Unnoticed

Have you ever thought about how God feels about going unnoticed and unrecognized for all He has does for us?  

One might think about how the the stay-at-home mom feels, who does countless things throughout the day to keep the house running but often goes unappreciated.  Without her work and efforts, there would be chaos.  She deserves a thank you and a spotlight of recognition.

Jesus, however, deserves all honor and praise from us for everything!  From our very being to the promise of eternity and everything in between.  He covered every one of our sins, biggest to smallest, on the cross.  He sustains us, protects us, comforts us and most of all, loves us more than anything or anyone can.  Praising God helps us recall His goodness that never ends.

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your steadfast and unchanging love. 

Psalm 67,  verses 1-5

May God be gracious to us and bless us

and make his face shine on us—

 so that your ways may be known on earth,

your salvation among all nations.

 May the peoples praise you, God;

may all the peoples praise you.

 May the nations be glad and sing for joy,

for you rule the peoples with equity

and guide the nations of the earth.

 May the peoples praise you, God; may all

     the peoples praise you.

 Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name.

Hebrews 13:15

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God's Benefits

Psalm 103:2

"Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits"

Does your prayer life or daily talk with God ever leave out praise?  We can often be filled with desires, wants and needs from God, but forget to praise Him for his abundant goodness.  We are so blessed by Him everyday that we should give Him ceaseless thankfulness.  

In Psalm 103, David tells himself to 'bless he Lord' six times and 'not to forget all of God's benefits'.  This blog is a reminder of the godly benefits that we sometimes forget or overlook in our lives. "The Lord’s “benefits” represent all the good things the Lord provides to aid or promote the well-being of His children."  [gotquestions.org]

In Deuteronomy, Moses warned the people that forgetting God's benefits and goodness was the first step to spiritual destruction.   Deuteronomy 4:9  "Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them."

God's benefits are too numerous to count, but here are a few....

Psalm 103:3-6  "He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases.  He redeems me from death and crowns me with love and tender mercies. He fills my life with good things.  My youth is renewed like the eagle’s! The Lord gives righteousness and justice to all who are treated unfairly."

How wonderful to be cleared of all our wrongs!  How great is it to know that death isn't a fear and his love is fullof grace and mercy.  How awesome will it be to have our youthful energy and vigor again.  How great will it be to have our wrongs against us by others to be truly righted.

Colossians 1:13-14  "For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, who purchased our freedom* and forgave our sins."

How wonderful is God's forgiveness and that Jesus paid the painful price for our wickedness.  We are set free from our sin debt and can live in God's kingdom.

Psalm 63:3-4  "Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you.  So I will bless you, as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands."

How awesome is God's mercy and grace that it is better than the life we know. We should honor God all the days of our lives, as long as we have breath.

Psalm 103:8  "The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love."

How wonderful is God to be so patient and understanding with His children and shows His love over the course of our lives.

Hebrews 2:1-3  "Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.  For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard, while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will."

Paul warns us of not forgetting what we know to be true from all the evidence given to us, regarding our forgiveness and salvation.  God's will has allowed us to  know all we need to know for now, and that's enough.

As for myself, I can see, in hindsight, how much God has blessed my life in so many ways.  My trust in Him has been proven over and over.  Therefore, I fully trust Him with my future and eagerly await joining and walking with Jesus in eternity.

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Lord, I Need You

 Have you ever felt like your walk with Christ has hit a slump or even a detour and you feel a little lost?  God hasn't walked away from us, but we are the ones who have loosened our grip on His hand.  This is normal, because we are human. 

This can happen for many different reasons: maybe you feel overwhelmed by unanswered prayers, maybe jealousy of others has got you feeling bitter, maybe others have made you feel leel left out of the body of the church, or for whatever reason that you feel that you're walkng life's journey alone.  You are not, God will never be the one to walk away.

"God is and will forever be for you and not against you. Through the deepest trials, know that Jesus is with you and that He has already won the toughest battles for you. He asks that you simply trust in Him and know that He has always been there for you." [christiantoday.com]

Romans 8:31-32,  "If God is for us, who can be against us?  He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?"

Romans 8:31-32, This verse gives us hope, not that we will always prevail, but that our eternal destiny and the love of God are secure. Though we may suffer, we will not be destroyed. No matter how bad things seem, we must remember that “God is for us;” He loves us deeply. We are His children.

As sufferers in this sinful world, when we don't walk closely with Jesus then we miss in engaging in all He has planned for us.  Christians are reminded that to be in Christ means we have “crucified the flesh with its passions and desires”   Galtians 5:24  " And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires."

As for myself,  you've probably noticed that I haven't written a blog in quite a long time.  I just haven't felt like encouraging others, when the struggle to encourage myself is hard enough.  When we get in a rut, it's important not to stay there.  God has provided us resources to encourage us out of those deep valleys.  Others can tempt us to sin with their anger and unrighteous ways, but we have the ability to respond in the right or wrong way. I know I need to listen and follow the Holy Spirit within me, more than my flesh  I have been encouraged by sermons from my church and the summer bible study with my friends that I've had here in my home.  God is never the one to distance himself, we are the guilty ones. 

I always feel better, when I'm hand and hand with the Lord.  The world is always trying to tempt and distract me off the path that God has planned and set out for me.

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A Job-Like Life

Have you really ever thought about the life of Job in the Bible?  Most of us have learned that life is not only difficult, but often unfair.  So, was true of the life of Job.  He was definitely quite blessed, but there also came a time of definite hardship, suffering, grief and pain.  

Eugene Peterson said, "It is not only because Job suffered that he is important to us.  It is because he suffered in the same ways we suffer-- in the vital areas of family, personal health, and material things.  Job is also important to us because he searchingly questioned and boldly protested his suffering.  Indeed, he went 'to the top' with his questions.  It is not the suffering that troubles us.  It is the undeserved suffering. "  [Charles Swindoll]

Job was once an extremely wealthy man, full of prosperity, a godly gentleman, a fine husband and a faithful father.  In just a short time, he was hit with destructive calamities that were of no fault of his own.  Soon, he was left homeless, bankrupt, childless, and helpless.  He was urged by his understandably grief-stricken wife to turn his back on God and to curse God for what he had allowed to happen to Job.  Job 2:9-10  "His wife said to him, “Are you still maintaining your integrity? Curse God and die!” He replied, “You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?”

Job's faith is an exemplary example of trust in God, no matter how difficult his circumstances became his trust never wavered.  He knew and believed in God's character; of goodness, love and trustworthiness.   Is your faith in God that steadfast?

"Job realizes his pain was not permanent. With God, there is a way of escape. The suffering of this life is temporary and will end for those who trust in the Lord. After this life, there is eternal life with God in heaven for the believer. In fact, Jesus came to offer eternal life to all who would believe." [gotquestions.org]

Many people can relate to Job's suffering on the page, but when you really endure it yourself then it becomes more real.  Did Job have caregivers to help both him and his wife out at home?  Who helped their children in the dying process?  Who took care of the living animals and the carcasses, as Job laid in bed in pain?  Did friends donate money to help their financial burdens, like food, utilities, or basic needs?  Job's story is more than just about him, but also about how other's responded in a 'love your neighbor' way. 

"In short, Elihu condemns Job’s friends and Job’s claim of being without sin, declares God’s justice, condemns Job’s attitude toward God, and exalts God’s greatness.

Elihu’s life and speech offer many insights for today. First, he dealt with the real issues of the situation rather than looking at the situation from a human perspective. Second, he emphasized God and His greatness rather than focus on a human response to problems. Third, he responded with respect, allowing others to speak first before offering his own response. These traits can help us today as we seek to understand why God allows suffering and as we attempt to help others who face suffering."  [gotquestions.org]

As for myself, I have been greatly blessed in my life in a lot of ways like Job's life was.  Thru different life circumstances I, too,  have been stripped of physical health, material wealth, and independence.  I've had stressful family issues, in which some led to loss of loved ones.  Suffering involves much more than temporary physical pain.  There is an enlightenment in which I have seen God's hand working in my life. 

Romans 8:28, "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."  This verse is so true in my life and it helps me to trust him even more on those hardest and darkest of days.  Psalm 118:1  "Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever."

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Worth The Effort - Pt 2

So, last week's blog kind of went in a different path than my original intent. 

This week I want to follow up with verses that God uses to encourage us to put in the effort, when we doubt doing so.

Psalm 119:28—

My soul is weary with sorrow; strengthen me according to your word.

Galatians 5: 13-15, "You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other."

Galatians 5:17, "For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. "

Galatians 6:9-10, "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers."

Hebrews 10:23-25, "Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching."

All of these verses, spur off of the command to 'Love one another' and to continue on.

As long as we have breath from God, we are to fulfill His plan thru the works that He gives us the opportunity to do. We will doubt and grow weary, but He will sustain us thru His Word.

Finish your race strong.

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