Posts Tagged ‘Faithfulness’
Monday, March 22nd, 2010
As Good Friday and Easter appraoch, I thought it would be good to examine what Jesus taught us about brokenness and renewal.
“And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.” Then He took the cup, and when He had given thanks He gave it to them, and they all drank from it. And He said to them, “This is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many” (Mark 14:22-24)
Years ago, I learned a simple lesson that I pray will help you today. If you or I want to be blessed, contented, or encouraged, we first need to be broken.
Earlier, in Mark chapter 6, Jesus fed the five thousand; He broke the bread and blessed it, and the disciples distributed the food to everyone. This breaking, blessing, and distributing of bread brought life. And now, Jesus is taking the bread and breaking it as a symbol of His imminent death; a symbol that still resonates in our lives to this day when we take communion. Before blessing comes brokenness. It was that way in Jesus’ life and it will sometimes be that way in my life and in your life.
Brokenness hurts. Trials are no fun; trust me, I know. But in our broken and difficult times, God reveals himself to you and me in wonderful, powerful ways; ways that you wouldn’t otherwise see. He wants to teach us things beyond our imagination. He wants to show us how to live and what it means to live by faith; trusting fully in him. Guess what happens when you break in a horse? Yep, you got it. Among many things, that horse becomes your companion, useful for so many things. Now, I’m not saying that you all are horses, but I think you get the picture.
The brokenness of Jesus brought about eternal life! Any amount of brokenness you or I experience cannot compare to his brokenness and awesome sacrifice for our sins. So, I encourage you to look at the trials and brokenness that comes your way differently; don’t ask “why”, instead ask “What does God want to teach me?” Open your heart to him and to learning and growing from the trials and times of brokenness that come your way. God will doing amazing things in your life. Draw closer to him and allow him to draw closer to you; experience and embrace those broken times and be ready for the blessings to flow. When you do this, you will be happy in life and at work!
I hope these scriptures will be an encouragement to you:
“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart; these, O God, You will not despise” (Psalm 51:17).
“The Lord is close to the broken hearted, And saves those who are crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18).
Tags: Be Happy, Contentment, Depression, Discouragement, Faithfulness, Happiness, Happy Family, Happy Home, Happy Life, Hope, Joy, Life Trials, Living a Happy Life, Overcoming Discouragement, Peace, Victorious Life
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Wednesday, February 17th, 2010
“A sculptor does not use a ‘manicure set’ to reduce the crude, unshapely marble to a thing of beauty. The saw, the hammer and the chisel are cruel tools, but without them the rough stone must remain forever formless and unbeautiful. To do His supreme work of grace within you, God will take from your heart everything you love most. Everything you trust in will go from you. Piles of ashes will lie where your most precious treasures used to be!” (A.W.Tozer)
I love this Tozer quote which is used in the opening monologue of the movie the Heart Of Texas”. Today’s thought is not about this movie, but I would highly reccomend seeing it; to see a promo, click hear.
Now, back to the message for this post…
How do you respond when your husband or wife, friends or family trample your emotions? When your child rebels? When you lose a big deal or important client? When your boss fires you unexpectedly? In this very difficult economy, you may have lost thousands in savings or in the value of your 401K or other investments? When disappointments like these smash into your life, you may want to scream, “How could God allow this to happen?”
But, what if God didn’t just “let it happen?” What if the things you treasure the most and hold on to the tightest are damaged or destroyed? What if what you call disappointments are really God’s appointments? What if like a skilled sculptor, He is using your disappointments like the sculptor’s hammer and chisel to chop and carve away the undesirable elements in your life, leaving you pure and radiant…His beautiful masterpiece?
Life’s disappointments can destroy you, or you can become stronger because of them. The dangerous spiral of disappointments can lead to discouragement, disillusionment, depression or even despair. But you can learn to break that cycle and embrace the disappointment and trails with a faith that recognizes that they are the hammer and chisel God uses to make you a reflection of Him. We can follow the selfish course of our natural reactions and be subtly trapped in a downward spiral that swiftly leads into depression and discouragement. Or, we can take those trials and count them all joy, knowing that our faith and endurance will be strengthened. Our disappointments are the stone that God will use to sculpt us as a sculptor would his rough stone. If we respond by taking the steps of trust, obedience and relying on His grace , we will discover that we are being sculpted into His masterpiece that reflects the radiance of His image and character. Knowing this, today as you face those trials or are in the pit of despair, what will be your decision? To continue on that road of despair, or make the turn and trust Him and His grace?
I offer these scriptures to encourage you:
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”(James 1:2-4)
“Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:8-10)
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.”(Romans 8:28-29)
Tags: Be Happy, Depression, Despair, Discouragement, Disillusionment, Failure, Faithfulness, Fear, Freedom, Get out of the pit, Happiness, Happy Family, Happy Home, Happy Life, Happy Marriage, Happy Relationship, Hope, Living a Happy Life, Obedience, Overcoming Discouragement, Pain, Pressure at Work, Success, Victorious Life
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Saturday, January 30th, 2010
“Now when [Jesus] got into a boat, His disciples followed Him. And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But He was asleep. Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” But He said to them, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.”
Matthew 8:23-26
Are you experiencing a storm or storms in your life? Are you weary from battling the storm? Are you fearful the storm will destroy you, your family, or your career? Do you wish there was someone…anyone that could calm your storm?
In this incredible biblical story the disciples literally feared for their lives when “suddenly a great tempest arose” and threatened their boat. That word, “tempest,” literally means, “a shaking, a commotion, or an earthquake.” And notice it hit “suddenly.” The disciples were caught off-guard, and reacted with swift panic, crying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” But what was a surprise to the disciples was no surprise to Jesus. Not only did He know the storm would hit before they ever stepped foot in the boat, but He also had the power to calm it.
You see, God uses storms in our lives to shake us. We like to be in control, but storms remind us that we are not in contro and challenges us to, no matter what happens, trust Him in the storm? He wants to stretch our faith, to get us outside our comfort zone, and to demonstrate His power in our lives. Sometimes we can see the storm coming, and sometimes we can’t. But we must always remember that Jesus is in control, not us. Storms do not surprise or intimidate Him. God’s love is a perfecting not a pampering love as many teach today.
Today, Jesus has the power to calm every storm in your life. In those moments when you feel overwhelmed by the waves crashing around you, and the winds blowing against you, trust Him to bring a great calm in and around you. The only way out of a trial is living through a trial.
As I’ve been thinking about trials we all face, it has occurred to me that God says it is not possible for any man to be at complete rest until he is aware that all things are happening according to a divine plan. It’s like looking at a tapestry from the thread side instead of looking at the picture. Looking at the picture makes sense, not the threads. It is like that with all of the tangled patterns of life for the one who has been called according to the divine plan. When we know this fact we can be at peace with the world around us because we are at peace within our own souls; and we are at peace within our own souls because we are at peace with our Heavenly Father. Then and only then can we count it joy and begin to learn the secret of contentment. When our world is falling apart, He keeps us grounded. He is the anchor that keeps us from drifting.
If you are not going through a storm today, guess what, one is coming. And if you are in the middle of a storm the question is the same for both situations: Do you trust Him…in the storm and with your life?
To learn more about trusting Jesus, I reccomend reading God’s word, the Bible first, but the following resource could also help you. Enjoy!
Tags: Abiding, Be Happy, Contentment, Courage, Discouragement, Failure, Faithfulness, Fear, Get out of the pit, Happiness, Happy Family, Happy Home, Happy Life, Happy Marriage, Happy Relationship, Hope, Joy, Life Trials, Living a Happy Life, Overcoming Discouragement, Pain, Victorious Life
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Friday, December 18th, 2009
The following wonderful and challenging message is from Os Hillman.
If an enemy were insulting me, I could endure it; if a foe were raising himself against me, I could hide from him. But it is you, a man like myself, my companion, my close friend.
Psalm 55:12-13
“You will always be attacked in the place of your inheritance,” said the man sitting across the breakfast table. “God has called you to bring people together and to impact other people’s lives as a result of this anointing in your life. You must make sure that you seek to maintain righteousness in all of your relationships.” Those words came from someone who had the wisdom and authority to speak them to me.
I have had a number of close relationships that ended in betrayal. I am very loyal to my friends and those with whom I have covenant relationships. Yet there are times that no matter how righteous you are, when someone means to betray you, he will do it. Loving those who betray you is “graduate-level Christianity.” The religious community and one of His closest friends betrayed Jesus. Those who were closest to David betrayed him. Joseph’s own family betrayed him. Loving our enemies cannot be accomplished by mustering it up. It can only happen when we have come to a death in ourselves so that Christ can love through us. It is truly one of those acts of identifying with the cross.
If you are a leader, you can be sure God will allow you to experience betrayal. It is one of those courses in the Kingdom that may not be required until God has seen that you have successfully passed other tests. It is the most difficult and most gut wrenching of all tests. A godly response goes against all that is in us. Our natural response is to protect, retaliate, and retain unforgiveness and bitterness. Our natural response is satan’s most powerful weapon; to overcome it requires much grace from God. Ask God to build His nature in you now so that when such attacks come, you will be aware that it is a test and you will respond in righteousness.
A suggested resource to go along with this exhortation is “Real Love In The Workplace” by Greg Baer M.D.
Tags: Balanced Life, Be Happy, Betrayal, Bitterness, Conflict Resolution, Contentment, Discouragement, Faithfulness, Happiness, Happy Life, Happy Relationship, Hope, Joy, Leadership, Life Crisis, Life Trials, Living a Happy Life, Overcome Anger, Overcoming Discouragement, Pain, Peace, Pressure at Work, Relationships, Righteousness, Success, successful career, Unforgiveness, Victorious Life, Work Life Balance, Workplace Relationships
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Tuesday, December 8th, 2009
I remember having a lot of questions growing up, and I recall doing many things I should not have done and getting into allot of trouble because of the choices I made. As a teenager and young adult, I thought I knew it all; ends up I was wrong about that! Because I thought I knew it all, I rarely, if ever, went to my father for advice or counsel. As I got older, I realized that my dad was, in fact, a vault of wisdom, and that had I sought his guidance earlier in life, I could have avoided a lot of grief and pain. Some might say I was “stuck on stupid”.
Now I realize that making mistakes and going through those tough times, taught me some good lessons, but as they say “we can do this the easy way, or we can do it the hard way”. My point is that there are times when our “unhappiness” is brought on because we think we know it all and charge ahead without getting good counsel and advice from those that have been there before. You may have heard that “a smart man learns from his own mistakes, but a wise man learns from the mistakes of others”. I can attest to the truth and accuracy of this statement.
So, if you desire to experience happiness in life and at work, I encourage you to seek counsel as you face key decisions in your life and at work. And, just as listening to the counsel of our fathers is important and helpful when we are growing up, so it is important to seek the counsel of our Heavenly Father, the one who created us, loves us immeasurably, and has a wonderful plan for our lives. Emmanuel, God with us, promises to never leave us nor forsake us, so you can count on him to be there for you; turn to him and trust him, especially when the going gets tough.
I know that, just as it is/was often hard to approach your dad about life issues, it can be uncomfortable to approach God, your Heavenly Father. So, How do you turn to him? God says:
“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” (Revelation 3:20)
(He is there, he will respond, and he wants to be your friend, spend time with you, and help you.)
“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Acts 2:21)
(If you turn to him, God promises to change your heart and your life; he will lift you up and bring real peace into your life.)
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:4-6)
(Go to him, talk to him (in prayer) like you would to your earthly father or trusted friend, share with him your heart, your struggles, your pain, and your fears, and ask him to help you, to give you direction, strength, courage, and hope.)
If this is new to you, and you desire “a peace that passes all understanding”, ask God to reveal himself to you and to help you know that he is real. Acknowledge to him that you hurt and are unhappy and that you know you have done some things that have contributed to your own unhappiness (sin). Invite him into your life and into your heart. Put your trust in Him and his son Jesus, who died on the cross so that you and I can personally know and have a real, intimate relationship with our Heavenly Father. He yearns to be involved in our lives. Ask him to change you and your life, to give you the peace and joy that you desire, and to direct the steps of your life going forward.
Here are two simple acronyms to help you as you pray:
Pray for God’s leading
Respond to God’s direction and calling
Ask for and express thanks for God’s provision
Yield to God’s will
Adoration (praise your Heavenly Father for who he is; let him know how much you love him)
Confession (seek Your Heavenly Father’s forgiveness for the things you have done that keep the two of you apart (sin))
Thanksgiving (express your gratitude for the many blessings your Heavenly Father has provided you)
Supplication (let your Heavenly Father know the desires of your heart)
Leave me a comment to know what God does in and through your life. God bless!
And, to better understand the power of prayer for you and your family, consider the following resources:
Tags: Be Happy, Contentment, Faithfulness, Happiness, Happy Family, Happy Home, Happy Life, Happy Marriage, Happy Relationship, Hope, Joy, Life Counsel, Life Crisis, Life Guidance, Life Trials, Living a Happy Life, Overcoming Discouragement, Pain, Peace, Power of Prayer, Prayer, Pressure at Work, Unhappiness, Victorious Life
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Friday, November 13th, 2009
A very dear friend of mine, after reading the November 11th post, Happy Life and Work Through Sowing Tears, sent me the following message of encouragment from Os Hillman. It is the perfect follow up to the November 11th post; I hope it encourages you to be Happy in life and at work!
“The second son he named Ephraim and said, ‘It is because God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering.” Genesis 41:52
When Joseph was elevated to rule over the Egyptian kingdom, he revealed some profound truths gained from the experiences of his years of adversity. He named his first son, Manasseh for, he said, “God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s household” (Gen. 41:51b). His second son was named Ephraim because, “God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering.”
Whenever God takes us through the land of affliction, He will do two things through that affliction: 1) He will bring such healing that we will be able to forget the pain, and 2) He will make us fruitful from the painful experiences.
God does not waste our afflictions if we allow Him the freedom to complete the work in us. His desire is to create virtue that remains during the times of testing so that He can bring us into the place of fruitfulness in the very area of our testing. He has never promised to keep us from entering the valleys of testing, but He has promised to make us fruitful in them. He is the God who turns the Valley of Achor (trouble) into a door of hope (see Hos. 2:15).
If you are in the valley of affliction, now is the time to press into Him. When the time comes to bring you out of this valley, He will heal your memories and bring fruit from this very time.
Sugessted resource: Fear Fighters by Jentezen Franklin
Will you live in FEAR? Or will you live by FAITH? Fear has the deceptive ability to influence and affect our daily lives and the world we live in. What do you fear most in life? What are the greatest threats facing you? Crime? Violence? The economy? Failure? Death? Eternity? Fear Fighters will help you identify and defeat the very source of fear that threatens you from living in peace and joy. This incredible book will open your eyes, build your faith, and empower you to reach out to those around you with the light of truth and hope.
Tags: Affliction, Be Happy, Build Your faith, Contentment, Courage, Discouragement, Failure, Faithfulness, Fear, Freedom, Fruitfulness, Get out of the pit, Happiness, Happy Family, Happy Home, Happy Life, Happy Marriage, Happy Relationship, Healing, Hope, Joy, Life Crisis, Life Trials, Living a Happy Life, Overcoming Discouragement, Pain, Peace, Prosperity in Affliciton, Success, successful career, Victorious Life
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Friday, November 6th, 2009
I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten – the great locust and the young locust, the other locusts and the locust swarm – My great army that I sent among you.” – Joel 2:25
There are seasons in our lives that involve times of famine and times of restoration. Solomon tells us that He has made everything beautiful in its time and that there is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under Heaven. (See Ecclesiastes 3:1,11.)
God brings about both the good and the bad. The seasons of famine have a divine purpose in our lives. They accomplish things that only these hard places can accomplish. But there is a time when those hard places have accomplished their purpose and He begins to restore. God did this with the nation of Israel after a season of famine and devastation.
Be glad, O people of Zion, rejoice in the Lord your God, for He has given you the autumn rains in righteousness. He sends you abundant showers, both autumn and spring rains, as before. The threshing floors will be filled with grain; the vats will overflow with new wine and oil. “I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten – the great locust and the young locust, the other locusts and the locust swarm – My great army that I sent among you. You will have plenty to eat, until you are full, and you will praise the name of the Lord your God, who has worked wonders for you; never again will My people be shamed. Then you will know that I am in Israel, that I am the Lord your God, and that there is no other; never again will My people be shamed” (Joel 2:23-27).
God wants each of us to know that there is a time when He will restore in order to demonstrate His gracious hand in our lives. He is a loving Father who tenderly guides His children through the difficult places. If God has taken you through a time of leanness, know that He is the restorer of that which the locusts have eaten. Wait patiently for Him to bring this about in your life. He will do it.
Reccomended reading: The Joseph-Daniel Calling
Like Joseph and Daniel in the Bible, God is calling men and women to serve in strategic positions of influence and power in the workplace for His purposes. This book addresses the dynamics of this calling, God?s economy, and the challenges of these uniquely called Josephs and Daniels. Among other agendas, they will be facilitators of the release of the wealth of the wicked into Kingdom initiatives.
Tags: Abide, Abiding, Abundance, Be Happy, Contentment, Discouragement, Faithfulness, Get out of the pit, Happiness, Happy Family, Happy Home, Happy Life, Happy Marriage, Happy Relationship, Joy, Life Crisis, Life Purpose, Life Trials, Living a Happy Life, Obedience, Overcoming Discouragement, Patience, Peace, Pupose in Life, Purpose of life, Seasons of Life, Solomon, Success, successful career, Surviving Life, Work Life Balance
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Saturday, October 31st, 2009
You may have heard the saying “plan the work and work the plan”. It is a great reminder that, in order to experience success, it helps to have a vision and a plan for what you hope to accomplish, to remian focused and committed to your plan, and to be purposeful and intentional in working toward accomplishing the plan.
This adage is most commonly applied in business, but I believe we shoud all consider applying it within our families. Our families need a vision, a mssion, and a plan. A good place to start is to establish your family values, a set of guiding principles that help steer eveyone as they makes decsions about what you do, what you say, who you select as friends, and how you spend your money and time. Below are some examples of family values that I have collected from freinds that will give you some ideas and help get you jump started. You can develop your own (as a family); make it fun, let eveyone participate and contribute, and make sure you have consensus before finalizing. Post them on the refrigerator, on the family bulletin board, and on bathroom mirrors so they are consistently top-of-mind with everyone, and use them when making decisions, and to mentor, coach and discipline your kids. Good luck and remember to walk in love!
Family Values:
- We will love honor and obey God in all that we think, speak, and do
- We will, in humility, love, respect, and serve each other and those around us
- We first listen, then think, then speak
- We try our best in everything we do
- We look for the good in every situation and maintain an attitude of thankfulness
- We will forgive and make every effort to live at peace with everyone
- We take every opportunity to share God’s love and the hope we have in Jesus
- We make memories together
- We keep our family time as a high priority
- We nurture a generous heart by living simply and sharing with those in need
- We invest ourselves in building God’e kingdom
Tags: Abide, Abiding, Balanced Life, Be Happy, Communication, Conflict Resolution, Contentment, Faithfulness, Freedom, Happiness, Happy Family, Happy Home, Happy Life, Happy Marriage, Happy Relationship, Joy, Life Trials, Living a Happy Life, Obedience, Peace, Resolving Conflict, Success, successful career, Thankfulness, Victorious Life, Wisdom, Work Life Balance
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Friday, October 30th, 2009
Lifa and work can get complicated and steal our joy. When that happnes we can’t discover and experience the greatness God intended for us. Here’s a little reminder about maintaining your joy…not letting your circumstances determine your attitude, remembering to pray and move your feet, continuing to chase after our dreams, remaining courageous and perseverant, holding onto our faith, never growing weary of giving and sharing, always being kind and gentle, cherrishing the simple things and moments with friends and family…being who God created you to be!
To be encourged, inspired and comforted, please click on the banner…
Tags: Be Happy, Contentment, Courage, Discouragement, Faith, Faithfulness, Freedom, Get out of the pit, Happiness, Happy Life, Hope, Joy, Life Trials, Living a Happy Life, Peace, Pressure at Work, Rest, Secrets to a Happy Life, Victorious Life
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Wednesday, July 15th, 2009
“Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth . . . .” Ephesians 6:14a
The economic meltdown that began almost a year ago begs a central question: What is the truth about our situation? The new president and his advisers have worked for months to find the answer to that question. And they continue to think more money is the answer. How bad is the damage? What will it take to make things right? It seems new versions of “the truth” about our situation emerge daily.
Granted, the economics of an entire nation are murky at best. But what if you were tasked with the job of defining truth about every person, every situation, every fact, and every possibility? When we look at our world, it is obvious that there are many versions of “truth” at work—creating the resulting discord and chaos. Oprah promotes a new gospel using the same words like repentance and Christian as an example, but defines it radically different than Scripture. She is very dangerous. As Steve Camp sang in his song “Where have you gone to my America” he sang..”And the talk show host is the Holy Ghost.”
Jesus Christ, in a prayer to the Father, said what truth is in just a few words: “Your word is truth” (John 17:17). God’s words, found in God’s Word (living and written), are the standard of truth concerning whatever they touch. The Bible may not address everything in all of history, but whatever it says about whatever it addresses is true.
To navigate the uncertain parts of life, you need an unchanging source of truth: God and His Word. When questions arise, make sure you answer them with the answers God has provided.
“Though all truth is not in the Bible, everything in the Bible is true.” Unknown
God’s peace!
Tags: Abide, Abiding, Be Happy, Conflict Resolution, Contentment, Discouragement, Faithfulness, Finding Truth, Happiness, Happy Family, Happy Home, Happy Life, Joy, Life Crisis, Life Trials, Living a Happy Life, Peace, Pressure at Work, Resolving Conflict, Success, successful career, Truth, Victorious Life, What is Truth, Work Life Balance
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