Count Your Blessings

Exodus 17:7 (New International Version)

7 And he called the place Massah ^[a] and Meribah ^[b] because the Israelites quarreled and because they tested the LORD saying, “Is the LORD among us or not?”

The last statement (“Is the LORD among us or not?”) really stood out to me and struck me as odd. The context of this is the Israelites in the desert; hungry and thirsty. They complain to Moses and God provides…and they question if He is with them or not?!

And then i began to wonder, how many times have i questioned God’s presence in my life? Plenty. I miss all of the miracles in my life (just as the Israelites did) and doubt that He is even with me sometimes. This got me thinking, in what ways is God evident (and obvious) in my life:

• I wake up every morning
• I have a wife and family who love me unconditionally
• I have enough money each month to pay for living expenses and sometimes extra to put away
• I hardly ever go hungry and never am thirsty without water nearby
• I have a car that runs well
• A church family who supports my wife and I
• Close friends who keep in touch
• Clothes to wear
• His word to meditate over

This list could go on. After explaining to my wife my confusion on this verse she very simply put it in perspective for me: “as we live our day to day lives we get so caught up looking for the ‘big’ miracles to happen that we miss all of the ‘little’ ones.” How true is that? Very true, I am guilty of just that. I miss God in all of the busyness of my life. I don’t look for Him, as i should, in everything that He has provided for me and that which he continues to provide.

I encourage you, take some time and “count your blessings”. You will stop looking for God and begin wondering how and why you’ve missed Him!

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Joseph: A dreamer, a Man of God

Genesis 50:20 (New International Version)

20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.

I am amazed at the entire story of Joseph!  God had a plan for his life, and even though it may have seemed quite opposite in Joseph’s eyes, God executed that plan with the perfection that only He has.  Joseph’s brothers hated him (Gen. 37:4) and wanted nothing to do with him, so they plotted against him (Gen. 37:18) and sold him away.  Now, if i were Joseph, i would loose all hope at this point, but that is not what we see in Joseph. All through his life, from his brothers selling him to being accused of rape and thrown into prison, Joseph is faithful that God will deliver him and protect him from harm.  I believe that it is that faith that Joseph had in God that eventually placed him in a position of great authority (Gen. 41:41) and gave Joseph the opportunity to save the lives of many people and through it all forgive his brothers for what they had done to him!  

God blesses those that put their trust in Him for everything!  This is evident in the lives of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and now Joseph.  The Lord provided for all of these men and blessed them for their strong faith, trust, and love in and for Him.  That is the kind of faith that i want: strong, bold, and steady faith!

God’s Sovereign Will Cannot Be Interrupted

Brought to you today with almost commercial interruption!

Computers do have minds of their own. Last night i checked my email before crawling into to bed around 10:30 and it worked, i was able to see that i had received junk mail. So i shut down and that was that. I wake up this morning at 5am and nothing works; no internet, no signal, etc… which also means that my Vonage phone was not working…but, as you can see, we are back up and running! So no worries, all you non-commenters, your daily post, my thoughts and prayers, is here!

Matthew 10:28-31 (New King James Version)

28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. 30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

This is obviously a continuation of yesterdays passage that i wrote about, and as it turns out, my thoughts here and now may be along the same lines. In reference to what i mentioned yesterday with my fear of witnessing, or talking to strangers about God, i was reminded today that i am not to fear them or the reaction they may have to what i say to them. I should fear God alone. So yesterday i find out that He will give me the words to speak (v.19b) and today learn that i need not fear those who can only harm my body and not my soul (v.28). In everyday life my only concern should be that i am pleasing the Lord. if i do that, and just fear Him along, everything else will fall into place because God is in control and has everything under His control. He controls everything all the way down to the timing of a sparrow’s death, even the number of hairs on our heads (v. 29b-30). if God has such seemingly insignificant things under His control, then why should i not trust in Him? Why should i worry?

He has things under control. The difficult part for me sometimes is to admit that He does, and release my grip. This is what i need to do: trust in the sovereign will of God, start living my life as second in command, consult Him daily, and live according to His will.

God this is what i want more than anything else! I want your sovereign will to take over in my life, God i know that you are in control, please help me to release my grip on anything that i am holding back. I want you and need to to be in control of my life, i know that i cannot do this on my own, i need you to help me!

Thank you so much for your blessings! I pray that you will continue to meet our needs and provide for us. Lord continue to give us wisdom in the decisions that we need to make. God i pray that you will continue guiding us along this path. Thank you for your constant Love. Amen.

Word’s For Life

Wow. Never again will i skip 3 days of reading God’s Word, and for 2 reasons: 1) instead of an excellent 20 minutes of being in His Word, it’s an incredible 1 hour and 20 minutes of being in His Word, and 2) each day that i missed is always seemed a bit off. Almost like something was missing, and it was; i hadn’t eaten yet! Things just seem out of place when i skip out on God, i think it’s a friendly reminder from Him, that He is in control. Thank you, God, for that reminder!

So after all of this reading you would think i would have a sermon to write, bu surprisingly, I do not. Genesis continues to intrigue me with all of the blessings from God. he truly blessed Abraham and all of his descendants, so far at least, that i have read. to me, these men are examples to follow. Their faith and obedience to God is so deep and focused, that is the kind of faith that i want to have, the faith of Abraham. Then, in Matthew, i read the passages that spoke of the miracle’s of Jesus. From giving sight to the blind and life to the dead, He did it all. And it is incredible to me that people still doubted His message after being witness to the greatest man to walk the earth!

And then i came to proverbs:

Proverbs 3:1-12 (New King James Version)

1 My son, do not forget my law, But let your heart keep my commands;
2 For length of days and long life
And peace they will add to you.
3 Let not mercy and truth forsake you;
Bind them around your neck,
Write them on the tablet of your heart,
4 And so find favor and high esteem
In the sight of God and man.
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct^[a] your paths.
7 Do not be wise in your own eyes;
Fear the LORD and depart from evil.
8 It will be health to your flesh,^[b]
And strength^[c] to your bones.
9 Honor the LORD with your possessions,
And with the firstfruits of all your increase;
10 So your barns will be filled with plenty,
And your vats will overflow with new wine.
11 My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD,
Nor detest His correction;
12 For whom the LORD loves He corrects,
Just as a father the son in whom he delights.

This is just incredible to me. God’s timing could not be anymore perfect and right on with where i am at in my life day to day and relationally with Him. God is good and he continues to speak to me and encourage me through His Word. I could go verse by verse here if i were teaching youth group again but I’m not (currently) so I’ll try to summarize my thoughts. Trust in God always (even when it is hard to do so), and show mercy to everyone because God has shown His mercy to us. In everything that we do, every decision that we make, seek after God’s heart before coming to a conclusion, do this continuously and you will notice each part of your life become easier because you have consulted the ultimate helper, GOD! Even when you can’t afford to do so, give to the Lord, He WILL provide for you if you show Him that you have faith in His ability to do so (even if it seems impossible)! And lastly (for today), accept God’ punishment and grow from it. Become a better person because of it…do not use it as an excuse to do things your own way, that will only take you deeper into the trap.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank you so much for your Word! Thank you for meeting with me and speaking to me as if you were sitting next to me. God i ask that you be with us right now, continue to show us the path that you have laid before us. God i want to give you more of me, use me how you see fit to the glory of Your Kingdom. God continue to bless us and provide for us. I pray for wisdom in handling the blessings that you have given to us, guide me in this task Lord. God, please continue to meet with me here, please help me as i strive to make this a part of who i am and who i am to become. Amen.