WORK IN PROGRESS

A church elder curses out the cashier at the grocery store. The response when seeing a fellow church member is, “I’m a work in progress. God knows my heart and He is not through with me yet.” Really? Statements like these are merely justifications for sin.

RETURN TO LOVE

Relationships are the cornerstone of our existence. Good, bad, or indifferent, every single one of us exists in one in some way. How we are in those relationships is determined by a multitude of factors. Some of us are open, honest, trusting and forgiving. Others are shut off, dishonest, fearful and begrudging. How we behave in some interactions is dependent upon what we have seen and experienced in our past relationships, whether relationships with friends, family (parent or siblings), love (spouse or mate), or those at work (boss or co-worker). But one of the most fulfilling relationships that we can have is the one with our Heavenly Father, but even our connection with Him is predicated by previous relationships.

We often take our closest relationships for granted. If we are not used to trusting, it is hard for us to lean on God and to trust in Him. When we have been in long-term relationships, we have a tendency to take those that we love for granted. Because of the closeness or intimacy in that relationship some of us will lie, cheat and do other hurtful things knowing that no matter what happens we will have right standing when we get our act together.  

It often occurs in our walk with Christ, especially those of us that grew up in the church; we know we are loved, blessed, and forgiven. We have lifelong relationships with God that we grow up to take for granted. God has always been there for us so we expect Him to be. He counseled us, so we expect Him to give us the answers. He blessed us so we expect favor in our prayers to Him. Whatever the problem or circumstance, the Bible offers insight and solutions.  But often, we do not do the things that God has asked of us, until we find ourselves in trouble or caught with our pants down.  Then we want to return to His loving arms begging for forgiveness. It is a cycle seen with the Israelites exodus from Egypt. God’s provision and protection followed them on the journey, but the Israelites would soon forget and grumble about their circumstance (Numbers 14:1-4).

Stop making excuses, and return to His Love. Challenge the sinful behavior that hinders your walk with Christ, reestablish God’s Word in your life, fellowship, rejoice with other believers, and remember the love that waits for you. The unconditional love God has for us is awesome. He awaits our return with arms wide open. Scripture consistently lets us know that His love is unwavering:

He will never leave or forsake (Deuteronomy 31:6)

Cannot be separated from the love of God (Romans 8:34-39)

His mercies endure forever (Psalm 136)

Repent and return to the love that is there for you and accept it for what it is, awesome and made just for you. Meet him where you are. Do not wait to “fix” yourself because you will never go to Him. It’s like a terminally ill person waiting to get better before seeking treatment. God facilitates healing as soon as we come to Him. Do not wait. His love is ready for you now.

Prayer: Father God, we call on you to lead and guide us as we navigate our way through life. Forgive us for the distance we put in place and embrace us as we return to the love you have for us. We have dreams and goals that we want to be fulfilled and we look to you for your will to be done in our lives. Rescue us from our temptations and protect us from the evil that seeks to destroy us. Bless our families, our homes, our finances, our ministries, and all things that we do that will glorify you! Thank you for your continued grace and mercy and it is in Jesus’ name that we pray, Amen!

Read Numbers 14 in its entirety to see the outcome of God's provision to the Israelites. 

NO RISK, NO REWARD

We all have dreams, people we want to meet, places we would like to visit and things that we want to achieve; but many of us lack the courage to reach for our dreams. We want something so bad but we let fear stand in the way. We must understand that fear should not be a roadblock that prevents us from moving forward. We have to rely on something bigger and stronger than our limited ability to move.

The Bible tells us do not fear, for I am with you and I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Isaiah 41:10 & Philippians 4:13). The words are wonderful and are a heartfelt expressions that we say and pray; but the words themselves are not enough to make our dreams come true. We must take action and move, just as Jesus does when we call out to Him in prayer.

We cannot sit around worrying about outcomes and creating “what if” scenarios in our minds. We must turn from being worriers to warriors armed fully with the Word of God. Success does not come easy, but a dream worth achieving never does. It requires sacrifice, faith and mostly courage. 
Sometimes we just have to take a chance and realize that the reward sought is only as big as the risk taken. So in order to get justice, we may have to stir unrest; or to start a business, we may have to walk away from the steady job. Above all, we have to believe that God is with us on every step of our journey.
The Good News is that our strength is in Christ Jesus and that His sacrificial love shown on the cross equips us with the strength to “do all things.” We just have to believe it and know that He is able. Having the courage to take dream-chasing risks shows that faith fought fear and won!

Prayer: Father God, we call on you to give us the strength where we are weak. Many of us are longing for something in our lives, but have not had the willingness to step out on faith. We cry out to you Oh God, depending on your strength to help us turn our prayer requests into actions and deeds. Order our steps Father God, that your will may be done in our lives from this moment forward, and continue to bless us in all that we say and do for your kingdom. Because we can do all things in Jesus’ name, Amen!

Read Genesis 22 and understand risk vs. reward in Abraham's life. 

REJOICE

Ever wake up with so much joy and praise in your heart that you just want to shout? “HALLELUJAH!” In your heart, you feel God’s grace and mercy on your life and circumstances.  It could be because of answered prayers, it could be because of long sought revelations, or it could be just because…

Life is not perfect. Disobedience and sin have plagued you in the past, but you repent and God has forgiven you. The bills are coming in fast, but you are grateful to have a home address for the bills to come to. Your body is healing despite the dismal diagnosis from your doctor. The disagreement with the loved one pales in comparison to having no one to love and confront. You have gratitude in the face of unbelievable conditions.  You rejoice because you have peace. A peace found by trusting a sound and faithful source...an omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent God!

When we place our unwavering trust in God, amazing things began to happen.  We shift our focus so that things we thought were detrimental or controlling no longer have power; God becomes bigger than the things happening around us. When we are assured of his love and protection, our praise will not be contained. David is a great example to us, because despite his sins and secrecy, he sought God’s forgiveness and offered up continued praise. The book of Psalms is filled with David’s praises to a redeeming God.  

If you find joy elusive in your life, perhaps you should shift your focus from within; seek God and His Word and witness a shift in your spirit. 

Pray the following scriptures back to Him and marvel at the joy that warms your spirit.  

Nehemiah 8:10 

Psalm 19:8

Psalm 20:4-5

Psalm 27:5-9

Prayer: Thank you God for all of our circumstances, both good and bad;  and for giving us joy in the form of Christ Jesus.  Forgive us for trying to fill that void with sinful and worldly things.  Help us to see that rejoicing is a choice that we can make each day, and help us to choose wisely. In Jesus’ name, Amen!

Read Psalm 30 and rejoice in the name of Jesus!