How firm is your foundation in the Lord? That trust you have in Him is built brick by brick – life event by life event. Every new brick representing a step of faith you took…an answer to prayer you never expected… an experience of peace in the mist of turmoil. Slowly that base is established, and soon with unshakable faith, nothing will be able to collapse your foundation in Christ.
Matthew 13:3 ” Then He told them many things in parables.”
Jesus taught in parables…stories illustrating a moral or spiritual truth. It’s much akin to an allegory, where the characters and events symbolize a deeper underlying meaning. His Disciples asked Jesus why He taught in this manner, and His reply shed light on the human nature. To those who had already rejected Jesus, they were just stories. But to the Souls who had opened their hearts and minds to Him, the parables were light and truth. For in John 14:6, Jesus states, ” I am the Way and the Truth and the Life.”
Psalm 55:22 ” Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous fall.”
The gist of this verse is repeated in I Peter 5:7, “Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.” Dropping all our problems at the foot of the Cross is easy so we think…but we never seem to leave well enough alone, and time after time, we’ll snatch them back up. The casting is simple…it’s the leaving them there that’s difficult.
I Peter 1:7 “These have come so that your faith – of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire – may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.”
It’s been there growing all Summer. Hiding under the swing, growing between the pavers – a very tenacious and hardy Petunia. Mind you, I didn’t plant it there in that tiny sliver between the cement blocks…it came up entirely on its own. And all Summer it has fought for water, sun, and room to grow. So today as I admire this healthy plant full of pristine white flowers I can’t help but think of its perseverance in this hostile environment.
Despite all, it has not only grown strong, but bloomed with dazzling snow-white flowers. Thank you Lord, for your life lesson embodied in this determined petunia! May I be just as resolute in my faith for You.
Acts 1: 4 ” On one occasion, while He was eating with them, He gave them this command: ‘ Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift My Father promised…’ “
Jesus said to wait for the promise…but how long must we tarry in hopeful anticipation? A week, a month, a year or more? That’s where our timing and God’s differ, for God’s timing is perfect, and learning to wait is part of His process…His purpose is the process of waiting for what He has promised.
Psalm 42:11 ” Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God.”
There are times when we have to be our own cheer-leading squad. It may be only us that can give ourselves a pep talk…because we alone know the feelings we’re harboring deep inside…feelings of sadness, discouragement, and unhappiness. It’s at those times when worry and distress are disturbing our inner calm that we need to inspire ourselves…turning discouragement into encouragement and pessimism into praise.
Mark 7:8 ” You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men.”
Jesus was criticizing the Pharisees and Jewish Teachers for maintaining the teachings of the Jewish elders concerning ceremonial hand washing…which was never part of God’s commandments to His people. We humans are so good at taking the Lord’s commandments and embellishing them… until we’re more focused on the peripheral and superficial, than the original Law that was given in the first place.
Nehemiah 8:10 “…for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
Nehemiah 8:10 “…for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
For many, this day is not filled with happiness. Discouragement and fatigue may be stealing all your joy…Physical ailments may be robbing you of delighting in the Lord at all. You may be even saying to yourself, “I have nothing to be joyful about today.” But the feelings of joy, happiness, and delight are just that…human feelings. You don’t have to feel joyful in order to be filled with God’s strength. For joy comes from that all-encompassing assurance that God is there… even if your rejoicing is only by determination and through tears.
Ezra 1:1 ” In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the Word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah, the Lord moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and to put it in writing…”
The Prophet Jeremiah had proclaimed to the children of Israel that they would be exiled to Babylon…”But when the 70 years are over, I will fulfill My promise to bring you back to Jerusalem.” (Jeremiah 25:11-12) God then used a very unlikely person to carry out this prophesy. He stirred up the heart of a heathen king in order to initiate and institute His Will. In Proverbs 21:1 it states, “The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord; He directs it like a watercourse wherever He pleases.” Even in today’s volatile world scene with Godless governments oppressing their people – God is in control.
Safetypinlove 