Advice

People will say the wrong thing. You just have to remember that they meant to say the right thing. It allows you to be so much more gracious.

Elizabeth Edwards, Readers Digest, August 2009 pg. 84

Toil

“For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.” 1 Timothy 4:10 ESV

Even though I know that I only have to trust in Christ alone for salvation, progress in my walk with God is a struggle. It is hard work.

We have to work at denying ourselves and studying God’s word, praying, loving God and others. We have to put what God wants before what we want. We have to put what others need before what we want.

My motivation is, what the verse states above, I believe and because I believe, God is my Savior and I have my hope set on him.

What are you toiling and striving for? Is it the Kingdom of God or not?

Focus

Matthew 13:54-58

In the passage above Jesus visited his hometown and taught in the synagogue and the people there had trouble seeing and believing. The people of Nazareth looked at the MAN, the person they had known and grown up with. In their eyes he was no different than them.

...he taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, “Where did this man get his wisdom and these mighty works?” v.54 ESV

They saw his wisdom and mighty works. They saw Jesus as God presented before them, but they chose instead to focus on man and not on God.

And he did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief. v.58 ESV

What will you chose today? To focus on man and his limitations, or to focus on God and his wisdom and mighty works.

Doubt

Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” Matthew 11: 2-3 ESV

This was John the Baptist who had been chosen, appointed by God even before conception. He knew his purpose. He knew his career path, yet here he was sitting in prison, sending others to ask Jesus if he was the one.

Why? He was in prison. His understanding of what he thought should be happening was not making sense. Jesus arrival was to bring blessing on those who repented and judgement on those who did not.

Sometimes we need to readjust our perceptions. We need to see through Gods eyes and not ours.

What did John do when in doubt? He asked Jesus and Jesus answered him.

“...the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them.” Matthew 11:5 ESV

Are we looking through our eyes or God’s eyes? Pray and ask God to help you see as he sees.

Discouragement

Are you unhappy or unsure about the situation you are in right now? The situation I am thinking about is the church you are attending, but this question fits with other life situations like your job or your marriage.

One of the first questions that pops up when we are in the midst of discouragement is - Is this God’s will for my life? A valid question, but one that we need to be very careful in answering.

Have you ever said “I am not happy with the way things are going so I don’t think this is God’s will for my life right now.

Here are four statements that could be true when we begin to question our current situation.

I made a rash decision based on how I was feeling at the time.

I don’t believe God made the right decision for me in this matter.

I am in rebellion against God.

I am under attack from the enemy.

We need to make sure we have carefully spent time in prayer and before the face of God, before we speak about God’s will for our life. Before YOU decide what God’s will is for your life.

Where are you today? Do you need to ask yourself how you got there? Are you there because of God’s will or are you there because of a poor decision or rebellion? Even if you are in a situation because of rebellion or poor decision making, God is using that in your life.

Not sure about God’s will right now? It is God’s will to live our lives for him and serve others in whatever situation we are in right now.

Excitement vs. Discouragement

Right now I am excited, but for the last several months I have been on a roller coaster ride. Why? I have been participating in the plant of a new church.

I have had moments of discouragement, but how did I get from discouragement to excitement. How did I go from excitement to discouragement and then back to excitement again?

I became discouraged because I lost my focus. In my moments of discouragement I have been focusing on people and their limitations. When I am struggling and unhappy; when I want to quit and walk away it is because life is not going the way I want it.

Are you discouraged today?

Are you looking at God? If you are looking at God, at Jesus, then you are in God’s will regardless of what is happening around you. You are exactly where you are because God put you there.

I know I am in Gods will for my life right now because I believe that God is in control.

Who are you focusing on today? Is it God and what we can do for others? Or is it self and what others are not doing for us?

Lander CommUniversity iPod Winner

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