Tag: faith

God Does Not Share Our Impatience

John 11:6
So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.

In today’s world, everything happens at such a rapid pace. Almost any product can be ordered on line and delivered within one to two days. There are now some on-line delivery services that promise delivery of the new item within two hours. To stand in line for anything drives us up a wall. We simply have lost all patience with anything other than instant gratification.

The problem with instant gratification is that it often fails to deliver on the expectations of the moment. That shiny new toy that we were so excited about seldom fulfills all that we thought it would.

Unfortunately, we carry our need for instant gratification into our prayer life. When we find ourselves or our loved ones afflicted with pain or disease, in financial need or in a very dry place spiritually, we look to Almighty God for instant relief. He does not share our impatience. His timing is completely different from ours.

Our Father in heaven has every intention of meeting the needs of those that accept His Son as their Savior. His plans for us are perfect for us and our needs. He hears our prayers and He answers them. He does not rush to provide the answers instantly, even though He could. When His work of temporal or spiritual deliverance is delayed, it is only on hold for the right time and the maximum good for all. Just as it was for Lazarus and his family, He responds to our prayers with only the best for us and those around us, regardless of how long it takes.

Let us learn to lean on the promises of Almighty God with total faith. Let us know without any doubt that He will hear and answer our prayers. Let us rejoice in knowing that His response to our needs will be perfect for us and for those around us.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for always giving us what is best for us and not what we ask for and certainly not what we deserve. We exalt You for the loving kindness, the mercy and the grace that You extend to us endlessly. We pray, Lord, that You will show us how to wait confidently in faith for all that You have prepared for us and those around us. We rejoice in knowing that Your timing is perfect. We ask all these things in the name of the Alpha and the Omega, Jesus Christ.

The Rewards for Approaching Jesus Humbly

Matthew 11:25
At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children.

Jesus was well aware that the mindset of the individuals around Him was a critical determinant in their ability and desire to accept His teaching. Jesus knew that many of the people that He was trying to reach set up blockades to learning because they granted authority only to their logic, tradition, culture and emotional feelings. They would not accept the truth and authority of the King of Kings. Thus they closed the door on the truth in His teaching. Ultimately, He closed the door on them.

As parents, teachers or caretakers, we understand the joy and the pleasure of an obedient and respectful child. The obedient child’s constant compliance to our instruction melts our hearts. Their demeanor invites instruction. It is easy and very natural for us to give compliant and respectful children greater responsibility because we are confident that they will handle the responsibility appropriately.

So it is when we become new born babes in our relationship with Jesus Christ. Almighty God rejoices when we are obedient and we demonstrate our faithful compliance to His laws, His commands, His Holy Word and His callings on our lives. When we come to Him humbly and in awe of who He is, He rewards us with more knowledge, more wisdom and more responsibility in His kingdom.

Let us seek to sit at the feet of Our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ, with the same eagerness as children sitting around a story teller. Let us be childlike as we delightfully soak in all that we hear. Let us be even more childlike as we learn to accept all the teachings of Jesus Christ in complete faith.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for receiving us as innocent babes in Christ. We bless the name of Jesus who made it possible that we could stand before You in righteousness. We bless the name of the Holy Spirit who inspires us to come to You as expectant as young children who go to their fathers eager to learn about the world and anxious for their dreams to be fulfilled. We pray for the grace to please You in all that we do. We ask that You release to us the knowledge that we do not have and the wisdom we seek. May it all be for Your glory and the gain of Your kingdom. We ask all these things in the name of the Author of Our Faith, Jesus Christ.

Life Experiences that Teach Us to Comfort Others

2 Corinthians 1:4
who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

God’s Holy Word teaches us that we should rejoice in our trials because they are the building blocks of character in our lives. They certainly do build character and perseverance in our lives if we turn to the Lord to get us through the challenges we face.

But beyond the character building in our trials, there is an entirely different dimension that we benefit from. We not only gain in character, but we gain more – much more. We gain life experiences that we are able to share with others who find themselves going through the same thing. God prepares us to be comforters for others in their time of need.

Our past experiences give us the foundation for offering faith and hope. It is our obligation to make suitable returns for what we received by comforting others. It is our duty to join them in prayer, praise and thanksgiving as we seek a good end to their trials and ours through Jesus Christ.

Let us turn to our model, our suffering King, Jesus Christ as we face the trials of life. Let us grasp our cup of trembling with the same resolve and confident hope that Jesus did as He faced the Cross. Let us learn to rejoice in the face of suffering for we are being prepared to comfort others in their suffering.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the consolations and comfort that we find when we turn to Your Son, Jesus, in our times of need. We bless the name of Jesus for the abundance of all of the fruits of His sufferings that are poured out in a greater amount than our own suffering, providing us relief from our distress and trouble. Lord, we pray that You build our faith and hope through our trials, so that we may be comforters for those in our lives who are going through their own trials. May it all be for the glory of Jesus. We ask all these things in the name of the One who suffered all on our behalf, Jesus Christ.

Defeating the Enemy by Faith in the Word and the Aid of the Holy Spirit

Luke 9:57
As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”

As pointed out in this passage and other passages, some of the early followers of Jesus were boasting, “I will follow You wherever You go.” But Jesus was quick to point out to them that following Him was more costly that many were willing to pay. It is the same for us.

Once we commit to fully surrender to Our Savior and follow Him, we can be certain that there will be attacks and trials that will surely challenge our resolve. Every consideration that we give to continuing as true disciples of Jesus will lead us down a decision path that is predominantly supported by human logic. Without faith in the Word of God and the strengthening power of the Holy Spirit, we will follow the callings of our flesh which are never ready to be laid down at the feet of Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. When we examine the costs, we are likely to end up stalling or passing all together on our calling as disciples. Praise God that He knows us so well, loves us still, has mercy on us and provides His Son for our salvation, His Word for our direction and His Holy Spirit for our strengthening.

Let us claim all that He has set aside for us because He sees us, not in the flesh, but in the image of His Son. Let us follow Our Savior King wherever He leads us. Let us stand firm in our commitment.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for accepting us as heirs to Your kingdom. We rejoice in knowing that You see us only in the image of Your Son who has washed away all of our iniquity with His precious blood. We pray, Lord, that You open our minds and hearts to the fullness of Your Holy Word. We ask that You show us how to surrender completely to the direction of the Holy Spirit in our lives. We beseech You, Father, to give us the grace to fall at the feet of the Cross so that we may walk in the way, the truth and the life that is in Your Son, Jesus. We ask all these things in the precious, holy and mighty name of Jesus Christ.

Worthy of Eternal Reward

John 13:13
You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am.

In every other religion in the world, except Christianity, the final goal is to have done enough to satisfy a god who provides eternal rewards for those who fulfill the demands. The followers of these gods live under a task master who has nothing to offer to those who bow before him.

For followers of Jesus Christ, the servitude to the Master is totally different. The Master has taken care of everything that is necessary for the servant to be worthy of eternal reward with Almighty God. The Master promises to perfect His strength in the weaknesses of every follower so that they are healed of their wounds, redeemed from their transgressions and made holy and worthy to stand before The Father for all eternity.

Sitting under this Teacher and Lord, Jesus Christ, means that we have someone who knows us better than ourselves, who is closer to us than our friends and family, who understands the deepest desires of our hearts and fulfills them. Through this Master, the Son of God, we have the security that our eternal destination is settled. There is no need to question whether we have done enough. In the words of Jesus himself, “It is finished.”

Let us follow closely the teaching of Our Lord, Jesus Christ. Let us receive in faith every promise that He reveals to us in His Holy Word. Let us rejoice in all the eternal provision that He has made for us. Let us show the world our joy.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You that everything that was required for us to meet You in heaven for all eternity was finished on the Cross. We bless the name of Jesus who completed it all on our behalf. We pray, Lord, that we may sit humbly at the feet of Your Son and surrender to the way, the truth and the life that is in Him. May we become vessels of His perfect love and forgiveness. May we become instruments of His good work. We ask all these things in the name of Our Lord, Our Master and Our King, Jesus Christ.

Unshakeable Confidence in the Victory

Psalm 145:21
My mouth will speak the praise of the LORD, and let all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever.

We are stirred up in our hearts to praise God. We praise Him because of His power and His glory. We praise Him for His holiness and His love expressed through the redemptive work of His Son, Jesus.

Our Lord, Jesus, is the fullness of the love and forgiveness that we have been so graciously provided by Our Father in Heaven. Let our every breath be filled for praise for the Father and the Son. May our lives be living testimonies of the Son of God who has come to dwell within us.

Let us praise God out of the faith that He has built in us through His Holy Spirit. Let us praise God with the love and delight that He has placed in our hearts. Let us praise God as we are comforted by His goodness, His grace and His holiness. Let us praise God with the joy of the expectation of life in His eternal kingdom. Let us praise God with the unshakeable confidence that the victory is ours through God’s greatest gift to us, His Son, Jesus. Let us bless the name of His Son forever. Let us praise God for He is worthy.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we exalt Your name above all others for You are worthy. We pray Father that You open our eyes so that we may see Your glory in the tiny things in life as well as the large things. We lift our voices up in high praise for Your precious Lamb, Jesus. We bless His name and proclaim His holiness and His righteousness. We give thanks for His presence in our lives. May our every breath praise Him as we come know just how dear He is to us. We ask all these things in the name of the One whose steadfast love never ceases, Jesus Christ.

Living in a Continuous Stream of Grace

John 7:38
Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, “Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”

By faith, we receive Jesus into our lives. When we receive Our Savior, we receive His living water. This life giving stream has flowed from Our Redeemer throughout all time to every place and person. The same life giving stream can flow continuously from our hearts if we are in submission to the Cross and not to ourselves.

Through the fount that is Jesus Christ, we also receive the sanctifying and comforting presence of the Holy Spirit flowing into and through our lives. Through the work of the Holy Spirit, the flow can manifest itself in many ways. It can range from the smallest, unseen kindness to a magnificent production on the grandest of stages. The flow is as a fountain of living, running water that is providing continuous streams that are all at once cooling, calming, refreshing and cleansing. The flow is plentiful, constant as a river. It is a continuous stream of the fullness of Jesus Christ and His grace.

Let us prepare ourselves to be willing vessels. Let us submit fully to the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives so that God’s goodness may be poured out through us to the world around us.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for using us as founts of Your living water. We praise You for the refreshing and cleansing that it brings into our own lives as we allow the waters to pass through us. We humbly and anxiously submit to the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. We pray that we come into the fullness of the flow so that the thirst of those around us may be quenched as we are quenched. We ask all these things in the name of the Life Giving Spirit, Jesus Christ.

Forming an Unbreakable Bond with Jesus

1 Peter 4:12
Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.

Jesus makes it completely clear in His teaching that we should expect trials if we follow Him. We should not be surprised by any painful trial that we may be going through. Trials are part of the necessary process of growing our faith and our intimacy with Our Lord.

Our faith must be tested. Without trials, we would soon believe that all of our good fortune was of our own making. Through the trials, we build our confidence in Our Savior who faithfully delivers us from each and every challenging period in our lives. His grace is always sufficient if we trust in Him.

Lifelong friendships and close personal relationships are usually the hallmarks of men who have gone to war together. The time that the soldiers spend together in battle relying on one another results in bonds that are unbreakable. So it will be with us in our relationship with Jesus Christ. When we learn to rely on Him to take us through our battles in life, He will become our anchor during the mightiest of storms. He will become our inseparable partner in victory.

Let us face every battle with the confidence that the victory will be ours. Let us learn to trust everything to the One who is always at our side. Let us build intimate relationships with Our Savior King who goes into each of our battles with us.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for being our rock and our foundation. We thank You for Your faithfulness in delivering us from the fiery trials in our lives. We pray that we will come to a place where we trust in Our Savior, Jesus Christ, for all things. May our trust become so complete that we actually learn to rejoice in the face of our trials, knowing the victory is ours in all matters even unto death. We ask all these things in the name of Our Refuge from the Storm, Jesus Christ.

Standing Confidently in the Storm

Matthew 8:26
And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.

One thing that we can all be certain of is that during the course of our lives we will encounter storms. We can even expect at times that the winds and the waves of our personal storms will be overwhelming to us. But the Lord, as He did with the apostles during their storms, challenges us to fear not and to live by faith in Him.

God expects us to be so confident in Him that in any crisis we are the reliable ones. What a great statement we make to the world when we stand confidently and peacefully during our greatest times of trial. When the worldly see us under stress with an utter lack of fear and uncertainty, how can they not be moved? As faithful Christians, when we respond with confidence in Our Lord’s promises to make us conquerors over all things, we turn our trials into wonderful testimonies to the world around us.

Let us commit to standing tall when God allows us to be tried. Let us be resolute in our faith. Let us decree the promises of Our most faithful Lord that He will provide us with the strength to endure every storm we encounter.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for giving us the faith to face all of our trials with confidence in the victory that You will provide. We praise You for sending Your Son to die on the Cross for us so that we can be victorious over all the evil that comes against us. We pray, Father, that the Holy Spirit will strengthen us so that we may live our lives in the fullness of the faith that You have given us. May those around us be moved by our faith. We ask all these things in the name of the One who is faithful and true, Jesus Christ.

The Strength to Overcome

2 Corinthians 12:9
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 of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

At times, we all experience things in our lives that make us feel like we are not strong enough to overcome. At times, we all are tempted in such a way that it feels like we are near faltering. Rejoice!! We are in the perfect position to have Jesus provide all that we need for victory. He is just waiting for us to recognize our weakness and call on Him to draw on His resources.

The apostle Paul was told by Jesus that Jesus’ strength was sufficient for all of Paul’s needs. Jesus emphasized to Paul that His power was made perfect in Paul’s weakness. Paul recognized this truth and leaned upon it through all of his trials. He became the most prolific writer in the bible and led the way of evangelizing the gentile world to Christianity.

When we come to recognize that there is nothing in us that is worthy without Jesus Christ, we open the way for His perfecting work in our lives. When we humble ourselves before Our Savior, we build on our relationship with the One who seeks to perfect us. Through it all, in spite of our weaknesses, the evidence of His presence in our lives becomes visible for all to see. We must be ever mindful that it is not about the work that we do for ourselves. It is about the relationship we have with Jesus that releases victory in our lives.

Let us surrender to Our Savior King. Let us present our weaknesses to Him so that He may perfect His strengths in our lives. Let us become living testimonies to His power.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the grace that You pour into our lives through Your Son, Jesus. We seek the power of Your grace in our lives. We ask forgiveness for the times that we by-passed Your grace in order to operate out of our own perceived strength. We pray that Holy Spirit will aid us in leaning on You for all of our needs and guiding us in all that we do. May Your strength be perfected in our weakness. We ask all these things in the name of the Strength of the Needy, Jesus Christ.