Posted on 03/31/2020 9:28:26 PM PDT by JustAmy
|
Bible in a Year:
I will wait for the Lord . . . . I will put my trust in him.
Lela was dying of cancer, and her husband, Timothy, couldnt understand why a loving God would let his wife suffer. She had served Him faithfully as a Bible teacher and mentor to many. Why did You let this happen? he cried. Yet Timothy continued to be faithful in his walk with God.
So why do you still believe in God? I asked him frankly. What keeps you from turning away from Him?
Because of what has happened before, Timothy replied. While he couldnt see God now, he recalled the times when God had helped and protected him. These were signs that God was still there caring for his family. I know the God I believe in will come through in His own way, he said.
Timothys words echo Isaiahs expression of trust in Isaiah 8:17. Even when he couldnt feel Gods presence as his people braced for trouble from their enemies, he would wait for the Lord. He trusted in God because of the signs Hed given of His continuing presence (v. 18).
There are times when we might feel as if God isnt with us in our troubles. Thats when we depend on what we can see of His works in our lives, in the past and present. Theyre the visible reminder of an invisible Goda God who is always with us and will answer in His own time and way.
What signs can you see of God working in your life? How can they remind you that you can still look to Him for hope and comfort?
Father, thank You for always being there for me. Give me the strength to trust in You even when I dont understand whats going on.
|
You changed your screen name, don’t blame you. Hug.
|
Love it!
it was tme, huh! :)
Oh Yeahhhhh!!!
he’s a smart dude! :)
Bible in a Year:
Be rich in good deeds, and [be] generous and willing to share.
Kelsey navigated the narrow airplane aisle with her eleven-month-old daughter, Lucy, and Lucys oxygen machine. They were traveling to seek treatment for her babys chronic lung disease. Shortly after settling into their shared seat, a flight attendant approached Kelsey, saying a passenger in first class wanted to switch seats with her. With tears of gratitude streaming down her face, Kelsey made her way back up the aisle to the more spacious seat, while the benevolent stranger made his way toward hers.
Kelseys benefactor embodied the kind of generosity Paul encourages in his letter to Timothy. Paul told Timothy to instruct those in his care with the command to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share (1 Timothy 6:18). Its tempting, Paul says, to become arrogant and put our hope in the riches of this world. Instead, he suggests that we focus on living a life of generosity and service to others, becoming rich in good deeds, like the man from seat 2D on Kelseys flight.
Whether we find ourselves with plenty or in want, we all can experience the richness of living generously by being willing to share what we have with others. When we do, Paul says we will take hold of the life that is truly life (v. 19).
Who has been generous and willing to share with you? With whom can you share generously today?
God, please give me a generous spirit as I renew my hope in You.
Read about learning to love like Jesus at discoveryseries.org/q0208.
|
Thanks Amy. Thanks to all of the fathers and the GREAT posters at Amy’s Place. The family is the backbone of civilization. When you see one...smile.
SURNAME FORESTS, REMEMBERED LEAVES
Ash and Eucalyptus,
Chinese Elm and common Plum;
Bark of generations built from
Lansing, Bell and Livingston.
Each spring will see them waken
To their pulsing blood-red sap,
And set upon their outstretched hand
A leaf.
A leaf.
A small and fragile promise
To the wind and to the sky
That dreams of long dead leaves
Can live again and never truly die.
To trust there will be warmth again.
To trust there will be birth.
To trust that fallen leaves
Are not forgotten on the earth.
I never knew my father
And yet I’ve come to know him well
Through the stories writ in crumbled leaves
And the tales our old tree tells.
He was a soldier, and a poet,
And a lover and a man
And I feel his passion flood my veins
As I hold his phantom hand.
Bible in a Year:
We fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.
The apostle Paul and his co-workers experienced great suffering at the hands of persecutors and even from believers who tried to discredit them. Yet, they had their eyes fixed on eternity. Paul boldly acknowledged that we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal (2 Corinthians 4:18).
Although they were doing Gods work, they lived with the reality of being hard pressed on every side, perplexed, persecuted, and struck down (vv. 89). Shouldnt God have delivered them from these troubles? But instead of being disappointed, Paul built his hope on the eternal glory that supersedes momentary troubles (v. 17). He knew Gods power was at work in him and had complete assurance that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus (v. 14).
When our world around us feels shaky, may we turn our eyes to Godthe eternal Rock that will never be destroyed.
In what do you choose to hope in spite of your difficulties? How have you experienced Gods faithfulness?
I lift my eyes to You today, O God. Give me a glimpse of the security I have in You.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.