The beginning of any journey begins with that first step…but you have to be willing to move! In this verse God told Abraham to take that first step, and it was a big one. For not only did God want him to leave his homeland, relatives, and everything he was comfortable and used to, but he had to leave not having any idea where he was going. Many times throughout our life God’s call will involve stepping out into the unknown…of taking that proverbial leap of faith, and trusting that God will be there to lead the way.
Month: July 2020
James 3:9 ” With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness.”
James writes about attempting to tame the tongue…but the tongue is more powerful than we have the ability to control it. And here in this verse he gives the example of just how careless our tongue can be. One minute we can be praising God…and with the next breath we can be speaking harshly and wishing evil against a brother or sister. How can this be possible? I’ll give you a little analogy. Say I’m going to make potato salad, so I place potatoes and eggs in a pot of cold water and place it on the stove. Over the course of 15-20 minutes they cook together in that pot of simmering water…but the potatoes soften while the eggs harden. Same pot, same water, but out came two different responses…one tender, one hard.
Jeremiah 18:6 ” ‘O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter does?’ declares the Lord. ‘Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel.’ “
This verse is a very vivid reminder of God’s sovereignty over man. The prophet Isaiah wrote, “Woe to him who quarrels (or complains) with his Maker, to him who is but a potsherd among potsherds on the ground. (Isaiah 45:9) Well, that kinda puts us in our place doesn’t it?! God is the potter and we are the clay…it’s as simple as that, but we humans don’t take kindly to being told what to do by anyone in authority, let alone God. Our rebellious spirit bristles at God’s perceived supreme power over us. But in Romans 9:20, Paul asks in amazement, “But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? Shall what is formed say to Him who formed it, Why did You make me like this?” We are like clay in the hand of the Master potter…and He will fashion us as He sees fit…His Will and Way always prevailing.
Jeremiah 1:11 ” The word of the Lord came to me: ‘What do you see, Jeremiah?’ “
Many times throughout the Old Testament the Lord would ask this question of the prophets. Besides Jeremiah, the Lord asked Amos and Zechariah the same question…”What do you see?” Now in front of them were easily recognizable objects such as a almond branch, a boiling pot, a plumb line, or a basket of ripe fruit. But it wasn’t until the Lord explained the meaning and symbolism and pulled back the veil to reveal the true interpretation of the object, that the men were enlightened to the astonishing disclosure. Even today the Lord may show you something and ask, “What do you see?” That’s when you start with the simple answer and ask Him to show you the deeper meaning… or His perspective and vision.
II Corinthians 1:8 ” We don’t want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life.”
2020 has started out to be a year of tremendous difficulties, afflictions, and grief. And in many ways we all have been affected. But the next time you’re tempted to go on Social Media and whine…ask yourself this question. Am I attention-seeking, and eliciting participants in my personal pity-party…or am I like Paul who made his friends aware of the hardships he was enduring in order to show them where his trust rested? For in the next verse, Paul points out that this happened that, “we might not rely on ourselves but on God…” Enduring pain, bearing up under persecution, and experiencing grief are all part of the human experience…no one is immune. But it’s how we react to it that makes the real difference. It’s called suffering well. Of placing our reliance on God rather than man…and of pointing to Him as the one we depend on…so that all the glory goes to Him, not us.
Jeremiah 51:15-16 ” He made the earth by His power; He founded the world by His wisdom and stretched out the heavens by His understanding. When He thunders, the waters in the heavens roar; He makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth. He sends lightning with the rain and brings out the wind from His storehouses.”
If you have the chance today to read Psalm 104 you’ll see the same type of attempt to put into words the height, breadth, and magnitude of God’s power. The writer of Psalm 104 uses the imagery of God wrapping Himself in light as with a garment and stretching out the heavens like a tent…also making the clouds His chariot and riding on the wings of the wind. Both Scriptures try to put into words what can’t be explained by words…for we don’t have the means to illustrate exactly who God is and His infinite power, wisdom, and might. So all we can do is praise Him! Or as Psalm 104 says, “I will sing to the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to My God as long as I live.”
Safetypinlove 