Bitter vs. Sweet

Bitter does not become sweet, evil does not become good, and the

wrong thing even when done for a good motive does not become right.

We humans are good at justifying ourselves to ourselves. If only we

could step outside ourselves and hear the unconscious dialog that goes on in our minds... a dialog which God does hear.

He is neither moved or amused. He sees us just as we are--which

should be a goal of how we see ourselves. Today, pick out just one

or two things and think about why you are doing what you do.

    Aaron's sons Nadab and Abihu took their censers, put fire in them

  and added incense; and they offered unauthorized fire before the

  LORD, contrary to his command. So fire came out from the presence of

  the LORD and consumed them, and they died before the LORD.

  (Lev 10:1-2 NIV)

A Task

What do you do when God gives you a task you know you do not have

the resources or abilities to accomplish? You do it, of course. (No sarcasm intended!)

In The Matrix Reloaded (Warner Bros, 2003), a Council Member says,

"Comprehension is not a requisite of cooperation.". I like that

quote because it our position with God most of the time. We must

cooperate (agree) with Him even when we do not comprehend

(understand) His ways or purposes. Why?

God always has a plan. His plans work. Ours are subject to fail.

Move forward (cooperate) even without comprehension (understanding).

He will provide what is needed when needed--as long as we are moving.

  Late in the afternoon the Twelve came to him and said, "Send the

  crowd away so they can go to the surrounding villages and

  countryside and find food and lodging, because we are in a remote

  place here." He replied, "You give them something to eat." They

  answered, "We have only five loaves of bread and two fish--unless we

  go and buy food for all this crowd." Taking the five loaves and the

  two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke them.

  Then he gave them to the disciples to set before the people. They

  all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve

  basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.

  (Luke 9:12-13, 16-17 NIV)

Faith vs. Feelings

Jesus said, "I knew that you always hear me..." Have you ever felt

as though your prayers went no further than the ceiling?

Faith is not dependent on our feelings, our feelings seldom

encourage faith, and our feelings are not an indicator of God's

performance of His promises. In other words, our feelings have

absolutely nothing to do with whether or not God hears our prayers.

So, the next time you feel that you are not getting through, set

your heart to trust what God said--whether you feel it or not.

  So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, "Father,

  I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me,

  but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that

  they may believe that you sent me." When he had said this, Jesus

  called in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!" (John 11:41-43 NIV)

Pain

Rejection hurts. Love heals. After a painful experience, it can be

difficult to believe that the pain of rejection could ever be healed

or that you could feel all right again. I know this from experience.

If you have been rejected by someone you loved--or someone you

thought loved you (or should have)--God can heal that pain. I know

this to be true from experience as well.

Peace, security, and well being begin in a relationship with God.

Seek this first and above all else. Healing begins from that place.

  The true bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and

  gives life to the world." "Sir," they said, "give us that bread

  every day of our lives." Jesus replied, "I am the bread of life. No

  one who comes to me will ever be hungry again. Those who believe in

  me will never thirst. But you haven't believed in me even though you

  have seen me. However, those the Father has given me will come to

  me, and I will never reject them. (John 6:33-37 NLT)

Regret and Grief

Regret and grief: Some are paralyzed by it while others are

propelled by it. It all depends on one's response to it.

Do not grieve over your past, regardless of what it has been. It has

value: It got you to where you are today. That is important, but not

the most important thing.

The most important thing is not as much where you are today, but in

what direction you are going. (Paraphrased from a quote by Oliver

Wendell Holmes)

God does not grieve over your past because He has a future for you.

    By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion.

  There on the poplars we hung our harps, for there our captors asked

  us for songs, our tormentors demanded songs of joy; they said, "Sing

  us one of the songs of Zion!" How can we sing the songs of the LORD

  while in a foreign land? (Psa 137:1-4 NIV)

Miss understanding

When some people hear "God will do all that He has promised.", their mind interprets it to mean "God will do everything I want when and how I want it." I have even heard it taught that God "has" to do so-and-so because of the way they interpret certain verses.

I hurt for those who have been damaged by erroneous teaching. God is loving and faithful, however, He--in love--will not allow us to impose our will on Him in such a manner.

God will do all that He has promised; that is indisputable and absolute. It lies with us to understand what He has promised and bring our lives into agreement with it.

    In the fifth year of Joram son of Ahab king of Israel, when  Jehoshaphat was king of Judah, Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat began his  reign as king of Judah. He was thirty-two years old when he became  king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years. He walked in the ways  of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done, for he  married a daughter of Ahab. He did evil in the eyes of the LORD.

  Nevertheless, for the sake of his servant David, the LORD was not  willing to destroy Judah. He had promised to maintain a lamp for  David and his descendants forever. (2 Ki 8:16-19 NIV)

Boot Camp

What is spiritual training and how do we do it? There are

similarities to athletic training, as Paul suggested in today's

Scripture. We must study, communicate, exercise, and be tested--

the part we least like.

1. Maintain a relationship with God (communication);

2. Read the Bible and follow Godly teaching to learn (study);

3. Put what we learn into practice every day (exercise);

4. Use what we have learned in difficult situations (testing).

Someone would be downright silly to go to a gym to build muscles

without resistance training, e.g., lifting a bar without weights.

The same principle applies spiritually: No one will build any

significant spiritual strength without resistance.

    People tell silly stories that don't agree with God's truth. Don't

  follow what these stories teach. But teach yourself to be devoted to

  God. Training your body helps you in some ways. But devotion to God

  helps you in every way. It brings you blessings in this life and in

  the future life too. Here is a true statement that should be

  accepted without question: (1 Tim 4:7-9 ERV)