Wednesday, March 25, 2015
The Freedom of Family
In Moses’ day, God freed the people from Egypt.
In David’s day, God freed them from the Philistines. Two thousand years ago,
God made a way to free all of humankind—not just the Jew but the Gentile as
well. Paul argued, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor
free man, there is neither male nor female: for you are all one in Christ
Jesus”
Monday, March 9, 2015
Persevere my friend...
Did you know, that a newspaper editor fired Walt Disney for a “lack of good ideas” (I guess his boss didn't think he had much creativity)? He also went bankrupt several times before he built Disneyland?
Did you know, that Babe Ruth set the record for the most home runs? He also held the record for the most strikeouts.
Did you know that Elvis Presley was fired from the Grand Old Opry in 1954 after just one performance because the manager said he wasn't going anywhere?
Did you know Beethoven lost his hearing at age 46? He was deaf when he composed his greatest work, including 5 of his symphonies.
Did you know that it took Thomas Edison more than 2000 experiments before he invented the light bulb? When interviewed and asked how he stuck with it after so much failure, his reply was something like, "I never failed… Inventing the light bulb was a 2000 step process…."
What was it about these people that enabled them to endure such discouragement. Failure after failure and the ridicule that must have gone along with that had to be immense. It seems to me that the heartbreak of that failure would kill such a dream long before it came true. I don't know about you, but my tendency is to believe that if it's God's will for me, it will be easy. Yet, why would God want to send us somewhere that we don't need to wholly rely on His strength and power? If all you wanted was to spend time with a loved one, would you send them away? No, you wouldn't. All God wants from us is a relationship and He won't send us away from Him either.
Persevere my friend, because being determined, does bring honor to God, and when we let pleasing God drive our desires, our dreams will come true!
Did you know, that Babe Ruth set the record for the most home runs? He also held the record for the most strikeouts.
Did you know that Elvis Presley was fired from the Grand Old Opry in 1954 after just one performance because the manager said he wasn't going anywhere?
Did you know Beethoven lost his hearing at age 46? He was deaf when he composed his greatest work, including 5 of his symphonies.
Did you know that it took Thomas Edison more than 2000 experiments before he invented the light bulb? When interviewed and asked how he stuck with it after so much failure, his reply was something like, "I never failed… Inventing the light bulb was a 2000 step process…."
What was it about these people that enabled them to endure such discouragement. Failure after failure and the ridicule that must have gone along with that had to be immense. It seems to me that the heartbreak of that failure would kill such a dream long before it came true. I don't know about you, but my tendency is to believe that if it's God's will for me, it will be easy. Yet, why would God want to send us somewhere that we don't need to wholly rely on His strength and power? If all you wanted was to spend time with a loved one, would you send them away? No, you wouldn't. All God wants from us is a relationship and He won't send us away from Him either.
Persevere my friend, because being determined, does bring honor to God, and when we let pleasing God drive our desires, our dreams will come true!
Thursday, February 5, 2015
Step out in faith now.
What I found at the root of my captivity was
fear. It was not that I was too tired, too old, or too sick. I was just plain
afraid. I was afraid to engage, afraid to commit, and afraid to finish. Then I
was gently reminded that I “did not need legs to walk with the Lord” and I
realized being “gripped with fear” is not a new concept and has never been a
viable excuse for intentional disobedience. Joshua trusted God and stepped out
in faith in his battle and we can do the same.
Wednesday, February 4, 2015
Fear Not
“Where can we go up? Our
brethren have made our hearts melt, saying, ‘The people are bigger and taller
than we; the cities are large and fortified to heaven. And besides, we saw the
sons of the Anakim there’” (Deuteronomy 1:28). Ten of the twelve spies lacked the faith needed to
trust that God would give them this land.
Fear can drown even the most powerful of men. Solomon and Elijah were two great men who felt this despair when they feared the thing most central to their identity as human beings was lost. For the Israelites, and most people today, the first effort must be faith in the power of God to do what He said He would do. Comfort ultimately comes through the one and only son of God, who was born and died so that all who believe will be saved, proving again that God is faithful.
Sidney Smith once said, “A great deal of talent
is lost to the world for want of a little courage. Every day sends to their
graves obscure men whose timidity prevented them from making the first effort.”
Fear can drown even the most powerful of men. Solomon and Elijah were two great men who felt this despair when they feared the thing most central to their identity as human beings was lost. For the Israelites, and most people today, the first effort must be faith in the power of God to do what He said He would do. Comfort ultimately comes through the one and only son of God, who was born and died so that all who believe will be saved, proving again that God is faithful.