Trust and Patience
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When the stress and anxiety seemed to be overwhelming and my prayers were going unanswered I became
terribly impatient and angry with God. I felt sorry for myself and irrationally concluded that I was the only
“Christian” that was being burdened so with this cross and that I did not deserve this stress nor did my
family and why weren’t my prayers being answered. I thought that the more I strove to get closer to Jesus
the more temptation and Crosses I seemed to have to endure. That was not fair, I thought.
Well after what seemed like a very long time (in reality only a matter of weeks) my prayers were partially answered
but not exactly how I had prayed for them to be answered and certainly not what I expected. But I came to realize
that the “Answer” that came competely out of my control opened up several other doors of opportunity which I had
not foreseen. And in fact, I am sure I will continue to see HIS PLAN FOR ME further unfold the more patient I become.
The lessons I learned in this instance are
1. God’s time table is rarely if ever going to coincide with my desired time table because HE can see the complete continuum of time of how my life and HIS PLAN FOR MY LIFE fits into HIS MASTER PLAN, past, present and future.
2. The more patient and trusting I become the less stressful it is for me. Even though I have not grown enough
yet to completely turn “it” over to Jesus, I am definitely moving in that direction.
3. I am ashamed for becoming angry with God as my creator because my burden pales in comparison to so many others and especially when compared to God sacrificing HIS only SON.
4. It is absurd to fixate on the “blink” of time my burdens and crosses last when compared to ETERNITY with Jesus.
5. As a Christian, I am sure that the closer I draw to Jesus, the more the devil will tempt me with greater and more
aggressive and seductive temptations because he has to know that the closer I draw to Jesus the more strength I can draw from Jesus to overcome all the devil’s threats.
6. How irrational it is to think that any cross or burden I receive is “UNFAIR” when Jesus died for me. How fair was that?
7. I am just 1 child of God among BILLIONS and God has a
plan for all of us. It is very humbling to seem so insignificant
to be 1 of a billion, but it is also a joyous feeling that the GOD
who created us all actually cares for me personally and is
always there for me ready to help me. HE wants us ALL to spend eternity with HIM
8. I need to and want to try harder to be patient which is one of my biggest struggles. I am impatient with so many people, especially my family and impatient with “things” happening as quickly as I want and the way I want it to happen. I need to strive to try and “let go” more and trust in Jesus but I really
at times become consumed with impatience.
9. I need to and want to try harder to Trust that “it” is ultimately in God’s hands. I can continue to do everything in my power to work towards my goals but there will be many times when I will have done everything humanly possible and at that point I have to “let go” and trust that “it” is safely in God’s hands and that HE will help me one way or the other or give me the strength and courage to accept whatever happens. I would be so much more content, relaxed, less stressed and centered if I could achieve that level of trust in God. But have a very long way to go to get there.
10. The are countless stories in the Bible where God took his Followers right up to the brink of their “breaking” point and yet HE was always there for them. I want to strive to achieve that level of trust and patience with God so I can better serve HIM.
Praise to You O Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus Lives
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Angry
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“How long, O Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, ‘Violence!’ but you do not save?” Habakkuk 1:2
‘Jesus’ Blood Never Failed Me Yet’
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Jesus blood never failed me yet.
This one thing I know, for he loves me so.
A reporter who was a friend of the composer recorded this little song by accident while researching a story on London’s poor, and Bryars had been captivated by its simple grandeur. He was haunted by the power of the old man’s sincerity and the boldness of his hope even though, by his own admission, he does not share his faith. That’s when he had gotten the idea to immortalize the man’s testimony by writing an orchestral accompaniment that would weave intricately in and around the sinewy voice as it repeated, over and over again, its confidence in the never-failing love of Jesus. The end result is a 75-minute recording that gradually works its way through various musical shades and colors while the toothless voice grins on and on.
Little did he know it was going to turn into something of a phenomenon. The piece scored a pop hit in Britain and did fairly well in America. Though it is considered a classical recording, its unique composition appealed to a broad range of people, especially a younger audience that turned it into a sort of pop icon.
Think of it: a bum out on the streets in the lowest of states, carrying a hopeful message to hundreds of thousands of people about the reality of Christ’s love that defies his health, his circumstances and the physical conditions that are his daily reality. Hearing it always makes me see whatever I might be going through at the time in a different light.
“Whether we are high above the sky or in the deepest ocean, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:39 NLT). Or, to put it another way, whatever happens to you or me, we can always say: “Jesus blood never failed me yet.”
Give Thanks
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for little will always
find he has enough.
“Give thanks in all
circumstances, for
this is God’s will
for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18
Lunch with Kate
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Friday’s Catch of the Day ended with the following: “We need to give priority to our relationships with others because who we are depends on it. There is no such thing as individual spiritual growth. Check your calendar; arrange some lunches. Time put into other people is time committed to God and His purposes.”
Later that day, in an email to me, a reader wrote: “Having lunch with daughter Kate, prompted by today’s note (Catch).”
I was overwhelmed. Someone actually took my suggestion. Perhaps my surprise was due to my own familiarity with reading suggestions like this and passing over such practical advice. And somewhere, someone was having lunch with his daughter, and they wouldn’t be there had he not read his Catch that morning.
I write these things, but do I expect people to actually go out and do them? Or better yet, do I do them? Am I doing what I am asking others to do? It’s a somewhat painful question.
I immediately thought of my daughter, who happens to be home right now after being away at school. When was the last time we had lunch together? I have no idea. Got to do something about that. Now the man who I inspired is inspiring me to do the very thing I inspired him to do.
Like those cram session fundraisers on Public Radio and TV, “Just pick up the phone and call…” you have to get it down to an action. What am I being asked to do here? It’s not just words; it’s “what do you want me to do?”
“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” (James 1:22)
Laughter
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Laughter is like
changing a baby’s
diaper—it doesn’t
solve the problem
permanently, but it
makes things more
acceptable for a while.
“A cheerful heart is
good medicine.”
Proverbs 17:22
Being a Missionary Without Being One
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by John Fischer
by John Fischer
You are where you are for a reason.
Your vocation, your neighbors, your community
and your many associations are a world you
inhabit to which you were sent. Every one of us
has a sphere of influence that involves at least
one other person and that makes us eternally significant.
If you ever heard about God sending people to the mission field and assumed everyone like you who didn’t go are somehow without a mission, you assumed wrong. There is absolutely no difference between you and me and Joe Missionary heading out to some South American jungle. In fact, in many environments we can accomplish more than a missionary can because people see a missionary coming and say “Look, here comes a missionary!” and whatever they think of missionaries is immediately predisposed upon you regardless of who you are. People also excuse a missionary’s faith because that is what missionaries are supposed to have. They probably wouldn’t ask a missionary a whole lot of questions about their faith unless they were really seeking God.
I guess I’m thinking about all the people, who, for whatever reason, are not seeking God, but who might be interested in meeting Him if they knew He wasn’t part of a missionary’s agenda.
Contrast this to being just a regular guy. See, if you are just a regular guy, someone might say, “Look here comes a regular guy,” and treat you like they would anyone else. There are no expectations or predispositions. They see you like a normal person (which you are) and they may not be expecting you to have a strong faith in Christ (which you do), so when you end up having one and they already like you and respect you, they will have to give credence at some level to what you have to say, even if they were already pre-disposed in some way against that belief.
Don’t get this wrong either. We are not surreptitious. We are not stealth bombers slipping in under the radar and waiting for the proper moment to drop our bombs on people; we are simply people with a mission who do not broadcast it. Our mission, anyway, is not offensive. It is ultimately to love people and tell them what Jesus means to us, when given the opportunity. Given, some people will find Jesus offensive no matter what we do, but if we have their respect and they are still offended, we will know for sure about the offense. I think it is probably safe to say that more people today are offended by Christians and/or Christianity than they are by Christ.
More people need to have the opportunity to be introduced to Christ. And who, but you, could have a better chance to give them that opportunity, since you are not a missionary?
Your Value
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Your value is not
measured by how
you look or by what
you do. You are lovingly
created in the image
of God, and that alone
makes you valuable
beyond measure!!
“I praise you because
I am fearfully and
wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.”
Psalm 139:14
Walk with God
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with God always
reach their destination.
“Jesus answered,
‘I am the way and
the truth and the life.
No one comes to the
Father except
through me.’”
John 14:6
