"Yesterday And Today"

 

"They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness." Lamentations 3:23

I'll be the first to admit that sometimes I miss it. There are days that I don't always do what I should, but I am thankful that even if I missed it yesterday, I don't have to stay there. Today is a new day- a new day that has brand new mercies available to me. Yesterday I might have been a failure, but today I can be a winner. Yesterday I might have suffered defeat, but today I can be victorious.

Look at Peter. There was a "yesterday" and a "today" for him. Yesterday, he denied Christ, but then we see him a few days later and Jesus is commissioning him to feed His sheep. Mary Magdalene had a "yesterday". Yesterday she was full of demons and the Lord cast them out. The next day-her "today"- she is a follower of His- staying by His side even until He drew His last breath on the cross.

There is a "yesterday" and a "today" (so to speak) in all of our lives. Yesterday we may have been in one place, state or condition, but today because of the goodness, mercy and grace of the Lord we can be somewhere completely different. You might have missed it yesterday, but today you can get back on track. Yesterday you might have blown it, but today you can get back up. Yesterday you might have been disobedient, but today you can repent and fulfill His will. Yesterday you might have walked in the flesh, but today you can walk in the spirit. Yesterday you might have been a failure, but today you can be more than a conqueror. Don't let your mistakes of yesterday hold you in bondage. Today is a new day and the Lord is standing at it's threshold waiting to make it a new "today" for you.

Have a great day. You may have blown it yesterday like Peter, but today you can hear the Lord say, "Feed My sheep".

"Suddenly"

"And Hezekiah rejoiced, and all the people, that God had prepared the people: for the thing was done suddenly." 2 Chronicles 29:36

Early this morning I was thinking about Samuel and how the Lord gave him a "suddenly". Samuel was asleep after a day of doing his usual religious duties, then suddenly without warning the Lord spoke to him. This happened to Isaiah also. He was in the temple then suddenly he saw the Lord high and lifted up. And Joseph; he was in the prison doing his daily routine then suddenly he was promoted to the second highest in command in Egypt. Mary, the mother of Jesus, is another one. Suddenly an angel appeared and gave her the word from the Lord that she would bear the Messiah. The Lord appeared to Moses, suddenly, out of a burning bush. It happened to Noah, to Abraham, to Gideon, to the shepherds, Saul on the road to Damascus, and a host of others in the Bible.

The Bible is full of people who have this same testimony. They were going about their day, their regular routine, their jobs, their duties, tending to their responsibilities, then "suddenly" without prior warning, without any notice, without even a hint that something was up... the Lord appeared to them, gave them their answer, called them to do something for His Kingdom, gave them an assignment, sent an answer, pronounced a blessing, made a promise, or gave them a promotion.

God works in the "suddenly". We may not see the answer to our prayer then all of a sudden it comes-- as if from no where. We may not see anything happening in our lives to give us any indication that God is aware of what we are going through and then suddenly He lets us know that He is. Whatever you are going through, wherever you are, whatever the situation, whatever you need, whatever you are praying about... the answer will come, and it will come suddenly... and in the least expected way.

Have a great day. God does things suddenly-- without warning, when you least expect it.

"Don't Blame God"

"Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died." John 11:21

Blaming God is nothing new... it started back in the Garden of Eden. "And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat." (Genesis 3:12) When things go wrong, or don't go according to our plans, or something bad happens, God seems to get the blame for it. Adam blamed God, Martha blamed God, Mary blamed God, many people all around the world blame God. They blame Him because He allowed something to happen, didn't allow something to happen, didn't stop something from happening, didn't work the problem out, didn't make a way, etc... the list is endless.

Blaming God is a two-fold mistake: 1) It's incorrect. When you blame God, you are misplacing the blame. God is never to blame for anything. 2) When you blame God, you are pointing a finger at your only true source of help. Job never would have made it through his time of suffering had he blamed God and turned his back on Him because God was the only One who could have gotten him through it. God was the only one who could bring him comfort, strength and healing. Mary and Martha blamed God/Jesus- the only One who could help them. He was the only one who could give life and hope into their situation.

Bad things happen and things don't always happen to our liking. There is usually a place to place blame when they do, but it's not on God. He is your source. He is your strength. He is your deliverer. He is your comfort. He is the fountain from which you can drink, find rest and receive comfort when bad things happen.

Have a great day. Don't blame God when things are bad, don't turn your back on Him, don't cut Him off... because you are cutting off your own source of help.

"Out Of The Pit"

"He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings." Psalm 40:2

Have you ever been in a pit? Perhaps it was a pit of despair, a pit of pain, a pit of grief, a pit of fear or depression? We all have been in a pit at some time or other, and probably will be again. Pits come unexpectedly. One moment you are going along minding your own business or even doing the work of the Lord then the next minute you are in a pit. This happened to Joseph. He was just obeying his father by looking for his brothers and he got thrown into a pit. The prophet Jeremiah was delivering the word of the Lord and wound up in a pit. Daniel was praying and got thrown into a pit.

Pits are unavoidable- they are out there waiting for you to fall into them-- the enemy of our soul will see to that. But the question is, "What are you going to do when you find yourself in a pit?". Are you going to try to get out? Are you going to give up? Are you going to throw up your hands? Are you going to sit there and feel sorry for yourself and wait to die? What are you going to do?

The good news is you don't have to stay in the pit. Joseph got out, so did Jeremiah and Daniel. How did they get out? Did they deliver themselves? No, the Lord brought them out. The Lord will bring you out also. His hand is not too short that it cannot reach down and save you. If you will look to Him and call out to Him, He will bring you up out of the pit onto a higher place and set your feet upon a rock.

Have a great day. You don't have to stay in the pit, the Lord will help you out.

"I Thirst"

"After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst." John 19:28

This may be my own personal belief, but I believe that Jesus was thirsting for something more than just water to wet his tongue. Yes, I am sure He was thirsty in his body from dehydration. But I find it hard to believe that in the last moment of His life He was thinking about His physical need-- He never did before. Everything we ever saw Jesus do was geared to the spirit- He walked in self denial. Besides, He knew all things were accomplished and the next words He would speak would be, "It is finished". He knew that drinking something would do Him no good at that point- His next breath was to be His last.

To be thirsty also speaks of having a longing or strong desire for something. This word in the Greek is also figurative of eagerly longing for, those things by which the soul is refreshed, supported, strengthened. What was the one thing that Jesus eagerly longed for? What was His whole reason for coming to earth? Why did He die on the cross? Because He had a great longing and desire to see us with Him in His kingdom. It's even recorded that He looked past the suffering of the cross with joy- that joy was seeing you and me in His kingdom because of the price that He was about to pay.

I tend to believe that Jesus was thirsting (longing) to see the fruit of His labor. He was longing to begin to see us enter into His kingdom. He thirsted- He was ready with great excitement to see the souls begin coming into His kingdom for the first time.

If you don't know Him as Savior, if you haven't received Him as the Lord of your life, if you haven't accepted what He did at the cross for the forgiveness of your sins, then He is still thirsty. He is thirsty for you! He longs for you to come to Him. He longs to give you eternal life. He longs to forgive your sins. He longs to write your name in His book of life. He longs to start preparing a mansion for you. He longs to lavish His love on you and have a deep personal relationship with you.

Have a great day. Is He still "thirsty" for you?