I have been on a journey of developing a deeper relationship with the Lord. Recent months of illness have given me a sensitivity to others & their plights & I decided to "fast" from looking at my issues of need or asking anyone to pray for them & I began to focus more on the needs of others & to pray for them more. I also determined to get to know the Lord better during this time. It has been a good journey & I came to a place where I felt the Lord beginning to show me things more clearly. Losing one's independence gives one a feeling of helplessness I had found & he reminded me that many people feel if they give their lives to Christ fully then they will lose the freedom to do as they please. Just the opposite is true. If you ask for the presence of the Holy Spirit in your life to be alive and working you will find a freedom you never had before-you will develop the faith that Jesus Christ has your back! Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom scripture says. God allows things for a reason. I was ill and frustrated that I was unable to work, but I began to lean more & more on my Father God for peace which led to me seeing things more clearly & to experience that closer walk I had sought. There was divine purpose in my situation.
Recently I saw a Christian movie where a young woman sought the Lord & was talking with him about the meaning of various things in the Bible. The next day in church I sat behind a young lady who resembled that girl I had seen in the movie. As worship & the word progressed she was very restless. Normally this would drive me crazy but instead I felt a deep need to pray for her salvation. I could tell that she just did not want to be there. The week before I had been deeply touched that the sermon title was The Generous King which spoke to me especially as one of my "needs" requires just that. It spoke of being aware of "bargaining with God" & being bitter due to our "expectations". It resembled some of the study I had been doing in that we must focus more on the Lord & our walk with him & he will take care of us. Had I not watched that movie I might not have had the sensitivity to pray for the clearly restless young lady. God orchestrates things when we open ourselves the the work of his Spirit. Had I not been trying to see the Lord more clearly I might not have been as blessed as I was by that sermon. It was one of those times it seemed as though it was just for me. Ever been there?
As if that was not enough, today's sermon was Waiting for the King which again seemed as if it was meant just for me, as I have been waiting on the Lord for one important thing & then I suddenly had two things to wait for as a result of me having tried to fix the first thing! Ever been there? These are the times our faith is tried & if we just give ourselves over to the work of the Lord then we find he takes care of everything. The message spoke of the foolish & wise virgins, and said that the foolish ones were like a husband being impatient waiting for his wife. The wise ones were willing to work for their needs while awaiting the King. Sometimes we can just sit there tapping our foot impatiently or we can do what we can do & trust the rest to the Lord & rest in him. Our lifestyles have taught us we must have every convenience which can lead to impatience, laziness, & entitlement. Pastor talked about being the bride of the King (which I had been studying), our position while experiencing the delay of the King (the virgins all fell asleep, yet the wise ones had sufficient oil). The sleep of the wise is peaceful. Then I heard "The two main ways God changes us is pain & waiting" and it certainly struck a cord. I certainly have had plenty of that recently, but....I am coming out the other side walking closer with God. The situation pressed me to seek the Lord more than answers, & to develop the faith that he will supply them all in due time.
We must be open to the Holy Spirit & allow the Lord to use our circumstances to draw us closer to him & to think more of others than ourselves. (Seems there is a scripture about that!) He is so generous he allows us to serve him, & if we do so he will in turn be looking out for our welfare.
Mt. 20:1-16 The Generous King
Mt. 25: 1-13 Waiting for the King
Contemplating & studying the parables of Jesus is an important task, & it also struck me that I had recently decided to spend some time just looking at the words of Christ. There is a book called The Hard Sayings of Jesus by FF Bruce. We must understand Jesus to be closer to him and this understanding comes through prayer, study, and hearing of the word of God. The very first song today has been one that has blessed me repeatedly in recent months. Some of the words are "your love never fails, never gives up on me, never runs out" & when things "come together" like I have described it is a confirmation from the Lord that you are headed in the right direction & he is right there beside you every step of the way.
Recently I saw a Christian movie where a young woman sought the Lord & was talking with him about the meaning of various things in the Bible. The next day in church I sat behind a young lady who resembled that girl I had seen in the movie. As worship & the word progressed she was very restless. Normally this would drive me crazy but instead I felt a deep need to pray for her salvation. I could tell that she just did not want to be there. The week before I had been deeply touched that the sermon title was The Generous King which spoke to me especially as one of my "needs" requires just that. It spoke of being aware of "bargaining with God" & being bitter due to our "expectations". It resembled some of the study I had been doing in that we must focus more on the Lord & our walk with him & he will take care of us. Had I not watched that movie I might not have had the sensitivity to pray for the clearly restless young lady. God orchestrates things when we open ourselves the the work of his Spirit. Had I not been trying to see the Lord more clearly I might not have been as blessed as I was by that sermon. It was one of those times it seemed as though it was just for me. Ever been there?
As if that was not enough, today's sermon was Waiting for the King which again seemed as if it was meant just for me, as I have been waiting on the Lord for one important thing & then I suddenly had two things to wait for as a result of me having tried to fix the first thing! Ever been there? These are the times our faith is tried & if we just give ourselves over to the work of the Lord then we find he takes care of everything. The message spoke of the foolish & wise virgins, and said that the foolish ones were like a husband being impatient waiting for his wife. The wise ones were willing to work for their needs while awaiting the King. Sometimes we can just sit there tapping our foot impatiently or we can do what we can do & trust the rest to the Lord & rest in him. Our lifestyles have taught us we must have every convenience which can lead to impatience, laziness, & entitlement. Pastor talked about being the bride of the King (which I had been studying), our position while experiencing the delay of the King (the virgins all fell asleep, yet the wise ones had sufficient oil). The sleep of the wise is peaceful. Then I heard "The two main ways God changes us is pain & waiting" and it certainly struck a cord. I certainly have had plenty of that recently, but....I am coming out the other side walking closer with God. The situation pressed me to seek the Lord more than answers, & to develop the faith that he will supply them all in due time.
We must be open to the Holy Spirit & allow the Lord to use our circumstances to draw us closer to him & to think more of others than ourselves. (Seems there is a scripture about that!) He is so generous he allows us to serve him, & if we do so he will in turn be looking out for our welfare.
Mt. 20:1-16 The Generous King
Mt. 25: 1-13 Waiting for the King
Contemplating & studying the parables of Jesus is an important task, & it also struck me that I had recently decided to spend some time just looking at the words of Christ. There is a book called The Hard Sayings of Jesus by FF Bruce. We must understand Jesus to be closer to him and this understanding comes through prayer, study, and hearing of the word of God. The very first song today has been one that has blessed me repeatedly in recent months. Some of the words are "your love never fails, never gives up on me, never runs out" & when things "come together" like I have described it is a confirmation from the Lord that you are headed in the right direction & he is right there beside you every step of the way.
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