"Earning Trust"

"Ye that fear the Lord, trust in the Lord: he is their help and their shield." Psalm 115:11

 

I was talking with a young man yesterday who is in a situation that involves others trusting him. I encouraged, and warned, him to make good choices and not do anything that would put that trust in jeopardy because once trust is broken it isn't easy to get back. Trust has to be earned. Trust is earned not by what we say, but by what we do.

 

Many people have fallen prey to scams because they trusted what someone said. Teens have given their bodies away because they trusted the words, "but I love you." Men have fallen prey to "gold-digging" women because of their flattering words. Once the words were trusted, the actions did not back them up-- they were untrustworthy. 

 

Employers gain trust in employees by watching their performance on the job. Parents trust teens with an automobile when they have proven themselves trustworthy to obey the laws of the road. As a child I remember being able to get a pet after I proved I could be trusted to take care of it.

 

Repeatedly, the Bible tells us to trust the Lord. Can we trust Him? If trust is earned by what a person does, then there is no way we could ever possibly not trust Him. Jesus proved He could be trusted- not by what He said, but by what He did. He said He loved us, but then He proved He loved us by dying on the cross. (His actions backed up His words.) So to answer the question-- yes, we can trust Him. 

 

Have a great day. We can't always trust what people say, the proof is in what they do. But we can always trust what Jesus says because the proof of His trustworthiness was in what He did. 

 

For further reading:

Romans 5:8

John 3:16

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Coffee Break is a morning devotional written by Lorraine Ezell

and is sent to you free of charge for the asking from

About the Master's Business Ministry, Inc.

Please feel free to

call (601) 833-5278 or
Email:mastersbusiness@bellsouth.net

Visit us on the web: www.mastersbusiness.org

You are welcomed to make copies and distribute them free of charge.

You may also forward them via e-mail or post them to your website - leaving the whole message in tact unless permission is granted to do otherwise. Please remember to give credit to About the Master's Business Ministry

"The Fragments"

"And they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments..." Mark 6:43

 

Does your life feel like it has been broken in pieces? Are you living with a broken heart? Have you gone through a broken relationship? You are broken in body because of an illness. Perhaps you are broken emotionally because of overwhelming problems? Maybe your life has been fragmented (torn into pieces) because of your upbringing, bad choices, things that were done to you, life controlling addictions or because you were violated or betrayed by someone you trusted. 

 

If your life has been "broken in pieces" (fragmented) I have good news for you. God knows how to take those "fragments" and use them to bring about something wonderful. Jesus had His disciples pick up the fragments of bread and fish-- the leftover pieces that would have been thrown away-- and put them in baskets to be used at a another time. He wanted nothing wasted. Jesus can use your broken life to "feed" others. He can make what looks like "discard" and use it as sustenance to give to others who are "hungry". As we surrender our lives to Him, He knows how to make sure that nothing in our lives-- good or bad-- is wasted either. He can take those bad experiences, He can take those broken places, He can take those mistakes and failures, He can even take the consequences of wrong choices and use them for good in your life and the lives of others. 

 

Don't look at the fragments of your life and think that nothing good can come from it. God can, and will, take them and use them in such a way where they won't be just wasted times in your life. 

 

Have a great day. Your broken life, your broken experiences can be used by the Lord to minister to others who have broken lives.

 

For further reading:

Romans 8:28

Mark 6:35-44

 

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Coffee Break is a morning devotional written by Lorraine Ezell

and is sent to you free of charge for the asking from

About the Master's Business Ministry, Inc.

Please feel free to

call (601) 833-5278 or
Email:mastersbusiness@bellsouth.net

Visit us on the web: www.mastersbusiness.org

You are welcomed to make copies and distribute them free of charge.

You may also forward them via e-mail or post them to your website - leaving the whole message in tact unless permission is granted to do otherwise. Please remember to give credit to About the Master's Business Ministry

"Troubled Hearts - Part 2"

"Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also." John 14:1-3

 

Yesterday we talked about having a "troubled heart". The scripture says to not let your heart be troubled. But how do we keep from it in a world full of trouble? There are several keys.

 

1) Like we said yesterday- don't defend your flesh/humanity. Don't make excuses for it to be troubled.

 

2) "Ye believe in God." Lean upon your belief in who God is. He is the loving Heavenly Father who cares about you, so much so that He sent His Only Begotten Son to pay the ransom for you sins. If He spared not His Only Son, but delivered Him up for you, will He not also freely give you all things? All things- peace, strength, joy, safety, wisdom, provisions, soundness of mind, etc. He is also the Creator of the Universe-- He spoke it into existence and holds it together by the power of His word. If He can create all that we see, and don't see, He can certainly take care of you and all your needs.

 

3) "Believe also in me." Believe in Jesus as your Advocate with the Father, as your Intercessor. Believe He is standing in the gap for you. Believe that He is for you. Believe that He is with you. He would not have laid down His life for you then leave you on your own. He still walks and talks with you just like He did with the disciples while on earth. Believe that He is your friend that sticks closer than a brother. Believe that He is the Prince of Peace who has imparted His peace that passes understanding into your heart and mind. Then rest in His peace.

 

4) "In my Father's house." Where is the Father's house? It is not on earth. Therefore, set your affections on things above. Keep looking up. Don't be so worldly minded. This life is not all there is. We are children of another kingdom. We are to be looking for a city whose builder and maker is the Lord. We are only passing through this life. So don't allow yourself to be conformed to this world. But be transformed by keeping your mind renewed with God's word. 

 

5) "I go to prepare a place for you. I will come again." There is hope in these words of Jesus, and a wonderful promise. Hold on to your hope. Hold on to your faith. Hold on to the words that Jesus has spoken to you. Guard your heart. Guard your thoughts. Don't let your hope be stolen during the troubling times. Hold on to His promises. Hold fast until the end. Fight the good fight of faith. There is a reward, and there is a prize laid up for those who endure to the end-- don't forget about it. 

 

Have a great day. Our belief in God, in Jesus, in His promises, and in the prize that is laid up for us will hold us steady in the times when our hearts are tempted to be troubled. 

 

For further reading:

Romans 8;32

1 Timothy 6:12

Philippians 3:14

1 John 2:1

 

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Coffee Break is a morning devotional written by Lorraine Ezell

and is sent to you free of charge for the asking from

About the Master's Business Ministry, Inc.

Please feel free to

call (601) 833-5278 or
Email:mastersbusiness@bellsouth.net

Visit us on the web: www.mastersbusiness.org

You are welcomed to make copies and distribute them free of charge.

You may also forward them via e-mail or post them to your website - leaving the whole message in tact unless permission is granted to do otherwise. Please remember to give credit to About the Master's Business Ministry

"Troubled Hearts"

"Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me." John 14:1

 

Don't let your heart be troubled-- disquieted, anxious, disturbed, fearful, restless, distressed, agitated. Does this sound like you? Are you anxious? Are you fearful? Are you restless? In the world in which we live it is easy to find ourselves in this state. Daily responsibilities, bad reports, the cares of this life, the state of affairs, tribulation, our job situation, the words and actions of others, can become an instrument to make our hearts troubled. But for the disciple of the Lord Jesus we ought not have a troubled heart. 

 

We tend to excuse our "troubled hearts" with the defense that "I am only human". Yes, we are human, but we are humans who believe in and put our hope and trust in God. We are humans who are in a transformation process of becoming more like Him in this world. We are humans who have been called to take up our cross, deny ourselves, put to death the works of the flesh and reckon ourselves dead to this world and alive to Christ. We are humans who must decrease so that Christ can increase in our lives. 

 

I don't want to sound cruel, hard-hearted or judgmental. We do face very real, very hurtful, very trying, very distressful situations. But we can't constantly give into them. During those times we have to let God arise and be seen in our lives. We have to follow the example of our beloved Savior- who for the joy that was set before Him became obedient unto the death of the cross. We have to follow the examples of the early church who counted it all joy when their faith was tried- even through persecution and tribulation. We have to follow the example of those in Revelations who loved not their lives unto death. 

 

"You believe in God, believe also in Me." Do we "believe" in God? If we do, then we should act like it even in trying times. We should have faith that He will make all things work together for our good. We should be fully persuaded that He is able to keep what we commit to Him. We should be confident that He will supply all our need, He will make a way, He will fight our battles, open prison doors, give us streams in the desert, guide us with His eyes and never leave us nor forsake us. Then we should know that He is watching over us and walking with us. Then we should know that we are still more than conquerors through Jesus no matter what we face. 

 

Yes, we face difficulties, (I am not denying that) and we always will as long as we are in this world. (John 16:33) But the more we give in to the feelings of our humanity and use it as an excuse to have troubled hearts we will never walk in the victory that Christ has given us. We will never experience the abundant life that He desires for us to have. We won't have joy or peace. And we will never walk in a level of faith that is worthy of those who say they "believe in God"-- but we will be defeated instead.

 

Have a great day. Stop defending your humanity and allowing it to be an excuse for a troubled heart. 

 

For further reading:

Matthew 16:24

John 3:30

Hebrews 12:2

James 1:2

Revelation 12:11

 

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Coffee Break is a morning devotional written by Lorraine Ezell

and is sent to you free of charge for the asking from

About the Master's Business Ministry, Inc.

Please feel free to

call (601) 833-5278 or
Email:mastersbusiness@bellsouth.net

Visit us on the web: www.mastersbusiness.org

You are welcomed to make copies and distribute them free of charge.

You may also forward them via e-mail or post them to your website - leaving the whole message in tact unless permission is granted to do otherwise. Please remember to give credit to About the Master's Business Ministry

"The Gift's Wrapping"

"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning." James 1:17

 

Sometimes we don't recognize the gifts that God is giving us because of the "package" they come wrapped in. I have received gifts that were wrapped in beautiful paper and bows. I have received gifts that were placed in a gift bag with pretty colored tissue stuffed in the top. But I have also received gifts that were wrapped in the plastic bag that they came from the store in. But each one-- even the one in the plain plastic bag-- was a gift. The wrapping just covered the gift. It didn't change the gift from being a gift. It didn't change the value of the gift. 

 

God sent mankind the gift of salvation and eternal life through Jesus His Son. When the gift of God came into the world, it came wrapped in swaddling clothes laying in a manger. What an odd "wrapping". When the gift was presented, it came "wrapped" in blood, nails and a cross. The outside "wrapping" didn't make it appear to be a beautiful gift, but it was the most wonderful, beautiful gift that could have been given to man. 

 

Some people miss the gift of salvation because of the way it came "wrapped". They miss it because they see the suffering, the blood, the crown of thorns, the beatings, and the crucifixion and reject the gift of eternal life. There are other gifts that the Lord is trying to give to us that we miss as well because of the "wrapping". For example, we miss the gift of patience because it is wrapped in tribulation. "Tribulation worketh patience". (Romans 5:3b) 

 

God is wanting to get some gifts to us but we won't receive them because of the way they are "wrapped"-- we reject them because of the packaging. "But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you." (1 Peter 5:9) He wants to perfect us, establish us, strengthen us and settle us, but it comes wrapped in suffering, so we reject it. The gift of a greater revelation of who Jesus was came to the disciples wrapped up in a storm. Joseph received the gift of destiny wrapped up in a pit, slavery and imprisonment. God gives good and perfect gifts to us, but the way they come wrapped may not look so good and perfect. 

 

Have a great day. Don't reject the gift because you don't like the packaging. 

 

For further reading:

Matthew 8:27

 

<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><

Coffee Break is a morning devotional written by Lorraine Ezell

and is sent to you free of charge for the asking from

About the Master's Business Ministry, Inc.

Please feel free to

call (601) 833-5278 or
Email:mastersbusiness@bellsouth.net

Visit us on the web: www.mastersbusiness.org

You are welcomed to make copies and distribute them free of charge.

You may also forward them via e-mail or post them to your website - leaving the whole message in tact unless permission is granted to do otherwise. Please remember to give credit to About the Master's Business Ministry