I just want to do the right thing -- really, I do. So did the apostle Paul when he bewailed his flesh/spirit struggle in Romans Seven. We need wisdom to do the right thing.
James 1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
Wisdom begins with reverencing God by seeking His counsel and listening with the intent to obey.
Doing the right thing is making your word your promise, putting character above wealth, being honest in small as well as large things. Doing the right thing is not compromising with wrong, not confining ambitions to selfish desires, and not being ashamed or afraid to stand for the truth when it is unpopular.
A wise person has a heart for God, a proper view of self, and views scripture as God's final Word. Wisdom waits on God for direction and obeys regardless of the consequences.
Oh, Lord, give me wisdom.
We all have an appointment with death, but the redeemed of The Lord who are alive at the first coming of Christ will give death the slip. It will begin with a translation (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 ) . The "Rapture" will be instananeous, miraculous, and marvelous.
1 Thesalonians 4:17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet The Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with The Lord.
Philippians 3:21 Who shall change our vile body that it may be fashioned like unto His glorioous body according to the working whereby He is able even to subdue all things unto Himself.
What a way to go! One moment you are walking around with burdens and cares, struggling to do right, and all of a sudden you hear God's trumpet, and an incredible change comes over you. Burdens fall off and you are in the air beholding the glorified Christ, surrounded by angels, friends, family, and loved ones who have gone on before.
Are you ready for the coming of Christ? Will you be raptured (caught up) or left behind?
When the redeemed live for God like there's no tomorrow, every day is as if it were the last.
Proverbs 27:1 Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.
Every day we should ask God to use our lives, to make us profitable for His Kingdom. Is there something that keeps us from surrenduring to Him? Could it be money, possessions, pride, peer pressure, a lack of discipline, self-focus or personal desires?
Made in Your likeness, made with Your hands
Made to discover who You are and who I am
All I've forgotten, help me to find
All that You've promised, let it be in my life
I wanna be the way I was made
I wanna live like there's no tomorrow
I wanna dance like no one's around
I wanna sing like nobody's listening
Before I lay my body down
I wanna give like I have plenty
I wanna learn like I'm not afraid
I wanna be the man I was meant to be
Chris Tomlin
Salvation is the beginning -- the first shovel of dirt -- of spiritual construction. Faith, prayer, love, and mercy are the building blocks for a firm foundation in God.
We increase our FAITH by studying and obeying God's Word.
PRAY: Recently, I began my morning prayer by quoting Psalm 18:2 The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I wil trust . . .
When you address God as your rock, fortress, deliverer, God, and strength, His Spirit lures you to sweet fellowship, and your prayer is more praise than petition.
God's LOVE is a holy love and not shallow emotions. When nothing else could help, love lifted me.
Salvation is the gift of God's MERCY. Without God's mercy we are doomed. Without mercy we cannot use the other blocks.
We cannot select which building blocks we want to build our life on because they all work together. The building never stops.
Matthew 7:24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man which built his house upon a rock.
The eternal purpose of God does not lie in the fickle hands of man, but in His power and will to perform it. In all His wisdom, God is in control.
This world thinks the wisdom of God is foolish, but worldly wisdom is foolishness to God and will ultimately fall.
Proverbs 3:5,6 Trust in The Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.
The free will of man and the Sovereignty of God were reconciled at the cross of Calvary. God made Jesus, who knew no sin, to become sin for us so that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. Herein is God's redeeming love. Herein is God's grace.
When we turn from the light and life offered in Jesus Christ, all that is left is darkness and death. We cannot afford to neglect the wisdom of God as revealed in His Word.
Will you believe it? You must.
As Mary, Martha, friends, and family grieved the death of Lazarus, Jesus sympathized with them to the point that He broke into tears.
A little girl came home from a neighbor's house where her little friend had died.
"Why did you go?" questioned her father.
"To comfort her mother," said the child.
"What could you do to comfort her?"
"I climbed into her lap and cried with her."
Praise God, we have a God who will crawl up in our lap and cry with us. Jesus is a High Priest who is moved and touched by our grief and despair. In the time of need, His presence can be felt in our lives.
Psalm 23:4 Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me.
As believers, we all face struggles. Some of us feel lonely, put upon, cheated in life. We must remember that The Lord of Glory knows how to lead us through the situations we are in. He has no limits.
Bring your impossible situations and lay them at the feet of Jesus.
