You need both blessings and difficulties, because one without the other is neither

People who live in affluence for all of life (such as many people in North America and Western Europe) can easily become so accustomed to wealth, blessings, and prosperity that they can easily forget what blessings they actually have. However, if those possessions are taken away, those people will certainly look at life with a new perspective, realizing how much they really had.

You don't realize how much you have until you don't have it anymore.

God knows the importance of balance; that is, the importance of having both blessings and difficulties. There are several scriptures that speak about this balance. For example in 1 Peter 4:13, we are told: Rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. Notice how we participate both in suffering and in joy.

Similarly, in 2 Corinthians 1:7, Paul wrote this to the church in Corinth: And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort. They experienced both suffering and comfort.

Don't become too comfortable with what you have, because when you forget that the things you have are a blessing from God and when you start to assume that they are guaranteed possessions, it is quite possible that God will take them away from you in order to teach you that you need both blessings and difficulties, because one without the other is neither.

Weekly Wisdoms for the week of August 9, 2010
http://www.christnotes.org/ww.php?d=2010-08-09

In every situation, there are always two stories—the story you see and the story God sees.

Sometimes life seems to be taking us down a huge detour and everything looks like it's not going our way. In those situations, our life and our story seems to be a disaster.

This is exactly what happened to Joseph, whose story is found in Genesis 37-50. Joseph's brothers jealously hated him and sold him into slavery. Joseph was wrongfully put in prison for raping Potifer's wife, when really he refused to compromise his integrity by sleeping with her. Then, Joseph helped get the chief cupbearer out of jail; however, when the cupbearer had an opportunity to return the favor and get Joseph out of jail, the man forgot about Joseph. Joseph ended up spending thirteen years in jail for something he didn't do.

At this point Joseph's story was going haywire, but God's story was right on track. That's because God had an amazing plan for Joseph's life; God was going to use Joseph to save Egypt and the surrounding lands for seven years of devastating famine. What looked to Joseph like a huge detour was really a great plan of God to provide food for countless people, including the very brothers that had sold Joseph into slavery.

At the end of this, Joseph realized that God had a bigger plan for his life, and after his brothers come to him for food, he tells them: "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives" (Genesis 50:20).

All along, God's story was right on track.

This same principle is also true in the life of Jesus. To the disciples, it looked as those Jesus would be a great king who would rule Israel and return the nation to greatness. They hailed him as a great leader. So, when Jesus was being crucified, the story they saw looked like a major train wreck—this great leader whom they had followed for the past three years was suddenly dead. However, God's story was at its peak—God was in the process of connecting humanity to himself.

There's what you see and what God sees.

When your life seems to be a major disaster; know that God has bigger plans to use your life for great things. The story you see may not reflect the long-term story God has planned. Therefore, trust God, knowing that he works for good in all circumstances (Romans 8:28).

Weekly Wisdoms for the week of June 21, 2010
http://www.christnotes.org/ww.php?d=2010-06-21

Be a channel for God's blessings, not a reservoir

Have you ever wondered why God may not be blessing you as much as you think he should? It could be because you've become a reservoir for God's blessings, rather than a channel.

If you're simply accumulating more and more rather than giving what has been given to you, then God probably won't bless you. However, if you give away the things that God gives you, then you become a channel through which his blessings flow. He blesses you so that you can bless others.

That's exactly what God promised to Abram: "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing" (Genesis 12:2). God promised to bless Abram so that he could be a blessing to others.

If you use what you have to bless others, then God will probably bless you with more (so that you can bless others even more). The Bible describes that principle using language of sowing and reaping: you reap what you sow (Galatians 6:7-8).

Furthermore, 2 Corinthians 9:6-7 says, Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

These verses are a direct promise from God: If you will sow abundantly with a good (cheerful) attitude, then God will bless you. Why? So that you can bless others. Being a channel for God's blessings means passing them on to others.

This principle of sowing and reaping works in all areas of our life--not just money. You can bless others in ways that don't necessarily require money.

Decide to sow seeds of blessing aggressively, and you'll discover that God will provide a great abundance for you simply because you're a channel not a reservoir.

Weekly Wisdoms for the week of June 14, 2010
http://www.christnotes.org/ww.php?d=2010-06-14

It Is Well with My Soul ♫

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
when sorrows like sea billows roll;
whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well with my soul.

Refrain:
It is well with my soul,
it is well, it is well with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
let this blest assurance control,
that Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
and hath shed his own blood for my soul.

(Refrain)

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

(Refrain)

And, Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
the clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
the trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
even so, it is well with my soul.

(Refrain)

Philippians 4:7 NIV 'And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus'

Stop it!

'...He has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.' Hebrews 10:14 NIVNIV

'I'm too fat!' 'I'm ugly!' 'I'm always getting it wrong!' 'I'm no good!' 'They don't like me'. How many times do you say those things to yourself? Well, what you need to do is STOP IT! Focus on what's right with you, not what's wrong, or you'll end up so negative you can't appreciate the gift of life. If you're always putting yourself down, or beating yourself up, you're setting a bad example to others-which no-one wants. We've all got bits of ourselves we want to improve, none of us will ever be perfect- but being negative isn't the answer. Look at the verse chosen for today. Slowly read what it says. And again. That's you it's talking about!

Max Lucado writes: 'Underline the word perfect. Note, the word isn't better. Not improving... God doesn't improve; He perfects. He doesn't enhance; He completes... I realise there's a sense in which we're imperfect... We still stumble. We still do exactly what we don't want to do...that part of us is 'being made holy'. But when it comes to our position before God, we're perfect. When He sees each of us, He sees someone who has been made perfect through the One who is perfect; Jesus Christ.'

It's ok to want to improve yourself, but take it easy! Stop and remind yourself that you're '...being made new...becoming like the One who made you...' (Colossians 3:10 NCV)

Thursday, 27 May 2010
http://www.word4u2day.com.au/201005262154/Stop-it.html

Before you can love others, you must receive God's love for yourself, because you cannot give away something you don't have

God deeply and intimately loves you! His love for you is unconditional—no strings attached, and there is nothing that you can do to get God not to love you. Indeed, Romans 8:38-39 says that there is nothing that can ever separate us from God's love.

Knowing that God loves you is central to your understanding of the Gospel, for the entire Gospel is based on God's love (See John 3:16, Romans 5:8, 1 John 3:16, 1 John 4:9-10). The good news is that God hasn't withheld His love from us; instead, God has poured out his love into our hearts (Romans 5:5).

But what do we do with that love? We know God loves us, but so what? What should we do with God's love? Give it away! Since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another (1 John 4:11). In other words, our response to the news of God's love for us needs to be to love others. Indeed, Jesus repeatedly commanded us to love others (See Matthew 5:43-47, Mark 12:28-31, Luke 6:27-35, John 13:34-35, John 15:12,17).

However, it is impossible to love others unless you know, believe and receive God's love. 1 John 4:19 says, We love because he first loved us. In other words, we are able to love other people, because God first showed His love to us. If God hadn't shown His love to us, we would have no standard and no example on which to base our love for others.

Similarly, 1 John 4:7 says, Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Here again, our ability to love one another is only because love comes from God.

Think of your ability to love others like a glass of water. At first, the glass is empty. If you don't have any water in your glass, then you obviously can't give water to anyone else. But when you hold your glass under a faucet and let the water pour out into your glass, it will fill up. Then, once it is full, your glass will overflow, and you can let the water pour out to everyone around you.

If you don't have love in you, then you can't give love to anyone else. Therefore, you must first receive God's love, before you can love one another.

Weekly Wisdoms for the week of May 24, 2010
http://www.christnotes.org/ww.php?d=2010-05-24

I Shall Not Want

Before they were a week old, the eaglets were fighting over food. Neither was strong enough to hold up his head for more than a few seconds, so the pair looked like fuzzballs with bobble-heads attached. But whenever the parents brought food to the nest, the bigger eaglet was quick to peck down his brother to keep him from getting a single bite. His aggression would have been understandable if food was scarce, or if the parents couldn’t be trusted to supply what he needed. But nothing could be further from the truth. The eaglets were being fed fish many times their size; there was more than enough for both of them.

The greedy eaglet reminds me of our own foolishness when we try to get for ourselves something that belongs to someone else (James 4:1-5). Conflicts erupt because we want something that God has given to a friend, colleague, relative, or neighbor. Instead of asking God for what we need, we try to get what He’s given to someone else (v.2). But God has something good for each of us. We don’t need what belongs to anyone else. And we certainly never need to harm anyone to get what we need.

Our loving heavenly Father has more than enough for everyone. — Julie Ackerman Link

The secret of contentment is

To let the Lord supply;

Just do your part and put God first

And on His Word rely. —D. De Haan

Our needs will never exhaust God’s supply.

May 22, 2010
http://www.rbc.org/devotionals/our-daily-bread/2010/05/22/devotion.aspx