Safetypinlove

We can only find the living waters of nourishment and Salvation from God. When Jesus was talking with the Samaritan woman at the well, He spoke about & offered her living water…symbolizing eternal life and spiritual fulfillment that only He could provide. (John 4:13-14) As Believers, we can then joyfully draw from the well of Salvation that will sustain and refresh our spiritual thirst …unlike any well of our own doing. (Isaiah 12:3)

It’s easy to trust God when everything is sunshine, butterflies, and rainbows. It’s not as easy though when trials hit us like a freight train and leave us floundering. Throughout the New Testament we are admonished to, “fight the good fight of faith.” (I Timothy 6:12 & Jude 1:3) Or as James 1:3 tells us, the testing of our faith produces steadfastness. In other words, every trial we will ever go through is designed by God for a purpose. So these tests of faith are given in order to develop our perseverance…and in turn, this perseverance will produce in us an ever maturing Christian character. (Romans 5:3)

I can’t tell you how many times I have felt I’m “not enough.” I look around at others with their wonderful ministries, service to others, and endurance under tremendous pressure and feel woefully inadequate. But it’s then that I must remember that it’s only through God’s power and grace that I can gain the victory, and “be enough.” (Psalm 60:12) Or as I Corinthians 15:57 tells me, “But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” So on those days when I’m feeling that I’m “not enough”, and growing weary and overwhelmed, I will trust in the strength of Christ as I endure…for perseverance doesn’t rest on my ability to “be enough” …it rests on God’s promise to preserve me through it all. (Philippians 1:6)

I will be the first to admit that the fear of the unknown is just my uneasy apprehension of having no control. For I realize I can’t control the future, and that makes me anxious…because I like to know what’s going to happen ahead of time. But that’s when I need to stop, take a deep breath, and remember that God is omniscient. That’s a big word that means God has infinite awareness, knowledge, understanding, and insight. So while I may not know what lies ahead, God does…for nothing is unknown to Him. And as I put my faith and trust in Him, I know His perfect plan for me will evolve.

As a Christian, I don’t think we consider kindness a Ministry…or that even the smallest act of mercy could somehow help a stranger to keep going. For sadly, in our self-absorbed lifestyle of today, we can walk past and not even notice the hurting people around us. Though if we think about, Jesus had a Ministry of kindness…and look at the impact it had. So I would encourage all of us to engage in the Ministry of kindness and see how it could change people’s lives.

Our race here on earth is hard, and we can become weary in the running…but we only need to look to God, for He will sustain us. Isaiah 46:4 tells us that God is constant in His care to sustain us – from birth to old age. Or as I Corinthians 1:8 says, “The Lord Jesus Christ will sustain you to the end.” Thus, we can trust Him to sustain and complete His work of grace in us that He started…for He will never let the righteous fail. (Psalm 55:22)

My question to you is this – While you were drinking your first cup of coffee this morning, were you absentmindedly scrolling through your phone? Now what if for the next week you committed to placing your Bible in front of you first instead? I know it may be difficult…we are so used to grabbing our phones for messages, weather, news, and social media…but this is exactly what John is calling the “world”. He’s warning us here of adopting the world system/interests that are full of rebellion and pride and are hostile toward God. James 4:4 even goes further, calling it spiritual infidelity, when we are more committed to the world than to Him. For God makes it very plain, there is no spiritual neutrality when it comes to following Him. (Romans 12:2)

In Paul’s letter to the Church in Corinth, he identifies the distinguishing characteristics of Believers as they serve God while under great tribulation…including integrity and love for others. But the quality that really testifies for God and for the people around us is our steady and faithful endurance…even when our work cannot be seen by anyone else but God. That’s because, many times it requires the grace of God to take that next step in our trust and devotion to Him as we are bombarded by affliction and crushing loss. But if we draw our strength from Him and His Word daily, God has promised He will give us an undefeated life and enable us to persevere victoriously.

This Chapter in Proverbs is entitled Wisdom’s Call, and illustrates the many benefits of seeking wisdom. In Proverbs 3:13-18 we can read of all the many benefits and blessings of gaining Godly wisdom. They include understanding, sound judgment, discernment, and favor as we accept God’s guidance rather than the world’s foolishness. For as we seek His wisdom, we will become more and more like Him in our thinking, conduct, and insight…which can only lead to long life, good health, and prosperity.

Our service to God, our “religion”, is more than just warming a pew at Church on Sundays. The Apostle James tells us here that our true faith must be reflected in both word and action and thus illustrates the importance of speaking truthfully… and avoiding hurtful and harmful speech. (I Peter 3:10) Our tongue is a small part of the human body, but is capable of creating great disasters in our life, often with awkward and embarrassing consequences that follow. Therefore, we need to ask for Divine guidance daily for the Lord to set a guard over our mouth lest unwise words spill out. (Psalm 141:3)