“He is able to do abundantly above all we could ask or imagine.” (Eph. 3:20)
Mr. Webster says abundant means, “plentiful.” There is no want, there is more than just enough, and the supply is undiminished. In Exodus 34:6, the Lord says of Himself, “The Lord! The Lord! A God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abundant in loving-kindness and truth.” The only thing God is lacking here is His anger – aren’t you glad?
II Cor. 4:15 and I Timothy 1:14, Paul speaks of God’s abundant grace (and even superabundant grace). Paul perceived, acknowledged and praised God for His profuse grace being poured out upon him. Shouldn’t we do the same?
I Peter 1:13, tells us that “By His boundless abundance of mercy we have been born again to an ever-lasting hope.” Abundant mercy, grace and loving-kindness comes out of His magnanimous heart of love. Psalm 36:7-8 describes God’s love, “How precious is Your steadfast love, O God! The children of men take refuge and put their trust under the shadow of your wings. They relish and feast on the abundance of Your house; and You cause them to drink of the stream of Your pleasures.” These abundant pleasures and joys are at His right hand and in His presence forevermore, (Psalm 16:11).
All of these wonderful attributes of God that are lavished on us was part of the divine DNA that was born in that tiny baby, Jesus, and He lived His life, and died for us, demonstrating His abundant grace, mercy and love which He so willingly poured out on us!
And Can It Be?
Charles Wesley
He left his Father’s throne above, so free, so infinite His grace!
Emptied Himself of all but love, and bled for Adam’s helpless race!
Tis mercy all, immense and free, For, O my God, it found out me.
Amazing love! How can it be that Thou, my God shouldst die for me!
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Friday, November 25, 2011
God's Clear Will For Us
November 24, 2011
“In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” I (Thessalonians 5:18)
It is good to be thankful in and for everything because this is what God wants for us – to trust his love and goodness, to thank Him for whatever situation in which we find ourselves. It is God’s will that we not grumble in hard times. Grumbling shows a self-centered absorption – “It is all about me.” Remember the Children of Israel in the wilderness!
We should thank God every day for being born-again into His family, we are now a King’s Kid, Jesus is our elder brother, we are joint heirs with Him and we have a home in heaven. No matter how difficult our lives may be we have everything for which to be thankful.
In his book, Fearfully and Wonderfully Made, Dr. Paul Brand, a medical doctor, along with Phillip Yancy, said, “Gratitude is the single attitude most nourishing to health.”
D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones said, “The measure of our spirituality is the amount of praise and thanksgiving in our prayers.” I would take that thought a step further – “The measure of our spirituality is the amount of praise and thanksgiving in our daily talking.” Our speech reflects what is in our hearts.
Like Paul, in Acts 22:14, we have been appointed to know and do God’s will and part of His will clearly is that we should give thanks in everything. To a Christian, grumbling is the antithesis of what should be a life of thanksgiving and praise.
To be healthy, spirit, soul and body; to enjoy the presence of the Father in our lives we must give thanks in all things, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for us.
Thanks To God
August Ludvig Storm
Thanks, O God, for boundless mercy from Your gracious throne above;
Thanks for every need provided from the fullness of Your love.
Thanks for daily toil and labor and for rest when shadows fall.
Thanks for love of friend and neighbor and Your goodness unto all.
Thanks for thorns as well as roses, thanks for weakness and for health.
Thanks for clouds as well as sunshine, thanks for poverty and wealth.
Thanks for pain as well as pleasure - all You send day by day;
And Your Word, our dearest treasure, shedding light upon our way.
“In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” I (Thessalonians 5:18)
It is good to be thankful in and for everything because this is what God wants for us – to trust his love and goodness, to thank Him for whatever situation in which we find ourselves. It is God’s will that we not grumble in hard times. Grumbling shows a self-centered absorption – “It is all about me.” Remember the Children of Israel in the wilderness!
We should thank God every day for being born-again into His family, we are now a King’s Kid, Jesus is our elder brother, we are joint heirs with Him and we have a home in heaven. No matter how difficult our lives may be we have everything for which to be thankful.
In his book, Fearfully and Wonderfully Made, Dr. Paul Brand, a medical doctor, along with Phillip Yancy, said, “Gratitude is the single attitude most nourishing to health.”
D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones said, “The measure of our spirituality is the amount of praise and thanksgiving in our prayers.” I would take that thought a step further – “The measure of our spirituality is the amount of praise and thanksgiving in our daily talking.” Our speech reflects what is in our hearts.
Like Paul, in Acts 22:14, we have been appointed to know and do God’s will and part of His will clearly is that we should give thanks in everything. To a Christian, grumbling is the antithesis of what should be a life of thanksgiving and praise.
To be healthy, spirit, soul and body; to enjoy the presence of the Father in our lives we must give thanks in all things, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for us.
Thanks To God
August Ludvig Storm
Thanks, O God, for boundless mercy from Your gracious throne above;
Thanks for every need provided from the fullness of Your love.
Thanks for daily toil and labor and for rest when shadows fall.
Thanks for love of friend and neighbor and Your goodness unto all.
Thanks for thorns as well as roses, thanks for weakness and for health.
Thanks for clouds as well as sunshine, thanks for poverty and wealth.
Thanks for pain as well as pleasure - all You send day by day;
And Your Word, our dearest treasure, shedding light upon our way.
My Father's Eyes
“Be kind to one another, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:32)
When the Holy Spirit lives within us He enables us to be like our Father. Kindness and forgiveness are two of our Father’s attributes we should embrace as we seek to be like our Father. “My Father’s Eyes,” is a song that was made popular by Amy Grant several years ago. It voices my wish to be like “my Father.”
My Father’s Eyes
Eric Clapton
I may not be every mother's dream for her little girl.
And my face may not grace the mind of everyone in the world.
But that,s alright as long as I can have one wish, I pray,
When people look inside my life, I wanna hear them say,
She's got her father's eyes,
Her father's eyes,
Eyes that find the good in things when good is not around.
Eyes that find the source of help, when help just can't be found.
Eyes full of compassion, seein' every pain,
Knowing what you're going through, and feelin' it the same.
Just like my father's eyes,
my father's eyes,
On that day when we will pay for all the deeds we've done,
Good and bad they'll all be had to see by everyone,
And when you're called to stand and tell just what you saw in me,
More than anything I know, I want your words to be,
She had her father's eyes, her father's eyes
eyes that found the good in things when good was not around,
eyes that found the source of help when help would not be found.
Eyes full of compassion, seein' every pain,
Knowin' what you're goin' through and feelin it the same.
When we discover the grace to forgive we will also discover the grace to be kind.
When the Holy Spirit lives within us He enables us to be like our Father. Kindness and forgiveness are two of our Father’s attributes we should embrace as we seek to be like our Father. “My Father’s Eyes,” is a song that was made popular by Amy Grant several years ago. It voices my wish to be like “my Father.”
My Father’s Eyes
Eric Clapton
I may not be every mother's dream for her little girl.
And my face may not grace the mind of everyone in the world.
But that,s alright as long as I can have one wish, I pray,
When people look inside my life, I wanna hear them say,
She's got her father's eyes,
Her father's eyes,
Eyes that find the good in things when good is not around.
Eyes that find the source of help, when help just can't be found.
Eyes full of compassion, seein' every pain,
Knowing what you're going through, and feelin' it the same.
Just like my father's eyes,
my father's eyes,
On that day when we will pay for all the deeds we've done,
Good and bad they'll all be had to see by everyone,
And when you're called to stand and tell just what you saw in me,
More than anything I know, I want your words to be,
She had her father's eyes, her father's eyes
eyes that found the good in things when good was not around,
eyes that found the source of help when help would not be found.
Eyes full of compassion, seein' every pain,
Knowin' what you're goin' through and feelin it the same.
When we discover the grace to forgive we will also discover the grace to be kind.
Friday, November 18, 2011
God's Commitment To Us
“The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and His ears are open to their prayers.” (I Peter:3:12)
When we fall in love we want to be with that person, we want to commit our self to him/her. If that love is reciprocated we expect him/her to commit himself to us by marriage – promising “for better or worse, in sickness or health, until death do us part.” Marriage should mean total commitment for both parties – commitment to meeting their needs, body, soul and body, as much as possible.
God is committed to the righteous – those in right standing with Him. We all know that God is love and a big part of that love is total commitment. God’s love toward us is a perfect example as to how to be totally committed. I Peter 3:12 tells us how God is watching with His “eyes” our every move and seeing our needs, spirit, soul and body. “His ears are open to our prayers.” He desires and invites us to come boldly to Him, in His name, Jesus, in prayer. Coming “in the name of Jesus” is acknowledging His active presence with us in our situation and His name is a revelation of Who He is. The name, Jesus means, “Savior, Lord,” He is committed to and active in “saving” the righteous from our sins and in our every situation in life. We must just call on His name, Jesus, and He is committed to answer. “Whosoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved,” (Romans 10:13 ).
God is always listening for our prayers of adoration (praising and expressing our love for Him); confession (confessing our sins & failures so we can be cleansed, I John 1:9; Ps.51:17); thanksgiving – (thanking God is simply acknowledging all we are and all we have, all He has done for us, have come from His loving hand and His outstretched arm, (Jeremiah 27:5, His outstretched arm signifies His mighty power), remember the Arm and Hammer logos of a muscular arm – signifying power and strength? And last of all, the Father is always listening for our supplications. He knows we are weak, helpless and completely needy children (we are but dust) and He delights in answering our cries of supplication to Him. He is the Source of supply for all of our needs; His mighty hand is not shortened so He cannot reach us (Isaiah 59:1). He is Jehovah-Jireh, our Provider. Whether by the Lord’s eyes that are always upon the righteous; or by His ears that are always open to our prayers; or by His outstretched arm that is strong to save us; or by His
Mighty hand that is able to rescue us; or by His holy and wonderful name that has the power to save us; we can rest secure in His loving commitment to us.
O the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus, vast, unmeasured, boundless, free!Rolling as a mighty ocean in its fullness over me.Underneath me, all around me, is the current of His love.Leading onward, leading homeward, to my glorious rest above.(S. Trevor Francis)
When we fall in love we want to be with that person, we want to commit our self to him/her. If that love is reciprocated we expect him/her to commit himself to us by marriage – promising “for better or worse, in sickness or health, until death do us part.” Marriage should mean total commitment for both parties – commitment to meeting their needs, body, soul and body, as much as possible.
God is committed to the righteous – those in right standing with Him. We all know that God is love and a big part of that love is total commitment. God’s love toward us is a perfect example as to how to be totally committed. I Peter 3:12 tells us how God is watching with His “eyes” our every move and seeing our needs, spirit, soul and body. “His ears are open to our prayers.” He desires and invites us to come boldly to Him, in His name, Jesus, in prayer. Coming “in the name of Jesus” is acknowledging His active presence with us in our situation and His name is a revelation of Who He is. The name, Jesus means, “Savior, Lord,” He is committed to and active in “saving” the righteous from our sins and in our every situation in life. We must just call on His name, Jesus, and He is committed to answer. “Whosoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved,” (Romans 10:13 ).
God is always listening for our prayers of adoration (praising and expressing our love for Him); confession (confessing our sins & failures so we can be cleansed, I John 1:9; Ps.51:17); thanksgiving – (thanking God is simply acknowledging all we are and all we have, all He has done for us, have come from His loving hand and His outstretched arm, (Jeremiah 27:5, His outstretched arm signifies His mighty power), remember the Arm and Hammer logos of a muscular arm – signifying power and strength? And last of all, the Father is always listening for our supplications. He knows we are weak, helpless and completely needy children (we are but dust) and He delights in answering our cries of supplication to Him. He is the Source of supply for all of our needs; His mighty hand is not shortened so He cannot reach us (Isaiah 59:1). He is Jehovah-Jireh, our Provider. Whether by the Lord’s eyes that are always upon the righteous; or by His ears that are always open to our prayers; or by His outstretched arm that is strong to save us; or by His
Mighty hand that is able to rescue us; or by His holy and wonderful name that has the power to save us; we can rest secure in His loving commitment to us.
O the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus, vast, unmeasured, boundless, free!Rolling as a mighty ocean in its fullness over me.Underneath me, all around me, is the current of His love.Leading onward, leading homeward, to my glorious rest above.(S. Trevor Francis)
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
O For a Thousand Tongues
November 16, 2011
Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise! Be thankful and praise His name! For the Lord is good; His mercy and loving-kindness are everlasting and His faithfulness and truth endure to all generations. (Psalm 100:4-5)
This sounds like a "too simple" formula but Chuck Swindoll said, “If you want to get rid of your worries and woes, start naming out loud what you’re thankful for.” It works! There’s something about giving thanks and praising God for all He has done for us and Who he is, that changes our focus from horizontal, where all your worries and woes are, to focus vertically, where your source of answers and help come. By intentionally giving thanks and praise we are leading every worrisome and negative thought captive to the obedience of Jesus Christ, and He tells us not to fret or have anxiety about anything but to think on those things that are true, honorable, just, pure, lovable, kind and gracious, then we will have peace that transcends all understanding, and that peace shall mount guard over our hearts and minds, Philippians 4:6-8).
Praising and thanking God for His mercy and goodness will turn our "prison of grumbling" to joyful freedom of living in His presence. When we are in the middle of our trouble, I Thessalonians 5:18 says that we are to give thanks "in" all things, right now, in the middle of our dark hours. We can thank God that He is in control of, and is bigger than all our problems, and in its time He makes all things beautiful (Eccl.3:11).
Also, Ephesians 5:20 says we are to give thanks "for" all things. We do this by thanking Him for the lessons of faith we can learn no other way but to go through this darkness. God has planned for this fire we are going through to be a learning and refining process He has permitted to come into our life. We can be thankful "for" the fire because we are learning of His faithfulness in the midst of it, and we can be thankful because it is burning up the dross in our lives and so we can come out of the fire as pure gold – a vessel of honor.
Now how is it possible to thank God "in" and "for" our fire? It is possible only when we change our focus from looking "out" or "in" at our problem and begin looking ‘"up" at our Savior, (the problem solver). When we do this Jesus gives us the strength to give thanks in and for the fire in our life, (Philippians 4:13), “I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me.”
If you want to know God’s presence in the midst of your "fire" – praise Him. Psalm 22:3 says that, “God dwells in the praises of His people.” Remember the story of the three Hebrew children in the fiery furnace? They had thankful and praise filled hearts and their face was set like a flint toward heaven. Then the king saw a fourth person, “like the Son of God” (Daniel 3:17,18,24,25). The Father has promised us that, “When we pass through the waters, I will be with you, and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned or scorched, nor will the flame kindle upon you,” (Isaiah 43:2). So we can give thanks "in" and "for" our fire because God is with us and will keep us and bring us through, and in the end He will get the glory!
If we are looking ever to Jesus we can have joy in the midst of our fiery furnace because He says in Psalm 16:11, “In His presence there is fullness of joy.” Praise and thanksgiving is a perpetuating practice. Someone who lives with a grateful heart lives with blessings over-flowing and everyone loves to be around him. If we read, meditate and practice Psalm 100 we will be practicing the presence of God, our joy will be full and your faith growing stronger every day right through our troubles and tribulations. By being thankful "for" everything and praising God for Who He is "in" everything this will change our life.
O For a Thousand Tongues
Charles Wesley
O for a thousand tongues to sing my great Redeemer’s praise,
The glories of my God and King, the triumphs of His grace.
My gracious Master and my God, assist me to proclaim,
To spread thru all the earth abroad the honors of your name.
He breaks the power of canceled sin, He sets the pris’ner free;
His blood can make the foulest clean – His blood availed for me.
Hear Him, you deaf, His praise, you dumb, your loosened tongues employ;
You blind, behold your Savior come; and leap, you lame, for joy.
Glory to God and praise and love be ever, ever given
By saints below and saints above – the Church in earth and heaven.
This sounds like a "too simple" formula but Chuck Swindoll said, “If you want to get rid of your worries and woes, start naming out loud what you’re thankful for.” It works! There’s something about giving thanks and praising God for all He has done for us and Who he is, that changes our focus from horizontal, where all your worries and woes are, to focus vertically, where your source of answers and help come. By intentionally giving thanks and praise we are leading every worrisome and negative thought captive to the obedience of Jesus Christ, and He tells us not to fret or have anxiety about anything but to think on those things that are true, honorable, just, pure, lovable, kind and gracious, then we will have peace that transcends all understanding, and that peace shall mount guard over our hearts and minds, Philippians 4:6-8).
Praising and thanking God for His mercy and goodness will turn our "prison of grumbling" to joyful freedom of living in His presence. When we are in the middle of our trouble, I Thessalonians 5:18 says that we are to give thanks "in" all things, right now, in the middle of our dark hours. We can thank God that He is in control of, and is bigger than all our problems, and in its time He makes all things beautiful (Eccl.3:11).
Also, Ephesians 5:20 says we are to give thanks "for" all things. We do this by thanking Him for the lessons of faith we can learn no other way but to go through this darkness. God has planned for this fire we are going through to be a learning and refining process He has permitted to come into our life. We can be thankful "for" the fire because we are learning of His faithfulness in the midst of it, and we can be thankful because it is burning up the dross in our lives and so we can come out of the fire as pure gold – a vessel of honor.
Now how is it possible to thank God "in" and "for" our fire? It is possible only when we change our focus from looking "out" or "in" at our problem and begin looking ‘"up" at our Savior, (the problem solver). When we do this Jesus gives us the strength to give thanks in and for the fire in our life, (Philippians 4:13), “I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me.”
If you want to know God’s presence in the midst of your "fire" – praise Him. Psalm 22:3 says that, “God dwells in the praises of His people.” Remember the story of the three Hebrew children in the fiery furnace? They had thankful and praise filled hearts and their face was set like a flint toward heaven. Then the king saw a fourth person, “like the Son of God” (Daniel 3:17,18,24,25). The Father has promised us that, “When we pass through the waters, I will be with you, and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned or scorched, nor will the flame kindle upon you,” (Isaiah 43:2). So we can give thanks "in" and "for" our fire because God is with us and will keep us and bring us through, and in the end He will get the glory!
If we are looking ever to Jesus we can have joy in the midst of our fiery furnace because He says in Psalm 16:11, “In His presence there is fullness of joy.” Praise and thanksgiving is a perpetuating practice. Someone who lives with a grateful heart lives with blessings over-flowing and everyone loves to be around him. If we read, meditate and practice Psalm 100 we will be practicing the presence of God, our joy will be full and your faith growing stronger every day right through our troubles and tribulations. By being thankful "for" everything and praising God for Who He is "in" everything this will change our life.
O For a Thousand Tongues
Charles Wesley
O for a thousand tongues to sing my great Redeemer’s praise,
The glories of my God and King, the triumphs of His grace.
My gracious Master and my God, assist me to proclaim,
To spread thru all the earth abroad the honors of your name.
He breaks the power of canceled sin, He sets the pris’ner free;
His blood can make the foulest clean – His blood availed for me.
Hear Him, you deaf, His praise, you dumb, your loosened tongues employ;
You blind, behold your Savior come; and leap, you lame, for joy.
Glory to God and praise and love be ever, ever given
By saints below and saints above – the Church in earth and heaven.
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
"The Faithful Receives The Crown"
November 8, 2011
“Be faithful until death and I will give you the crown of life.” (Revelation 2:10)
There is no time that we should turn back. What is there to turn back to? What a wonderful character quality is faithfulness and being steadfast. Remember the children’s story about the “Little train that thought he could.” We cannot think we can just grit our teeth and endure the trip. Being faithful to the end is not a “do it yourself” project for life. For one thing, we cannot do “it” ourselves, although most think they are doing “it” themselves. Great works are not only performed by our perseverance but by the grace and mercy of God. Our job is to be faithful in trusting Jesus to strengthen and enable us to the end, then all our crowns belong to Him.
Fight the Good fight
John S. B. Monsell
Fight the good fight with all your might!
Christ is your strength and Christ your right;
Lay hold on life and it shall be your joy and crown eternally.
Run the straight race thru God’s good grace, Lift up your eyes and seek His face; Life with its way before us lies, Christ is the path and Christ the prize.
Cast care aside, lean on your Guide, His boundless mercy will provide;
Trust, and your trusting soul shall prove Christ is its life and Christ its love.
Faint not nor fear, for He is near, He changes not and you are dear;
Only believe, and you shall see that Christ is all in all to you.
There is no time that we should turn back. What is there to turn back to? What a wonderful character quality is faithfulness and being steadfast. Remember the children’s story about the “Little train that thought he could.” We cannot think we can just grit our teeth and endure the trip. Being faithful to the end is not a “do it yourself” project for life. For one thing, we cannot do “it” ourselves, although most think they are doing “it” themselves. Great works are not only performed by our perseverance but by the grace and mercy of God. Our job is to be faithful in trusting Jesus to strengthen and enable us to the end, then all our crowns belong to Him.
Fight the Good fight
John S. B. Monsell
Fight the good fight with all your might!
Christ is your strength and Christ your right;
Lay hold on life and it shall be your joy and crown eternally.
Run the straight race thru God’s good grace, Lift up your eyes and seek His face; Life with its way before us lies, Christ is the path and Christ the prize.
Cast care aside, lean on your Guide, His boundless mercy will provide;
Trust, and your trusting soul shall prove Christ is its life and Christ its love.
Faint not nor fear, for He is near, He changes not and you are dear;
Only believe, and you shall see that Christ is all in all to you.
Monday, November 7, 2011
How to Win Friends and Influence Your Enemies
“A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”
(Proverbs 15:1)) "In all things give thanks for this is the will of God concerning you in Christ Jesus." (I Thessalonians 5:18)
As a small child this is a Bible verse I learned and have never forgotten, but I am still learning to practice it. I wish my tongue would cooperate as well as my memory. For me it is hard to answer softly to someone who is speaking harshly to me. I often listen to the defensive thoughts the enemy places in my mind – I am still working on this problem, and to be thankful "in" all things. I must remember God has permitted these circumstances to refine and grow me up into His perfect image. So I also thank God "for" all things (Eph.5:20. I must intentionally practice being thankful. This blesses God.
I have already written a blog on “Our Words,” “The tongue” and “Anger.” But this Proverb says it so truthfully and succinctly. I pray I will daily lay my tongue on the altar of forgiveness, love and humility and be intentional with all my answers. Practice speaking with a “soft answer”- you will make new friends and influence your enemies. Someone once said,“He who forgives ends the quarrel.” I have always heard, "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all." Some of us would seldom say anything if we practiced that. I don't want to be a "Grumbalina." A Grumbalina is someone who is continually complaining or criticizing someone or something, one who has a negative attitude. No one likes to be around Grumbalina, she is depressing.
Instead, we can choose grins over gripes. We should be intentionally living with a joyful, positive attitude, looking for opportunities to bless someone by word or deed. By blessing others we bless Jesus. Look for ways to honor and refresh others with unselfish deeds and words. Living with this attitude we leave a lovely fragrance wherever we go with whomever we meet, and they will want to be around us and will seek our company. May we be a channel of blessing to flow to the hurting and negative people who can be changed by our loving ways.
Numbers eleven tells the story of a nation of Grumbalinas. The Children of Israel turned into "Grumbalinas" when they were in the wilderness. Instead of praising and thanking God because they had been delivered out of slavery and were heading toward their "promise land," they grumbled because of God's gracious provision, manna. They thought about the "good old days" of Egypt when they had fish,cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic. (Boy, that makes me hungry just thinking of a good ol' onion to chew on :)! It would be funny if it weren't so sad that they couldn't enjoy heavenly food for thinking of the past garlic while in slavery.
We know one thing that displeases God and that is murmuring and grumbling. Verse one of Numbers eleven tells us that "their grumbling was evil in the ears of the Lord, His anger was kindled and He sent a fire that burned some." Grumbling is a grievous sin to God because it says, I am not happy with what God has given me; if He loved me He would give me just what I want. Grumbling is speaking loudly and clearly of doubt that God is going to make lemonade out of our lemons. It is a selfish outlook because everything is not going my way. Grumbling is all "self-centered." Grumbling is saying to God, and everyone, that we have forgotten where we once were and from what God has delivered us. Grumbalinas have gotten their eyes off Jesus and His goodness and the "promise land" to where He is leading us. When we change our focus to Jesus our attitude will change. This takes intentional practice but Jesus can help us, just ask.
Father, help us to change our focus to Jesus and from ourselves. Forgive us for every negative thought, word and deed and look ever to Jesus, for he will carry us through every wilderness, and we can have a smile and then we will bless Him and everyone else on the way to our "promise land.""
Take My Life and Let It Be
Frances R. Havergal
Take my life and let it be consecrated, Lord, to Thee;
Take my moments and my days – let them flow in ceaseless praise,
Let them flow in ceaseless praise.
Take my voice and let me sing always, only, for my King;
Take my lips and let them be filled with messages from Thee.
(Proverbs 15:1)) "In all things give thanks for this is the will of God concerning you in Christ Jesus." (I Thessalonians 5:18)
As a small child this is a Bible verse I learned and have never forgotten, but I am still learning to practice it. I wish my tongue would cooperate as well as my memory. For me it is hard to answer softly to someone who is speaking harshly to me. I often listen to the defensive thoughts the enemy places in my mind – I am still working on this problem, and to be thankful "in" all things. I must remember God has permitted these circumstances to refine and grow me up into His perfect image. So I also thank God "for" all things (Eph.5:20. I must intentionally practice being thankful. This blesses God.
I have already written a blog on “Our Words,” “The tongue” and “Anger.” But this Proverb says it so truthfully and succinctly. I pray I will daily lay my tongue on the altar of forgiveness, love and humility and be intentional with all my answers. Practice speaking with a “soft answer”- you will make new friends and influence your enemies. Someone once said,“He who forgives ends the quarrel.” I have always heard, "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all." Some of us would seldom say anything if we practiced that. I don't want to be a "Grumbalina." A Grumbalina is someone who is continually complaining or criticizing someone or something, one who has a negative attitude. No one likes to be around Grumbalina, she is depressing.
Instead, we can choose grins over gripes. We should be intentionally living with a joyful, positive attitude, looking for opportunities to bless someone by word or deed. By blessing others we bless Jesus. Look for ways to honor and refresh others with unselfish deeds and words. Living with this attitude we leave a lovely fragrance wherever we go with whomever we meet, and they will want to be around us and will seek our company. May we be a channel of blessing to flow to the hurting and negative people who can be changed by our loving ways.
Numbers eleven tells the story of a nation of Grumbalinas. The Children of Israel turned into "Grumbalinas" when they were in the wilderness. Instead of praising and thanking God because they had been delivered out of slavery and were heading toward their "promise land," they grumbled because of God's gracious provision, manna. They thought about the "good old days" of Egypt when they had fish,cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic. (Boy, that makes me hungry just thinking of a good ol' onion to chew on :)! It would be funny if it weren't so sad that they couldn't enjoy heavenly food for thinking of the past garlic while in slavery.
We know one thing that displeases God and that is murmuring and grumbling. Verse one of Numbers eleven tells us that "their grumbling was evil in the ears of the Lord, His anger was kindled and He sent a fire that burned some." Grumbling is a grievous sin to God because it says, I am not happy with what God has given me; if He loved me He would give me just what I want. Grumbling is speaking loudly and clearly of doubt that God is going to make lemonade out of our lemons. It is a selfish outlook because everything is not going my way. Grumbling is all "self-centered." Grumbling is saying to God, and everyone, that we have forgotten where we once were and from what God has delivered us. Grumbalinas have gotten their eyes off Jesus and His goodness and the "promise land" to where He is leading us. When we change our focus to Jesus our attitude will change. This takes intentional practice but Jesus can help us, just ask.
Father, help us to change our focus to Jesus and from ourselves. Forgive us for every negative thought, word and deed and look ever to Jesus, for he will carry us through every wilderness, and we can have a smile and then we will bless Him and everyone else on the way to our "promise land.""
Take My Life and Let It Be
Frances R. Havergal
Take my life and let it be consecrated, Lord, to Thee;
Take my moments and my days – let them flow in ceaseless praise,
Let them flow in ceaseless praise.
Take my voice and let me sing always, only, for my King;
Take my lips and let them be filled with messages from Thee.
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