Since Jesus went through everything you're going through and
more, learn to think like him. Think of your sufferings as a weaning
from that old sinful habit of always expecting to get your own way. Then
you'll be able to live out your days free to pursue what God wants
instead of being tyrannized by what you want. ~1 Peter 4:1-2 (MSG)
When
it comes right down to it, at times we could all be classified as
spoiled brats. Sin is genetic. It's part of our DNA. We want our own
way, and we want it now. To put it simply--our wanters are out of whack.
I
love how The Message puts these verses in language we can sink our
teeth into. We all suffer disappointments, setbacks, and unfortunate
circumstances. And our typical first response is "Why me?"
How
blessed we are when we reach the point of seeing these disappointments,
setbacks and circumstances for what they truly are--God's way of weaning
us from wanting our own way.
If we truly long to live for Christ,
then we should desire for "us" to be moved out of the way. God can do
that through suffering. Only then will our out-of-whack wanters be
transformed so we seek Him and His way.
Father God,
thank You that in Your infinite wisdom and perfect plan that You
provided a way to remove the tyranny of self. May we learn to see our
difficulties as God-inspired for the purpose of fulfilling Your plans
instead of our own. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Got Wisdom?
The "Got milk?" advertisements are everywhere. And like all good
advertisements, they are designed to make us want what they have based
on what we perceive as lacking in our lives. Beautiful and successful
people sporting a milk mustache create within us a desire to drink milk
so we can be beautiful and successful too.
As good and healthy as milk is, there's something we need far more, especially in the society in which we live: wisdom. Thankfully, it's ours for the asking.
If any of you is deficient in wisdom, let him ask of the giving God [Who gives] to everyone liberally and ungrudgingly, without reproaching or faultfinding, and it will be given him. ~James 1:5 (AMP)
I love the fact that our God is a giving God. He grants wisdom liberally and does it without criticizing.
Here are some other scriptures on wisdom.
Skilled living gets its start in the Fear-of-God,
insight into life from knowing a Holy God.
It's through me, Lady Wisdom, that your life deepens,
and the years of your life ripen.
Live wisely and wisdom will permeate your life;
mock life and life will mock you. ~Proverbs 9:10-12 (MSG)
Do you want to be counted wise, to build up a reputation for wisdom? Here's what you do: Live well, live wisely, live humbly. It's the way you live, not the way you talk, that counts. Mean-spirited ambition isn't wisdom. Boasting that you are wise isn't wisdom. Twisting the truth to make yourselves sound wise isn't wisdom. It's the furthest thing from wisdom--it's animal cunning, devilish conniving. Whenever you're trying to look better that others or get the better of others, things fall apart and everyone ends up at the others' throats. Real wisdom, God's wisdom, begins with a holy life and is characterized by getting along with others. It is gentle and reasonable, overflowing with mercy and blessings, not hot one day and cold the next, not two-faced. You can develop a healthy, robust community that lives right with God and enjoy its results only if you do the hard work of getting along with each other, treating each other with dignity and honor. ~James 3:13-18 (MSG)
Here's the breakdown:
WISDOM:
As good and healthy as milk is, there's something we need far more, especially in the society in which we live: wisdom. Thankfully, it's ours for the asking.
If any of you is deficient in wisdom, let him ask of the giving God [Who gives] to everyone liberally and ungrudgingly, without reproaching or faultfinding, and it will be given him. ~James 1:5 (AMP)
I love the fact that our God is a giving God. He grants wisdom liberally and does it without criticizing.
Here are some other scriptures on wisdom.
Skilled living gets its start in the Fear-of-God,
insight into life from knowing a Holy God.
It's through me, Lady Wisdom, that your life deepens,
and the years of your life ripen.
Live wisely and wisdom will permeate your life;
mock life and life will mock you. ~Proverbs 9:10-12 (MSG)
Do you want to be counted wise, to build up a reputation for wisdom? Here's what you do: Live well, live wisely, live humbly. It's the way you live, not the way you talk, that counts. Mean-spirited ambition isn't wisdom. Boasting that you are wise isn't wisdom. Twisting the truth to make yourselves sound wise isn't wisdom. It's the furthest thing from wisdom--it's animal cunning, devilish conniving. Whenever you're trying to look better that others or get the better of others, things fall apart and everyone ends up at the others' throats. Real wisdom, God's wisdom, begins with a holy life and is characterized by getting along with others. It is gentle and reasonable, overflowing with mercy and blessings, not hot one day and cold the next, not two-faced. You can develop a healthy, robust community that lives right with God and enjoy its results only if you do the hard work of getting along with each other, treating each other with dignity and honor. ~James 3:13-18 (MSG)
Here's the breakdown:
WISDOM:
- is NOT mean-spirited ambition.
- is NOT about how we talk, but how we walk.
- is NOT twisting the truth to make yourself sound good.
- is NOT two-faced, hot one day and cold the next.
- is granted by our giving God simply by asking.
- begins with fear and reverence of the Lord.
- deepens and ripens and permeates our lives.
- is gained by living well and living humbly.
- begins with a holy, set-apart life.
- is characterized by getting along with others.
- is gentle and reasonable.
- is overflowing with mercy and blessings.
- can be enjoyed only if we do the hard work of getting along with others, and treating each other with dignity and honor.
For Such A Time As This
Then Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, "Do not think to
yourself that in the king’s palace you will escape any more than all the
other Jews. For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance
will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s
house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the
kingdom for such a time as this?" ~Esther 4:13-14 (ESV)
In our often routine and mundane lives, it's easy to lose sight of the fact that God has each of His children exactly where He wants us. Even when we stray from His perfect plan for us, He will use us wherever we are so His purposes are fulfilled (Proverbs 16:9).
So if you question your relevance and worth in God's kingdom, remember the story of Esther. She could have easily done what was easiest and most convenient for her, but God had placed her in a position of influence for a reason--to save His chosen people. Now her story is forever immortalized in the pages of God's Word.
Throughout the Bible we see evidence of God using people to fulfill His purposes. Joseph endured slavery and wrongful imprisonment so he could save the lives of many people. Moses, raised in the courts of Pharaoh and then subjected to the rigors of desert living, became God's tool and weapon against the mighty nation of Egypt and led God's chosen people to the Promised Land. A simple fisherman by the name of Peter, who three times denied Jesus, became a fisher of men. And the list could go on and on...
My prayer is that God would open our eyes so we can see how our lives fit into His perfect and worldwide plan--that we can know He has placed us here and now, for "such a time as this."
In our often routine and mundane lives, it's easy to lose sight of the fact that God has each of His children exactly where He wants us. Even when we stray from His perfect plan for us, He will use us wherever we are so His purposes are fulfilled (Proverbs 16:9).
So if you question your relevance and worth in God's kingdom, remember the story of Esther. She could have easily done what was easiest and most convenient for her, but God had placed her in a position of influence for a reason--to save His chosen people. Now her story is forever immortalized in the pages of God's Word.
Throughout the Bible we see evidence of God using people to fulfill His purposes. Joseph endured slavery and wrongful imprisonment so he could save the lives of many people. Moses, raised in the courts of Pharaoh and then subjected to the rigors of desert living, became God's tool and weapon against the mighty nation of Egypt and led God's chosen people to the Promised Land. A simple fisherman by the name of Peter, who three times denied Jesus, became a fisher of men. And the list could go on and on...
My prayer is that God would open our eyes so we can see how our lives fit into His perfect and worldwide plan--that we can know He has placed us here and now, for "such a time as this."
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