God asked me a very interesting question today from the book of Jeremiah:
"Here is what the Lord says:
What fault did your fathers find in Me
that they went so far from Me,
followed worthless idols,
and became worthless themselves?"
Jeremiah 2:5
What fault do we find in Him that leads us to go astray? The answer is, None. There is no fault in our God, the Creator of all things. Therefore, the fault must lie in us. The sinful nature now born in each and every human being, turns us from Him. How interesting that our soul which longs so desperately for Him is at constant war with the sinful flesh which can not stand to be in the presence of His holiness. (James 4:1-7)
I am reminded today that every time I find I've been following anything other than God, it is worthless. "Repent!", I am reminded. Otherwise I will become as worthless as they.
"Don't collect for yourselves treasure on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But collect for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves don't break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.... No one can be a slave of two masters, since he will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You can not be slaves of God and money."
Matthew 6:19-21, 24
Showing posts with label Bible-Jeremiah 29. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bible-Jeremiah 29. Show all posts
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Dreaming
Why do we ask children what they want to be when they grow up? Because they are good at dreaming and making long term goals. Now, I know adults do as well, but there is something special about the way in which children do it. My friend and I were talking about the difference, and agreed that it was because children are not jaded by reality and "can not"s. They are free to dream. They have no preconceived notions about how the world works and what is acceptable or expected. They are invincible.
As a child, I use to dream of being a truck driver. Don't laugh. Well, not too much. To me, truck drivers were people who saw the world. They traveled everywhere. That desire and dream for me to travel is still there. I have the feeling that one day it will be fulfilled, though not in the way I first imagined it.
What do we as adults do though, when the dreams we had as a child have been fulfilled, perhaps even completed, and we are left wondering, “Now what?” Well, we know that God knows the plans He has for us (Jeremiah 29:11), and that His goal for us is not complete until we have breathed our last.
As I started thinking this over today, a few Scriptures came to mind.
“Take delight in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4
Perhaps when we have fulfilled the goals set before us by the Lord, and we are still alive, it is time to rest and delight in Him. The amazing thing is that as we are focused solely on God, He begins to fill our heart with the desires that please Him, and make them our own. We then begin to have new dreams and goals, I think, as God plants those new desires in our hearts. Remember, He wants to give us the desires of our heart, so He'll put them there if we leave it open to Him. This most likely won't happen very quickly, so keep delighting in Him. You'll wake up one day and know.
It's really hard to get over being an adult. We know too much, to be honest. We don't have the bliss of ignorance. Some of the other verses that came to mind were Matthew 18:2-5. This is the passage where Jesus takes a small child and says that we must become like children, and welcome children. I believe it is also good to think of this in reference to our dreams and goals too. Believe me, it takes a child-like faith to dream as big as we know God can bless and use us!
Think about your aspirations today. Do they match up with what God is doing in your life? Are you still waiting with a child-like faith, or have you seen them completed? Read Matthew 18:2-5 and Philippians 3:12-14, then go over your dreams, or being planning them, with God today.
As a child, I use to dream of being a truck driver. Don't laugh. Well, not too much. To me, truck drivers were people who saw the world. They traveled everywhere. That desire and dream for me to travel is still there. I have the feeling that one day it will be fulfilled, though not in the way I first imagined it.
What do we as adults do though, when the dreams we had as a child have been fulfilled, perhaps even completed, and we are left wondering, “Now what?” Well, we know that God knows the plans He has for us (Jeremiah 29:11), and that His goal for us is not complete until we have breathed our last.
As I started thinking this over today, a few Scriptures came to mind.
“Take delight in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4
Perhaps when we have fulfilled the goals set before us by the Lord, and we are still alive, it is time to rest and delight in Him. The amazing thing is that as we are focused solely on God, He begins to fill our heart with the desires that please Him, and make them our own. We then begin to have new dreams and goals, I think, as God plants those new desires in our hearts. Remember, He wants to give us the desires of our heart, so He'll put them there if we leave it open to Him. This most likely won't happen very quickly, so keep delighting in Him. You'll wake up one day and know.
It's really hard to get over being an adult. We know too much, to be honest. We don't have the bliss of ignorance. Some of the other verses that came to mind were Matthew 18:2-5. This is the passage where Jesus takes a small child and says that we must become like children, and welcome children. I believe it is also good to think of this in reference to our dreams and goals too. Believe me, it takes a child-like faith to dream as big as we know God can bless and use us!
Think about your aspirations today. Do they match up with what God is doing in your life? Are you still waiting with a child-like faith, or have you seen them completed? Read Matthew 18:2-5 and Philippians 3:12-14, then go over your dreams, or being planning them, with God today.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Being Still
Do you ever get overwhelmed by the Word of God? There are days where I deeply desire to study God's Word, and yet I just don't know where to begin. I think we all have seasons where we just can't think of what to say or do next. There are so many things to learn, and I so want to please the Lord and show my love for Him, that I begin to feel guilty for not spending all my free time in my Bible.
I have to remind myself that the Lord never makes you feel extreme guilt: That's a ploy of the Devil. But He does call us to meet with Him daily and get time with Him through the Bible. The Spirit within us urges us to come, but He will never lay a huge guilt trip. He allows us to make that decision on our own. I think knowing that causes me to be even more desperate not to displease Him and slack off.
However, there are days when I find myself becoming a bit frantic over the lack of quality time my mind is able to put forth. These are the days where the Lord has often put a peace in my spirit. I can almost hear Him say, “(a)Be still, Tiffany. (b)I know the plans I have for you, and don't worry, they are to prosper. (c)I know your heart, I've tested it and seen your joy in Me.”
Do you also need to just be still in His presence today?
a- Psalm 46:10, “Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” (ASV)
b- Jeremiah 29:11, “'For I know the plans I have for you' – this is the Lord's deceleration – 'plans for your welfare, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.'”
c- 1 Chronicles 29:17, “I know, my God, that You test the heart and that You are pleased with uprightness. I have willingly given all these things with an upright heart, and now I have seen Your people who are present here giving joyfully and willingly to You.”
I have to remind myself that the Lord never makes you feel extreme guilt: That's a ploy of the Devil. But He does call us to meet with Him daily and get time with Him through the Bible. The Spirit within us urges us to come, but He will never lay a huge guilt trip. He allows us to make that decision on our own. I think knowing that causes me to be even more desperate not to displease Him and slack off.
However, there are days when I find myself becoming a bit frantic over the lack of quality time my mind is able to put forth. These are the days where the Lord has often put a peace in my spirit. I can almost hear Him say, “(a)Be still, Tiffany. (b)I know the plans I have for you, and don't worry, they are to prosper. (c)I know your heart, I've tested it and seen your joy in Me.”
Do you also need to just be still in His presence today?
a- Psalm 46:10, “Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” (ASV)
b- Jeremiah 29:11, “'For I know the plans I have for you' – this is the Lord's deceleration – 'plans for your welfare, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.'”
c- 1 Chronicles 29:17, “I know, my God, that You test the heart and that You are pleased with uprightness. I have willingly given all these things with an upright heart, and now I have seen Your people who are present here giving joyfully and willingly to You.”
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