Ever have a day when it is difficult to see your blessings? Ever have worry fill your mind so completely that you can't even see the light? God promises us that He is with us through our times of trial and that He will never leave us nor forsake us. And that is a promise you can take to the bank! It is better than money, or possessions, or any other "thing" that is important to us. The love of the savior of our soul; his desire to be with us through the good times and the bad, is the most precious thing on this earth! "This, too, shall pass" had proven true time and time again in my life. Worry for a few days and then it is gone as quickly as it came. But the love of God never goes away. His desire to give us peace and to provide for us everyday is always there. All we have to do is seek Him out and ASK! Yes, it is that simple. Matthew 7:11 says, "If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?"James 4:2 says, "You lust and do not have; {so} you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; {so} you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask." Do you ask and expect to receive? Sometimes I don't. I once heard it said that Faith is not knowing that God can, but knowing that He will. We all know he can, but do we truly believe that He will? I believe that sometimes we are tempted to wonder why God would take the time to worry about our issues. The world is full of horrors that would seem to take precidence over our piddly requests. But the really awesome thing is that we serve a God who can tend to the big things and the small things all at the same time. And our small issues are just as important to Him as the happenings in Afghanistan are right now. Seek Him today with all your heart! Pray and ask for a miracle. Expect to receive, and you will. He does answer every prayer. Sometimes He doesn't answer the way we want Him to, and sometimes we have to wait awhile for the answer, but He hears us, and He cares. Remember what James tells us in chapter 1:17; "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning." God wants to give us good gifts. He sent us the most precious gift of all 2000 years ago. If He was willing to give us His absolute best then, whey not believe that He still desires to do so today? Take a chance on Him. He loves you so much! God bless!
posted by@ :|11:37 AM|:
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I have so many reasons to be thankful and to feel blessed. Every morning that I wake up is another day to worship and serve the Lord; another day to tell the world about the One who sacrificed so much because of His love for us. It is another day to get to know Him better; to spend in His presence communing with him. It is another day to hug my kids; another day to let my husband know how much he means to me and how thankful I am to God for giving him to me.I don't know about all of you, but there are some days that I get out of bed (barely) and I just don't feel like being thankful. Maybe it is because of a trial that I am going through. Perhaps I just don't feel good. We can think of a thousand reasons to complain, but each day is a gift from God.
James 1:2-4 says,
"Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have it's perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
The Bible tells us that we should consider it a blessing when we encounter problems. To be honest, when I first heard that verse, I couldn't figure out why anyone would feel blessed by being tried. But James finishes by saying that faith produces endurance. When we have successfully gotten through a trial, we are stronger. How many of you have been through something that was devistating to you? I have been depressed in the past. I wanted to die. I didn't see how any good could come out of it. But now, when someone tells me that they are depressed, guess what?! I can empathize with them! I can say, "I have been there, and God IS faithful to see you through this!" It isn't always easy to see the light at the end of the tunnel when your world is painted in blackness, but always remember that the Lord has promised not to EVER leave us or forsake us. I know this for a fact, too. I tried to run from God, but He was always there, gently leading me back. He promised me that He would be there for me, and when I made the decision to come back home to Him, He was faithful to bless me. Now, when I encounter various trial, I do count it all joy, because I know that God is by my side and that he does care about how I feel. That is Joy!! Have a blessed day!!
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