Hopelessness
Something's you just can not fix and change. Even small problems can leave us feeling hopeless and causes us to give up. Satan attacks us for the purpose of making us loose hope. When I loose hope satan has won!
When there is no hope sin reigns and spirals out of control.
1 Corinthians 15:16-19
What am I putting my hope in? Hope in anything in this life is useless! Life changes in a blink of an eye. Am I going to put my hope in something that is so unpredictable and unable to provide me security? Hope in Christ is the only true hope!
There is not hope in this life. God created heaven to give us hope in something more than this life!
God out in each one of us the longing for something more in life. That is Heavenly longings that God has planted in each of us. God never intended for us to be full here on earth.
Three ways we can respond to unfulfilled longings:
We are not content with what we have. We are always looking for something better and nothing is ever good enough!
Or we train our selves to stop wanting. We give up. We become bitter and angry with life.
Or there is the Christian perspective that God intended us to have. We see that every signal need has a corresponding fulfillment. For ever longing and for ever desire there is something to fulfill it temporarily. The desire that is there is designed to help us think of heaven and the day where there will be no more longing!
I need to recognize my leggings for heavens and focus on God when those longings come! Consider heaven and consider what reality is in heaven! No time! No more longings! No struggles! Complete peace! Rest in heaven! No need for faith in heaven! Pure pleasure!
Revelations 4:6
Monday, April 7, 2014
We all need help!
We all need help!
None of us are really self made or completely independent! We need help in one way or another.
Mark 2:1-12
Here we see a man who desperately needed help. Spiritually we are just as helpless. We are blind and crippled spiritually!
Jesus knew this man wanted physically healing but Jesus knew what he needed. Jesus saw the bigger issue in this mans life!
To Jesus telling the man to walk was easier than forgiving sin. To us we think the exact opposite. We focus one the physical issues in our lives and neglect the more important spiritual things.
When we realize we need help, we will do what ever it takes to get that help! This paralytic did what ever it took to find healing. His faith in Jesus knew that if he could just meet Jesus he would find healing.
This man would not have gone through what he went through to see Jesus if he did not believe that Jesus had the power to heal him!
In many ways this paralytic was lucky that he had a need that he could see. Jesus will give us all the help we need but he never made it easy. We have to be willing to do what ever it takes to be with Jesus!
Jesus is the source of the saving power in this story but this man needed the help of others around him to reach that power. Today many religious people acknowledge the saving power of Jesus but refuse to allow other people to help them get to that power. Getting to Jesus is not something we can do on our own. We need help. God uses people around us to help us reach him.
Am I humble enough to allow people to help me?! Admitting that I need help is the first step!
None of us are really self made or completely independent! We need help in one way or another.
Mark 2:1-12
Here we see a man who desperately needed help. Spiritually we are just as helpless. We are blind and crippled spiritually!
Jesus knew this man wanted physically healing but Jesus knew what he needed. Jesus saw the bigger issue in this mans life!
To Jesus telling the man to walk was easier than forgiving sin. To us we think the exact opposite. We focus one the physical issues in our lives and neglect the more important spiritual things.
When we realize we need help, we will do what ever it takes to get that help! This paralytic did what ever it took to find healing. His faith in Jesus knew that if he could just meet Jesus he would find healing.
This man would not have gone through what he went through to see Jesus if he did not believe that Jesus had the power to heal him!
In many ways this paralytic was lucky that he had a need that he could see. Jesus will give us all the help we need but he never made it easy. We have to be willing to do what ever it takes to be with Jesus!
Jesus is the source of the saving power in this story but this man needed the help of others around him to reach that power. Today many religious people acknowledge the saving power of Jesus but refuse to allow other people to help them get to that power. Getting to Jesus is not something we can do on our own. We need help. God uses people around us to help us reach him.
Am I humble enough to allow people to help me?! Admitting that I need help is the first step!
Meeting Each Other's Needs!
Meeting Each Other's Needs!
John 6:1-9
Spiritual maturity comes through serving and being outward focused. If all we are doing is receiving and not giving then we will not grow spiritually.
Jesus had many excuses not to be giving. He was tired and trying to get away from the crowds. Jesus was looking to get away and needed some space.
What is my attitude about serving? Do I make priority over my own needs like Jesus did?
Many needs around us go un met and the truth is that as long as there is someone in need then our work is not done yet. The temptation is to feel like "why bother".
The disciples didn't want to serve these people because the burden was too great and there were not enough resources to do it.
Jesus didn't let the lack of resources stop him from serving. He took the little that he had and allowed God to multiply it. Sometimes we have a huge problem that overwhelms us and and instead of giving what we do have we end up doing nothing at all. We should be like Jesus and give what we have and then allow God to multiply it!
John 6:11-13
I need to look for ways to give. Pray about my giving and ask God to give ways to serve!
Jesus gave too much. Jesus gave so much that there was left overs! Think about that for a minute. Every man took as much as they needed and Jesus provided more than enough!
Without a serving heart we can not be like Jesus!
John 6:1-9
Spiritual maturity comes through serving and being outward focused. If all we are doing is receiving and not giving then we will not grow spiritually.
Jesus had many excuses not to be giving. He was tired and trying to get away from the crowds. Jesus was looking to get away and needed some space.
What is my attitude about serving? Do I make priority over my own needs like Jesus did?
Many needs around us go un met and the truth is that as long as there is someone in need then our work is not done yet. The temptation is to feel like "why bother".
The disciples didn't want to serve these people because the burden was too great and there were not enough resources to do it.
Jesus didn't let the lack of resources stop him from serving. He took the little that he had and allowed God to multiply it. Sometimes we have a huge problem that overwhelms us and and instead of giving what we do have we end up doing nothing at all. We should be like Jesus and give what we have and then allow God to multiply it!
John 6:11-13
I need to look for ways to give. Pray about my giving and ask God to give ways to serve!
Jesus gave too much. Jesus gave so much that there was left overs! Think about that for a minute. Every man took as much as they needed and Jesus provided more than enough!
Without a serving heart we can not be like Jesus!
Give Up Everything You Have!
Give Up Everything You Have!
Luke 14:33 Jesus called us to give up everything to be a disciple and we can't go to heaven unless we are his disciples!
Luke 14:25-27
My love for God has to be clearly more than anything else in my life. I love God so much that the only other world to describe my other relationships is hate.
God is trying to help us not be selfish! God wants us to be happy and he knows that by denying myself it will lead to true happiness.
Too many churches today teach a happiness gospel that God just wants us to all be happy. They miss the whole message of Christ that true happiness that comes from self denial.
Luke 14:28-32
We need to give up our comfort zone. God wants us to count the cost because God has a mission for us and he knows that it will be challenging us! God uses two concepts, building and battling in war. Why building? Matthew 28:18-20 making and building disciples. Why battling? 2 Timothy 3:12
Giving up your control!
Luke 14:33-35
My struggle in this world really is a control issue. Either I try to control things myself and or give control over to God who is really in control any way. Giving up everything I have is not a burden but really the release of a burden! It's about making Jesus Lord of my life!
Luke 14:33 Jesus called us to give up everything to be a disciple and we can't go to heaven unless we are his disciples!
Luke 14:25-27
My love for God has to be clearly more than anything else in my life. I love God so much that the only other world to describe my other relationships is hate.
God is trying to help us not be selfish! God wants us to be happy and he knows that by denying myself it will lead to true happiness.
Too many churches today teach a happiness gospel that God just wants us to all be happy. They miss the whole message of Christ that true happiness that comes from self denial.
Luke 14:28-32
We need to give up our comfort zone. God wants us to count the cost because God has a mission for us and he knows that it will be challenging us! God uses two concepts, building and battling in war. Why building? Matthew 28:18-20 making and building disciples. Why battling? 2 Timothy 3:12
Giving up your control!
Luke 14:33-35
My struggle in this world really is a control issue. Either I try to control things myself and or give control over to God who is really in control any way. Giving up everything I have is not a burden but really the release of a burden! It's about making Jesus Lord of my life!
Solomon's demise!
Solomon's demise!
Deuteronomy 7:3-4; 17:16-20
1 Kings 3:1-14; 4:20-26; 6:2; 38; 7:1; 9:3; 10:14-15; 11:1-11
Even though Solomon was in sin God continued to bless him until he turned his heart away from God. Solomon's wives pulled him away from God.
Solomon did not see the damage that his choices were causing to his relationship with God over time. His choices ultimately hardened his heart and he lost his love for God!
If Solomon who was the wisest man that ever lived could not walk the line, then why should I think that i will be any different!
Deuteronomy 7:3-4; 17:16-20
1 Kings 3:1-14; 4:20-26; 6:2; 38; 7:1; 9:3; 10:14-15; 11:1-11
Even though Solomon was in sin God continued to bless him until he turned his heart away from God. Solomon's wives pulled him away from God.
Solomon did not see the damage that his choices were causing to his relationship with God over time. His choices ultimately hardened his heart and he lost his love for God!
If Solomon who was the wisest man that ever lived could not walk the line, then why should I think that i will be any different!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)