Hiding from God’s Blessing

Posted by

And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. Genesis 3:8

God created the perfect world for Adam and Eve. The trees were given to them as a blessing. God intended a blessing for them.

Instead of enjoying their blessing, they hid among the trees intended for blessing. They hide from God’s call.

The wrong fear of the Lord drives us from God, and we hide from God. The right fear of the Lord drives us to Him, to hide in the shelter of His wings, in the shadow of His presence.

Don’t let the blessing become the curse. Walk in obedience, in the love and the fear of the Lord, offering every blessing right back to God for His glorious purposes with thanksgiving, always praising the One who has given us all things!

The Power to Hope

Posted by

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13

What struck me reading that verse was that it takes power to hope.

God gives grace for everything we need, even for the hope to look forward to having every need and promise met in Christ.

We have abounding hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. We can hope. We can rejoice in hope. We can have peace in our hope. We can be unwavering in holding onto hope. Because we aren’t holding on by our own power. God provides the power to hope.

And He provides in abundance. Abound in hope!

A Miracle Is Brewing

Posted by

But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary. Matthew 14:24

The wind was contrary, but the Lord was in control. The wind and waves obey Jesus.

The storm serves a purpose. We are growing in our knowledge of our God. To know Him IS eternal life (John 17:3). He is working to bring us to a saving knowledge of Himself for our own sake, and so that we can take that knowledge and lead the many to righteousness.

The wind ceases when Jesus gets in the boat. Our God delivers out of every trouble. Wait and watch for the deliverance. But be like Jesus. We have two images of Him in a storm. One time He was asleep, perfectly at rest. His Father was going to get Him to the other side. The other time is Him walking on the water; He was above and not beneath. He wasn’t overwhelmed by the waves. He walked above it all. It didn’t touch Him.

When the troubles come, when the Lord sets up the contrary winds, know a miracle is brewing. He’s setting up His deliverance, but He’s also bringing You to Himself, teaching you to rely on Him, to walk untouched by the storm at rest in His presence, knowing His power and perfect ways.

Hope that Can’t Disappoint

Posted by

Hope does not disappoint us. It doesn’t disappoint, according to the very Word of God in Romans 5:5, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit. How can we be disappointed by God’s love? It’s the most powerful thing in the world. Verse two says we’re to hope in the glory of God. God’s glory is revealed in the redemption of everything. Christ’s death on the cross and then rising again, the restoration of all creation — these are acts that reveal the glory of God. We cannot be disappointed in the hope offered us through Christ. God’s full redemption plan will come to completion. It’s a hope that cannot disappoint.

This Is My Body

Posted by

What if when Jesus said, “This is My body,” he wasn’t referring to the bread, but the people. The disciples were to become the Church, The Body of Christ. Communion isn’t something that can be done alone. It’s in the definition of the word. Communion is done in community. They were being rebuked for not thinking of others, for not putting others first when they came together, saying even that they were being judged by God because of it. The point was loving each other. What if the point of communion is recognizing that we have been reconciled to God, making us One.

That We Should Walk in Them

Posted by

Get up. God’s prepared a work for you to do. He prepared good works for you in advance so that you would walk in them, so that you would do them. But you have to get up first. Feeling like you should invite that family over for dinner or feeling like you should offer to babysit or feeling like you should take your family to local food bank to help out doesn’t accomplish anything unless you get up and make it happen.

Other Focused

Posted by

God is the most other-focused being in existence. A non-believer might see Him like Mao, a megalomaniac putting up posters of Himself, wanting everyone to worship and obey Him, or like Darius wanting everyone to pray to Him, to worship Him. Those men had their eyes on themselves. God has His eyes on us. He not only sees each of us, He sees all creation. He knows the number of hairs on our heads, the thoughts hidden in our hearts, and when a sparrow falls to the ground. Above all that, Jesus is praying for us. He is Life itself, and He gives Life itself to us. I feel puny in my attempts to express any gratitude or praise to Him. He is worthy of more than all of us could ever offer in return.

I am the Lord

Posted by

“The One forming light and creating darkness, causing well-being and creating calamity; I am the Lord who does all these.” Isaiah 45:7

He is Lord over all, controlling the good and the bad. There’s absolutely nothing out of his control, so we might as well surrender our lives to Him, instead of living with fear of darkness or calamity. Besides, this is the same Lord who says to His people, ‘Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine!” Isaiah 43:1

Getting Our Needs Met

Posted by

For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Matthew 6:32-33

I feel like I have a long list of needs. I keep bringing them up with God. I have even felt desperate that I have them met. But God is not a God of desperation. He gives us the ticket to getting our needs met. We stop seeking them. We stop making them important. We make the things of God most important. We seek Him. We seek His ways and bringing about His kingdom. We seek His life being made whole in us. And the rest just falls into place. It doesn’t need us. The NIV says, “For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.” Don’t run after the things of the world. Run toward Him who can give you more than you could even think to ask for.