Live Well, Love Well

Matthew 22:37-40 Jesus replied, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.” This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”

Sometimes we place so much focus on the need to know what our entire life is going to look like for the rest of our lives at this very moment. We have been encouraged to 'reach for the stars', 'dream big', to 'believe we can', and so many other catch phrases that motivate us towards greatness. But sometimes, regardless of how hard we try, we find ourselves in a place where we just don't know what to do, or where we should be heading in life. We might even know where we would like to be, but our greatest efforts have not allowed us to reach that place.

As I consider some of the greatest stories in the Bible, I have come to realize that, sometimes, God isn't exactly looking for someone that is out and about ready to take on the greatest challenges in the world. Many times, God called to those who were simply living their lives as best as they could. People who were simply being faithful in what they had been given until that moment without necessarily seeking or asking for anything greater. Consider the stories of Noah, Moses, Naomi, David, Josiah, Esther, Job, and even Mary the mother of Jesus. I am sure there are plenty of other and maybe even better examples, but these, just to name a few... Noah wasn't asking God,"Please Lord, let me build an ark". Moses wasn't asking God, or planning to return to Egypt, to free the Israelites. Naomi wasn't trying to find Boaz. David wasn't seeking to be anointed as King, nor to face and kill a giant. Josiah was only 8 years old when he was named King; he certainly wasn't seeking to clean the land of all the false gods, idols, shrines, altars, and the like; and he wasn't seeking to be known as the only King who turned to the Lord with all his heart, soul, and mind according to the law of Moses. Esther wasn't seeking to be called to 'such a time as this', where she was chosen to marry the king, and risked her own life to save her people. Job most certainly didn't boast of his faithfulness to the Lord, provoking himself to be challenged in every way possible, to prove his firm commitment to the Lord. and Mary wasn't trying to become the mother of the promised Messiah. All of these people were just being faithful in what they had been given. All of them were living lives pleasing to the Lord, right where they were at, whether in positions of greatness or just living average everyday lives to the best of their abilities. And God found favor in them. God knew that he could entrust them with the callings they received from Him and that they would continue to seek Him, serve Him, and honor Him despite the good and bad they experienced along the way. None of them were perfect, but all of them remained tender to the Word of the Lord and His call on their lives.

Wherever you find yourself today, whether already in a position of authority and leadership, or just living your simple, everyday life. Live well and love well, the best you can, according to the Word of God. Be faithful in what you have been given. Find joy and peace in the people and places God has surrounded you with. Live pleasing to God, sincerely, with purity of heart, and the day will come that God will lead you to the place where you will fulfill the purpose which He has for your life. 

As you see in the examples above, and in the various stories in the Bible, God rarely works in the same way more than once. Don't get sidetracked seeking to copy another persons calling, or trying to reach or exceed another persons achievements. But seek first the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need. Matthew 6:33.

Psalm 91

Psalm 91

 ¹ Those who live in the shelter of the Most High
      will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
 ² This I declare about the Lord:
   He alone is my refuge, my place of safety;
      he is my God, and I trust him.
 ³ For he will rescue you from every trap
      and protect you from deadly disease.
 ⁴ He will cover you with his feathers.
      He will shelter you with his wings.
      His faithful promises are your armor and protection.
 ⁵ Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night,
      nor the arrow that flies in the day.
 ⁶ Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness,
      nor the disaster that strikes at midday.
 ⁷ Though a thousand fall at your side,
      though ten thousand are dying around you,
      these evils will not touch you.
 ⁸ Just open your eyes,
      and see how the wicked are punished.

 ⁹ If you make the Lord your refuge,
      if you make the Most High your shelter,
 ¹⁰ no evil will conquer you;
      no plague will come near your home.
 ¹¹ For he will order his angels
      to protect you wherever you go.
 ¹² They will hold you up with their hands
      so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.
 ¹³ You will trample upon lions and cobras;
      you will crush fierce lions and serpents under your feet!

 ¹⁴ The Lord says, “I will rescue those who love me.
      I will protect those who trust in my name.
 ¹⁵ When they call on me, I will answer;
      I will be with them in trouble.
      I will rescue and honor them.
 ¹⁶ I will reward them with a long life
      and give them my salvation.”

Insights from Job’s Trials…

For the last few weeks now I have been thinking about the story of Job in the Bible… I have pretty much known that story all my life, but with all I have been going through this past year, it really called my attention in a different way, so I decided to study the story a little more in depth. I may dig deeper into it to gain even greater insight, as I know there are many valuable lessons to learn from it. 

However, I wanted to share a few of the things I have learned from this story…
All my life, I have heard how Satan had asked God for permission to try Job… But in all reality, one of the first things I noticed when I started reading was that Satan did NOT ask for permission to try Job! When Satan presented himself before the Lord (chap. 1 v.6-7) and was asked where he came from, he simply stated that he had come from roaming the earth and going back and forth in it. The next verse (v.8) blew my mind! Now, I know I have read this before… but it really didn’t have the same meaning for me back then as it has in these last few weeks. The verse states that God asked Satan "Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil." Wow!!! I was shocked when I read it… It never occurred to me that God basically put Job out there like bait to the sharks! The following verses go on to explain that Satan states that Jobs righteousness was only because God had protected him and if that was taken away that Job would curse God, and that was when the Lord permitted Satan to try Job. But the beginning of Job’s test was when the Lord drew Satan’s attention to him.
I really had to concentrate on and question why God would put Job out there like that! Had it been that Satan himself came to God and brought Job up to God’s attention, it would have been different cause Satan seeks to destroy… But God is love, he seeks to build up and bless His people… I know God knew that Satan would want to try Job if God thought so highly of him and noticed that he was an upright man who lived right and avoided evil. And that right there is the answer! God only put Job out there, because He KNEW Job’s heart and had noticed that there was something different in him. God felt confident in letting Satan know that He knew that this man would not turn away from Him, thus opening the doors for Job to be tested and proven. What an amazing insight!
Of course, at the time Job was living through this, he had no idea what was going on… His life went from all going well, living in prosperity and happiness to complete and instant devastation. He didn’t know what conversations took place between God and Satan prior to anything happening to him. He didn’t know what would come next, once he had come out of the trials that he had just experienced. All he knew was that he was hit with some very real and difficult situations in his life and he experienced a lot of heartache and pain. He suffered his losses, just like any other human being. In his own understanding he thought he was being punished for something, and struggled to understand what he was being punished for. In Chapter 2 the Bible states that he was in mourning and in chapter 3 he begins 35 chapters worth of whining and complaining about his circumstances… When I had heard as a child growing up in church, that Job had never cursed God, I thought that meant he never complained or suffered his losses. But he did, just that in all of his cries and suffering, Job never failed God.

In chapters 38-42, When God finally speaks to Job in regards to all of his cries, God humbles Job, making him recognize that his wisdom, understanding and power are nothing compared to Gods. Job recognized that God has control over everything and that he was foolish to question the circumstances he did not understand and he repented. Job never failed God by denying Him or turning away from Him. But nonetheless, Job had a lesson to learn, and having passed the test that was brought upon him, God returned to him the prosperity he knew before and blessed him twice as much as he was blessed before.

We know this story beginning to end, and we might be tempted to judge how foolish Job was to cry so much or to question God, when we know how it ends. The thing is that Job never knew that he would be blessed once again, nor that it would be twice as good as what it was before. All he knew was what he was living and feeling at the moment. He acted like any other human might have reacted to such circumstances. Job was real in his thoughts and feelings and did not hide that from God.
As I go through and have gone through so many things in my own life… I have taken my moments to cry and suffer, because I don’t know what God is doing or why He is allowing things to happen. Because I don’t know what he has planned for my future. All I know is what is in front of me today, the circumstances I have been through and how I feel about. But I have to stop and consider, why is God allowing this to happen? Perhaps God sees in me something that is different, and He knows that I will not turn away from Him? Perhaps He has allowed this time of trials in my life to help me recognize my weaknesses and for me to build greater confidence in Him and His provision for my life? Perhaps He has something greater than I can ever even begin to imagine in store for me? The question I now have for myself is… Do I want to cry for 35 chapters of my life? Or can I recognize that Gods ways are greater than my ways and His thoughts are higher than my thoughts? Can I be confident that He who began a good work in me will carry it to completion? Can I learn to be still in the midst of the raging storms and know that He is God and that He will not allow for the storm to drown me?

Its not easy when we live through difficult moments in life. We want to believe that God only brings good things. prosperity and happiness to our lives. We reject the idea that God may sometimes put us in situations that are less than perfect, where we will suffer and experience moments of fear, loss, pain and suffering. But God does allow these moments in our lives, and He may even possibly put us in positions where we will be tried, as He did with Job. It is in those moments that we recognize our own weaknesses and are able to see how small we really are in comparison to God Himself and His perfection in planning and ordaining every day and moment in our lives, in the world around us and in every detail of His great creation. Its in these moments that we recognize our need to repent for thinking higher of ourselves than we ought to and for thinking that we have any right to question God for our circumstances or dislikes in life. Its in these moments that we recognize our need to reaffirm our faith in Gods faithfulness to us and His provision for us and thus open, once again, the pathway for Gods blessings to pour upon us in greater measure than ever before.

If you are living faithful to God and yet find yourself facing difficulties and hardships, consider that God may be boasting about you in the heavens, proclaiming that He knows your heart, and trusts that you will not fail Him. Trust not on your own understandings, but continue to seek Him and live faithful to Him. He will bring your suffering to an end. He will comfort you once again and He will bless you for enduring the trial! God is faithful and His children will never be in need!

Be encouraged and God bless!

Walking on Water

As I was sitting in church tonight, I came across a note I made to myself several months ago about when Peter walked on water. This is a lesson that has been very real to me personally this past year, so I decided to share it. You can read the story in the Bible, in Matthew 14:25-32. In this story Jesus was approaching the boat where the disciples were and they became afraid. When He assured them that it was Him and they were safe, Peter called out to Jesus saying, "Lord, if it's you, tell me to come to you on the water."At that moment, without hesitating or thinking about it, Jesus called him and Peter climbed out of the boat and began to walk on the water towards Jesus. It must have been such an amazing moment to be there, walking on water, doing what we all know is impossible by all human strengths and abilities. Yet, Peter was very much human and very aware of his own limitations and abilities. As he was walking towards Jesus, he noticed the wind blowing and became afraid. The moment he allowed that fear into his heart, he began to sink and cried out to Jesus to be saved. Jesus didn't stand there and watch him sink. He immediately reached out His hand and rescued Peter, but in this He had a lesson. Saying to Peter, "You of little faith, why did you doubt?" When they climbed in the boat, the winds died down.

Peter was given the ability to do something completely impossible, and he had the courage to step out of the safety of the boat. But even though he had Jesus right in front of him, he still took a moment to look at the circumstances around him and allow the wind to instill fear in his heart. How could Peter doubt when Jesus was right there in front of him? I wonder what I would have felt if I was in Peters position. We know the story and we know how it ends, but at that moment, Peter didn't know what was going to happen next. All he knew was what is known to all of us, it is impossible to walk on water, and the wind could easily blow him down. He simply reacted in a very natural way to what he knew about his limitations.

How many times do we do the same thing in our Christian walk? We want to be used by God and we seek opportunity. God opens doors, gives us strength and ability to face new challenges. We rise to the occasion, build up the courage and climb out of our boats, out of our safety zones, and venture into the unknown. Then we remember who we are and what our limitations are. The winds begin to blow and we allow, if even for just a moment, the fear of our limitations to enter our hearts. Thus stopping the flow of what God had planned for us. Why do we become fearful? Why do we doubt? Because we are human, its difficult to separate from what we know about our own strengths and abilities and fully put all of our trust, wholly and completely in God. Our flesh does not incline to that naturally. It is something we have to put into practice and develop; something we must intentionally make the effort to do in every circumstance in our lives. Even Peter having Jesus right there, struggled with this. Yet it is not impossible!

All of us pass through times in our lives where we are experience doubt and fear. God understands this about us. That is why Jesus did not hesitate to save Peter and take the opportunity to teach Peter that he could accomplish anything he was empowered to do, as long as he did not allow doubt to enter his heart. Jesus allowed the winds to blow, not to frighten Peter, but to provide a lesson for everyone. When God calls us to do something, the enemy will try to put things in the way so that we feel incapable of fulfilling the call. Notice that once they got back on the boat the wind died down. Our circumstances will not last forever. It is up to us to keep our eyes focused on God and not allow anything we face to stop us from continuing to move forward. We must do so knowing and having complete faith that if God called us, He will empower us to accomplish and protect us from anything that may come against us.

I encourage you today, to follow hard after Gods calling in your life not allowing anything around you to discourage you or hold you back from fulfilling what He has given you the ability to do! Be courageous, full of faith, and completely confident in God, and You will see great and mighty things you could have never dreamed of or imagined!

Go the Extra Mile!!!

Go the Extra Mile!!!

We all face moments in life when we are not happy or satisfied with the way things are going or the way people are treating us. In many of these situations in our lives, we can easily see how God needs to work in those around us, in those who may be causing these problems in our lives. However, regardless of how true it may be that God needs to work in the lives of others around us, the fact that God is allowing us to go through it means that He also wants us to learn something through it as well. We can easily make the mistake of brushing it all off our shoulders and simply stating that God needs to work in someone else, while missing the lesson God has for us.

If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles (Matthew 5:41 NIV). Notice the verse said if someone forces you to go one mile. Meaning that perhaps someone is creating a situation or a problem and taking you down a road you do not want to travel, even then, we should not only walk the mile, but also go an extra mile as well. I do not believe that God is asking us to walk down a road of sinfulness, if that is what is presented before us in our daily walks; but I believe that when it comes to difficulties and problems in our friendships and relationships, God wants us to do everything we can to maintain healthy relationships and live at peace with those around us. This verse and the verses surrounding it encourage us not only to sacrifice by giving what is asked of us, but to take it to the next level and give even more.

We can easily become discouraged, lose our focus, and/or get so caught up in our problems that our emotions can block out everything we know and value. It's up to us to keep ourselves in line with the Word of God and to remember that we are to reflect the Love of Christ to everyone around us, regardless of what others are doing whether right or wrong, we need to make sure that we are acting and reacting correctly and that the choices we make not only benefit ourselves, but those around us as well. We cannot change the way people are and the way they do things. But when we live according to the Word of God and allow God to be in control of the situations we face, God defends us and will honor and bless our efforts to live according to His Word. Walking the extra mile will take you to a higher level in life and to a higher level in Christ... Don't let the small, insignificant things hold you back from reaching greatness!

This is a blog I wrote back in May of 2008. I wanted to post it here too. I hope that it can be of help and benefit to someone :)