 Philippians 2:5 “Adopt the same attitude as that of Christ Jesus…” ~CSB
We have all turned on a faucet to a sink. There are some of us that have even experienced turning on a sink, and when we went to turn it off, the water kept running. This blew our minds because first, we were not expecting that to happen; and second, we were faced with the question, “What do I do now?” Always dependent on that faucet to do the work for us. Let’s take that same scenario and use it when it comes to us during some bad times in our lives. We can all agree that days come when we turn on the ‘anger’ or we turn on the ‘sadness’ and for some reason we cannot turn it off. It is like that faucet on the sink. When those emotions don’t turn off and it begins to affect our spouses, our children, our jobs and our health, we are faced with the same question as we were faced with concerning the faucet. “What do I do now?” The world teaches us to live like this. To lose control and allow the worst in us to continue to flow. We must avoid this by thinking of Christ and who we are in Him. This is the time we need to reflect on God's love for us. We must reach in and remember who exactly we are. We are His children. Instead of letting that energy fuel the thoughts of our anger and sadness, we should allow that same power of thought in everything good. In other words, reflect on verse one that says, “If there is any encouragement in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship with the spirit, if any affection and mercy…” If any of these traits, which are good and from God, rest in our hearts, we must embrace them and let the seeds of their power help us calm our emotional storms. Verse three tells us not to let those dark emotions cause us to do anything, “...out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than…” ourselves. This text gives us the spiritual strength to stand up and take a position of love and determination as we allow God to lead us on the true path He created for us. “Adopt the same attitude as that of Christ Jesus…” The One who gave His life for us is the blueprint of unselfishness. The blueprint of putting others first. If our Lord and Savior did that for us, then we can prepare ourselves by turning off our 'faucets' and stopping the negative flow of our anger and sadness. So that we can do for others, as Christ Jesus has done for us. May God bless and keep you as you journey in Jesus’ name. Amen
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 2 Corinthians 12:9 (NIV) “But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
In this passage, Paul is telling us how he remains humble and why he only boasts about the Lord. He also speaks to us about ‘grace’. In a few verses before verse nine, Paul tells us that, “...in order to keep himself from becoming conceited…” he was given a ‘thorn’ in his flesh. Now, the Word doesn’t necessarily tell us specifically what that ‘thorn’ is. Paul describes it as, “...a messenger of Satan…” that torments him. He even goes on to say that he pleaded with God, not once, but three times to take the ‘thorn’ away. And this is when, in verse nine, God tells him, “...My ‘grace’ is sufficient for you…” In our lives we all suffer from some kind of ‘thorn’ in our flesh. “A messenger of Satan’, if you will, always in our ear. Always pulling on our flesh. Always trying to make us think things or do things that are not of God. Attempting to make us go places God has not led us. When God gave that piece of information to Paul, He is also giving us the same word. The 'grace' of His forgiveness by the sacrifice of His One and Only Son for us, should be sufficient enough. No matter what we have done or said, we are forgiven by the Cross. His grace is sufficient because it also gives us access to God’s power when we accept this over the pain and suffering of our ‘thorns’. God is always present and willing to take care of us. You see the results of our thorns should direct us to understand that this is where we redirect our focus and prayer. Instead of focusing on that pain and suffering of the ‘thorn’, we must look to the Lord for his power in healing, guidance and peace. Paul was leading us when he said, “...in order to keep me from being conceited…” In order for us to receive this power, we must focus on thinking about God and how much He loves us to forgive us. When we do that we allow our spirits access to that power God wants to give us. That thorn can be scary sometimes because it shows us that we can be weak. For many Christians who have been strong all their lives this revelation in weakness can be horrifying. But God is telling us, as we become physically weak in some places, He is allowing us to become spiritually stronger. In His word He tells us, “...for My power is made perfect in weakness…” Allow your 'thorn’ to help you find your strength in the Lord this week. Focus on God, not your problems, and tell the Lord you are ready for his healing, guidance and peace. Because we receive His grace, as sufficient. Amen  2 Timothy 3:16-17 “All Scripture is inspired by God, and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” ~CSB
We often hear people say, “God gave me a sign that I should do this!” “I saw a sign that this is what I’m supposed to do!” Whenever decisions are made as a result of ‘seeing a sign’, those decisions usually fall on the action of ‘guessing’. Let me give you a better example about ‘seeing signs’. My wife has never given me a ‘sign’ when it comes to something that needs to be done. For instance, when we have our monthly budget meetings for our home, we both know how much to spend and how much not to spend. There are no signs for these directives. No room for guessing. This is a successful way of life for us because my wife and I have a strong relationship. We know each other so we do not rely on ‘signs’. We do, because we know. This should be the exact same relationship we have with God. One where we do not have to look for ‘signs’ and ‘guess’ what He wants from us. No, we should know Him enough and follow His commands. His word gives us all we need. It says in 2 Timothy that the word is God's inspiration to us. It will teach us, correct us and train us in righteousness. When we walk this spiritual workout every day, the word will take out the ‘guesswork’ of seeing ‘signs’. God loves us too much to give us hints. He loves us so much that He gives us what we need, when we need it. There is no guessing, but to hear Him we have to know Him. Put the effort in building your relationship with God. Cut out the ‘guesswork’ and embrace the wisdom God gives us daily through His Word. So that we know what He wants from us. God will let us know directly because he wants us to be, “...complete and equipped for every good work.” May the Lord continue to bless and keep you under His healing, guidance and protection in Jesus’ name. Amen |
Authors Billy & YolandaThis is the place where we share our heart through God's Word in faith that will inspire and empower you to live in peace. Archives
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