The Daily Struggle

 

"Moses answered the people, 'Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”
(Exodus 14:13-14)

 

To be still. Hah. Easier said than done. My humanity does me in nearly every time.

Even when my body is still, my mouth seems fueled by mypride. Oh, to let the peace of Jesus flow.

But in my responses, my reactions, my pride almost always pushes God's better way, His Spiritual leading, to the back and lets my own self lead instead. That is a recipe for strife, for failure, for everything that is not truly love.

“Where there is strife, there is pride.”
(Proverbs 13:10)

 

What Is Love?

What is love, you may ask? This is Love:

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."
(1 Corinthians 13:4-7)

 

I regularly fail at more of those than I want to admit. Pride fuels selfishness, and selfishness is not love. Selflessness is love, but I am too often selfish in my responses, not selfless.

The Love Of Christ?

Thankfully, there's this:

"God does not keep a man immune from trouble; He says- “I will be with him in trouble.” It does not matter what actual troubles in the most extreme form get hold of a man’s life, not one of them can separate him from his relationship to God. "
-- Oswald Chambers’ comment in regards to the first half of Romans 8:35, which says:

"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?”

 

Hallelujah! Thank You, Jesus.

Blessings to you today. Strive on! :)

 

#StraightOuttaTheBible

 

Moses Had the Passion, God Had the Timing

 

In the Book of Acts, chapter 7, Stephen shares the history of the Israelites, our history with God, partially telling the story of Moses.

 

A Crime of Passion?

When Moses was 40, he killed an Egyptian who was mistreating one of Moses’ fellow Israelites, Stephen said.

Moses was thinking it was his time to rise up and free his people.

But the time was not right. His own people mocked him and he fled in fear of his life (Acts 7:23-29).

 

Right Idea, Wrong Time?

Moses had the passion to do what God would later use him for. Moses may have even had the "right idea."

He just tried, originally, to make it happen on his own schedule -- instead of waiting on God.

He fled to the desert and basically hid-out for another 40 years while God worked His own omniscient plan. During this time, God was also growing and changing Moses. .

 

Set My People Free

Then, when God knew the time was right, He got ahold of Moses (Acts 7:30-34), and used him for what Moses originally had a dream of and passion for doing at an earlier time in his life.

Moses just had the timing wrong.

But God’s timing is never wrong.

Wait on God. It will be worth it.

 

Prayer for You Today

Lord, please help those who read this to have peace about their timing, letting it be your timing. When it’s your time, please Lord, open doors for them with their dreams and your plans, doors which no one else can close.

Close all those doors which are nothing but distractions and temptations to keep us from fulfilling your plans for us, Father. In a way that only you could open them again.

Lastly, Lord, please, make your dreams our dreams, and your plans our passions. I ask this for everyone who reads this. In Jesus name I ask for these blessings, as Jesus said we could. Thank You, Father God, for your love. Amen.

 

Straight Outta the Bible:Planning for Your New Year Is Biblical

 

Planning for the coming year is biblical. You may be against making New Year’s Resolutions, but planning is good. Making the most of the short time you have here on earth is prudent, and recommended by all the most successful people, Christian or not. Here’s what God's word, the Holy Bible actually says about it…

 

"A wise man thinks ahead; a fool doesn’t, and even brags about it!"
(Proverbs 13:16)

 

"For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it—lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, 'This man began to build and was not able to finish’?'"
(Luke 14:28-30)

 

You might even say caring for your subscribers and customers is biblical... :)

The Book of Proverbs says:

 

"Be diligent to know the state of your flocks, and attend to your herds."
(Proverbs 27:23)

 

Hmmm...

 

That's all I've got for you today. I'll leave you with this, my hope and prayer for you:

 

"May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed."
(Psalm 20:4)

 

May the coming year be your best yet -- Happy New Year!

 

#HappyNewYear!