's help. 

"Deformed Fruit"

"Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them".  Matthew 7:20

We used to have two pear trees in our yard.  For years they made lots of delicious pears.  We had so many and they were so good that we were able to enjoy eating them, canning them and giving them away.  But after several years we had to cut the trees down.  They got some sort of disease.  They still produced pears, but the pears were shriveled up and had blotches on them.  They didn't get very big; their growth was stunted.  Their shape was deformed.  And although they were pears, they didn't look like a pear and couldn't be eaten.

This reminds me of many Christians.  The Bible says that we will be known by our fruit.  They are still a Christian, but they don't look like it.  They have allowed themselves to become "deformed".  They have allowed their fruit to become "diseased".  They don't look very appealing and the "taste" that comes from their lives is not desirable.

We know what caused our trees to become diseased.  As they got bigger, the cedar trees they were planted near got bigger too and the two trees can't be planted too closely together.  It is called cedar-apple rust disease. 

What causes the deformity and disease in a Christian's life that we are talking about?  It is caused by being too closely involved with the world.  When you become "of the world" instead of just "in the world", your fruit gets contaminated.  It also comes as a result of holding on to anger, bitterness, resentment, revenge, unforgiveness, hurt, pain and guilt.  These can affect your fruit and although you are a Christian and should be producing love, joy, peace, gentleness, kindness, etc., the fruit will be marred.  It won't look like what it is, and it certainly won't be desirable.

We could have sprayed our trees and worked with them for a while to heal them.  But we cut them down instead of going through the process.  A Christian who has become "deformed" can be healed and start producing good fruit again.  They do it through repentance and giving everything that contaminates their heart over to the Lord and give the Holy Spirit full control.

Have a great day.  Has your fruit become contaminated and is now deformed and undesirable?