Would You Have Been in the Bible?

   There are many great people who are mentioned in the Bible. In the Hall of Faith, we find many people who accomplished a lot for the Lord. These are people "who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. Women received back their dead, raised to life again. There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection (Heb.11.33-35)." They accomplished many amazing things, and they are forever remembered as having great faith.

   With those people in mind, I have to wonder if there are people who God called that chose not to obey. Did God promise to bless someone other than Abraham? Did God want to use someone else to save the spies in Jericho other than Rahab? Before you start to think I'm a heretic for asking these questions stop and remember that the Lord gives us free will. The Lord can call people to do things, but it is up to those people to choose to obey God or not. That's how much God loves us. He gives us a choice. But that's a blog for another time.
   Other people could have been called by God to do amazing things in Bible times. But, if those people chose not to obey God they were forgotten. I'm not saying that people in the Bible obeyed God because they wanted to be immortalized. They were probably just choosing the Lord because they knew he was the best option and that he loved them. What I am saying is the people who are remembered in the Bible show us faith, love, God's power, joy, loyalty, and so much more. 
   That leads me to a question for you: if the Bible was to be written today, would you be in it? Are you doing your best to follow the Lord? Do you continually choose to show love to others? Are you trying to grow in God each day? Are you "sold out" for the Lord? Only you can answer these questions, but I would like to point out that if you don't like your answers to these questions, you still have time. You can choose to be revitalized in the Lord. But remember, who you are doing these things for. You are not doing it for your legacy. You are doing it to reflect God's glory. That's why the people who are in the Bible are in it. They chose to follow the Lord for His glory, not their own.

   Image from here.

The Character of God

   We all have them: problems. Maybe someone you knew for a long time betrayed you. Maybe there was a mix up with important papers at work or in your life. Maybe you lost a source of income. There are many problems that we have and will have in our lives. Typically, when we have problems, we focus on ourselves. We focus on our feelings, what we need, what we want, and so on. Is that really what we should be focusing on?
   The problems that we have may seem big, but we have a bigger God. With that in mind, when we have problems, we should focus God's power and character. Let me show you what I mean. Let's say you just lost your job. You are probably feeling worried, hurt, betrayed, etc. What can God's character do to help you with that? We know that God is good, thus He works all things for our good (Rom.8.28). We know that God supplies our every need and that he cares for us, therefore we do not need to worry (1 Pet.5.7). We know the Lord loves us and nothing on this earth can take that away (Rom.8.35-39).
   Will the problem still hurt even if we focus on God's character? It may, but instead of focusing on us and what we can do we are focused on the Lord and what He can do. If you have trouble remembering God's character traits a good part of the Bible to memorize is Galatians 5:22-23 "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." You may be thinking that those are things we are to have in the spirit. That is true, but if God wants us to have it, he already has it as a character trait. This one verse tells us 9 traits that God has. Focusing on these traits of the Lord can help us see that God can handle any problem that comes our way. The Lord can help us through our problems. We just need to be willing to ask for His help and trust in Him.
   So, will you choose to trust in the Lord and his character when you face trials? Will you ask God to help you with your problems?
   Image from here.

You Know Better Than I

   Have you ever gone through a situation that you didn't understand why it was happening? I am sure you have. You know, those times when you question God. "God why is this happening?" "I tried to follow your lead, and this still happened." "Lord, where are you in this?"
   Many people in the Bible have gone through a time like this as well. Joseph is one example that comes to mind. Joseph did his best to obey his parents and follow the Lord. He did not make the sinful choices his brothers did. Did Joseph have a bit of a pride problem? Maybe, but he still loved his brothers and parents. Did he deserve to be sold into slavery, falsely accused, and thrown in prison? No, by all accounts he did his best to follow after the Lord. Why did all those bad things happen to Joseph then?
   DreamWorks Studios came out with a movie called Joseph King of Dreams many years ago. There is a song in that movie called You Know Better Than I. It is a great song that emphasizes what Joseph may have been thinking about while in prison. He talks about how he thought he did what was right. He told God how to help him through his problems. And that if this is a test, he cannot see the reason for it. 
   It sounds familiar to me and maybe to you. We as Christians know we are not perfect. We make mistakes but many times we do our best to follow after God and grow in him. Yet, bad things happen, problems come, and we do not understand why. That is probably because we are in the middle of the problem. We do not know the future. Only God knows the future and he has plans for each of us.
   The end of the song says, "You know better than I, you know the way, I've let go the need to know why, I'll take what answers You supply, For You know better than I." Joseph had a lot of time to think in prison. He probably was unhappy with how he was treated. But rather than pouting about it, he chose to bring glory to God where he was at. Joseph chose to trust that God had a plan for his life. He took the answers that the Lord gave him. Then he trusted in God. He is such a good example for us when we are walking through problems and we do not understand why they are happening.
   So, when you go through problems do you choose to trust in the Lord? How can you remember to trust in God each day?
   Image from here.

 

Building a Foundation

   My family enjoys playing games. One game we have begun playing is Llamas Unleashed. The goal of this game is to get 7 animals in your field. It is easier said than done though as people can place cards that help them, hinder you, and stop you from placing a card. As I have played it a few times I have discovered that even though the goal is to get 7 animals in your field it is important to build a foundation first.
   What I mean by that is you should place the upgrade (cards that help you) and downgrade (cards that hinder your opponents) first. Why? Because they help you ask the game goes on. They are also a way for you to have your opponent’s get rid of their instant cards (cards that stop you from playing cards). When playing this game, it is important for you to have a plan. 
   In life it is also vital to build a foundation. If you are a Christian and you do not have a firm foundation, then you will most likely fall or not make an impact for the kingdom. We must have a foundation in Christ in order to truly make a difference in this world. To do that we need to be in the Word, pray with God, and be in fellowship with other believers. The Word is what we base our decisions off of. Being in prayer with God gives us a relationship with him. And being in fellowship with others helps us grow and gives us people to lift us up and keep us accountable.
   In this life we will have troubles. When those troubles come up if we do not have a firm foundation in the Lord we will fall. God wants to have a relationship with us. He wants to use us to further His kingdom. That's why he doesn't take us away when we accept him into our hearts. He isn't finished with us yet. God has a purpose for us. If we choose not to build our foundation though, then we will not make as much of an impact for the Lord.
   So, are you building a firm foundation in God? What can you do to make sure you have a foundation in God?
   Image from here.

Jesus Delivers

   During the time in 2020 when we were in quarantine due to the pandemic, I began a new saying. Anytime I would see an Amazon Prime van drive by I would yell "Prime." And let’s just say I saw many of them. While in quarantine there was a major shift in how people got things. Instead of going out to get things people just ordered them online.
   Amazon is a company known for delivering anything and everything. Whenever I order from Amazon I worry if the package will come. There is a lot of unknowns and trust that goes into someone delivering a package. Will it get lost at a warehouse? Will the driver get lost? Will you receive the wrong package? Will someone steal the package from your house before you get it? 
   Many times, these worries are just that: worries. Most of the time you get what you ordered, and you were worried for nothing. However, there are times where you do not receive your package. With humans involved in the delivery there are bound to be mistakes. We are not perfect. Though there is one perfect deliverer.
   Jesus always delivers on his promises. He has promised us many things in the Bible. Sometimes we may feel that we are not receiving those promises. But Jesus is not human (though he was while he was on earth. He is the only perfect person to walk the earth). Jesus is God. That is why we can have confidence that we will get the delivery of his promises. In hard times we can know that Jesus is with us. When things feel hopeless, we can know that Jesus gives us hope. When we feel unloved, we can know that Jesus does love us. Why? Because Jesus never breaks his promises.
   So, have you forgotten that Jesus always delivers on his promises? I encourage you to either memorize or write down a verse that will help you remember that Jesus always delivers on his promises.
   2 Peter 1:4, 2 Corinthians 1:20, Romans 8:28, John 3:16
   Image from here.