God Morning…. This is SO good.  There are sheep in our flock who are going through some VERY difficult circumstances.  When that happens, it is easy to drop confidence, loose heart and even to blame God for those difficult situations.  This is a GREAT article to encourage us to see God for Who He REALLY is. ALL GOOD ALL THE TIME.

He is Good by Costi Hinn, from More than a Healer…

Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him. — Psalm 34:8

You say it, I say it, we all say it.

It usually comes out when we purchase our first home, deliver a healthy baby, find a perfect front row parking spot at the grocery store, hit the road for summer vacation, or get promoted at work. “God is so good!”

There couldn’t be a more reassuring truth. He most certainly is good. We say it because it is one of the best ways to express our appreciation to God for how things are working out in our favor and for giving us a temporary state of happiness and excitement. Would we say the same thing, however, if things were not working out the way we desired?

Do we truly embrace the fact that God is good, even when our circumstances are not?

Could there be more to His goodness than just the bright side of our story? If we’re going to grow closer to Jesus than ever before and find our ultimate purpose in who He is (and not merely in what He can do), we must ask ourselves these kinds of challenging questions. They are essential to our growth.

God Is Good All the Time

When things are going right, we rightly declare God’s goodness, but the Bible clearly shows us that God is still good when things are going horribly wrong. This is because goodness is part of God’s nature. He is always good, because it is innate to who He is.

God allowed Satan to afflict Job with suffering as part of a test (Job 1:6–12). Even still, God is good. Paul begged the Lord to remove a “thorn in the flesh,” but God did not (2 Corinthians 12:7–10). He is still good. When King Nebuchadnezzar commanded Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to bow down and worship the idol he’d raised, they refused. The king threatened to have them thrown into a fiery furnace. Their response? They declared that their God was able to deliver them, but even if He didn’t, they would not worship any other gods (Daniel 3:17–18). Those men knew that God is good, even if He didn’t deliver them from a blazing death.

Now personalize this truth. Is God still good if you lose your job, if you lose your home, if you can’t have a child, or if a doctor says you have six months to live? Answering that question will test your view of God.

God’s goodness is based on His character.

Which means that your career advancement and good health are unrelated to whether He is good. He is good and He is good all the time, no matter what our circumstances might be.

The Biblical Reality of God’s Goodness

Scripture is not silent on this subject. Countless passages point to the goodness of God throughout the ups and downs of life. For example, the apostle John wanted to shape and protect the way Christians viewed God, as do I. So when false teachers misrepresented the gospel, He reminded believers,

This is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you: God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all.

— 1 John 1:5

Regarding John’s writing style, Charles Spurgeon said, “The apostle John’s style was to give you a truth then guard that truth.” In this case, John’s statement that “God is light” is doubled down with the declaration that “in Him there is no darkness at all.” What John is saying here can be paraphrased this way: “In case you were wondering if God isn’t all light, or if maybe some element of Him can sin, that’s not possible. If you somehow think that His anger, wrath, sovereignty, and judgments are His dark side, and His goodness, love, joy, mercy, and grace are His light side, that’s not possible. He is all light and always light.”

God isn’t like some of today’s movie superheroes, complete with a troubling dark side that must be hidden or tamed.

Every aspect of who He is and what He does is good. This truth impacts how we view Him in our darkest moments, because we can still know that He is light. He is good. We don’t need to cry out in anguish, wondering if He still has a handle on things or if He has suddenly turned into a monster. Such a thing will never be. God is good.

Discussion about God’s goodness in the midst of horrible situations in our world begs the question, why did God create evil? But that question contains a false assumption.

Nowhere in the Bible are we taught that God created evil, has evil in Him, or is the author of evil. We know from the Bible that God can cause calamity and bad events to occur, and therefore, certainly allow it (Lamentations 3:38; Amos 3:6; Isaiah 45:7), but since there is no evil in Him, we can trust that His purposes and judgments are still ultimately for good. Someday, we know, He will eradicate evil. Since God cannot eradicate Himself, we can fully affirm that He is not at all evil. Instead He will judge all evil one day.

Most helpful of all for your immediate situation is that God can take something evil and make it work out for good. That is a truth we need to keep close to our hearts.

God Works All Things for Good

Romans 8:28 is a very important passage to address when we’re talking about the goodness of God in all circumstances. Paul writes,

We know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose. — ESV

Often you may hear a person or a preacher say that this passage means that everything happening to you is going to turn out for your good, that the blessing is just on the other side of this burden, that your prosperity is going to come from the pain. Basically, this approach to Romans 8:28 sees good as your definition of good. This is not the right way to handle this passage.

No matter how well intentioned, another inappropriate handling of Romans 8:28 is to throw it around after a tragedy as though it makes everything fine. Does it have a place in the wake of painful events? Yes. But most of the time, it’s needed only after the initial mourning process slowly begins to give space for reflection and deeper conversation. How many of us know that in the early stages of pain, we just need prayer and for others to mourn with us, not statements (no matter how true) about how it’s all going to be okay? There are many tragedies that will never be okay. We simply learn to lean on Jesus, grateful that He is holding on to us.

So what does Romans 8:28 mean, and how does understanding it fit into our growing closer to Jesus? First, it is speaking specifically about “those who love God,” “those who are called according to His purpose.” Those phrases are directly aimed at believers, which means this is not a general promise you can throw around at people, like a prosperity gospel preacher telling a crowd that God will make them happy, healthy, and wealthy. Second, this passage says “all things,” which means that the good, the bad, and the ugly will happen. No one is immune to the “all things” in life. Third, this passage reminds us that God’s definition of good is what will ultimately be accomplished, and His good will be good for us. One of my favorite explanations of this passage is by Randy Alcorn.

The focus is not on isolated events in the believer’s life, but on the sum total of all events. Do you see the difference between saying “each thing by itself is good” and “all things work together for good”? Think about it. The difference is tremendous. The verse does not tell me I should say “it is good” if my leg gets broken, or my house burns down, or I am robbed and beaten, or my child dies. But it does say that God will use these events and weave them together with every other facet of my life in order to produce what He knows to be the very best for me… Once I heard a pastor say, “I’m tired of hearing people tritely use Romans 8:28.”

So am I. But I am not tired of Romans 8:28 itself and pray that I never will be. When you use this powerfully explosive verse (and you should use it), handle it with care. But whatever you do, don’t stay away from it. The truth it contains can change your whole outlook on life.¹

In light of the great truth contained in Romans 8:28, and all that the Bible teaches about the goodness of God, we do well to internalize at least three powerful truths that can transform our perspective in the midst of pain.

God Is the Giver of All Good Things

Our pride tells us that we are responsible for earning good things, good income, and even good results from hard work.

That may be true to an extent, but it’s not the whole story.

While you are the one who goes to work each day to earn income, and you are the one who goes to the gym to improve your health, and you are the one who performs with excellence and gets a promotion, all of the good things in your life are from God. More than that, even the ability to work hard or do anything good is a gift given to you by God.

James 1:17 reminds us,

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

When we see good things through this lens, entitlement shatters and gratitude soars. Entitlement emanates from a heart that believes it deserves everything it gets.

Entitlement tells us, “You shouldn’t be dealing with this right now. You’re such a good person. You deserve so much more!” We silence entitlement by reminding ourselves that we are undeserving recipients of so many good things from God. Suddenly we can be in the middle of pain, cancer treatments, relational conflict, or an anxiety attack and still maintain a heart posture that overflows with thanksgiving toward the Giver of good.

God Is Good Even When Our Circumstances Are Not

All through the Bible, God’s people encounter both immensely good times and horribly hard times. Yet through it all, the Bible declares God’s goodness. The psalms are filled with declarations of God’s goodness, made by David even when he is going through pain. Enduring King Saul’s jealous rage and attempts to kill him (1 Samuel 18:11; 1 Samuel 19:10), experiencing injustices and betrayals (1 Samuel 23:15–29), waiting years to take his rightful place as king, running like a fugitive from his own rebellious and tyrannical son (2 Samuel 15:13–17:22), David still declares the goodness of God. Psalm 106:1 exalts God, exclaiming,

Praise the Lord. Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever.

Psalm 107:1 repeats these words, and so does Psalm 118:1 and Psalm 136:1. The theme of thanksgiving is prevalent in these praises, which reminds us again that we can praise God in the midst of pain. He is good, even when our circumstances are not!

1. Randy Alcorn, “What Does Romans 8:28 Really Mean?” Eternal Perspective Ministries (March 21, 2010)

Excerpted with permission from More Than a Healer by Costi Hinn, copyright Costi W. Hinn.

“Then came the day of Unleavened Bread on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, ‘Go and make preparations for us to eat the Passover.'” Luke 22:7-8

Tonight at 6:30, we are having a Spaghetti Dinner at FLAP (our Church’s Bible Study). We haven’t had a dinner in a while and being nudged, I felt like it was time. So I ran it past a couple people, they said, “O.K,” and it’s on! And I’ve been running like a mad man!

I don’t like putting people out and hate to ask things of them. So, since it was my idea, I did the research and math to figure out what we needed, went to the store (several times), gathered kitchen supplies, and with Katie, set up the church. Now all that’s left is for volunteers to show up, cook and serve it to the folks who decide to come! Jesus had it EASY!

Jesus told His disciples to“Go and make preparations for us to eat.” He didn’t do math, shop, prep, cook or serve. All He said was “GO!” And they went! Since His disciples were His FOLLOWERS, that means that they were WITH Him. While we think that there were 12 disciples, we know from Scripture there COULD have been more. But we can presume that Peter and John knew how many were coming…AND HOW to prepare! A blessing I second guess.

I have no idea how many people will be coming tonight. Jesus had the ability to multiply food and have baskets full of leftovers. The LAST time we did this we had a boatload of leftovers. So I’m not concerned. But I AM preparing to be prepared! Why? Because, having said “YES” to Jesus myself, I WANT to be!

Peter and John were not given a Job Description when Jesus asked they follow Him. It was assumed that their ‘yes’ was to be found in their footsteps. As time passed, they were led into the deeper territory of ‘whatever!’ Based upon The Word, they all faced mystery, fear, uncertainty and a LOT of crazy in their walk with God! But they had the time of their lives.

Are YOU into ‘Whatever?’ Are YOU prepared to instantly follow, go or say what He asks of you? I have learned that HIS way has never changed. It is ALWAYS costly in time, money and nervousness. He doesn’t give all the details, but expects you to know, or find out, what it takes to get the job done. Reward or judgment falls upon the outcome! But hey!!!!!! It’s Jesus! Nothing to be nervous about… RIGHT?? haaaaaaa!

If you live here, I hope and pray you come. While I’m not sure that it will be the best spaghetti you’ve ever eaten, I CAN tell you this… JESUS will be there! And THAT’S enough for me!

“But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.” Jude 20-21

I have the best eye doctor in the world! The problem is, I don’t really, completely, 100%, LISTEN to her! I USED to see perfectly. Then with age, reading glasses became necessary. Then years later, far away glasses were needed for DRIVING. So I have a pair of glasses when I read, a pair for driving in the daytime, and another for driving at night! My Doctor suggested Progressive lenses. But honestly, I just refuse to see the point!!!!!

What a funny spectacle I must be. Even working in the yard requires wearing prescription sunglasses. But hooked in the neckline of my shirt is a pair of reading glasses for when I need to see something up close. Switching glasses is a chore, but I do it anyway. Because doing what my Doctor says, just seems MORE uncomfortable!

Other people have done it… made the switch to 1 pair of glasses for everything. But my Doctor said, and others have confirmed that, “it takes some getting used to.” And that headaches, in the process, are not uncommon. But dummy me…it seems THAT is all I’ve heard! I don’t like headaches!

Our ladies in the church are learning how to become a good Ezer Kenegdo. That term means like a warrior helpmate for their husbands AND for others! When Katie got home from Ladies Bible Study last night, she was SO excited to tell me all that they had learned together. BUT…the underlying issue… has an issue. To BECOME a better Godly woman, one has to make it a GOAL to NOT do what they are USED to doing! Which can be a headache!

The verse today says that it is up to US to build up our own faith and remain in God’s Love! God guides, but prayer and focus are the tools WE must use to build. Which means WORK! As we learn to NOT do what we USUALLY do, discomfort will come. But the outlook WILL be SO much more glorious!

So THANK YOU LADIES for leading the way. As the days become more difficult, it will become even harder to see past the distractions the world, flesh and devil throw at us. May your example teach us to work and wait patiently for the Lord to take us to our eternal home. Which the Bible tells us…is God’s very progressive point of view!

How do YOU see it?

“Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise Him again— my Savior and my God!” Psalm 43:5 NLT

I woke up with this overwhelming feeling of sadness, bordering on despair. And it’s Monday! One thing led to another and soon I found myself doing math… which is a REALLY bad sign. I multiplied the weeks of my life and found that there have been about 3,444 Monday’s in my life! An action which is strange, because Mondays’ never ever bothered me. Maybe it’s a coincidence?!?

Last week I was FORCED to cut my grass, which I hadn’t been able to do because of rain. But it got so high, I couldn’t put it off any longer. What usually takes about an hour took 3. The wet grass just stuck, like green mushy goo, underneath my lawnmower. But as I said, I HAD to get it done. Today… I have to do it AGAIN. And it’s Monday!

As I said, through all my years of working, I never had a problem with Mondays. To me, it was just another day. Having preached on Sunday’s now for over 22 years, Monday’s can sometimes be tough. After a hard week of trying to lead sheep, Monday’s can sometimes make me feel like I’m a goat herder instead.

Mushy, messy, sticky grass can be scraped off of a mower deck. It isn’t that easy when it’s covering a brother or sister in Christ. And when it sometimes sticks to ME…it can slowly shut me down. The call of ‘The Master’ to shepherd His sheep is a serious one… coming with DOUBLE judgment for failure. I take ‘The Call’ even MORE seriously than keeping my lawn in shape. Which CAN cause me even MORE harm. But why am I writing this??

The answer is strangely easy. Because David did! David, a man after God’s own heart, had bad and sad days too! As a young lad in the pastures, His relationship to God grew because HIS sheep didn’t talk to him. So he focused on his relationship with God. Whether up or down, in or out, he wrote about it. Writing just seems to help break down and analyze the situation.

I realize that a messy Monday is my own fault! When I start looking around and evaluating who’s in or out, who’s growing and who not, who’s following and who’s just being stubbornly stupid… I can EASILY get into trouble. Why? Well, since ‘evaluating’ is NOT my job, ‘I’ need to work hard to avoid it… or get messy!!

We are studying James at FLAP and the ladies are studying how to be an Ezer Kenegdo. It stands to reason that getting this focused on focusing on Jesus tends to bring out Jesus’ enemies in full force. I thank God that MY EK just reminded me to “put my hope in God, and praise Him!” Which is EXACTLY what David said… and did! So I’m on my way!

Happy Monday to ya’ll!

It’s Friday!!!   And I have been saving this to send because to me, it is the simplest most profound Truth in all of the Universe.   I have used this passage about Lazarus for every Memorial or Funeral service I have ever done.  but THIS lesson I have never heard before.  It makes the story even MORE special.  I pray you enjoy and feel the same about Jesus Christ as John and I do….and like Jesus Christ loves YOU.

Why Does God Love ME? 

What would it look like in your life to know that God loves you — I mean to know that he really loves you? Would that love be proven in a new job? Or maybe a better job? Would it be an open door that will allow you greater financial independence? Maybe it would be to find a spouse. Or maybe deliverance from chronic pain that depletes your energy. Or maybe it would look like being delivered from the consuming demands of a special needs child. What would prove God’s love to you? And what if the answer to that question was something altogether different than what we expected? What if, instead of any of these things, God showed his love to you by letting you die in sickness? Crazy, right? Totally counterintuitive. And yet this is exactly what we read about in John 11:1–44. Read this extraordinary story, because in it we find a life-changing lesson God wants all of us to grasp. Here’s Pastor John to explain, in one of his sermons from 2001.

This is John 11. I have used this text now in about five settings in the last couple of months because no other text has gripped me like this in driving home this central point.

Love and Glory

Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. (John 11:1–2)

This is clearly a picture of sweetness and love. Mary loved Jesus, and Jesus loved Mary. Mark that word love. It will show up several more times.

So the sisters sent to him, saying, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” But when Jesus heard it he said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” (John 11:3–4)

So now you have two profound realities on the table: love and glory — the love of Christ and the glory of Christ. My question is, How do they relate to each other? Verse 5:

Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.

“Until Christ becomes our treasure, we don’t know what it is to be loved by God.”

Notice three things: (1) Jesus chose to let Lazarus die. (2) He was motivated in this by his zeal for the glory of God to be manifest. (3) This motivation is love.

Do you see the word so, or therefore, at the beginning of verse 6? Do you see what it’s preceded by and followed by? It’s preceded by the fact that Jesus loved Martha; Jesus loved Mary; Jesus loved the dying man, Lazarus. Therefore, he did not go heal him but stayed two days longer where he was and saw to it that he died.

Why Do You Want to Be Loved by God?

Now, what on earth could possibly turn that into love? Verse 4: This is not going to end in death. This is all about the glory of God, “that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”

So here’s my definition of the love of God based on this text: God’s love is his doing whatever needs to be done, at whatever cost, so that we will see and be satisfied with the glory of God in Jesus Christ. Let me say it again: the love of God is his doing whatever needs to be done, at whatever cost to himself or to us, so that we will see and be satisfied by the love of God in Christ forever and ever.

Let me confirm this with John 17:24. Here’s Jesus praying for us, and he loves us in this prayer — oh how he loves us in this prayer. John 17:24: “Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory.” If Jesus loves you and prays for you, do you know what he finally asks for you? That you may see him. The ultimate answer to the prayer of love is, “Show them my glory, Father. Show them my glory, and they will have arrived at ultimate satisfaction.”

Why do you want to be loved by God? Yes, not to perish. Yes, not to go to hell. Yes, not to have a guilty conscience anymore. Yes, to have the marriage put back together. But if that’s all you want, you don’t know him. You don’t know him. It’s for life. And what is life? It is to know him and his Son. It’s to fellowship with him. It’s to behold him. It’s to be satisfied with him. It’s to enjoy him. Until Christ becomes our treasure, we don’t know what it is to be loved by God.

Why are you thankful for the love of God today? I hope, before we’re done, God will have worked in your heart so that you see enough of God the Father and enough of God the Son, Jesus Christ, so that you will know and feel that it is not finally for the relief of your conscience, it is not finally for escape from hell, it is not finally for health in our bodies, or reconciliation among our family members; it is finally to bring you home to God, where you can see him and enjoy him forever and ever and ever.

Seeing and Savoring Forever

I want to know: Do you want this? Do you want this? Do you want to be loved by God for God? Do you want to be loved by God for God? Or do you only want to be loved by God because it feels good that he seems to make much of you? Have you taken the American definition of love — being made much of — and so twisted God to fit that definition that the only way you would feel loved by God is if he makes much of you, when, in fact, the love of God is working so as to change you so that you enjoy making much of him forever and ever and ever? And that’s the end of your quest. There isn’t anything beyond it.

“You will be satisfied when you forget yourself and are swallowed up in Jesus Christ, and he becomes your treasure.”

I do believe that is in every heart in this room. And we are all fallen, and we are all sinners. I know that every person in this room has a distorted desire for God, and it’s on the way to being purified. And it’s being tricked. You’re being tricked, many of you, into thinking that the satisfying thing in life is to be made much of: “If I could just get some people to clap for me, to like me, to approve of me, to give me a raise, or to give me an advancement. If I could just get someone to pay attention to me, I would be satisfied.” You wouldn’t. I promise you, in the name of Jesus Christ Almighty, you wouldn’t.

You will be satisfied when you forget yourself and are swallowed up in Jesus Christ, and he becomes your treasure, and he becomes your delight, and he becomes what you cherish and what you value, and you spend the rest of your eternity growing in your capacity to see and savor, to know and to delight in him forever and ever — and it will get better and better and better.

John Piper (@JohnPiper) is founder and teacher of desiringGod.org and chancellor of Bethlehem College & Seminary. For 33 years, he served as pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota. He is author of more than 50 books, including Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist and most recently Providence.

“The LORD is with you when you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you, but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you.” 2 Chronicles 15:2

The other day I wrote about Katie’s computer crash! Her computer froze up and left a screen with only error messages. With years of her hard work on the now inaccessible hard drive, the situation was bleak! 40 years ago that would not have been the case. But progress! But then…40 years ago, I didn’t know Mike!

One of my sayings is, “Heaven is like a good government job, it’s not what you do, but who you know!” That is NOT to say that what I DO doesn’t matter. In the case of the crashed computer, knowing Mike is not even enough. I had to call, ask and take my problem TO him. Last night, we got her computer back!

I don’t know how he did it…though he tried to explain. Honestly, we didn’t care! What was lost, because of him, had been found! The joy was flowing baby! And I mean ‘slay the fatted calf and call for a praise party’ kind of Joy! Which only served to remind me that the truth of that saying is still rock solid! ‘Doin’ and ‘Who’n’ go a LONG way when it comes to life! Which brings me to today’s Bible verse.

If I were to ask YOU 2 questions, based upon YOUR experience and what you KNOW, could you give me an answer to each? OK…let’s try!

1. What is the Meaning of Life?

2. What is the Secret to Life?

In our FLAP Bible Study last night, we started the book of James. Because we are human, each and every one of us have faced trials in life. As the clock ticks, time SHOULD give us more rock solid answers, if only by trial and error! That said, what do I KNOW for SURE? And do I know it to be true EVERY TIME, for EVERYBODY and for ANY situation?

As life crashes in and all around me, it is important that I seek and KNOW what to do when it does. Rock solid knowledge that is TRUE can then be passed on to others who find themselves in similar crashing situations. So as for the 2 questions, I have MY answers. Do you have yours? I’d LOVE to KNOW!

I await your email response. 

“Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word.” Ephesians 5:25-26

It was Sunday and I was wearing Sunday clothes. You know, dress pants, shirt and tie. As I grabbed my jacket to get out of my truck, I knew I was stepping into unfriendly territory. One that showed absolutely NO respect for my fancy dress. But catching a glimpse of my face in the rear-view mirror showed…it was EXACTLY what I needed!

I didn’t have a raincoat or umbrella. And though it wasn’t far to the door, the speed and force of the rain, combined with my massive intellect and experience in this kind of situation, GUARANTEED I was going to get soaked! But at least I was coming HOME! Taking a breath, I opened the door… and proved just how smart I was!

When we go to our cabin, we never fail to get pictures of us all lounging at the old swimming hole. When I am done cutting grass at home, I LOVE to jump in the pool to cool off. When I am dirty, I LOVE the feeling of a shower before crawling into bed. But I wasn’t in the mountains, cutting grass or going to bed. I was coming home from Church and wasn’t dressed or ready for a soaking. Or was I?

We ALL get wet. Often, many times during the day. But when I do, I usually volunteer for the process. But to get wet when I don’t CHOOSE it is uncomfortable. Wearing dress clothes the world finds acceptable, can sometimes give me a worldly kind of outlook. And often, a washing is exactly what I need.

Jesus Christ cleansed his bride, the Church, by His sacrifice and His Word. What water does for my body, His Word does for my soul and spirit. But sometimes I find myself like I did at the age of 3! Really dirty, but hating the idea of taking a bath. Then, Mom would take charge, draw the water and say…”get in!”

I need to be reminded that I am ALWAYS headed home. When the dirt and grime of the world cling to me, when my attitude turns sour and the sweat from the toils of life wears on me, Jesus has the total right to clean me anyway or any time He desires. It’s for my own good.. AND HIS!

Are YOU due for a good soaking???  

P.S.  The context of this verse is God talking to HUSBANDS.   Go ahead and look it up!  We men are to treat our wives the SAME WAY JESUS DID with HIS Bride.  And if that makes you wives feel, in any way, superior… read what comes BEFORE this verse.  We are ALL to love and SERVE one another.   AND Him  May you go and do likewise.

“My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, for they will prolong your life many years and bring you peace and prosperity.” Proverbs 3:1-2

It started with Katie on Sunday afternoon. After my nap she calmly called me over and pointed to her computer screen. Recognizing what I was seeing, I tried hard to remain calm, look wise and sound comforting. Then I pushed every possible key imaginable! Nothin’! Had it stayed there with HER computer, I might have REMAINED calm.

There’s an old computer saying that, “even Jesus saves!” I have 2 files that I guard by backing up EVERY day! But beyond that, eh…! Right then, I remembered I was overdue on a backup of my own hard drive. If Katie’s crash accomplished ANYTHING, it got me motivated to work on backing up my own important data and photos. Before I was done, I lost BOTH!

It is in times of desperation that I find out who my friends are. Since I was desperate, I called Mike. After explaining Katie’s, and then MY experience, he added that HE had experienced the same thing… ALL DAY! Being an I.T. guy, computer crashes can make one wish they were a ditch digger! We talked, then laughed…and things actually started to look a little bit better! But not because they had changed!

Mike is my friend. Mike is a Jesus guy! Through talking to him, I realized that my data and photos are not ME. All those pictures? I have the REAL people in my life. My data? I STILL know who’s, and who, I am in Him. I’m taking ME, with me, to Heaven to live with God doesn’t lose ANYTHING!! So…when put in perspective, the loss isn’t that big a deal.

There is really only 1 thing that God wants me to remember, and that’s HIM! His love, His Grace, His ways! He wants me to write them on my heart, the place from where I live, so that I will DO what I KNOW! If I choose to do that, HE will make sure I will NEVER be lost! On top of THAT; time, peace and HIS kind of prosperity will be added, both here and there. Regardless of any crash!

Is Jesus YOUR back up?

It would have been easier to write a ‘Words of the Day.’  But after a hard sermon yesterday and trying to get across the idea that we are NOT pleasing God by doing our own thing, I read 2 devotionals, from other pastors, saying the same thing.  So I combined them.  

“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.” 2 Corinthians 8:9

Christ’s humbling is what Paul holds up as an example of what it means to give. There was a time when Jesus was rich. He was not rich on earth, though He sometimes stayed with rich people. He had friends and neighbors who were rich; some who followed Him were rich, but He Himself had nothing at all. But once He was rich, according to this verse. When was that? Do you remember in the Upper Room Discourse, in the prayer of Jesus recorded in John 17, He says to the Father, And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began (John 17:5)?

I do not know if Paul was aware of this prayer or not, but that is a very wonderfully insightful verse indicating that Jesus recalled a time when He was rich, when everything in the universe belonged to Him. All the hosts of heaven bowed down in continuous worship of His name, and hundreds of thousands were ready to run at His bidding. He owned it all, everything was His, but He gave it up voluntarily. He deliberately impoverished himself. As Paul put it in Philippians, He humbled himself (Philippians 2:8), and He became a man, just a poor man.

Remember how He constantly borrowed everything? He had nothing of His own. He borrowed food, clothing, a coin to give an illustration, a donkey to enter into the city of Jerusalem, and He finally had to borrow a tomb in which to be laid. There was one occasion when it says the disciples all went to their own homes, but He went to the Mount of Olives. He had no home to go to, no place to lay His head.

Why did He do this? Why did He become poor? Paul’s reminder is, in order that we might be rich. Have you thought about how rich the Lord has made you? Just the other day, in the midst of all the tumult that we see reported in the international scene, I was thinking what a terrible thing it would be to have to live today without the Lord. Would you like to do that, now that you have known Him? Would you like to give up all the joy, all the peace, all the sense of forgiveness, all the lifting of the load of guilt? Would you give up the sense of His presence, of a power source available to you for whatever you need, of a continual supply of joy and gladness and restoration, of the continual enrichment of your life?

How rich Jesus has made us! He became poor in order that we might be rich. When you think about that, how wrong it seems to withhold our gifts from those who are in need around us. How can we clutch our affluence to ourselves when our brothers and sisters are in need?

Thank You, Lord, for the example of Jesus, who became poor that I might become rich. May I learn to extend that same grace to those around me who are in need.

Jesus is our priceless Treasure. Are we learning to worship Him with all that we are and own? What may we be withholding from Him this day?

From Ray Stedman

”You have a calling on your life, and the way you live should match it.”
—Mark Jobe
 
THIS WEEK’S BOLD STEP DEVOTION

When I was younger, I remember having to dress up in a suit for a special event my family was invited to attend. I really didn’t feel like dressing up that day and would have preferred to stay in my street clothes, but because my parents said otherwise, I begrudgingly put on my suit. That laissez-faire attitude spilled over into my decision to wear my thick, white, dingy gym socks with my suit, thinking no one would notice. Boy, was I surprised when my friend noticed my mismatch within a few minutes of my arrival. I won’t soon forget my parents’ reaction either!

I learned an important lesson that day. People take notice when things don’t match or line up in our lives. Spiritually, we each have a calling, and the way we live should match that calling. If you say you’re a Christian but your lifestyle says something very different, then don’t be surprised when people around you take notice—and not in a good way. What impacts people the most is how different you are. In the end, most people aren’t as impressed with what you say you are compared to how you live your life.

From Mark Jobe