God’s Plans For Those Who Don’t Know Him

26 May

Ruth didn’t know the God of Abraham or that she needed Him. God was working on other situations in the background that would eventually involve Ruth. She was completely unaware that God even existed and certainly didn’t know of God’s plans for her future. She was born into a pagan family, raised to worship idols. Ruth was doomed to a life headed for eternal destruction – unknown to her. A man named Elimelech came into Ruth’s life, by God’s providential will.

Elimelech lived in the promised land of God. A drought caused him to mortgage his land, leave his kinsmen, his friends and his country and move with his wife, Naomi and their two sons from Bethlehem to Moab. He was trying to provide for and protect them, but shortly after Elimelech moved his family to Moab he died, leaving Naomi and her sons alone in a strange land.

Naomi should have taken her sons and gone back to their homeland at that time. Instead she stayed in Moab and eventually her sons disobeyed God’s commands and married pagan women named Ruth and Orpah, who served idols. After only a few years of marriage, both young men died, leaving their mother, Naomi, and their heathen wives, Ruth and Orpah alone.

Naomi had lost everything except her two daughters-in-law. Since she had nothing left and did not know what difficulties she might face when she returned to her homeland of Judah, she prepared to leave Moab. Naomi called Ruth and Orpah to her side and encouraged them to return to their families. She was trying to protect the young women, but neither of them wanted to leave her. It was evident that Naomi was very loving and kind and that Ruth and Orpah must have experienced and learned of the love of God through her and through their husbands.

It’s hard to imagine a daughter-in-law loving her mother-in-law so much that she would be willing to leave all she knew, including her own mother and other family members. Ruth was so drawn by God’s love through Naomi that she hungered for more. She knew that she would not find that same love from her people.

This is a beautiful portrayal about how the love of God draws men to Himself. The love of Jesus shines through God’s children and draws others to Him. Their hearts begin to yearn for Him. They want to give up everything else to follow Him.

Ruth had experienced a taste of God’s love through Naomi and did not want to go back to her old life. On the other hand, Orpah had the same opportunity. She loved Naomi. She struggled with letting go, but Orpah wasn’t willing to give up her old life or leave her idols and the sinful ways of her people. She could not let go. Her flesh had a strong hold on her.

We can identify with Orpah. She was not unlike us. She loved her family – Moab was all she knew. It was comfortable to Orpah. It was familiar. Although she was torn in her decision, she was unable to let go of her past. She couldn’t step into the unknown. Orpah made a wrong choice. It was a choice that more than likely condemned her. But the choice was hers. We can identify with why she did it. We face hard decisions every day. Will we go with God or go back to what is comfortable?

Letting go of all we are familiar with – stepping into the unknown – that is what faith is.

• Heb 11:1 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. NIV

This story is continued – Check back in a few days to see what God had in store for Ruth. Remember, she doesn’t yet know God – she doesn’t know she is actually right in the middle of His will for her life.

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Be A Gimper for God

21 Jan

According to Denton Bible Church Minister, Tom Nelson, and Bruce Wilkinson, author of The Prayer of Jabez, “Dr. Richard Seume, a one time chaplain of Dallas Seminary coined the term, “Gimper.” A Gimper was a Christian who was not content with mediocrity or status quo. He was one who went above and beyond. The impassioned man. The excellent committed man. The man of the minority.” After reading The Prayer of Jabez I knew I wanted to live my life being a “gimper for God.”

Don’t follow the crowd. Don’t just do what it takes to “get by”. I work each day alone – no one is here to see what I do, or how long it takes, (I have an alterations business – http://www.threadsinliberty.com.) God sees me and what I do! What I consider most important is whether or not I am pleasing Him.

As anyone who knows me will tell you, I am straightforward. But, being straightforward doesn’t mean you have to be rude or unkind. I want everyone to like me and I want them pleased with my work. But more than that I want God to be pleased with me. I see myself as working for Him. He has given me a heart to help others. It gives me great pleasure to help other people. He has also instilled in me how important it is to be a gimper – “doing a little more than is required or expected”. God sees our hearts as we work and interact with people. We can’t outgive Him. Those things we do for Him in private, He will reward in the open. If I go the extra mile for someone I see it as an offering to God. Don’t get me wrong, my motives are pure. God has done so much for me that I want to give all I can back to Him.

Take the road less traveled – be a gimper for God!

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Let Your Faith Be Seen!

12 Jan

Matthew 9:2 says, “When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, ‘Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you'”.

Charles Stanley, in his Life Lessons Bible, notes that it would be hard to “see” faith if it never worked its way out in meaningful action. He said that if our faith does not affect the way we live or ever get noticed by others, then perhaps it is not genuine faith at all.

As I read that in my prayer time this morning, it excited me. Many things came to my mind about faith. For example, many times we feel led by God to do something that may appear strange to others. As they begin to give us “their opinion” we begin to reason and sometimes even allow the words of others to cause us to stumble.

For the record, the word “opinion” is the view of the other person and their view of the worth or of the value of someone or something. And, according to the Thesaurus, another word for opinion is “judgment”. Just sayin’.

This works both ways. Let’s make sure we are not the ones to cause someone to stumble. After all, our opinions are just that – they are our opinions. If we give our opinion we should make sure that the person we are speaking to understands that even though we are giving our opinion on a matter — it is them who is responsible for following God’s direction. We never want to be guilty of overriding God’s direction to someone. That’s a little scary to me.

On the other hand, if we are the one presenting our situation to another about what we believe God is saying to us, we need to leave the consequences to God (another of Charles Stanley’s Life Principles). We can’t know what God is doing in someone’s life. That’s why we are told not to judge others.

I can tell you, I have done some things at God’s leading that have thoroughly convinced others that I may not be of sound mind. But, I have learned to hear the voice of my Lord and Savior and it is Him I want to please. It is important that we share with others and not hide our light under a bushel. God uses us in ways we can’t know. Others are watching and they “see” our faith in action. Then, they “see” when God steps in and takes control.

Let your faith be seen. Don’t be afraid of what others think. Don’t hide your light under a bushel. Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine. I think it’s wonderful when we have others praying for us and they become a part of God’s miracle in our lives. This is how we share one another’s burdens. This is how our faith grows.

Keep in mind that even Moses looked like a failure in men’s eyes, even as he was following God’s direction to the letter. Those around him doubted him and what he said. But, then they “saw” his faith through the works of God.

Ask God today to help you show your faith to others. And, ask Him to help you to encourage others and to be careful of any words of doubt you may speak.

Obviously, all things we hear are not from God. But, let’s not be too quick to judge. That’s why we need prayer and God’s Word to speak to our hearts and show us the truth.

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What Does Acknowledge God Mean?

4 Jan

Acknowledge God in all you do and He will direct your path. What does that mean exactly?

To me acknowledging God means to keep Him in mind with everything you do. Make it a habit to think of Him often. A conversation with God does not have to be a formal, lengthy discussion each time you pray. Simply keeping Him in the loop is what is important. He cares about everything in our lives. If you don’t think God is concerned with details, take a few minutes to read Exodus 25 & 26. God instructs Moses to have the Israelites bring offerings to Him and to make a sanctuary for Him. He describes in detail, down to the color of yarn for embroidery, and the kind of wood to use, how He wants this accomplished.

I remember long ago when I first read these Scriptures. I actually questioned God about why all the detail was necessary. I was young in the Lord and hadn’t read the Bible much yet. I was truly kind of bored about what I was reading and wanting to get to some more interesting things. As I asked God about this He plainly spoke to my heart that He wanted me to know that He is concerned about the smallest details of my life. Wow! How many times do we neglect to go to God with something because it seems too small?

God is the Master of the Universe, King of Kings, Lord or Lords, yet He cares about me – even the small things that are important to me are important to Him. That is true, unconditional love. God wants us to know that everything about us is important to Him. We can go to Him with anything and everything. We may not have anyone else we can feel that safe with – but we have God.

If you don’t have one, find a place where you can kneel when you need to and just “be” with God. I don’t mean for a formal time of prayer. I mean just a place where you can go, sit or kneel, just feel His presence. Know He is there. Feel safe. Feel loved.

Of course, God is with us everywhere. But, sometimes, I need to stop everything and go to my special place, and just acknowledge that He is there and that I trust Him and love Him and that I need to feel His presence. He is faithful. He always meets me there.

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Mind-Sets & Pre-Conceived Ideas

3 Jan

In order to allow God to have His way in our lives we need to ask Him to help free us from our mind-sets and pre-conceived ideas. That is, we already have our minds set about so many things in our lives. We also have pre-conceived ideas about how things are supposed to work out for us.

Remaining “neutral” is what I believe God wants from us. If we already have our minds set on something – how can we clearly hear God when He tells us something completely different? Or, if we have pre-conceived how a matter is going to be, will we even notice when God knocks at our hearts in order to move us into a completely different direction?

Pray about it – ask God to show you about your mind-sets and your pre-conceived ideas. Ask Him to help you to remain in neutral so that you can hear Him, when you ask Him for direction. If you already have your mind made up, it’s like jumping off a cliff and then calling out to God not to let you fall!

Ask first. Listen. Obey. Don’t hesitate. To hesitate is to disobey. Besides, God’s ideas are much better than ours. Give up the control that you hold so tightly to and let God make your life more peaceful. Giving control to Him can take you to a place of freedom you never knew existed. You will love it!

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God’s Timing

2 Jan

Time – none of us have enough of it. When we do manage a little “down time” we find ourselves so exhausted that when we try and “do nothing” – quilt knocks at our door.

It’s interesting to me that God’s timing remains constant. He isn’t concerned about man’s deadlines or other legalistic rituals. At times we remind Him that we have an upcoming deadline and just want to make sure He is aware of it. (Well, what can I say?)

I’ve witnessed many times how God brings us right up to the edge (of what seems like a cliff) and then just before “it’s too late” He rescues us. Let me add that in reality God is never too late. He is always on time (remember Lazarus).

Actually, I’ve witnessed times in my life where God “missed a deadline” (mine, of course) because He had a much better plan than I did. Imagine that! He can cause men to overlook rules, regulations and laws on our behalf.

Here’s the catch – God wants us to learn that in order for us to be in His will and receive His best we must forget about our own timing and learn to trust more in His. If a deadline passes us by it’s not because God missed it. Don’t proceed until you have His peace. A deadline is not in God’s vocabulary. And the biggest lesson I think we learn from this is that we need to give God time for His timing – not ours. If we will learn to do this, we will truly learn to walk in the peace that passes understanding and discover that nothing can move us because we know that we know God is in control!

Ask me how I know this!!

 

 

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Get To Know God

1 Jan

God wants us to know Him intimately. The way to do that is by spending time with Him. If you’re like me, you’re in a hurry to get your day started because there is so much on your “list” to do. For some reason the things that should be the most important in my daily routine are the things that feel to me like they are taking up “project” time. I’m talking about eating right, exercising, and yes, talking with God.

Goodness! It’s even hard to admit that. I just always have so many things to do and to sit still and eat, or sit still and talk to God and read His Word, or heaven forbid – go outside and walk around the block – well, just sayin’. It’s the fast paced world we live in, I suppose. Or, possibly just bad habits.

I’ve been trying to be more disciplined in these areas. Especially my time with God. For almost 90 days now I have missed only a few quiet times with the Lord. I have gone from feeling pressured to do it to feeling incomplete if I don’t do it. Somehow, God adds time to my day when I spend my first minutes of the day with Him. And, the prayers I’ve seen answered as a result – amazing!

I’m still working on the exercise thing and the eating properly routine. But, I’ll get there. I know I will because when God comes first, all these other things are added – so says His Word.

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God Talks Back

31 Dec
Not only is God a good listener, He is a wonderful conversationalist! Many people tell me that God doesn’t talk to them. God tells us in His Holy Bible that His sheep know His voice! If you are a born again Christian, that means you are one of His sheep and you hear His voice.
 
You don’t have to be a seasoned Christian to hear God speak. Some don’t realize God is talking to them. They think it’s their conscious (sometimes it is). Or, they think they just had a great idea. Then, at times, they wonder why they had a particular thought.
 
God’s voice is generally small and quiet. If we are not familiar with His Word (the Bible), we may confuse His communication with other voices we hear. God gave us a conscious and He gave us common sense. He also gave us Christian friends who can offer us their opinion. Then, there is our enemy, satan, whom the Bible tells us comes to steal, kill and destroy. He is quick to feed us bad thoughts and ideas to get us out of God’s will.
 
God gave us His Word so we could learn about Him. He wanted us to know that throughout all of time men and women  have been just like us. Sometimes we obey God’s Word and sometimes we don’t. As we read God’s Word we learn about how God dealt with His people – how He taught them to walk uprightly. We also learn from those stories how God rewards us and yes, how He disciplines us. Sometimes we see how God punished those who rebelled against Him.
 
So, even though we may be a new Christian and have the ability to hear God, we must spend time with Him in prayer and in reading His Word so that we can learn His ways, thus identifying His voice more clearly.
 
If someone gave you a new car – just handed you the keys and said, “It’s all yours!” – You may find yourself in great danger if you tried to drive without some sort of training. If you decided to hop in the car anyway and take your chances, you could get into a lot of trouble – possibly even die. I know that sounds a bit drastic, but we can’t assume every voice we hear is God. We need to spend time getting to know Him. As we do we will learn to discern God’s voice from all the others.
 
Are you willing to give Him some of your time?

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What Do You Want Jesus To Do For You?

31 Dec

Let God be your best friend! He is a good listener. He is always there for you; never too busy to listen. I try to sit with God each morning. I find that when I do I actually get more done in my day. It’s like anything else with God – put Him first and “all these other things will be added to you”.

 
I have always loved to write. I have gotten into the habit of writing my prayers. When I do, my mind doesn’t wander to other things. I am focused on my petition to the Lord. This also helps me to remember the things I need to pray for. Another added benefit is that I have the date at the top of my page which helps me even more as I see the prayers that are answered. I make it a habit to be sure and thank God for those answered prayers.
 
Writing your prayers out also helps you to be specific. Jesus said “. . .tell me what you want”. If I mumble something like, “Bless me today” – what am I saying? I think I’m saying “I have my mind on other things and am just trying to get through this prayer”! But, if I say “Lord, I really have a lot of work today, please help me finish it all” – I’m being specific with what I was Jesus to do for me.
 
What do you want Jesus to do for you today?
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