Helping Hand of God

Nehemiah 6:9 For they all made us afraid, saying, Their hands shall be weakened from the work, that it be not done. Now therefore, O God, strengthen my hands.

It is through His grace and strength that we are able to overcome the obstacle and difficulties that we face each day. The world will press us to do things that will take us down the wrong track. We must stay focus on the job that God has given us to do. Whatever that may be if God said it should and can be done, we need to trust Him that He is able to help us see it through. 

Ask, Seek, Knock

Mat. 7: 7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:

Ask, seek, and knock is the formula that Jesus gave to those who were concern about having their needs provided. As we commit our will to God, asking becomes more God center and less self center. Our needs are more about asking God to help others. That does not mean we don’t ask Him for personal needs. Food, shelter, and safety are things that allows us to feel secure and cared for. God cares about our well being, and wants us to look to Him during our time of need. 

Life is Not Fair

Isaiah 58:10 - And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noon day:

There are those that are born with a silver spoon in their mouth, and those that don’t have the luxury of even having a spoon. Jesus said the poor will always be, but it does not mean that we are not to show kindness by helping those who are not able to help themselves. The road is more difficult to the person how is not born into wealth, or means. In this respect, life is not fair. Fairness is really a relative word. Many suffer from illness, death can strike at a young age, the breaks for a successful career may never come, getting out of poverty may never happen in one’s life time. But all have one thing in common. We are all made in the image of God, and the love of God is given to all humanity to them that are willing to open their hearts to Him. Such is God’s desire for those who are His people, to reach out in love and kindness and rescue the perishing, help the helpless, give of your blessings to others. Through the acts of selfless giving, others will see that there is a God who cares. Life is not fair, but we all have the opportunity to show kindness to those that are less fortunate. 

To Heal Or Not To Heal

Mark. 8:25 After that he put his hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly.

The man from Bethsaida the home town of Andrew and Peter. He was a blind man, probably not from birth, he knew what trees looked like. As Jesus entered the city, the people brought this man to Him believing that Jesus could restore his sight. Healing from God is brought about by faith. When and how this healing is done is given to the Master to decide. For some reason, unknown to man, Jesus touched this man’s eyes twice before complete healing was done. Jesus could have just spoken the word, or rub some mud on his eyes. He could have told him to go wash his eyes out with water, but he choose to give partial healing before giving full healing. As a person who believes in the doctrine of sanctification, I would like to think that this was Jesus’ way of saying, it will take two works of grace to complete the work of full salvation. But, I think this is stretching out the scriptures to fit my doctrine. The reality is God does things in mysterious way that we always don’t understand. Sometime he heals completely and sometime not at all. He told Paul that His grace was sufficient to handle the throne in his flesh. Whether God heals or does not heal, we must still trust Him that He knows what is best, and rest that God is good and will work all things out to fulfill His purpose. 

My Father's House

John 14:2  In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

This world is not my home, am only passing through. In my Father’s house, Jesus has gone to prepare us a home. Mansions that will blow us away. Many songs have been written about these mansions that Jesus is preparing for us in heaven. They say that, “home is where the heart is”. That the physical structure is not what is important about heaven, yet it was important enough for Jesus to mention that there will be a dwelling place when we get there. We all look forward with anticipation to someday enter our Father’s house. As wonderful as this is, the true joy is knowing that Jesus will be there. He will be what makes heaven home. That is where the heart is, to be with Him and see him face to face. This world will is full of troubles, but Jesus has made it possible for each of us to be trouble free. He invites us through the cross to give our lives to Him, forsake the temporal things of this world. hold loosely to this earthly home, and keep our eye set on our Father’s home.

Temporal vs Eternal

2 Corinth 4:8,9-  We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;

Troubled, perplexed, persecuted, and cast down. Not exactly a wonderful life. We daily face things in our lives that stress us out. The cares of life and the responsibilities we face each day alone can cause our blood pressure to rise. We worry about things we don’t understand and are unable to fix. Then there are those that are set against us for our faith and belief in adhering to the commands of God to live holy and righteous lives. We become discouraged of our inability to do the work that God has called us to do. Cast down and defeated in spirit. The temptation to “Throw in the towel” and quit trying knocks at our door. But, we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. The things that we face here on earth are temporal, they will fade away with time, but the things that really matter are those things we hold true in our heart. those things that are eternal. Our faith in God, the glory of the cross, and eternal life through the cross. For all things that happen are for our sake, that God’s grace will work through us to the glory of God.

Two Edged Sword

Hebrew 4:12  For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

The two edged sword cuts through with precision, such is God’s word that is able to reveal the nature of the heart and the deep need of the soul. Able to search the heart and expose the intend of people’s motives. The sword, the word of God is powerful enough to change the lives of people. With precision, it can discern what the heart’s needs are in order to be what God desires. His word is the person of Jesus. It is Jesus who looks into the heart of man and sees the condition of sinful man. Jesus who reveals His love to man is powerful enough to take a broken heart and make it whole again. He breaks open the heart and then makes it new. Jesus, the Word of God is the sword we need to change lives.

Being Perfect

Leviticus 19:2 Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them, Ye shall be holy: for I the Lord your God am holy.

God’s standard of living is to live holy lives. In the OT this meant that the people of God were to be separate from the nations around them, they were not to worship the gods that other nations worshipped. They had special laws that they needed to follow to maintain a life that was holy unto the Lord. The laws of holy living had more to do with keeping the statues given in the ten commandments and ceremonial rituals given to them for worship and sacrifices for sin. Since the death of Jesus, the ceremonial law of sacrifices is no longer required. Jesus made the supreme sacrifice for sin, paid the ultimate price by shedding His blood on the cross. The command to be holy after the death of Christ, goes beyond the keeping the commandments. The love of God in Christ now written on the tables of our heart. Jesus tells us to; “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” mat.5:48. This perfection supersede the written law and is only made possible by the indwelling presence of Jesus in our lives. With man, living and being holy is impossible, but with God, all things are possible.

How Great Is Our God

Job 41:21  His breath kindleth coals, and a flame goeth out of his mouth.

it is uncertain when the book of Job was written. It is suggested that it was written somewhere around 500-600 BC, but it also seems that the content itself was pre historic. Such is the mystery of this dragon like character. One that is so formidable that there is no man that can stand against it. In context of the scripture, this creature is no match for man, but not for God. He who is greater than all, can defeat even the most fierce animal that is assume to exist. How great is our God, how great his is name. He who creates all things and controls the cosmos of the heavens knows what we face and the trails we are up against. We may not understand everything than happens and why it happens, but we can put our trust in a God who does. He who laid the foundation of the earth is able to help us overcome the forces of evil and life circumstances that we face from day to day.

Be Still Before God

Psalm 46:10 Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.

We live busy lives, from the time we get up to the time we lay our head to rest we have things that need to get done. If you are a working person that needs to be at work on a schedule time, your life is centered around the clock. Work and responsibilities keeps our minds focus on the task at hand. Where is there time to be still? Most of us will not find stillness unless we make time for it in our day. For some, it is waking up before the sun rises, for others, it is after the lights are off and we reflect on our day. God is not restricted to meet with us by our schedule. He is omnipresent and can meet with us wherever we are, but there is virtue in putting aside the earthly things of life, and taking time to be still before Him. In the stillness, we worship Him for who He is and what He can do, When we get still before Him and muse on the things of God, He can speak to us in that still small voice. Getting to know God will require us to find time to be still before Him. Let us examine our lives, and find time to be still. 

We Can Do Nothing

John 5:19  Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself…

Helpless we are without the help of God. Jesus, the God-man relied on the help of his Father to achieve the work He was sent to do. It was not the will of the God man, but the will of the Father that Jesus sought. How much more, human flesh do we need to trust God to be the one to do the work that needs to be done. We are but His instruments doing His will to build the Kingdom of God. Without Him, our efforts are futile, and worthless. The commission is to go into all the world, but He promise that He would send the Comforter to enable us to carry out His work. We our vessels in the hand of God to do with as He pleased. Makes us, molds us, and uses us for His glory. 

My Help Come from God

Psalm 121: 1,2 I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth. 

Getting help when you need it is not always available. There are times when I could use some help lifting or moving something heavy, but everyone I know is busy or not available. It times like this, I either have to be creative or just wait for another time. Calling for help recognizes that we cannot do things in our own strength, we need someone else to give assistance. During times of trial or difficult hardship, we often cry out for help. Our hearts our broken with grief at the passing of a loved one, we find ourselves in a place where we our financially in need of funds, we have just been given the pink slip dismissing us from our jobs, or we are told that we have a serious illness,  the list goes on. Where can we go to get some help? Our emotions have been depleted, and our spiritual life is on the edge. On a hill far away in time, hangs the Savior of the world, Jesus who came to this world to give us salvation and the help to overcome the tough times in our lives. I will look to Jesus, a helper in time of need. He is all I need. As the beggar cried out to Jesus to help him by restoring his sight, I cry out to Him, “Jesus, from whence comes my help, you are able to help me through, for I am weak, but you are strong”.

God is Against Evil

1 Peter 3:12 For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.

The character question, do I choose to do good or do I choose to do evil. This should be a no brainer. Choosing to do good or live righteous is given with promise that the Lord will watch over those who do good, and He listens to the prayers of those who choose to live a life that follows His commandments. Choosing to do that which is evil or forbidden in God’s word is to have the wrath of God to face. This is pretty harsh when we think that God is love, pours out His grace, and desires to show mercy. Hard to think that this kind of God is against those who refuse to follow His ways and choose to do evil. God is holy, and the very nature of God is against that which is unholy, or evil. He is also a God of forgiveness and will not turn anyone away that will humble themselves before Him and confess their wicked ways. He desires fellowship with His fallen creation and has provided a way to have fellowship with Him. The cross has bridged the gap between sinful man and a Holy God. To those that refuse to turn from their wicked ways and do what is right, will face the judgment of the Lord for their choices. As long as we have breathe, we have a choice to do right or do evil. God does not make that choice for us. We decide if we will walk with God and do good, or abide in sin and do evil.