What does God want for me? Faithfulness

January 30, 2016 nofearlindaLeave a comment

One of the most important characteristics of God Almighty is His faithfulness.  We depend upon His faithfulness daily and know that He will uphold us and be with us. Deuteronomy 31:6 “Be strong and courageous.  Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD you God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”   We know God is faithful and will keep His promises.  Hebrews 10:23″Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we process, for he who promised is faithful.”  We also know and depend upon God’s faithful forgiveness 1John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”  Those are just a few of the ways God is faithful to us.  When we say we want to be more like Jesus, that means we want to take on God’s character.  God wants us to be faithful.  Here are a few ways God desires us to be faithful:  in witnessing, praying and loving others.
God tells us in Acts 1:8 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”   Are you showing your faithfulness to Jesus by telling others about His great love and forgiveness?    What about praying?  1 Thessalonians 5:17 says “pray continually” and James 5:16b says “pray for each other so that you may be healed.  The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.”   Do you pray for other so they can be uplifted and healed?   Loving is easy to say but difficult to do.  1 Corinthians 16:13-14 “Be on guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong.  Do everything in love.”   Are you struggling to love others with Christ like devotion?
The Lord knew I needed to write about faithfulness today and immerse myself in His Word.  Recently, I lost my son Steven.  I trust in God’s faithfulness and know he is now with Jesus but the reality of his passing is still shocking and very painful.  He was only 31, and I thought he had so much more to give and receive in life.  God knows us and has numbered our days, and I trust Him that though Steve’s time was short he touched many lives.  I have been mightily touched by the prayers of the saints offered up for my family and me.  I have truly felt the loving arms of Jesus surround me.  As I read cards and posts that people are praying for me, there is a peace and wholeness that comes into my soul.  I will never again take prayer for granted, as I am assured that praying for others is something they can feel and uplifts them as nothing in this world can.   Thank you for your prayers.  I have truly been touched by the hand of God.

In love and with a prayerful heart,
Linda

 

What does God want for me? Goodness

      I thought the best way to approach this word, goodness, was to first look it up in the dictionary.  The definition given for goodness is the state or quality of kindness, generosity and excellence of character.  It also says that goodness is the essence or most valuable part of something and it is a euphemism for God.  This helped my focus, as the Bible speaks of goodness as a quality that God desires for his children. It is one of the fruits of the Spirit mentioned in Galatians 5:22.  Goodness is a result of being with God, being indwelt by God and knowing Jesus as our Savior.

      In Genesis, God proclaims His creation as being good after each day, Genesis 1.   When God created man He said it was very good. Genesis 1:31.  Before sin entered the world, all of creation was good in God’s eyes.  After the fall of man into sin, the world was permeated and clouded by sin.  The purity and goodness of man was gone and God alone was good.   God is good and scripture encourages us that looking to God we will see goodness.  Psalm 34:8 “Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who take refuge in him.“  Psalm 100:5  For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generation’s.”   Nahum 1:7 “God is good, a refuge in times of trouble.  He cares for those who trust in him.”   Goodness is part if God’s character.   He desires that we have this character trait too.  Scripture tell us that since man is sinful, he is not good.  Psalm 53:3b “there is no one who does good- not even one.”  Mark 10:18 and Luke 18:19 “Why do you call me good? Jesus answered, ” No one is good- except God alone.”   Romans 3:12 “All have turned away, they have  together become worthless;  there is on one who does good, not even one.”     So how are we to attain this character quality that God desires for us?  In Christ alone do we find the power to behave with goodness and reflect the quality of goodness in our lives.  Ephesians 2:10 “For we are God’s workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”  2 Corinthians 9:8 “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need you will abound in every good work.”   Philippians 1:6 “being confident of this that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”  Tell us that the power of Christ in our lives will bear the fruit of goodness.  Look to Christ and depend upon Him each day to help you to walk with goodness and show others the goodness of Christ.  Micah 1:8 reminds up “He has showed you, O man, what is good.  And what does the LORD require of you?  To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”    Endeavoring to live a life for Christ filled with His goodness pleases God!  Is this your desire?   Will you lay yourself before Him and ask His help and guidance to better reflect His goodness and mercy to others?

Striving to walk with goodness,

Linda

Food for thoughts: Kindness of the Lord

God supports us and we can bloom and flourish in the midst of water that could sink us.

Isaiah 63:7  “I will tell of the kindnesses of the LORD, the deeds for which he is to be praised, according to all the LORD has done for us-  yes, the many good things he has done for the house of Israel, according to his compassion and many kindnesses.”

What can you thank and praise God for today?  What kindness has He shown you and your family recently?  I am eternally grateful for His love, mercy and forgiveness through Chris Jesus.

Living as a result of His great kindness and mercy,

Linda

What does God want for me? Kindness

    

 I started this series in October and since the Advent blogging is past I wanted to get back to this study.  So far we have discovered that God wants us to have: holiness, love for others, joy, peace and patience in our lives.  Today we are adding kindness to this list of desirable attributes.
There are many examples of kindness exhibited by people in the Bible.  David showed kindness to his enemy Saul’s crippled grandson, Mephibosheth.   Saul’s son Jonathan was David’s friend and he sought to show kindness instead of hatred.  (2Samuel 9)  Also, Boaz showed kindness to Ruth and Naomi in letting them glean from his fields.  He was a distant kinsmen who claimed them in kindness.  Can you recall people who you showed kindness to in 2015?

       Scripture tells us in Proverbs 21:21 “Whoever pursues righteousness and kindness will find life, righteousness and honor.   Zechariah 7:9 “This says the LORD of hosts, ‘Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another,'”   God wants us to purse actions that reflect His character and show kindness to others.  I love the verse in Jeremiah 9:24b ..”that I am the LORD who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight.”   God is a god of kindness who delights to show us kindness.  His greatest act of kindness was to send Jesus, His son.  Titus 3:4-5 “But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteousness things we had done, but because of his mercy.”   There is no amount of right or kind things we can do to deserve being saved.  He saved us because of his kindness and mercy.

       Who can you show kindness to this week?  Is there an elderly person that needs a call or visit, a kind word for your coworker or spouse or a gentle kind touch for a child?   Seek to show God’s kindness this week and know you are reflecting God’s character in your actions.

Open to kindness,

Linda

How are you doing with your New Year?

Flowers of Hope in Israel that show the desert blooming where wasteland stood before.

       Starting a new year is daunting at times.  I think I am overwhelmed by the hustle and bustle of work, setting goals for the year, looking ahead to what I want to do and/or accomplish.  The last couple of years I have tried to focus on Lamentations 3:21-23 “Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope:  The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”  God wants us to have HOPE!  He wants us to get up each day and claim His promise of hope and mercy.  He is true to His character and His faithfulness is great, unending and full.

I pray this encourages you as you begin the New Year, 2016.

Linda

I chose this verse to begin my new book, Promises for Dynamic Living.  Memorize it and claim it for a dynamic 2016!

Happy New Year! 2016 is upon us!

       As this New Year starts, I ask myself what do I need to change?  What do I need to keep on doing?  What difference will I make this year?   These questions are different than making New Year’s resolutions as they ask us to reflect on our lives and take a few minutes to analyze our motives and direction.

 

        What do I need to change?  King Saul was anointed King by the prophet Samuel.  Samuel describes Saul’s transformation in 1 Samuel 10:6-7 “Then the Spirit of the LORD will rush upon you, and you will prophesy with them and be turned into another man.  Now when these signs meet you, do what your hand finds to do for God is with you.”  Samuel told Saul the Lord would empower him through His Spirit to do the things he needed to do.  What about you?  Are you trusting the Lord to help you change what needs to be different in your life’s circumstances or character?  You are not without power. You have the indwelling Holy Spirit to help you achieve that which seems impossible.  ” For nothing will be impossible with God.” Luke 1: 37

 

       What do I need to keep doing?  Here you and I need to analyze what we’re doing that is working and glorifying God.  Pray and ask God for direction and guidance whether you need to keep on or turn in another direction.  Proverbs 3:5-6 says “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” 

 

       What difference will I make this year?    One of my favorite verses is Isaiah 55:11  “so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”  What this says to me is that God has a purpose and a work for you and I to do.  If we keep our focus on Him, He will do the achieving and He is always successful.  God is sovereign and His will for us will be completed.  We just need to be willing and step out in faith; He will do the work.

 

       I pray these simple questions stimulate your thinking as we begin 2016.  God desires that we honor and glorify Him in all we do and say.  Let it be so for each of us in this New Year.

 

Blessings anew,

 

Linda