To Trust or Not To Trust...

Scripture:
Proverbs 3:5-6
Luke 1:26-38

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God is so good and loving and yet we have a hard time trusting in Him.  God sent us the greatest gift of all time.  He gave Himself for our salvation.  Over this past year God has brought me to levels of dependency that I didn't even know I could get to.  Every time I turn around I have found I had no choice to to rely on Him.  Every time He has proven trustworthy.  So why is it so hard to trust.

We live in a world of cold hard facts.  If you cannot see it, touch it, heart, smell it, it doesn't exist.  Facing a mountain of bills or troubles of any kind we think how can God possibly help me.  We think we can do it better ourselves.  We think I have been hurt before, why would God help me now.  We feel rejection from the world and associate it with God rejecting us.

When we believe this we are so far from the truth that we cannot comprehend the truth.  The simple answer but so hard to do is turn to God and trust.  Turn to the Scriptures for answers.  Go to God in prayer.  I often ask God to help me with my  unbelief.  I ask for help to over come my doubts.  When I find it hard to trust God I force myself to stop and take a step back.  I have to say God this is beyond me and I can only trust You.  I can't count the number of times I fail.  God is loving, kind, and merciful...  We can trust Him...

Without Love

Scripture:

1 Corinthians 13

John 14:15-21

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Love, it is so common yet so foreign.  How many of us can say we are kind, that we do not envy, nor boast, not proud.  How many of us can say we do not dishonor others or not self seeking.  What about never failing, who can say that they never fail?  Sure at some point in time everyone can claim these things.  We succeed, we are kind, we honor others.  However, we cannot claim them all and we cannot claim them all the time.

Everyone who believes in Christ receives spiritual gifts.  For some those gifts might be teaching, giving, compassion.  Everyone's spiritual gift is different.  However, we are all called to love as Christ has loved.  Without love our spiritual gifts are nothing.  Without love our offerings and service to God are meaningless.  

So why is it so hard to love at times?  Why do we struggle with love?  My thought is that we are self seeking and self serving.  Because of this when someone wrongs us we find it hard to show love and compassion.  When we are looking within it becomes all about me.  We  lose site of love.  When we focus on Christ we can show Christ-like love.  When it seems impossible to show love I find it helps to remind myself that Jesus Loves them.  If Jesus loves them and accepts them as they are who am I to do any different...

Gifts & Submission

Scripture:

2 Corinthians 5:6-8

James 4:1-10

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Why is it that we have trouble submitting to the will of God?  What is it that makes us think we can do better. James 4:7 "Submit yourselves, then to God.  Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."  There are times it seems that the world comes crashing down on me.  In these moments I find I am trying to do it my way on my own.  I do not submit to God's will but struggle with my own will.  Satan seems to grab hold and not let go.  

I find that things in my life work out far better when I submit to God's will and allow Him control.  I look back at all the so called unanswered prayers in my life and see God's hand at work.  Had God given me exactly what I asked for when I asked for it my life would have been filled with even more disasters.  I look back and see God's answer to those prayers.  I think what a blessing God gave me and I didn't even see it.

All we have to do is submit to His will.  It isn't an easy task, I struggle with it daily.  Everything we ask for in His name while seeking His will will be answered.  God wants to bless us and He want's to give us all our desires.  Most parents want to give their kids everything they ask for.  We however can see a bigger picture than they do.  Sometimes we withhold a gift from our children for their own sakes.  Sometimes even if they don't see it we say no because in the end they are better off with the no.  Sometimes we give even before they ask it.  How much more does God do for us?  How much more does He love us? 

Who Needs The Instructions

Scripture:
Joshua 1:1-9
1 John 5:1-13

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OK, why is it that most men do not read the instructions?  I will sit down to assemble a new toy or something we purchased without reading the instructions.  It almost always gets messed up in the process and I get frustrated.

After Nancy and I got married we purchased a gas grill.  We sat down together to assemble it.  She read the instructions pointing out what I needed to do. I did most of the physical labor.  We managed to fairly quickly and accurately assemble the grill.

Our lives and spiritual growth require instructions.  We get those instructions through the Bible.  Joshua is told by God to continuously meditate on God's law.  The reason for this was for him to be able to do everything written in it.  We also need to read the scriptures continuously in order to know God's word and be able to decipher His will.  By diving deep in God's word we will keep him close to our hearts.  I started reading a book by Gary Smalley, Change your Heart Change Your Live,  and in it he talks about what we keep in our hearts.  What is in the heart is what we think, believe, and act on.  By continuously reading God's word it will form in our hearts.  Once in our hearts we will live it out.

We are not supposed to do this all alone though.  Just as Nancy and I worked to assemble the grill we are to help one another spiritually.  She is my helper and I hers.  Another source of help and encouragement is our small group at InDepth in church.  I also have a small circle of friends who give encouragement, advice, and prayers from time to time.  They allow me to dump on them and they offer unconditional love and friendship.  God didn't mean for us to be alone.  Not only is He with us always He also gave us each other...