Don't Waste It

In 2 Corinthians 1:3, Paul calls God "the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort." Paul knew God as a merciful comforter because he suffered as a Christian. It's part of his credentials. He suffered externally from the world, who persecuted him. And he suffered internally from Christians, who misjudged his motivation. He's sort of hinting at that in verses 3 through 7.

And what I'd like to say to anybody going through a trial is this. Don't waste your suffering. When you go through a trial, don't look at it as just a dumb accident, but as a divine appointment.

When I say don't waste it, I mean analyze it, learn from it, and ask yourself, "How can what I'm going through help other people who will go through this later on?" I'm convinced that one of the reasons you experience trials is for this very reason, so that you can be a comfort to others. Verse 4 says, "that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God."

You know, it's amazing that with all the things that Paul suffered, he could still say, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." Somebody once said that your spiritual maturity can be measured by what it takes to steal your joy. Think about that. Have you ever met a Christian who, no matter what they're going through, just seems to be above it all a little bit? "I know life is hard, I know this trial is horrible, but God is so good!" They always seem to have a lightness in their step, and they see that there's a greater purpose for what happens. Sometimes it's sort of hard to be around those people. They're so convicting because they're filled with joy! That's a mark of maturity.

I don't know what you're going through in your life. But in the midst of it, I wonder if you can say, like Paul, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." No matter what happens in your world, there's always enough bad stuff going on that you can focus on it.

But I want you to focus on that portion of scripture in 2 Corinthians, and as you do, remember that you can offer God's comfort to others because you've received it yourself. Others need to know how you handle your suffering. As Jesus said, "Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful" (Luke 6:36).

Go Back And Make It Right

A lace maker was working on a very intricate design when she noticed a mistake at the beginning of her work. To the untrained eye it was inconspicuous and she could easily have camouflaged it, but moments like that separate the professional from the “dabbler”. She worked all night, painstakingly unraveled her work till she reached the flaw, fixed it, and started over again. When the angel blocked Balaam on the road, Balaam said, “I have sinned. I did not realized you were standing in the road to oppose me...if you are displeased, I will go back.“ There are times when you need to go back and make things right. Now, God doesn’t usually send angels to tell us we’re off course; He speaks through His Word, through a trusted friend, or through our conscience. One Bible teacher says: “If the Holy Spirit reveals we’ve made an error, it’s pointless to go on unless we go back…you’ve made a mistake somewhere along the line. Your sins have come home to roost. We do ourselves a disservice when we merely make a quick midcourse correction. If you want the ends to come together, then ask the Holy Spirit to show you where you dropped the stitch.’” Marcus Aurelius said, “A wrongdoer is often one who has left something undone, not always one who has done something.” If the Holy Spirit is dealing with you right now and about some unfinished business in your life, stop, go back and make it right. It’s not easy, but God will honor your humility and obedience.

From
newlifeoakwood.org

When Angels Party Hard

What do Angels, sports fans, children, and clowns have in common? They all know how to have a good party!

Give sports fans an opportunity to tailgate, put on their favorite colors, and give them an opportunity to cheer for their team. If they are indeed a real fan, you will find them partying for their team whether they win or lose. Children don’t even need toys and gadgets to have a good time. Give them space and some time and you’ll find them creating something out of ‘nothingness’ and enjoying the simple things in life. Without question, clowns become the life of the party. They thrive on the opportunity to make people laugh. No matter how silly, weird, or corny they may appear, they will not stop until the party is a happening place. What makes Angels party? The Message Translation of Luke 15: 7-10 gives us a clue and an answer to this question.

"Count on it--there's more joy in heaven over one sinner's rescued life than over ninety-nine good people in no need of rescue. Or imagine a woman who has ten coins and loses one. Won't she light a lamp and scour the house, looking in every nook and cranny until she finds it? And when she finds it you can be sure she'll call her friends and neighbors: 'Celebrate with me! I found my lost coin!' Count on it--that's the kind of party God's angels throw every time one lost soul turns to God." (Message)

The answer is crystal-clear. When a person crosses the threshold of being eternally lost to being eternally found, the angels throw a party. Although we don’t know what kind of music, food, and activities this party has, we can glean that it’s the kind of party that’s worth inviting others to. It’s the kind of party that is worth angels pausing their normal activities to celebrate the life of someone who was once lost.

Here’s where the issue arises? Are believers, individually, doing their part to make sure that the angels can party every day? This seems to be a grand occasion. Verse seven indicates that the level of joy over this one person that authentically submits their life to Jesus Christ is indescribable and unmatched. When, then, do we have such lethargic and mundane interests in the salvation of others? These verses ought to excite, motivate, and compel us to want to join the angels in partying. When people walk the isles in church services, the ‘regular’ believers have grabbed their belongings and started to mentally check-out of the service, waiting to be the first to their cars. It seems that their ought to almost be streamers, balloons, air horns, banners, and an all-out celebration even if only one comes into the Kingdom in that service.

You say, this seems a bit too much? Maybe so, but if it’s good enough for the angels, it ought to be good enough for us. We’re challenged to be more evangelistic in our daily lives. Let’s party with the angels.

By
Overseer Christopher J. Harris

You Can Know God Intimately

In the book of Revelation, you can read about the angels, the seraphim and cherubim that fly around the throne of God and are before God's face. They go around the very circumference of the throne, behold the face of God, and fly around the throne again and again (see Rev. 4:8).

The Scripture tells us that every time they see God's face, they say, "Holy." They go back around and see the face of God again and each time they see something new, and they say, "Holy." Then they fly around again and see something else new they have not seen before, and they say, "Holy is the Lord!"

Man, they've been flying around that throne for billions of years, but every time they come around and see the very face of God, they see something deeper in God! They see something more intimate in God. They see something that makes them say once again, "Holy is the Lord!"

Well, some folks only get around once. They get saved, and that's it. And even that revelation of God the Creator begins to slip from them after a while, and they begin to wonder if their experience is real. That is because they have not seen the multi-faceted face of God Almighty. They have not understood that there's a deeper understanding, even of El Shaddai, than just that He is the God of more than enough.

He is the God who is everything you need Him to be. And the way to know that for yourself is to spend time with Him -- in the Word of God and in prayer. Spend time meditating in the Word of God and He will show you more of Himself. Then every time you get before God you will say, "Holy." Then you will go before Him in prayer and you will say, "Holy." You will be driving in your car and you will say, "Holy." You will get to know God more deeply and intimately in the wonders of His person.

Scripture Of The Day: "That I may know Him [that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him..." - Philippians 3:10 (AMP)