Forgiveness is not predicated on someone else's request.
We are required to forgive others...it isn't a suggestion from God but a command.
Luke 6:35-38;42
But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. "Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." ... How can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,' when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Instant Gratification
Instant:
1. immediately; without delay.
2. immediate; instantaneous.
Gratificaton:
1. pleasure, relish, delight, enjoyment, comfort.
About 2 weeks ago I was praying to God about a certain situation that I have been wrestling with for quite some time. One thing that I've found myself saying is "God, why can't this be over already? Why can't I just be done with this? I'm so tired of dealing with this," etc. Then it hit me: I was asking for instant gratification. I wanted immediate results instead of waiting patience. In essence, it's like saying "God, I know You're in control, but right now I think that my plan is better. I think I know what I'm doing." How arrogant is that? Isaiah 40:31 flashed through my mind..."But those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint." Why do I want to rush things when I know that God has a far better plan than I ever will have? Romans 8:24-25 says, "We were given this hope when we were saved. (If we already have something, we don’t need to hope for it. But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently.)" And Psalm 40:1, "I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry."
In a society where we strive for instant gratification, God is calling us to do the opposite. He has a far better plan than we can ever imagine, and He has a purpose for every single thing that He does. Our trials and sufferings are not in vain. God disciplines those that He loves. He makes beautiful things out of our wretched souls. Instead of focusing on how fast we can be done with a process that may seem rather painful, I think we need to focus on things like "God, what are you trying to teach me through this?" or "God, how can Your Name be most glorified in this situation?" Hebrews 12:11 "For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it." He's the potter, we're the clay. We're merely characters in His story. It's not about us-it never has been and it never will be.
While I'm Waiting-John Waller. Good song, look it up.
1. immediately; without delay.
2. immediate; instantaneous.
Gratificaton:
1. pleasure, relish, delight, enjoyment, comfort.
About 2 weeks ago I was praying to God about a certain situation that I have been wrestling with for quite some time. One thing that I've found myself saying is "God, why can't this be over already? Why can't I just be done with this? I'm so tired of dealing with this," etc. Then it hit me: I was asking for instant gratification. I wanted immediate results instead of waiting patience. In essence, it's like saying "God, I know You're in control, but right now I think that my plan is better. I think I know what I'm doing." How arrogant is that? Isaiah 40:31 flashed through my mind..."But those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint." Why do I want to rush things when I know that God has a far better plan than I ever will have? Romans 8:24-25 says, "We were given this hope when we were saved. (If we already have something, we don’t need to hope for it. But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently.)" And Psalm 40:1, "I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry."
In a society where we strive for instant gratification, God is calling us to do the opposite. He has a far better plan than we can ever imagine, and He has a purpose for every single thing that He does. Our trials and sufferings are not in vain. God disciplines those that He loves. He makes beautiful things out of our wretched souls. Instead of focusing on how fast we can be done with a process that may seem rather painful, I think we need to focus on things like "God, what are you trying to teach me through this?" or "God, how can Your Name be most glorified in this situation?" Hebrews 12:11 "For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it." He's the potter, we're the clay. We're merely characters in His story. It's not about us-it never has been and it never will be.
While I'm Waiting-John Waller. Good song, look it up.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Trust
Isaiah 55:8-9 says, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."
Trust is something that God has really been impressing upon my heart lately. How much do I trust God? Do I say I trust Him but then show the opposite when I face difficulties? And has my perception of trust been skewed by the imperfections of this world? This entry probably isn't going to be "organized" and it might be difficult to follow, especially for those of you who don't think the way that I do. :] However, there is quite a bit swirling in my head so I'm just going wherever with this. Warned in advance. So with the issue of trust also comes the issue of contentment for me. Is Jesus really enough for me? If I had nothing else in this world, would I be satisfied with "just having Jesus?" God has been taking me through some pretty difficult things this past year. There is a situation I'm currently in that is probably one of the hardest situations I think I've ever dealt with. Definitely not the hardest situation ever, but it ranks up there pretty high. Sometimes I find myself thinking, "Yeah but God if I only had ______ I would probably feel better." or "If I could just ______then I would be happy." ...Yeah no. That's not how it is. God is showing me that I will never be happy until I learn to fully trust and rely on God, casting all my cares on Him. He has shown me time and time again that I can trust Him, even though He doesn't have to prove anything to me. I get so frustrated at times because I know all of this, but I still lack in complete and total trust. [You can pray for me, seriously].
I look at the situation I'm in now and I think at times, "God, why did this have to happen? Why do I have to deal with all of this pain? This hurts too much." But then I realized-how much more does it hurt my Savior every single time we sin? Every time we deliberately disobey His will? Every time that I know I can trust Him, but don't? Every time that I try to do my own thing instead of following His flawless plan. Yeah, this situation hurts right now. I hate it. But once again I am reminded of the promises in the Bible that we will walk through trials and temptations, but we are not walking through them alone. It's easy to trust God when everything is going the way I think it should go. But that's the problem. Things aren't always going to go the way I want, and praise God for that! I can't even imagine how miserable my life would be right now if God had answered every single prayer that I have ever prayed the way I wanted Him to. I don't see eye to eye with my Creator, and sometimes I would rather attempt to take things into my own hands [which never works out well] than to trust God to bring me through situations, and trust His hand. He knows what's best. I don't. Psalm 118:8 says, "It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man." Lately I've realized just how much faith and trust and confidence I put in people. While it is important to have people in my life that I can come to for various things, I should always put God before people. Always. My trust in people shouldn't even be comparable to the trust that I have in God. People are going to disappoint me...they already have. It's a part of life unfortunately. However, if I am able to trust people who have flaws and imperfections, then how much more should I trust Jesus, the Author and Perfector of my faith? (verses here). James 1:12 says, "Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him." I think that at times I focus too much on the trial and not enough on the crown, the glory after the hardships. I don't know how long this trial is going to last. But I need to remember that the pain now can't compare to the joy that's coming. The crown comes after the trial. And God isn't going to leave me through it.
Trust is something that God has really been impressing upon my heart lately. How much do I trust God? Do I say I trust Him but then show the opposite when I face difficulties? And has my perception of trust been skewed by the imperfections of this world? This entry probably isn't going to be "organized" and it might be difficult to follow, especially for those of you who don't think the way that I do. :] However, there is quite a bit swirling in my head so I'm just going wherever with this. Warned in advance. So with the issue of trust also comes the issue of contentment for me. Is Jesus really enough for me? If I had nothing else in this world, would I be satisfied with "just having Jesus?" God has been taking me through some pretty difficult things this past year. There is a situation I'm currently in that is probably one of the hardest situations I think I've ever dealt with. Definitely not the hardest situation ever, but it ranks up there pretty high. Sometimes I find myself thinking, "Yeah but God if I only had ______ I would probably feel better." or "If I could just ______then I would be happy." ...Yeah no. That's not how it is. God is showing me that I will never be happy until I learn to fully trust and rely on God, casting all my cares on Him. He has shown me time and time again that I can trust Him, even though He doesn't have to prove anything to me. I get so frustrated at times because I know all of this, but I still lack in complete and total trust. [You can pray for me, seriously].
I look at the situation I'm in now and I think at times, "God, why did this have to happen? Why do I have to deal with all of this pain? This hurts too much." But then I realized-how much more does it hurt my Savior every single time we sin? Every time we deliberately disobey His will? Every time that I know I can trust Him, but don't? Every time that I try to do my own thing instead of following His flawless plan. Yeah, this situation hurts right now. I hate it. But once again I am reminded of the promises in the Bible that we will walk through trials and temptations, but we are not walking through them alone. It's easy to trust God when everything is going the way I think it should go. But that's the problem. Things aren't always going to go the way I want, and praise God for that! I can't even imagine how miserable my life would be right now if God had answered every single prayer that I have ever prayed the way I wanted Him to. I don't see eye to eye with my Creator, and sometimes I would rather attempt to take things into my own hands [which never works out well] than to trust God to bring me through situations, and trust His hand. He knows what's best. I don't. Psalm 118:8 says, "It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man." Lately I've realized just how much faith and trust and confidence I put in people. While it is important to have people in my life that I can come to for various things, I should always put God before people. Always. My trust in people shouldn't even be comparable to the trust that I have in God. People are going to disappoint me...they already have. It's a part of life unfortunately. However, if I am able to trust people who have flaws and imperfections, then how much more should I trust Jesus, the Author and Perfector of my faith? (verses here). James 1:12 says, "Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him." I think that at times I focus too much on the trial and not enough on the crown, the glory after the hardships. I don't know how long this trial is going to last. But I need to remember that the pain now can't compare to the joy that's coming. The crown comes after the trial. And God isn't going to leave me through it.
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