Sustaining Grace
2 Corinthians 12:7-10

God's grace is amazing. It not only takes care of our sin problem through the cross but also strengthens and sustains us every day of our lives. The Lord never wavers in His good purpose for us, nor is He ever thwarted. His sustaining grace is the answer to our . . .

Difficult circumstances. Being a Christian does not exempt us from painful trials or unpleasant situations. The apostle Paul knew this firsthand. When he presented the good news of the gospel, some believed but many opposed him. In 2 Corinthians 11:23-27, he wrote that he had been in danger everywhere he went. He experienced rejection, beatings, and arrest but did not give up. God's grace continually upheld and strengthened him.

Personal suffering. Paul also spoke about the thorn in his flesh, which caused him great torment. Three times he asked God to remove it but the Lord answered no. Why? Because the Lord said that His grace was sufficient. It would provide what he needed to succeed. Grace had already taken the apostle from condemned to forgiven and from outsider to beloved child. Because he experienced the undeserved love of God, this zealous persecutor of Jewish believers became a missionary spreading the good news about Jesus.

The apostle declared that he was content with weaknesses, insults, distresses, and persecutions because he had experienced the Lord's all-sufficient grace. He knew that God would continue to help him in every situation, and that regardless of his circumstances, living in the favor and love of God was enough. Is that true for you? 

God's Blessings
Psalm 81

Our heavenly Father delights in meeting His children's needs and fulfilling their desires. Yet many Christians walk through life with less than God's best. How can we avoid missing His blessings?

Psalm 81 provides insight. The writer refers to a time when the Israelites missed out on God's best for them. As we know from Exodus, the nation gratefully praised Him for their release from bondage. But they quickly forgot and worshiped other gods, complaining about their circumstances in the wilderness. This unhealthy pattern continued throughout the Old Testament, as the people would turn to Jehovah in time of need and then drift.

Verses 8-10 reveal God's perspective: "O Israel, if you would listen to Me! Let there be no strange god among you . . . I, the Lord, am your God, who brought you up from the land of Egypt; open your mouth wide and I will fill it."

We, too, might have needs and desires that are unmet because of disobedience. Today, most people don't worship statues, as the wayward Israelites did. Our idols are less obvious--they might include a relationship, job, hobby, or anything else we put ahead of the Lord. Even making decisions based upon what others think can be idolatry; our choices should be based upon biblical principle and the Holy Spirit's guidance.

Ask the Lord to reveal  anything that hinders your receiving His blessings. Listen carefully, and let Him help with the areas He brings to your attention. He is ready to guide you and bless you.

Times of Trouble
Psalm 46:2-11

During this life, hard times are inevitable. Some watch a loved one suffer and die; others are wrongly accused or mistreated. Then there are people who endure crippling ailments. The range of human pain is broad, but there's only one place of true comfort.

Today's passage speaks of great calamities, some due to natural causes and some caused by men (vv. 2, 6). We often feel bewildered during such trials, but verse 10 tells us where to turn: God's followers should be still and remember that He's the sovereign Lord of the universe. In our world of cell phones and deadlines, it's hard to stop for even a moment. But the key to dealing with difficulty lies in trusting the One in control of all things.

Instead of trying to manage the situation ourselves or pointing a finger in blame, we should actively wait, watching for God to move and trusting that He will act on our behalf (Isa. 64:4). This involves taking time to be alone with our Father--crying out to Him, meditating on His truth, and listening.

Human instinct urges us to take matters into our own hands; in contrast, the Lord requires that we patiently and expectantly wait upon Him. He also tells us to surrender what we think is right and instead submit to His plan. Unless our focus remains steady on Jesus, circumstances can overwhelm us. 

What is your response when trouble arises? You can choose to accept difficulty as a blessing by letting it deepen your relationship with Christ. Whether your current circumstances are good or painful, take time to be still before the Lord. 

Ed Dobson's walk with Jesus leads him to national stage

by Charles Honey | Grand Rapids Press Religion Editor

Friday January 09, 2009, 11:23 PM

GRAND RAPIDS -- When the Rev. Ed Dobson set out to live like Jesus for a year, he envisioned it as a private spiritual journey, not an avenue to national television.

But that's where the path took him.

The retired Calvary Church pastor appeared on "Good Morning America Weekend" on Sunday, recounting his year of living like Jesus. Program producers flew Dobson and his son, Daniel, to New York after reading a Press story about his experience on the USA Today Web site.

 

"It was over before I knew it," Dobson said of the 3:43-minute live interview with show co-anchor Bill Weir.

Dobson said he wasn't nervous, having appeared on TV often as an aide to the Rev. Jerry Falwell before coming to Calvary in 1987.

"It was always you were arguing about something," Dobson said of those appearances. "It was nice for the first time not to argue about anything."

His year-long beard finally trimmed, the pastor talked of eating kosher, keeping the Jewish Sabbath and other challenges of emulating Jesus.

Blessing those who persecute you was one of the greatest, he said. He spoke of attending the funeral of a friend of Daniel who was killed in Iraq by a roadside bomb and feeling anger toward those who planted it.

"I finally realized I had to pray for them and bless them, which is very, very hard to do," he said on the show.

Dobson also said he has drawn heat for voting for Barack Obama as the candidate he felt best represented Jesus' teachings. He has been criticized for that on the ABC and USA Today Web sites.

"I understand, to some degree, their reaction," Dobson said this week. "I wish I had been able to say that I don't have a lot of faith in any politician, no matter the party, and I really wrestled with voting for Mr. Obama, given that he is pro-choice. But I concluded that wasn't the only issue that was important, that I wanted to be pro-life from conception to the grave."

Dobson emphasized he is not saying everyone should have voted for Obama -- or that Jesus would have.

"I would encourage people, whether you've ever read the Bible or not, begin reading the Bible," Dobson told Weir, "and just listen to what God has to say."

10 RESOLUTIONS FOR 2009

This coming year, I have decided that with God's help, I shall:-

1) Give up complaining . . . focus on gratitude.

2) Give up harsh judgments . . . think kind thoughts.

3) Give up worry . . . trust divine providence.

4) Give up discouragement . . . be full of hope.

5) Give up bitterness . . . turn to forgiveness.

6) Give up hatred . . . return good for evil.

7) Give up anger . . . practice patience.

8) Give up pettiness . . . put on maturity.

9) Give up gloom. . . enjoy the beauty that is around me.

10) Give up gossiping . . . control my tongue.

-- Author Unknown

SAILING INTO THE NEW YEAR

God built and launched this year for you;

Upon the bridge you stand;

It's your ship, aye, your own ship,

And you are in command.

Just what the twelve months? trip will do

Rests wholly, solely, friend, with you.

Your logbook kept from day to day

My friend, what will it show?

Have you on your appointed way

Made progress, yes or no?

The log will tell, like guiding star,

The sort of captain that you are.

For weal or woe this year is yours;

Your ship is on life's sea

Your acts, as captain, must decide

Whichever it shall be;

So now in starting on your trip,

Ask God to help you sail your ship.

-- Author Unknown

My prayer for you in 2009 is that you will:

* Accept the shortcomings in others and realize it is not your
responsibility to correct them, it is God's to perfect them

* Understand your own shortcomings and allow God to perfect them, in His
own time

* Reach out to help those whom you can help

* Accept help from those who wish to help you

* Understand that God loves you

* Understand that God wants you to love others

May you have bountiful blessings in 2009

Come to a H.A.L.T.
Psalm 51

How many people have lamented, If I had it do over again, I'd do it differently?  "It" refers to decisions, actions, and conversations we'd like to take back. As King David mourned the sinful choices that made him an adulterer and a murderer, he probably thought about the righteous alternatives. Like David, we tend to make wrong decisions when we are ruled by our appetites rather than godly discernment (2 Sam. 11:4).

Foolishness of some kind often results when people give in to stress placed on body and mind. These "earthly vessels" are more vulnerable than we think. That's why Christians shouldn't make snap judgments when feeling hungry, angry, lonely, or tired (H.A.L.T.). In those states, we are particularly at risk of making bad decisions with no lasting gain.

Craving immediate gratification makes for poor decision making. We need time to weigh a situation's merits and drawbacks. And we must consider potential long-term outcomes, particularly if there might be an eternal impact. Sometimes that process takes a few minutes, but in other cases, we might have to deliberate and seek God's guidance for weeks or months.

Satan is always on the lookout for a gap in the Christian soldier's spiritual armor, but physical, mental, and emotional vulnerabilities prove handy for his cause as well. Do not give the Evil One a toehold! Keep yourself fed, rational, in good company, and rested. Then you are prepared to make godly judgments on the spot rather than thinking of them in retrospect. 

Just a thought

By Power for Life Bible

"By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth." – Psalm 33:6

New beginnings

By Sheila Schuller Coleman

"Put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness." – Ephesians 4:24

Lessons in Contentment
by Rick Warren

I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. Philippians 4:11 (NIV)

*** *** *** ***

Here are four steps to develop contentment in your life.

1. Stop comparing yourself to others. When you compare your life with someone else’s, the only place it can lead is toward discontentment. There will always be people who appear to be better off than you, but you don’t know their real circumstances.

I recall counseling a husband many years ago, and he said he wished his wife could be more like so-and-so, and he named a woman in our congregation. What he didn’t know is that the woman was a functioning alcoholic causing incredible heartache and stress for her family and for her husband.

That’s why the Bible teaches it is unwise to compare (2 Corinthians 10:12).

2. Be grateful for who you are and what you have. Learning to be content requires that you stop any “when and then” thinking – “When I am ___________, then I’ll be happy.” (You fill in the blank.)

The reason we fall into this trap is that we may actually be content for a little while but it won’t last. But, more than likely, someone else or something else will come along and drain the contentment from your life.

But listen, you are unique. God created you to be like nobody else, so why would you want to be anyone else. God is perfect, and you were his perfect choice to be you. Understanding that is a huge step toward being content with your life.

And then look at all the things God has given you. So often we allow what we don’t have to so dominate our focus that we forget the many wonderful things we already have, not only material blessing, but far more important things, such as family and friends.

3. Give yourself to others. If you will begin giving yourself to others, sharing what things you do have, sharing your time and your talents, you will find yourself learning to be content. Helping others will give you an appreciation for what you have and who you are, but more importantly, you will find yourself growing content. Why? Because God designed us to serve and share with others, and until we do that, we will feel great discontent.

4. Focus on things with eternal value. The real secret to becoming content is to focus on the things that have eternal value. It may be a familiar teaching to you, but Jesus said we should store up our treasures in heaven, and not on earth “where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal” (Matthew 6:19-21 NIV).

Think about the things in your life: What will last forever? What will last at least for your lifetime? What will last a few short years, or months, or days? Based on eternal value, what things are most important in your life? Where – and with whom – should you put your most time and energy?

By re-organizing your life around eternal priorities, you’ll find yourself growing in contentment as you live according to God’s design and purpose.

© 2008 Purpose Driven Life. All rights reserved.