MAKE THE FIRST MOVE : Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. - Colossians 3:12, NLT Too often, when something doesn’t go the way we expect, we make the mistake of telling ourselves, “It’s not fair. It’s not right. When that changes, when it improves, then I’ll have a better attitude.” No, you’ve got to make the first move. You do your part and God will do His part. Quit worrying about God changing another person, and allow God to change you first. Is there something you’re letting overwhelm you? Maybe you think it’s too much. Why don’t you get up every morning and make this simple declaration, “God, I want to thank You that I can handle anything that comes my way today. I can handle a difficult boss. I can handle getting stuck in traffic. I can handle my plans not working out. Lord, thank You that I’ll have a good attitude wherever I am.” Decide ahead of time that you are going to stay in an attitude of faith and expectancy. Choose to clothe yourself with mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Choose God’s ways and let Him order your steps all the days of your life. THE SILENT PEN The fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. —James 3:18 Former US President Harry Truman had a rule: Any letters written in anger had to sit on his desk for 24 hours before they could be mailed. If at the end of that “cooling off” period, he still felt the same sentiments, he would send the letter. By the end of his life, Truman’s unmailed letters filled a large desk drawer. How often in this age of immediate communication would even 24 minutes of wise restraint spare us embarrassment! In his epistle, James addressed a universal theme in human history when he wrote about the damage an uncontrolled tongue can bring. “No man can tame the tongue,” he wrote. “It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison” (3:8). When we’re gossiping or speaking in anger, we find ourselves outside the lines of what God desires. Our tongues, our pens, and even our keyboards should more often fall silent with thanks in our hearts for the restraint God provides. All too often, when we speak we remind everyone of our brokenness as human beings. When we want to surprise others with the difference Christ makes, we may need to look no further than restraining our tongue. Others can’t help but notice when we honor God with what we say—or don’t say. Help me, Lord, to use my words not to tear down others or build up my own reputation, but to seek the good of others first, and in so doing to serve You and Your kingdom. Whoever guards his mouth and tongue keeps his soul from troubles. —Proverbs 21:23 A COVENANT OF LOVE : For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son. – John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave...and He gave...and He gave. That is the message the Bible brings us from beginning to end. It sounds simple enough. Yet few of us really comprehend it. We can understand the idea of a God of power. We can understand a God who desires to be served. But an Almighty God who loves us so much that He desires, above all, to give to us? That can be hard to believe. For thousands of years, God has been working to drop the revelation of His love into the hearts of men. Hes made loving promises of blessing and protection. But Hes always faced that same obstacle--human beings who just couldnt bring themselves to believe those promises were true. The story of Abram is a perfect example. He wasnt accustomed to the idea of a God who gives. After all, hed grown up as a worshiper of the moon, and the moon had certainly never seemed interested in doing anything for him. Then he encountered El Shaddai, the greatest Being of all. The one Almighty God. And the first thing this El Shaddai wanted to do was give to him. Gods promises so astounded Abram that he couldnt believe them. Lord, he asked, how can I know Im really going to receive these things? (Gen. 15:8). Do you know how God answered him? By cutting a blood covenant with him. That covenant settled forever any question Abram could ever have about Gods love and loyalty. Once blood had been shed, he knew God meant what He said. God did the same thing for you. He cut a blood covenant with you. And He sacrificed His own Son to do it. Jesus broken body and shed blood have become the eternal proof of Gods love for you. Through Communion, Hes urged you to remember them again and again so that when your faith in His promises begins to waver, you might have a strong consolation (Heb. 6:18). Get a revelation of Gods love for you by meditating on the covenant Hes made with you. Get out the bread and the cup. Go before the Lord with them and take Communion thinking about the body and blood of Jesus that enables you to be a blood-covenant member of the family of Almighty God. Let them settle forever the question of Gods love for you. Youll never again have to doubt His promises once you believe in His love.
Posted on: Tue, 11 Mar 2014 06:41:16 +0000
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