THE VIEW FROM THE END
All things work together for good to those who love God. —Romans 8:28
Over the course of one year, Richard LeMieux’s lucrative publishing business collapsed. Soon, his wealth disappeared, and he became depressed. Eventually, LeMieux began to abuse alcohol and his family deserted him. At the lowest point in his life, he was homeless, broken, and destitute. However, it was during this time that he turned to God. He later wrote a book about what he learned.
The Israelites learned some valuable spiritual lessons when God allowed them to endure homelessness, uncertainty, and danger. Their hardships humbled them (Deut. 8:1-18).
They learned that God would provide for their needs. When they were hungry, He gave them manna. When they were thirsty, He gave them water from a rock. God taught them that, despite difficult times, He could bless them (v.1). Finally, the Israelites learned that adversity is not a sign of abandonment. Moses reminded them that God had been leading throughout their 40 years in the wilderness (v.2).
When we encounter desperate times, we can look for the spiritual lessons embedded in our difficulties—lessons that can help us rely on the One who causes all things to work together for our good and for His glory (Rom. 8:28).
Dear God, please give me the faith to believe that You can bring good out of any situation. Help me to see what You want to show me during adversity.
The clearest view of everything that happens comes from heaven.
WHAT HAS GOD SAID ABOUT YOU? (2)
'...I am watching to see that My Word is fulfilled.' Jeremiah 1:12NIV
Don't waste your life trying to do things that God has neither called nor equipped you to do. Your parents may think you'd make a wonderful doctor or lawyer, but what does God think? What has He said about you? God told Jeremiah, '...I am watching to see that My Word is fulfilled.' If God said it - He will back it up. If He didn't - you're on your own! Too many people waste their lives trying to do things that God never called and equipped them to do. Identify the source of your vision! Look deep within yourself; who are you trying to impress? Are you trying to prove to your ex-husband or wife that you can make it successfully without them? Or show your parents that you're as talented as your brother or sister? Or demonstrate to the world how you overcame your roots and pulled yourself up by your bootstraps? Your vision cannot be born out of unresolved issues; that just breeds a need for control and recognition and dooms you to failure. What's more, if your vision is from God, you can't afford to be impatient like Abraham and try to accomplish it in your own strength and ingenuity. God's promises can never be fulfilled through fleshly effort. If only Abraham had waited, he could have avoided a lot of heartache with Hagar and Ishmael. The Bible says, 'The blessing of the Lord makes one rich, and He adds no sorrow with it.' (Proverbs 10:22 NKJV) No matter how long it takes, seek God's will, wait on His timing, prepare yourself thoroughly and move only when He says go!
JESUS—OUR GREATEST PROVISION
EPHESIANS 1:7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.
Let’s take a moment to reflect on the finished work of Jesus.
At the cross, Jesus gave of Himself completely and made a provision for the forgiveness of our sins that no one else could. He chose to lay down His life in exchange for ours. All our sins, failures and mistakes are forever washed away by the precious blood shed at Calvary! Truly, in Christ we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, “according to the riches of His grace”.
My friend, the Lord’s grace toward you is bountiful and rich. Today, receive His grace, His forgiveness, His love and His mercy in a fresh and powerful way. It is not material wealth that makes you rich. It is having Jesus—your greatest wealth!
KEEP YOUR EYES ON JESUS :
'The boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves...' Matthew 14:24 NKJV
Jesus had accompanied His disciples in a previous storm and calmed it. But now He was up on a mountain praying, and they were alone, 'tossed by the waves'. Why? Because sometimes the teacher has to step back in order to see how much the pupil has learned. Is that what's happening in your life at the moment? The Sea of Galilee is only about 21 km long and 12 km wide. But when the wind sweeps down from the Golan Heights it can churn those waters into a blender for two or three days, and it could sink a fishing boat like the one the disciples were in.
Note the words, 'tossed by the waves'. Is that where you are today? In the middle of a divorce, tossed by guilt? In the middle of a home foreclosure, harangued by creditors? In the middle of an illness, tossed by pain, and an even more painful prognosis? 'Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw Him...they were troubled, saying, "It is a ghost!" And they cried out for fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid."' (Matthew 14:25-27 NKJV)
Here are words worth writing down and recalling often: '...Take courage. I am here!' (Matthew 14:27 NLT) You will never go where Jesus cannot reach you. Look over your shoulder; that's Him following you. Look into the storm; that's Him coming toward you. Today, open your eyes and recognize Him.
ABUNDANT LIFE
Jesus said in John 10:10, "I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." As for me, I've had nothing and I've had a lot. I've been sick and I've been well, and I'll tell you what I think. Being well with money is a whole lot more fun than being sick with nothing. The choice is up to us. The Scripture says, "I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore, choose life" (Deut. 30:19). What more do we need to convince us? We have been redeemed from the curse of the law, the curse of poverty, and the curse of sickness.
It was prophesied in Isaiah 53 that the Messiah would suffer on our behalf. In verse 5 it says, "And by His stripes we are healed." In Matthew chapter 8 the scripture in Isaiah 53 is fulfilled: "When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: 'He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses.'" (Matt. 8:16,17).
We also see Isaiah 53 quoted in 1 Peter 2:24, but there it is looking back on the prophecy: "Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness-by whose stripes you were healed."
"Bore our sins" is in the past tense. It says "were healed" because we were healed when He bore the stripes for us. Isaiah was looking forward; 1 Peter 2:24 was looking back. It has already happened. That means Jesus paid the price! He paid the price for eternal life, healing, and prosperity - all three parts of the curse of the law.
In Romans chapter 3, it says clearly how He paid the price. He did it by His blood. Without the blood of Jesus, we do not have everlasting life. Without the blood of Jesus, we do not have healing. Without the blood of Jesus, all we have is poverty. The blood of the Lamb redeemed us from all of these things, and He is the Lamb
PRAYER TO END THE DAY :
"Lord, give me Your unfailing love, the salvation that You promised me." (Psalm 119:41)
Dear Lord God, I praise You. I worship You. I thank You God for this blessed Sunday. If I have found favor in Your eyes O God; bless me more than ever from this day on and exempt me from all sins whatever I have sinned against You. Bless me O God, remember me with favor O Lord; for all I have done in Your name.
Gratefully, in Jesus' holy name, Amen !!!
All things work together for good to those who love God. —Romans 8:28
Over the course of one year, Richard LeMieux’s lucrative publishing business collapsed. Soon, his wealth disappeared, and he became depressed. Eventually, LeMieux began to abuse alcohol and his family deserted him. At the lowest point in his life, he was homeless, broken, and destitute. However, it was during this time that he turned to God. He later wrote a book about what he learned.
The Israelites learned some valuable spiritual lessons when God allowed them to endure homelessness, uncertainty, and danger. Their hardships humbled them (Deut. 8:1-18).
They learned that God would provide for their needs. When they were hungry, He gave them manna. When they were thirsty, He gave them water from a rock. God taught them that, despite difficult times, He could bless them (v.1). Finally, the Israelites learned that adversity is not a sign of abandonment. Moses reminded them that God had been leading throughout their 40 years in the wilderness (v.2).
When we encounter desperate times, we can look for the spiritual lessons embedded in our difficulties—lessons that can help us rely on the One who causes all things to work together for our good and for His glory (Rom. 8:28).
Dear God, please give me the faith to believe that You can bring good out of any situation. Help me to see what You want to show me during adversity.
The clearest view of everything that happens comes from heaven.
WHAT HAS GOD SAID ABOUT YOU? (2)
'...I am watching to see that My Word is fulfilled.' Jeremiah 1:12NIV
Don't waste your life trying to do things that God has neither called nor equipped you to do. Your parents may think you'd make a wonderful doctor or lawyer, but what does God think? What has He said about you? God told Jeremiah, '...I am watching to see that My Word is fulfilled.' If God said it - He will back it up. If He didn't - you're on your own! Too many people waste their lives trying to do things that God never called and equipped them to do. Identify the source of your vision! Look deep within yourself; who are you trying to impress? Are you trying to prove to your ex-husband or wife that you can make it successfully without them? Or show your parents that you're as talented as your brother or sister? Or demonstrate to the world how you overcame your roots and pulled yourself up by your bootstraps? Your vision cannot be born out of unresolved issues; that just breeds a need for control and recognition and dooms you to failure. What's more, if your vision is from God, you can't afford to be impatient like Abraham and try to accomplish it in your own strength and ingenuity. God's promises can never be fulfilled through fleshly effort. If only Abraham had waited, he could have avoided a lot of heartache with Hagar and Ishmael. The Bible says, 'The blessing of the Lord makes one rich, and He adds no sorrow with it.' (Proverbs 10:22 NKJV) No matter how long it takes, seek God's will, wait on His timing, prepare yourself thoroughly and move only when He says go!
JESUS—OUR GREATEST PROVISION
EPHESIANS 1:7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.
Let’s take a moment to reflect on the finished work of Jesus.
At the cross, Jesus gave of Himself completely and made a provision for the forgiveness of our sins that no one else could. He chose to lay down His life in exchange for ours. All our sins, failures and mistakes are forever washed away by the precious blood shed at Calvary! Truly, in Christ we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, “according to the riches of His grace”.
My friend, the Lord’s grace toward you is bountiful and rich. Today, receive His grace, His forgiveness, His love and His mercy in a fresh and powerful way. It is not material wealth that makes you rich. It is having Jesus—your greatest wealth!
KEEP YOUR EYES ON JESUS :
'The boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves...' Matthew 14:24 NKJV
Jesus had accompanied His disciples in a previous storm and calmed it. But now He was up on a mountain praying, and they were alone, 'tossed by the waves'. Why? Because sometimes the teacher has to step back in order to see how much the pupil has learned. Is that what's happening in your life at the moment? The Sea of Galilee is only about 21 km long and 12 km wide. But when the wind sweeps down from the Golan Heights it can churn those waters into a blender for two or three days, and it could sink a fishing boat like the one the disciples were in.
Note the words, 'tossed by the waves'. Is that where you are today? In the middle of a divorce, tossed by guilt? In the middle of a home foreclosure, harangued by creditors? In the middle of an illness, tossed by pain, and an even more painful prognosis? 'Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw Him...they were troubled, saying, "It is a ghost!" And they cried out for fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid."' (Matthew 14:25-27 NKJV)
Here are words worth writing down and recalling often: '...Take courage. I am here!' (Matthew 14:27 NLT) You will never go where Jesus cannot reach you. Look over your shoulder; that's Him following you. Look into the storm; that's Him coming toward you. Today, open your eyes and recognize Him.
ABUNDANT LIFE
Jesus said in John 10:10, "I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." As for me, I've had nothing and I've had a lot. I've been sick and I've been well, and I'll tell you what I think. Being well with money is a whole lot more fun than being sick with nothing. The choice is up to us. The Scripture says, "I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore, choose life" (Deut. 30:19). What more do we need to convince us? We have been redeemed from the curse of the law, the curse of poverty, and the curse of sickness.
It was prophesied in Isaiah 53 that the Messiah would suffer on our behalf. In verse 5 it says, "And by His stripes we are healed." In Matthew chapter 8 the scripture in Isaiah 53 is fulfilled: "When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: 'He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses.'" (Matt. 8:16,17).
We also see Isaiah 53 quoted in 1 Peter 2:24, but there it is looking back on the prophecy: "Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness-by whose stripes you were healed."
"Bore our sins" is in the past tense. It says "were healed" because we were healed when He bore the stripes for us. Isaiah was looking forward; 1 Peter 2:24 was looking back. It has already happened. That means Jesus paid the price! He paid the price for eternal life, healing, and prosperity - all three parts of the curse of the law.
In Romans chapter 3, it says clearly how He paid the price. He did it by His blood. Without the blood of Jesus, we do not have everlasting life. Without the blood of Jesus, we do not have healing. Without the blood of Jesus, all we have is poverty. The blood of the Lamb redeemed us from all of these things, and He is the Lamb
PRAYER TO END THE DAY :
"Lord, give me Your unfailing love, the salvation that You promised me." (Psalm 119:41)
Dear Lord God, I praise You. I worship You. I thank You God for this blessed Sunday. If I have found favor in Your eyes O God; bless me more than ever from this day on and exempt me from all sins whatever I have sinned against You. Bless me O God, remember me with favor O Lord; for all I have done in Your name.
Gratefully, in Jesus' holy name, Amen !!!
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