25 September 2007
' Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you' 1Pet 4:12
Trials can easily tempt us to be discouraged and doubt God's love. This happened during the time of emperor Nero who persecuted the christians and many were discouraged and doubted God's love. With such cruel persecution going on, Peter wrote this verse to reassure those undergoing persecution of God's unfailing love.
Peter used the words 'fiery trials.' Whatever the trials and troubles, they come with a purpose. The word 'fiery' in Greek refers to a smelting furnace that refined metals of their unwanted elements. The same picture was given in Ps 66:10 ' For thou hast tried us, O Lord; thou hast refined us as silver is refined' So the fiery ordeal refers to the various sufferings God allows in our lives to purify us.
Peter reminded us today that these trials are not out of ordinary or some strange thing. Trials should be seen as part of life. they might catch us off guard at first, but we can confidently deal with them, knowing God's loving care for us never fails.
'We can be certain of God's unfailing love for us, no matter how unexpected or difficult any trial might be'
Amen
His Word Will Never Fail
24 September 2007
' And you know in all your hearts and in all your souls that not one thing has failed of all the good things which the Lord your God spoke concerning you. All have come to pass for you;not one word of them has failed' Joshua 23:14
Towards the end of his life, Joshua took time with the people of God to review the things that God had done for them.God had given them an impossible task to conquer a foreign and hostile land with fortified cities and armies more powerful than their own. They just went into the enemy territory with God's promise that He will take care of them. Now Joshua looked back over the experience and reminded them of God's faithfulness to His word. They enjoyed god's provision for every need in their struggle.
When we are going through trials or crisis, we wonder if God will be faithful to His promises. We focus on our problems, and our trust in God begins to waver. For 25 years Abraham waited for the promise of a son whom God had promised earlier. As David was fleeing from Saul, he may have been uncertain how God would keep His promise to make him king. But after his long and prosperous reign,he could recall how God has sustained him and the faithfulness of God's promise.
You, too, can rely on God today. He is faithful. Are you going through crisis? Hold on to the promises of God. Look back into your life and recount the many ways in which God has been faithful to His word.
Amen
' And you know in all your hearts and in all your souls that not one thing has failed of all the good things which the Lord your God spoke concerning you. All have come to pass for you;not one word of them has failed' Joshua 23:14
Towards the end of his life, Joshua took time with the people of God to review the things that God had done for them.God had given them an impossible task to conquer a foreign and hostile land with fortified cities and armies more powerful than their own. They just went into the enemy territory with God's promise that He will take care of them. Now Joshua looked back over the experience and reminded them of God's faithfulness to His word. They enjoyed god's provision for every need in their struggle.
When we are going through trials or crisis, we wonder if God will be faithful to His promises. We focus on our problems, and our trust in God begins to waver. For 25 years Abraham waited for the promise of a son whom God had promised earlier. As David was fleeing from Saul, he may have been uncertain how God would keep His promise to make him king. But after his long and prosperous reign,he could recall how God has sustained him and the faithfulness of God's promise.
You, too, can rely on God today. He is faithful. Are you going through crisis? Hold on to the promises of God. Look back into your life and recount the many ways in which God has been faithful to His word.
Amen
Comfortable to Bondage?
23 September 2007
And the foremen said to them, “Let the Lord look on you and judge, because you have made us abhorrent in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to kill us.”
Ex 5:21
It is possible for people to become so accustomed to their bondage that they resist efforts to free them. The Hebrews had been slaves in Egypt for four hundred years. Slavery meant that they were not free to do God's will or to go where they wanted. Moses had come to tell the Israelites how they could experience freedom, yet they were more concerned about the reaction of their taskmasters than they were about pleasing God. For them to be free would mean that the pharaoh they were serving would be angry! It would mean that the Egyptians they had served all their lives might attack them. Freedom from their slavery did not seem to be worth the hardships they would inevitably endure.
When God sets out to free us, there will often be a price we will have to pay. Grief can be a terrible form of bondage, yet we can become comfortable with it. We can grow so comfortable with fear that we don't know how to live without it. As destructive as our sinful habits and lifestyle might be, we may prefer living with the familiar, rather than being freed to experience the unknown. We may recognize the harmful influence of a friend but choose to reject God's will rather than offend our friend.
As incredible as it seems, the Israelites were angry at Moses for disrupting the life of slavery to which they had grown accustomed. Have you been lulled into a comfortable relationship with your bondage? Do you fear change more than you fear God? Are you willing to allow God to do what is necessary in order to free you?
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