When We Need a Miracle

There are life situations that people face where no amount of human intervention seems to be able to help and devastation looms. We need a miracle!

Both the Old and New Testament Bible recount stories of miraculous events. One Old Testament event is told in 2 Kings 4 (V.8-36) where the Prophet Elisha brings a woman's son back to life.

Elisha was a frequent visitor to the city of Shunem and this one resident built an addition to her home so he could have free and comfortable personal living quarters whenever he would come to town. In appreciation for her kindness Elisha asked a favor from GOD on the woman’s behalf. Within a year, and after having suffered years of infertility, she gave birth to a son.

When the child suddenly became ill and died, the woman went straight to Elisha who immediately gave instructions to his servant to go with her and help the child. But the mother refused to leave without Elisha himself – But the child’s mother said, “As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So he got up and followed her. Eventually we see that Elisha brings the dead child back to life. 2 Kings 4:30-35

Where do we go when we need a miracle?

Our situation is beyond human hope – no counseling, doctors, medicines, or anything else has brought a change. At such times, we get ourselves, friend, relation, or whomever to JESUS!

Just as the Shunammite woman had a history of one miracle with the Old Testament Prophet Elisha, the children of GOD have our own history with a New Testament miracle worker and Savior, JESUS CHRIST. And we have direct access to Him.

We must not sit still and look for miracles; up and doing, and the LORD will be with thee. Prayer and pains, through faith in CHRIST JESUS, will do anything. George Eliot

Miracles can be birth through faith – Matthew 9:18-26

In Matthew 9:18 we read of a member of the Jewish synagogue entreating JESUS to come home with him because his young daughter has died and he is certain that JESUS can bring her back to life. “My daughter has just died. But come and put your hand on her, and she will live.” JESUS agrees to go.

On the way, JESUS has an interruption – a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. She said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed” – but He is not annoyed by it. Instead, He responds to this woman’s silent and desperate plea with compassion, and He heals her – “Take heart, daughter,” he said, “your faith has healed you.” And the woman was healed at that moment.

JESUS being GOD and omnipotent is not out of miracles because of this one healing and He simply resumes His journey. At the synagogue leader’s home He goes into the girl’s room “took the girl by the hand, and she got up.”

JESUS is well able to perform any number of miracles but the simple child-like faith of the recipients in the story was what brought Him to the task. These received their miracles because of belief and faith – a faith bolstered by their knowledge of who JESUS is and what He has done in the past.

Our faith for a miracle must be in CHRIST and His power.

We too know what JESUS can do and has done, and we too ought to bring our dead issues and hopelessness to Him. But is our belief only in our “faith?”

Some of us know the story of the three Hebrew boys – Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, from as far back as our childhood Sunday school class; Chapter 3 of the Book of Daniel.

These young men refused to worship a golden image of the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar at the risk of losing their lives in a fiery furnace. When the king taunted them that no god they claim to know could rescue them from a certain death their faith did not waver.

• “…If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us…. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” Daniel 3: 16-18

GOD did rescue the Hebrew boys – a miraculous event in which someone else appeared in the fire with them and they were brought out of it with no injury, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them. Daniel 3: 27

Many Bible scholars suggest strongly that the fourth person who witnesses saw in the fire with the three, and described as “like a son of the gods,” was JESUS.

We ought to persevere in our petition to JESUS who today still has power to change things for us until we hear words like:

“Take heart, daughter: your faith has healed you.”

“The girl is not dead but asleep.”

“Take your son.”

However, we may not get the miraculous rescue from our “blazing furnace” like these other folks did. But because our faith is in the ONE who can do miracles and not in “faith” itself we will accept GOD’s Sovereign will in our case and continue to worship and honor Him as the GOD we serve.

   

Like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego we must refuse to turn to anything that is not of GOD in order to make our lives easier, regardless of the risk. Our faith in JESUS must remain steadfast, even if he does not rescue us.

We learn in 2Corinthians 12 that the Apostle Paul suffered greatly with an undisclosed condition for which he appealed to GOD for relief, unsuccessfully. I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

Paul’s response to being refused relief from his burden was not bitter resentment and blame but acceptance and trust in GOD’s sovereign will. Paul understood that CHRIST’s power never diminishes and we have access to it to help us endure beyond our own power – Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me...for Christ’s sake, I delight in weakness…For when I am weak, then I am strong.

The fact is that JESUS always has power to work miracles and when to use it is also His sovereign choice. And we must accept without questions that His grace is sufficient!

By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has completely healed him…Acts 3:16

Prayer and Thanksgiving: Our good GOD and faithful Father. YOU have proven over and over in our lives that nothing is too hard for YOU. We thank YOU that even when the answer to our petition is not the one we want, YOU are faithful and good and kind and YOUR thoughts are higher than ours and YOUR knowledge beyond our understanding. YOU work out all things for our good and YOUR glory, never to harm or injure us. Father, we thank YOU for all your benefits – YOU heal our diseases, forgive our sins, crown us with loving kindness and redeem our lives from the pit through JESUS CHRIST, our Savior and LORD, our Miracle-giver, in whose precious NAME we pray!  Amen!

Always by God’s Word and prayer,

Cecile   

Because My Cup Overflows

…my cup overflows. Psalm 23:5b

Samuel Burder (1773–1836), a Church of England clergyman penned this commentary in part on Psalm 23:5b: In the East the people would give (visitors) a cup or glass of some choice wine, which they are careful to fill till it runs over.…to imply that while they remained there, they should have an abundance of everything.

Other commentaries suggest this verse provides a metaphor for GOD as a host showing hospitality to His loved ones. That the Psalmist uses GOD filling our cups to overflowing is an illustration of His generosity, not just to the Psalmist, but to all GOD’s people.

A cup runs over when it cannot hold all that is being poured into it. The Lord not only gives His people what they need (Psalm 23:1–2), but He supplies an over-abundance so "I have more than enough for my needs." 

Why does GOD give us more than we need?

Seventeenth century preacher and religious writer William Secker suggests that the LORD makes our cup to run over so that other men's lips might taste of His abundance also.

It could be that GOD’s generosity towards us is part of His divine plan to aid us in living a pure and faultless religion – He gives us enough to care on His behalf for widows and orphans, the poor and the needy. (James 1:27.)

GOD’s children whose hands are open and extended liberally towards the less fortunate, so that none are hungry, naked or without shelter, always have more than enough for our own needs.

In His Sermon on the Mount JESUS tells His audience exactly how giving generously works: “… 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.” Luke 6:38

• A good measure – a lavish amount; bountiful
• Pressed down and shaken together – action that will make room to add more. Take the example of a measuring cup – if you fill it with flour and shake it, what’s already there will settle farther to the bottom so you can add more.
• Running over – again using the measuring cup example, adding liquid beyond the cup’s capacity will cause it to overflow.

This is how GOD rewards the giver; but there’s a caveat – the size of the measure we use in giving. How generous are we?

“The world asks, ‘What does a man own?’ CHRIST asks, ‘How does he use it?” Andrew Murray

 

Is our giving symbol a shovel, or a teaspoon?

Unfortunately, too many Believers allow possessions to possess us, rather than the reverse. We forget that we are only stewards of our wealth – managers on behalf of the ONE who is the actual owner of everything. (Psalm 50:10) We “own” nothing!

JESUS’s parables in Luke 16 and Matthew 25 demonstrate that GOD expects us to be shrewd managers of His possessions and will one day judge us for how well or badly we carry out our assignments. We must give account for whatever resources have been entrusted to our care and management.

Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. 1 Corinthians 4:2

Matthew 25 tells the story of three stewards whose master entrusted various amounts of gold to their care, but one buried his in the ground so that it served no one and brought no increase to his master. JESUS describes this steward as a “wicked” individual whose reward will be “the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Matthew 25:28-30

Those who handle prosperity like this “wicked” steward – holding tight to what we “own” and never investing generously in others – would never experience “good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap…” but rather the reverse. We cheat ourselves out of GOD’s goodness and favor because we would rather be greedy.

One person gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. Proverbs 11:24

Our cups also overflow with spiritual abundance!

The Bible tells us that GOD gives His children a life of abundance through JESUS CHRIST (John 10:10.) This abundance is not limited to material blessings but also includes the Holy Spirit’s outpouring upon all who ask Him.

“If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” Luke 11:13.  

The Bible encourages us to be filled with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:18). To do so, we must empty ourselves of sin, pride, and selfishness and replace sinful behavior with the fruit of the Spirit– love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23)

A life lived in accordance with these attributes is reflected by an effortless generosity at all levels – with our time, talent and resources. When our hearts are filled with GOD’s Spirit we can accomplish all that He desires to do in and through us. Because He is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, Ephesians 3:20

 GOD’s grace and favor towards us will have no limit when our hearts belong to Him wholly.

His desire will always be to fill us with all of Himself, until our cup overflows.

“…it is beyond the realm of possibilities that one has the ability to out-give God. Even if I give the whole of my worth to Him, He will find a way to give back to me much more than I gave." — Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Prayer and Thanksgiving: Our good GOD and faithful Shepherd, we thank YOU for your abundant favor towards us in the natural and the spiritual. Thank YOU for teaching us that only good will come to those who are generous, lend freely and conduct their affairs with justice. Thank YOU for trusting us to use our overflow to bless others and not for selfish consumption. Father, YOU give us all good things to enjoy, and JESUS too! Truly, our cups do overflow! We are grateful that through JESUS CHRIST YOU equip us with YOUR Spirit which is working in us to make us pleasing in YOUR sight. To HIS NAME – JESUS, be glory forever and ever.  Amen!

Always by God’s Word and prayer,

Cecile

GOD Heals Our Wayward Hearts

You gave your life to CHRIST JESUS but then you fell off the path.

At first it was an occasional weekday evening event that caused you to miss Bible study but seemed like it was important to do at the time. 

Then it was the neighborhood soccer tournaments and you got the call from the committee chairperson, they really need you for that goalie position – “we couldn’t have won without you last year!” It’s on Sundays and you will have to miss church but…and you love the barbecue picnics after the games. It’s only for a short while…you’ll be back.

But soon you are spending less and less time with other believers, praying little and reading the Bible not at all. You are too busy doing life!

But of late you are not having as much fun and are more than a little uncomfortable with some of the activities your “sophisticated” unbelieving friends love to do. And you burn inside when you object and they laugh at you for acting like those “stodgy Bible-thumpers you used to spend so much time with before we rescued you.”  

These days you are mostly frustrated with it all – such a waste, but you put on a happy face and hang on anyway. You know you should say “no” to some things but you seem unable to. You are stuck in a rut that seems to be too deep to climb out of. You realize that you are in a place you don’t want to be and you don’t know if and how you can go back to where you ought to be – back to GOD and His people.

You are no longer having FUN! You miss GOD and His Bible-thumpers!

There are believers everywhere in similar situations. Some have been “away” from GOD for so long that they forgot everything they used to know and need now to restore a godly relationship. Some are so disheartened by the severity of their misdeeds that they are convinced that GOD cannot still love them nor want to take them back.

Don’t be discouraged. Child of GOD, you CAN return to your Father!

One who earnestly gave his or her life to CHRIST can never cease to bear the Father’s NAME. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, John 1:12.

We can fall away spiritually but never relationally. We are children of GOD once we have come to Him through CHRIST JESUS, and we will remain forever in GOD’s heart. Nothing we do can separate us from GOD’s love (Romans 8:31-39). It is for this reason that we can never find true happiness away from the Father.

English Theologian Charles H. Spurgeon (1834-1892) puts it this way: “…if you are a child of God, you will never be happy in sin. You are spoiled for the world, the flesh, and the devil. When you were regenerated there was put into you a vital principle, which can never be content to dwell in the dead world. You will have to come back, if indeed you belong to the family.”

How do we come back to GOD?

“My wayward children,” says the Lord, “come back to me, and I will heal your wayward hearts.”  Jeremiah 3:22a

Stop everything this minute and just come! GOD wants us just as we are today, right now. Whatever our state. He invites “wayward children” to return. GOD does not say, "Return, repentant children;" or “be healed of your wrong-doing and then you can come back to Me.” We seem to think that we must make ourselves better or more worthy, before we come back to the Father.

No! We come just as we are, with no goodness of our own, no virtue, no hope. GOD already knows everything we have done – nothing in all creation is hidden from Him; we are naked and exposed before GOD’s eyes (Hebrews 4:13). As wretched as we are GOD has already rescued our lives which are dominated by sin and death. He has done it through JESUS CHRIST our LORD! (Romans 7:24-25)

We are incapable of rescuing and healing ourselves – GOD alone can cure our waywardness and backsliding! He invites us only to “Return!” and we must respond immediately, “Yes, we’re coming, for you are the Lord our God.” Jeremiah 3:22b

What’s the one thing we CAN do on our own?

Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. Colossians 3:2

We must redirect our thoughts to thinking about GOD, who He used to be to us before we strayed. We have known the goodness of the Father who is the same today as He was before we strayed.

We can rekindle those feelings of safety, joy and peace when we remember the things He has done, the prayers He answered; the resources He provided. That we are now and have always been totally dependent upon him who gives us our daily bread.

We can think about the indisputable fact that GOD created us in His own image and likeness and the unorthodox and unprecedented manner by which we became a child of GOD! That our salvation came as a result of the suffering and death of His own SON on the cross. We must remember that we are not our own, we have been bought with a price; that the Holy Spirit is living in us and we are His temple. (1 Corinthians 6:18-20)

As we think constantly about the riches of GOD’s kindness, HIS forbearance and patience, He will again become the GREAT I AM and the ALMIGHTY GOD before our eyes. And before we are aware of it GOD’s Spirit and His goodness will do what He always intended, gently lead us to repentance and reconciliation with Him.

GOD will heal our wayward hearts!

The Lord…He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9

Prayer and Thanksgiving: Our good and faithful Father in Heaven, we thank YOU that YOU are our GOD and will always be our LORD and our guide even unto death. We thank YOU that while we are faithless YOU remain faithful for YOU cannot deny YOURSELF. We thank YOU that YOU do not judge us as we deserve, but are patient and long-suffering. We thank YOU that YOU rain on the righteous and the unrighteous and for that reason, we pray for those who are YOURS and have strayed as well as for those who have not yet come to the knowledge of YOUR saving grace. YOU have not left or forsaken any but desire that everyone should come to repentance. Forgive us and continue to woo us – all whom YOU have given to YOUR SON will come. We pray in the NAME that is above every NAME, JESUS CHRIST our LORD.  Amen!

Always by God’s Word and prayer,

Cecile

How We Are Tempted – Conclusion

Satan may be our enemy but GOD is our defense through the divine power that is His WORD and JESUS CHRIST our teacher, as told in Matthew 4:1-11.

As far back as the Garden of Eden the devil has focused his attacks against GOD’s people in the three areas where all human beings’ are most vulnerable – unbelief, vanity, and worldly ambition.

Temptation through self-gratification and greed.

The devil has failed twice to entice JESUS to act against GOD’s will and purpose for His life – but he does not give up easily. He pulls one more trick from up his sleeves, he offers to give CHRIST worldly wealth and status in exchange for an act of worship.

Again the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” Matthew 4:8-9.

But yet again, JESUS does not hesitate to deploy the divine ammunition of GOD’s WORD: Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’” Matthew 4:10

Sadly, it is not uncommon for some who profess belief in JESUS to violate their conscience and GOD’’s WORD in the pursuit of wealth and social status.  When we do this we are in effect bowing to Satan. We are engaging in idolatry and devil worship if our aspirations take precedence over GOD’s will, oppose His WORD and despise instead of glorify His NAME.

Temptation is not a sin; yielding is. “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4:7

We may be tempted but we could choose to walk away. Where many of us fail is in looking too long at the forbidden fruit that is being dangled before us. Like JESUS, we ought to immediately consign the tempter to his proper place – “Get behind me, Satan!” No hesitation! It was within that brief moment of indecision that the crafty serpent intruded on Eve’s conscience with "Did God really say, 'You must not…Genesis 3. She lost everything of value and so did we!

Adam and Eve’s yielding to temptation cost them intimacy with GOD – just so our merest bow of homage in the direction of the enemy will cost us our relationship with our Father. To compromise with evil is to lose our true selves and the cost of reconciliation and restoration is greater than we have the ability to pay.

Because (JESUS CHRIST) himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted. Hebrews 2:18.

JESUS CHRIST suffered so He could bring the sons and daughters of GOD back to the Father and into the righteousness. This was the assignment from the Father that JESUS refused to compromise on by yielding to temptation in the wilderness. CHRIST endured, remained faithful and finished the work of the Father on our behalf – through to His death on the cross.

We do not have the right to be careless with CHRIST’s suffering by yielding to sin, when GOD has sacrificed so much to make us into instruments of righteousness.

We must believe that Satan is our worst enemy whose sole aim is to deceive and destroy us – whatever we accept from his hands will be a curse to us.  Satan is said to be the prince of the rulers of the darkness of this world. JESUS says about him, “….there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” John 8:44

We must totally trust our Father’s promises. That every gift from Him is meant to enrich our lives for all eternity and is given to us with no hidden agenda, deceit or guile. Our GOD is Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. James 1:17

We must believe completely in the power of the WORD of GOD, that it is the divine weapon of our warfare against evil. But we must recognize that if we do not know what GOD said we will not know how to respond to attacks. We must be prepared – read, study, and memorize the WORD! In my heart I store up your words, so I might not sin against you. Psalm 119:11 (NET Bible)

As long as we are on this earth we are fallible, we are going to make mistakes. But we have a HIGH PRIEST, who is able to empathize with our weaknesses, one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. (Hebrews 4:15)

We can be sure of one thing, that JESUS will help us!

Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4:16

Prayer and Thanksgiving: Our Father in Heaven, holy is YOUR NAME! We thank YOU that we have a HIGH PRIEST to help us in our weakness, JESUS CHRIST who has been tempted in every way and have not sinned! We thank YOU that we are never tempted beyond what we can endure, for YOU have made a way of escape for us. Thank YOU Father for the sword of the Spirit, the WORD of GOD and its divine power to pull down strongholds in our lives. Father, we are nothing without YOU! When we think of the goodness of JESUS and all HE has done for us, our very souls cry out Hallelujah! thank YOU GOD for saving us, for forgiving us, for choosing us.  We honor and glorify YOU, as we pray in the NAME of JESUS CHRIST our LORD.  Amen!

Always by God’s Word and prayer,

Cecile

How We Are Tempted – Part 2

For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone. James 1:13 

When we are tempted to disobey GOD, we follow JESUS; His weapon of resistance to Satan’s enticements are as powerful today as they were in Matthew 4:1-11.  

Our defense is still the divine power of GOD’s WORD.

The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 2 Corinthians 10:4

Our enemy's attacks against us continue to focus on the three areas where human beings have been the most vulnerable since the Garden of Eden – unbelief, vanity, and worldly ambition.

Temptation to self-gratification and self-confidence.

The devil having failed to tempt JESUS to go doubt the Father’s power by turning stones into bread to escape His appointed suffering, next tries to entice JESUS into using that same righteous belief in the Father’s protection for a vain and egocentric performance.

   

Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written: “‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. Matthew 4:5-6

But JESUS did not waver in His belief that He would be sustained in the desert where He had been summoned by His Father for a specific purpose and refused to place Himself in danger – and His entire ministry. Again JESUS defeats Satan by the divine power of GOD’s WORD: 

“It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” Matthew 4:7

We too must stick to the script GOD assigned to us and not allow ourselves to be swayed by the sin of self-gratification. Nothing we “do for GOD” out of a carnal desire can be useful to the Kingdom.

As long as we follow where GOD leads, He will support and preserve us in our assigned duty, whatever the danger or difficulty we may face. If we “test GOD” in matters to which we are not clearly called, He will not give His support.

Recognizing that even JESUS can do nothing that the Father has not sanctioned (“whatever the Father does the Son also does. John 5:19), we must be ever watchful that we do not put the Lord our God to the test and abuse His grace.

We must believe that GOD’s sovereignty, wisdom and omniscience are absolute; that GOD is GOD all by Himself; that His plan for us is perfect, even when it’s painful!

Remember, it is better to suffer for doing good, if that is what God wants, than to suffer for doing wrong! 1 Peter 3:17

We must believe that no plan of the Father’s will destroy His chosen people but will have a good and prosperous outcome for us. (Jeremiah 29:11)

We must believe that our Heavenly Father knows best!

“As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:9

Prayer and Thanksgiving: Our good and faithful Father in Heaven, we thank YOU once again for JESUS CHRIST, our HIGH PRIEST who is able to sympathize with our weakness since He too has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Thank YOU Father for the sword of the Spirit, the WORD of GOD and its divine power against the enemy. Forgive us and cleanse us, LORD, from vanity and self-confidence that cause us to act on our own carnal desires and claim it for YOUR NAME.  Thank YOU, JESUS, for YOUR faithful example of how to truly honor and obey our Father’s will.  We pray this in His NAME that is above every NAME, JESUS CHRIST our LORD.  Amen!

Always by God’s Word and prayer,

Cecile

How We Are Tempted – Part 1

….He will also provide a way out... 1 Corinthians 10:13

Temptation is all around us; no child of GOD is immune. The Bible warns us to “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” 1 Peter 5:8. Satan may be our enemy but GOD has provided a shield of defense for His children and JESUS CHRIST is our model for how not to defend against temptation.

Matthew 4:1-11 recounts the temptation of JESUS in the wilderness, where, at the outset of His ministry, He was led by the Spirit to be tempted by the devil. We see that JESUS never yielded but repelled every temptation with the weapon of TRUTH, the “sword of the Spirit, which is the WORD of GOD.” 

JESUS demolishes every attempt of the enemy with a simple, “it is written.”

This same strategy will guarantee our victory today as Satan continues to use the same enticements against us now, as he did with GOD’s Son in the wilderness.

1. The temptation to doubt GOD in times of trial and suffering.

After fasting for 40 days in the desert, JESUS was understandably hungry and the devil chose to use this supposed weakness against Him: “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” (Matthew 4:3) Satan tries to tempt JESUS into distrusting His Father’s wisdom and escape His appointed time of suffering by His own efforts, turning stones into bread.

The devil uses the same ploy when we are in a desert place of affliction or spiritual distress – he tries to talk us into doubting GOD’s love and escaping from what we perceive as unnecessary hardship and suffering, through our own efforts.

To avoid inconvenience, we turn what GOD intended to be stones into bread.  By doing so, we miss out on the favor of GOD and sacrifice the joy that comes with fulfilling our purpose in His kingdom for temporary comfort; but without peace. A child of GOD who disobeys the will of GOD cannot enjoy true peace.

We must believe, as JESUS did, that “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Matthew 4:4

We must believe that we are safer and happier when GOD and His WORD are with us in a wilderness place than feasting with our enemy the devil in the finest setting.

We must believe that GOD will take care of us; bring us through fire and through water and out of the desert into a wealthy place. (Psalm 66:12)

To be continued…

Prayer and Thanksgiving: Holy GOD, our good and faithful Father in Heaven. We thank YOU once again for the gift of YOUR SON, JESUS CHRIST, our HIGH PRIEST who can sympathize with our weakness since He too has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Thank YOU Father for providing a way of escape from temptation; the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God is our proven weapon against the enemy. Thank you for the Holy Spirit that brings to our mind what is written so we are able to repel every thrust of the great enemy. Thank YOU, JESUS, for YOUR faithfulness to the Father and now to us.  We pray this in His NAME that is above every NAME, JESUS CHRIST our LORD.  Amen!

Always by God’s Word and prayer,

Cecile

Clay in the Potter’s Hand – Conclusion

The Lord gave another message to Jeremiah. He said, “Go down to the potter’s shop, and I will speak to you there.”  So I did as he told me and found the potter working at his wheel. But the jar he was making did not turn out as he had hoped, so he crushed it into a lump of clay again and started over. Then the Lord gave me this message:  “O Israel, can I not do to you as this potter has done to his clay? As the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand….” Jeremiah 18:1-6 NLT

The prophet Jeremiah, having observed the local potter at work, understands now GOD’s supreme authority over the Nation of Israel, GOD’s chosen people, and accepts that GOD is justified in whatever judgement He decides against them. 

‘This is what the Lord says: I am planning disaster for you instead of good. So turn from your evil ways, each of you, and do what is right. But the people replied, “Don’t waste your breath. We will continue to live as we want to, stubbornly following our own evil desires.” Jeremiah 18:12 NLT

Not until it was too late, did the Nation of Israel recognize that to fight against GOD’s will is to fight a losing battle. GOD is a just Judge and He offered them a chance to do right but they rejected the offer and chose His wrath instead.

We who claim to be children of GOD, yet choose to go our own way, do so to our own detriment. “What sorrow awaits those who argue with their Creator. Does a clay pot argue with its maker?” Isaiah 45:9

GOD’s has an unquestionable sovereignty over His people.

GOD formed us out of clay and has the same power over us that a potter has over clay. GOD controls the purpose and calling of His people and we must submit our will to GOD’s wisdom, just as clay does to the potter’s.

In the Old Testament GOD asserted His power through prophets. Now, GOD speaks to us through His SON and His WORD by which He tells us what we ought to do and how He will respond to disobedience. Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets. And now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son. Hebrews 1:1-2

At the same time, GOD’s WORD assures us that He is a righteous and merciful Judge who, one Bible Commentary says, always goes by fixed rules of equity and goodness. GOD is immutable, He does exactly what He says He will do, and thus we can never be surprised by His response to our action, good or bad.  

God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through? Numbers 23:19

GOD is also omniscient and from the beginning of time designed and knew our purposes.

“I alone am God! I am God, and there is none like me. Only I can tell you the future before it even happens. Everything I plan will come to pass, for I do whatever I wish.” Isaiah 46:9-10

The 19th century American Christian writer J. R. Miller (1840-1912) wrote an article on “Submission” in which he said that Christian have a duty to be wholly, fully and forever submitted to the Father’s will, whatever it may be. Mr. Miller also said in part:

O! how the Christian should glory in God’s choosing for him the lot of his inheritance, and be content with that condition which Heaven accounts best for him, though not the grandest or greatest; nor the richest or happiest; nor that state he most desires. I am not my own—for I am bought with a price, and dearly paid for too! Would it not be too daring for me to instruct God how to decorate the heavens, how to set the sun, station the moon, place the poles, plant the stars, and guide the wandering planets? Now, I am as much his by right, (yes, in the ties of love, more,) and as much at his disposal, as any of these his other creatures; and if I cannot complain of his conduct with these, why quarrel at his providences toward me? ….God’s way is not only equitable in itself, but profitable for his people, for the latter end of the righteous is peace; and the end of the Lord is always gracious to his afflicted ones—who chooses them in the furnace of affliction, brings light out of darkness, order out of confusion, real good out of seeming evil; and, finally, brings through fire and water to a place of eternal glory!

Mr. Miller’s very insightful commentary is clear – yielding ourselves, body and mind to the will of GOD works for the good of all creation as well as to the glory of the ONE to whom all our works, all our purposes, and all our life wanderings are known from the beginning!

GOD is the Potter, we are the clay!

All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him: “What have you done?” Daniel 4:35

Prayer and Thanksgiving: Our Father in Heaven, Hallowed be Thy NAME! THY Kingdom come, THY will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven. YOU give us each day our daily bread; YOU forgive us our trespasses against YOU and teach us by example how to forgiven others their trespasses against us; YOU do not tempt us to evil but you deliver us from evil. YOU, O GOD, are our good, good Father who from the beginning of time knew that we would be unworthy and stiff-necked creatures but provided for us a way of salvation and sanctification. Without YOU we are nothing! It is YOUR breath in our lungs that turned us from lumps of clay to living souls. We thank and praise YOU for YOUR wisdom – though we may see ourselves as not the grandest or greatest; the richest or happiest; nor whatever status we think we deserve, we are yet fit for the MASTER’s use in YOUR perfect plan. ALL praise, honor and glory to YOU! We pray all things in the NAME of JESUS CHRIST, our SAVIOR and LORD.  Amen!

Always by God’s Word and prayer,

Cecile

Clay in the Potter’s Hand – Part 1

The Lord gave another message to Jeremiah. He said, “Go down to the potter’s shop, and I will speak to you there.”  So I did as he told me and found the potter working at his wheel. But the jar he was making did not turn out as he had hoped, so he crushed it into a lump of clay again and started over. Then the Lord gave me this message:  “O Israel, can I not do to you as this potter has done to his clay? As the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand….” Jeremiah 18:1-6 (NLT)

In these Scripture verses from the Book of Jeremiah, GOD gives the prophet instructions to go to the house of the village potter and observe how he works.

Jeremiah saw that the potter designed a lump of clay to form whatever shape he liked and if one shape proved unsatisfactory, he crushed it into a lump of clay again and started over. The Scriptures do not say this, but it is easy to imagine that the potter might repeat this process as often as he liked until he was completely satisfied with the final product. It is also safe to say, that the potter chose how he would use what he created.

Jeremiah by observation of the potter at work understood GOD’s relationship with Nations as well as individuals; that GOD’s authority is indisputable and whatever He decides regarding Nations or individuals, cannot be disputed. "Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." Psalm 46:10

GOD is the potter and we are the clay. (“…can I not do to you as this potter has done to his clay?”)

In the Scripture narrative, the clay never questions the potter about its design or use. Neither should we question GOD about what He is doing or has done in our lives. But who are you, a human being, to talk back to God? "Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, 'Why did you make me like this?'" Romans 9:20

GOD does not owe us anything and He is not accountable to us and it would be as absurd for us to dispute this as for the clay to quarrel with the potter. (Matthew Henry’s commentary on Jeremiah 18)

Just as the potter controls the shaping and remaking of the clay to suit his purpose, GOD has the right to make whatever changes with His children He pleases. To complain or to resist GOD’s authority over our lives is to attempt to reverse our roles so we become the potter and  GOD a lump of molded clay. GOD doing what we want, instead of we obeying GOD.

GOD does not share His glory with anyone, His children included. He is never going to throw up His hands and let us take over,  ignore His authority and do whatever we want. “The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him.” Psalm 24:1

But GOD will certainly do with us what is just and fair.

Early in the Bible GOD made a covenant with Israel, they are the people He chose for Himself from among all other Nations. However, over time Israel turned from obeying GOD’s law to worshiping idols. Jeremiah 18 recounts the warning message GOD gave the prophet to pass on to Israel:  “I am planning disaster for you instead of good. So turn from your evil ways, each of you, and do what is right.’” Jeremiah 18:11

GOD is a merciful Father! Even when we act foolishly, attempt to usurp His authority and take His glory, GOD gives us an out – an opportunity to turn from our evil ways, obey His will, restore the relationship and be blessed. But too often, we do what the Israelites did when Jeremiah relayed GOD’s message to them. We refuse to listen!

But the people replied, “Don’t waste your breath. We will continue to live as we want to, stubbornly following our own evil desires.” Jeremiah 18:12

We forget that our times are in GOD’s Mighty Hand, that we do not control our own destiny, and it is a losing battle for us to strive with GOD.

Yet you, Lord, are our Father.  We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand. Isaiah 64:8

To be continued…

Prayer and Thanksgiving: Holy GOD, our good and faithful Father in Heaven. We thank and praise YOU, that in YOUR wisdom YOU have designed a great plan for us and in YOUR wisdom, YOU will shape us and remake us as many times as YOU need to so we are fit for our Master’s use. Thank YOU that YOU created us as YOUR masterpiece for YOUR good purpose. YOU are the Potter! We trust that every day YOU shape our circumstances and guide our steps to fulfill YOUR plan. Be patient with us as we learn how to enjoy our special place in YOUR Kingdom, that YOU are in control and that YOUR plans for us are never going to change. We praise YOU, Father, and give honor to JESUS CHRIST, our perfect example of one who was crushed and remade into a vessel of lesser value that He deserved…for our sakes. Our Redeemer in WHOSE NAME we pray.  Amen!

Always by God’s Word and prayer,

Cecile

Friends – Part 2

There is nothing on this earth more to be prized than true friendship. Thomas Aquinas

As children of GOD, we ought to strive to be the kind of a friend we think we deserve to have – reliable and authentic; without falsehood, hypocrisy, or guile; one who always has a another’s best and truest interest at heart, and will seek after their good, even at our own expense.

We all know that JESUS is such a friend but the Scriptures tell us of others just like ourselves, mere mortals, who were genuine and selfless friends – the kind that sticks closer than a brother. Proverbs 18:24b

 The kind of friend we want - Jonathan

One of the most famous stories about friendship in the Bible is told in 1 Samuel 18-20 – it’s the story of Jonathan and David.

David was the second king to rule over ancient Israel, after King Saul. GOD took away the kingdom from Saul and chose David to replace him as king of Israel because Saul disobeyed GOD.

Saul’s son Jonathan was David friend. The two young men formed a special bond of friendship from their first meeting. The Scriptures tells us that Jonathan loved David as his own soul and made a covenant of friendship with him. (1 Samuel 18:1-3).

But for Saul’s transgression against the LORD, Jonathan, as a rightful heir, ought to have been Saul’s successor. Even though Jonathan knew that David would be the next king, he did not let that fact change their friendship. Instead Jonathan trusted God’s decision, accepted it with grace and continued to show genuine goodwill towards David.

Jonathan not only yielded to GOD’s will but protected David from his father who, in a jealous rage, was determined to kill David.

“My father Saul is looking for a chance to kill you. Be on your guard tomorrow morning; go into hiding and stay there. I will go out and stand with my father in the field where you are. I’ll speak to him about you and will tell you what I find out.” Jonathan spoke well of David to Saul his father and said to him, “Let not the king sin against his servant David, because he has not sinned against you, and because his deeds have brought good to you. 1 Samuel 19:2-4

Saul’s hatred and fear of David was so intense that Jonathan couldn’t trust him not to harm his friend, although Saul denied that he would. When Jonathan finally confronted Saul with the truth, Saul turned his anger toward Jonathan, called him a traitor and tried to kill his own son.

Jonathan put his relationship with his father at risk, as well as his own life, to save his friend. He was never jealous of David’s position and his affection continued to be genuine. David came to rely on Jonathan's protection from Saul's wrath.

“….if my father intends to harm you, may the Lord deal with Jonathan, be it ever so severely, if I do not let you know and send you away in peace. May the Lord be with you as he has been with my father.” 1 Samuel 20:13

Eventually, out of necessity, David and Jonathan parted. Later, when David learned of Jonathan’s death on the battlefield he was heartbroken and wrote a beautiful tribute to honor his friend.

Human sympathy is sweet, but it is necessarily an imperfect thing. Sympathy, whether with sorrow or temptation, in order to be perfect, must proceed from One who has infinite power of sympathizing, and infinite good will to exercise it. George W. Mylne

  

The One perfect Friend – JESUS

By GOD’s grace and His Spirit that lives within us, we strive to be the best friend we can be and to choose our friends wisely. But, we are imperfect creatures who make mistakes so our perfect LORD has provided a way out for us – forgiveness and reconciliation.

To be a friend and keep our friends we must be willing to forgive continually, receive forgiveness and be reconciled.

“Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.” Matthew 18:21-22

“If your brother or sister[a] sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them. Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them.” Luke 17:3-4

How well we live and serve our Father has a lot to do with the quality of support we have and give. The right kind of friends keep each other anchored and true to self, purpose and GOD.

Friendship, says C.S. Lewis, is one of those things that give value to survival.

Friends make our lives better.

As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another. Proverbs 27:17

Prayer and Thanksgiving: Holy GOD, our Father in Heaven. YOUR WORD says that if we listen to advice and accept discipline, at the end we will be counted among the wise. Father we are listening and we are learning how YOU desire us to live. As we go through this journey we ask that YOU continue to give us wisdom to both be a friend and choose the right friends. We thank YOU for being our best and truest friend who forgives us so much and because of YOUR grace and mercy we can extend grace and mercy, for the same reason YOU do, to keep our friends close, to be the kind of friend that brings honor and glory to YOUR NAME. We praise YOU, Father, and give honor to JESUS CHRIST, our Redeemer and Friend! In WHOSE NAME we pray.  Amen!

Always by God’s Word and prayer,

Cecile

Friends – Part 1

Scripture tells us that the righteous must choose their friends carefully so we are not led astray by bad company whose negative influences will hurt us, tarnish our character and ruin our testimony before the world. (Proverbs 12:26; 1 Corinthians 15:33)

We can find examples of both good and bad friends in the Scriptures where everything that was written, was written to teach and encourage us.  

One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin…Proverbs 18:24a

The kind of friend we avoid - Jonadab

2 Samuel 13 recounts the story of Amnon, one of King David’s sons, whose obsession with his half-sister, Tamar was so toxic as to affect both his mood and his appeearance. Amnon’s friend and adviser Jonadab, on learning the reason for Amnon’s melancholy, encouraged Amnon in a plan of deception, the consequences of which were severe for both Tamar and Amnon, and, in the long run, King David himself.

Amnon was to take to his bed under the pretense of illness and when the King came to visit request that Tamar be sent to his home to cook a special meal for him. The plot was to get Tamar to Amnon’s private quarters so he could be alone with her; and King David unknowingly agreed to a plan that would cause harm to his daughter.

Despite her protests Amnon forced himself on his sister and raped her. Then, instead of doing the right thing and ask his father to marry her, he threw her out of his house, thus she was condemned to live out the rest of her life a “shamed woman” – hidden away in the home of her biological brother Absalom. In the culture of that day, Tamar was now unmarriageable material, damaged goods who would never enjoy a family of her own.

Absalom knew what Amnon had done but he waited two years to take his revenge. Absalom tricked their father David into sending Amnon along with other brothers to, supposedly, help out with Absalom’s sheep shearing. Having enticed Amnon far away from the King, Absalom ordered his servants to murder Amnon; and then Absalom ran to another city.  

When David learned of Amnon’s murder he was angry as well as grieved for the murder of Amnon at his brother’s hand and became estranged from Absalom.

The result of all the original lies and deceptions culminated in Absalom’s own death on the battlefield. He developed such bitterness toward David that he attempted to take over the rule of Israel and his father’s throne and was himself murdered by one of David’s soldiers.

All this because Amnon was a weak man who accepted bad counsel from a friend and adviser.

But the story also told us something crucial about Jonadab’s character that marked him as a very bad friend – “And Jonadab was a very crafty man.” 2 Samuel 13:3

The dictionary defines a “crafty” person as one who is “clever at achieving one's aims by indirect or deceitful methods” and synonyms include, cunning, guileful, wily, artful, devious, sly, tricky, duplicitous, dishonest, underhand, cheating, deceitful, scheming, calculating, designing, evasive.

  

JESUS is a believer’s truest and best friend. How do these characteristics compare with what we know of Him?

Isaiah 53:9 tells us that there wasn’t any deceit in JESUS’s mouth. No falsehoods, no hypocrisy, no guile, no ambiguity, no duplicity, no evasiveness, nothing calculating, nothing designed to perpetrate a dishonest deed.  JESUS spoke only TRUTH!

We need friends like JESUS! Who will help us in our weakness to bear our burdens, rather than add to them!

Never do a wrong thing to make a friend or to keep one. Robert E. Lee

To be continued….

Prayer and Thanksgiving: Holy GOD and Father in Heaven. We thank YOU for YOUR WORD that teaches, instructs, and corrects. We thank YOU for what we are learning about true friendship. Father, YOU have given us also a perfect example of a true friend in our LORD and SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST.  Above all, JESUS was without guile in HIS walk before YOU and your children ought to be the same so we learn to be without guile with each other. Help us to build and choose friendships built on truth and not deception and lies.  Search us and see if there is anything that is not real, or honest, or transparent in us and, by YOUR grace, root up all that is toxic and hateful, all hypocrisy, bad motives, and unholy thought that is not like JESUS, and replace it with that which will serve to nurture a friendship that will bring YOU honor and glory. We praise YOU, Father, and give honor to YOUR SON; our Redeemer and Friend! In HIS NAME we pray.  Amen!

Always by God’s Word and prayer,

Cecile