Feb

8

No response

By Julie B Cosgrove | Leave a Comment 


Psalm 80:4   O Lord God of hosts, how long will you be angry with your people’s prayers?

Can God be angry with our prayers?  Perhaps His silence is mistaken for anger. Do you have a prayer you have been earnestly praying but have yet to receive an answer about? I do – several.  Perhaps yours is for a loved one to come to Christ, a child to turn over a new leaf, your boss to be more fair and recognize your hard work, that woman who gossips about you to stop.  You pray, and nothing seems to change. Whatever yours are, be assured that God does hear them.

I watched a mother in the grocery store with her two young children. They were in front of me as we were waiting in the line to check out where ,of course, all the sugary snacks are lined up within easy reach.  It was that or the aisle with all the tabloid magazines – I don’t think so.  As she was placing her items on the conveyor belt, the kids were grabbing stuff off the shelves, pulling at her blouse, trying to get her attention.  At first she’d say “No.”,  then after a few more minutes she said, “What did I already say?”  The lady in front of her was taking forever as the clerk called for the third price check.  The kids were less zealous, but still eyeing the goodies and grabbing one to show her with pleading looks.  After a while she set her jaw and just began to ignore them.  I asked myself, is that how God reacts to me?

At times it can seem that way. Perhaps it is because I keep asking for the wrong things – things I think I want but He knows I do not need. Perhaps I asked with the wrong motives. But more than likely, I have just refused to hear the answer He has already given me.  God does answer “No.” And I have experienced Him telling me, “What did I just say?”  Is it wrong to keep pleading? 

Our Lord is patient and loving, but He wants us to grow in our relationship with Him.  Perhaps He is telling me I need to change my attitude or my perspective.  Maybe it is not so much praying that someone or something will change as it is that my reaction to them will change  so I can see them or the situation as He does. Yielding to Him and being willing to be molded should be my focus. He can handle the rest. Not that it is wrong to pray for others, but when we keep picking our old problems, hurts and disappointments up off the shelf, why do we expect the answer to be different?  Lord, help me lay them at Your feet and not reach for them again, knowing in Your perfect timing, You will provide. You always do and always will.

 

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Feb

7

Sinful Pose

By Julie B Cosgrove | 2 Comments 


But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” . . . And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; henceforth you will be catching men.”   Luke 5:8, 10

This is the story where the men had been fishing all night and had caught nothing until Jesus came along and asked Simon and his men to try one more time, with Him guiding them.  There is a lesson enough in that for us to ponder on, isn’t there. It shows how our efforts when we rely on our own strength and knowledge can seem fruitless until we look to Christ and where He is leading us. And that is the message I always gleaned from this passage.

But today, these two verses popped out. Before Christ could make Peter the Rock and a fisher of men’s souls, Peter had to acknowledge who he was – a sinner, not worthy to be in Jesus’ presence.  So do we. Until we honestly know our place, which is on our knees, our efforts will most likely be doomed to smallness at the least, and failure at the worst. Oh, sure, there are godless people who rise to power and glory, but their kingdoms soon topple into a dusty pile of deceit and greed.  The Kingdom of God is eternal because it is built on Love and Truth. 

Even if you know God is calling you to a task, until you fall on your knees and acknowledge who is in control, will you really be effective? How easy it would have been for Peter to claim the glory of such as huge catch and be the envy of his village. Instead, he dropped everything and followed Jesus, knowing even greater things were to come in the shadow of His Master.  And the neatest thing is this – Jesus took care of Peter’s family. He provided them with enough fish to sell that they would have plenty of income in Peter’s absence – more than Peter probably could have provided in years of labor on his own.  Two great lessons – when we realize we are sinners and God is righteous, not only does our purpose in life become clear, our well being is taken care of as well as those around us who are dependent upon us.  God will never call you to a task that neglects your responsibility to your loved ones as long as you keep your eyes on Him and do as He tells you. That fact alone is worth falling to our knees.

Feb

5

Who Built Your House?

By Julie B Cosgrove | Leave a Comment 


For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God. Now Moses was faithful in all God’s house as a servant, to testify to the things that were to be spoken later,  but Christ is faithful over God’s house as a son. And we are his house if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope.  Hebrew 3:4-6

One of the American Dreams is to own your own house. So much so, that not very long ago people who wanted it too quickly without  having the proper savings or financial stability found creative ways to get one.  Many bankrupted themselves, and almost our nation in the process.  At the same time, the demand was so great for new houses that contractors cut corners. They bought cheap brick that melted, drywall that contained toxins, scrimped on the wood for the studs, and hurried the foundations.

The passage says we are now God’s house. His Spirit dwells within us.  Christ is our sure foundation, and that makes the house sturdy. God does not cut corners. He has given us the materials we need to build a fine dwelling for His Spirit.  These may be a faith of someone we admire, a sermon, the innocent wisdom of our child, a lesson learned. What’s more, He gives us the blue prints in His Word. All we have to do is follow the directions laid out before us, step by step.  But that is the hard part, because we want to make improvements, change the plan, use different materials (i.e. messages from movies, TV talk hosts or people who claim all paths lead to God).

It is so tempting to try and do things our way, not His.  But we only end up using are shoddy materials that will fall apart.  It is so much better to build your world around Christ and let Him dwell in you.  Then, like the little pig that built his house of bricks, nothing on this earth can blow it down. Your faith can be a shelter for your brothers and sisters. You can show them the blueprints and help them build their own place for Christ to dwell.  It is never to late to renovate!

Feb

5

Closer Than a Friend

By Jan Ross | Leave a Comment 


Friendship is a gift of God, it is precious, it is priceless, and it is to be cherished. A friend is one with whom you are intimately acquainted, one with whom you can associate at any time or under any circumstances, one with whom you trust your confidences. A friend will love you when you’re unlovable, lift you up when you are down, encourage you, laugh with you, cry with you, and even challenge you to rise above life’s circumstances.

According to Proverbs 17:17, a brother is even closer than a friend.

“A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.”

As a member of the Family of God, we have a Friend and a Brother; He was not only born for adversity, He was born in adversity.  He’s our precious companion, our intimate acquaintance, our cherished associate, and our trustworthy confidant. He even loves us when we’re unlovable.  He’s our Brother; we’re joint heirs with Him.  The closer we draw to Him the stronger the family resemblance and the more we look like Him, act like Him, and talk like Him—His image can be seen in every aspect of our lives! Because of His sacrificial love toward us, we share a kinship which denotes a blood relationship and a family resemblance.

We have a Friend and Brother in Jesus Christ today. He is truly precious, priceless and to be cherished. Take time to thank Him and acknowledge Him for all that He is to you in every way, not just today but every day.  And, remember…He’s there at any time, under any circumstances, ready to lift you up, encourage you, laugh with you, cry with you, and challenge you to rise above life’s circumstances.  He’s closer than a friend…He’s a brother!

“What a Friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear!”

Father, I thank you for the friend I have found in Jesus, my Brother, my Lord. I thank You that I’m accepted in Your family and made joint heir with my Brother. What more could I ever want or need? My Savior, Redeemer, Confidante, and Friend, truly precious, priceless and cherished, a Brother through the good times and the bad, at all times and forevermore. What a privilege to be in relationship with You! Amen.

© Jan Ross
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