More Precious Than Gold

"That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:" 

1 Peter 1:7 

My friend and I are reading the bible together, one book at a time, and today we began 1 Peter.  We found something very interesting in chapter 1 verse 7: Our trials are MUCH MORE precious than gold.  

Let that sink in for a minute.

I meditated on some of my current trials right now, and they do not seem like they are worth more than gold.  

What seems to be beneficial for others seem to cause me more detriment.

When it seems like others walk in sunshine, I tend to jump over puddles in the rain.

When I make decisions to better my health, I end up causing more pain; and at this juncture in my life, who would have thought that for the next eighteen and a half months my teeth would be held hostage by metal wires and brackets?

Not me.

But that is all temporal, just like gold.

Our trials of faith produce eternal results causing every single thing that we endure bring praise, honour and glory to the Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 1:6 says, "Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations:"

Peter tells us that we should greatly rejoice in our trials, so why do we tend to be discouraged in the midst of them and why do we do everything humanly possible to avoid them at all costs?  

It's because we are not looking at what they produce, we are looking at the inconvenience, the pain, the heartache. We are focusing on the here and now instead of focusing on God's purpose for them.

Charles Spurgeon once said, "Indeed, it is the honor of faith to be tried. Shall any man say, 'I have faith, but I have never had to believe under difficulties?' Who knows whether thou hast any faith? Shall a man say, 'I have great faith in God, but I have never had to use it in anything more than the ordinary affairs of life, where I could probably have done without it as well as with it?' Dost thou think that such a faith as this will bring any great glory to God, or bring to thee any great reward? If so, thou are mightily mistaken."

It's easy to have faith when everything is going great in our little corner of the world...

     but when things get tough...

         God wants to see what our faith is really made of...

            But that's just me!

"The trials of our faith are more precious than gold. Gold is temporal but the trying of our faith brings about eternal results."  Kris Poling.

Rejoice in the Lord

Ron Hamilton 2002

Verse 1-God never moves without purpose or plan,

When trying His servant and molding a man.

Give thanks to the Lord though your testing seems long,

In darkness He giveth a song.

Verse 2-I could not see through the shadows ahead,

So I looked at the cross of my Saviour instead.

I bowed to the will of the Master that day,

Then peace came and tears fled away.

Verse 3- Now I can see testing comes from above,

God strengthens His children and purges in love.

My Father knows best, and I trust in His care,

Through purging more fruit I will bear.

Chorus: O, Rejoice in the Lord,

He makes no mistake,

He knoweth the end of each path that I take, 

For when I am tried,

And purified,

I shall come forth as gold!

It Only Takes One Prayer

"In my distress I cried unto the LORD, and he heard me." Psalm 120:1

On Sunday morning, my sister's 13-month-old granddaughter unexpectedly went home to be with the Lord. She had been in the NICU Ward for her entire life, and the hospital had been the only home she had ever known, yet she was a very happy baby. Since the day of her birth, she had been lovingly cared for by doctors, nurses and her family. She developed a new infection, and this time, her tiny little body could no longer fight against it.  When I heard the news, I assured my sister that her precious granddaughter was now safe in the arms of Jesus and that I would request prayer for her and her family on our Church Prayer App.

But after three days, the request for prayer remains absent from our App.  Whether it had been lost in cyberspace, neglected, technical difficulties, or simply overlooked, I will never know, but as I continued to think about the missing prayer request, the Lord assured me of one precious promise: It only took one prayer to lift my sister and her family up to Him; it was mine, and He heard me.

Sometimes we think we need reinforcements, mighty prayer warriors, and multiple people praying on our behalf, when in fact, the Lord will simply hear the cry of one of His children.  He will hear us, comfort us and He will answer our prayer.

Only God will know what happened to the missing prayer request...

    But when I prayed, I know the Lord heard me...

        And He is enough...

            But that's just me.

There are those who believe you can lose your salvation, and religions that require multiple works and repeated prayers-Friend, let me tell you, When you turn to Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour, He will hear you the first time, and He will save you and He will never let you go!

Unspoken Prayer Requests

 "I pray for them:" Words of Jesus, John 17:9a

"Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us." Romans 8:34

"Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them." Hebrews 7:25

I received a text the other day from a friend who wrote, "I have an Unspoken Prayer Request, will you pray for me?"  I wrote back and said, "Absolutely!  Do you know what I like about Unspoken Prayer Requests? Our Unspoken Prayer Requests are spoken out loud from Jesus to God the Father on our behalf."

There are multiple verses in the Bible that remind us that Jesus is praying for us, not just the three verses listed above. 

I find great comfort in that; you should too!

I don't always have to know the specifics in order to pray for someone...

    God already knows the specifics...

        And He is already praying on our behalf...

            But that's just me!

"Groanings which cannot be uttered are often prayers which cannot be refused."

Charles Spurgeon

AND SUDDENLY!

"And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.  And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed." Acts 16:25-26

I love this account!  I know I've written on these verses before, but as I read them again this morning, I couldn't help but write about it again!

After being beaten and bound by shackles and thrown into prison, Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises to God!  I wonder if they sang some of David's Psalms?  I would like to think so.  I'm sure they put their prayers to song as well.  Have you ever done that?  I had to laugh because sometimes when I was a little girl, I would put my words to song at the dinner table.  I would turn, 'Would you please pass the salt?' into a little jingle, and my mom would look at me laugh.  Sometimes as an adult, when God answers prayer, I do a little 'David Dance' in my living room and sing my 'Thank You's' to melody.

Men can bind and beat and destroy the body, but they cannot touch our souls! They cannot defeat our Spirit!

Paul and Silas PRAISED God!  And when the bible tells us that 'the prisoners heard them,' it means that the prisoners 'listened intently.' They strained to hear every single word Paul and Silas sang.  Can you imagine their surprise when they heard praises instead of cursing? Can you imagine what they were thinking when they heard prayers, instead of cries of pity?

Then verse 26 begins with, 'And suddenly...'  God moves quickly when He hears PRAISE!  I wonder if my prayers are hindered because of my LACK of praise in my circumstances?

Praise literally shook the ground they sat on, the foundations of the prison shook!  Doors were opened, shackles loosed! Praise breaks the cords of bondage!  I love that!  

What a testimony Paul and Silas had during horrible persecution.

God help me to respond to persecution...

    the same way Paul and Silas responded to persecution...

        with PRAISE!

            But that's just me!

 

Are You a Pessimist, or Are You an Optimist?

"Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost." Romans 15:13

Webster defines Pessimism as, 'an inclination to emphasize adverse aspects, conditions, and possibilities or to expect the worst possible outcome.'  He goes on to define Optimism as, ' an inclination to put the most favorable construction upon actions and events or to anticipate the best possible outcome.'

The perfect example of a Pessimist is a character Charles M. Schulz created on October 2, 1950, who we all know and love, Charlie Brown.

The perfect example of an Optimist is Charlie Brown's best friend, Linus Van Pelt.

We could all use a best friend like Linus, couldn't we?

I'm here to tell you that we do!

Hebrews 12:1 "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,'

Who are these witnesses cheering us on?  They are the many faithful individuals mentioned in Hebrews Chapter 11. Abel, Noah, Abraham, Sarah and Moses.  They all provide examples of unwavering faith and perseverance in the face of hardship.  The 'cloud' serves as a symbolic figurative gathering of these past heroes of faith who surround and encourage believer's today to run their own 'race' with endurance and perseverance. (AI)

Not only do we have Heroes of the faith cheering us on, but more importantly, we have the Lord Jesus Christ Who prays for us.

John 17:9- "I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine."

We also have the Holy Spirit Who promises to abide with us forever!

"And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever." Words of Jesus Himself, John 14:16

I realized something about myself the other day.  When it comes to myself, I'm a Pessimist.  I'm constantly preparing myself for the worst thing that could possibly happen, but when it comes to others, I'm an Optimist.  I cheer my friends on with bible verses, prayers and encouragement.

Now that I recognize that, I can change.

I can realize that Pessimism stems from fear, and fear is not of God.

2 Timothy 1:7-"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."

I can also pray believing!

"Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. Words of Jesus, Mark 11:24

So, if Pessimism stems from fear, where does Optimism stem from?

TRUST.

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28

So, how about you?  Are you a Pessimist, or an Optimist?

Things may always seem to go wrong...

    But just keep trusting...

        For a child of God, there is always a Light at the end of the tunnel...

            But that's just me!

"To God be the glory, great things He hath done!  To God be the glory, great things He will do!" TAH

       

One of the Good Guys

"And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved."  Words of Jesus, John 3:18-19

We lost one of the Good Ones a couple of days ago.  It's ironic that it happened on the 24th Anniversary of the Terrorist Attack on the World Trade Center.

I normally don't use this Blog for political purposes, and I won't do so now, however, I will use this Blog to praise God for those who are not afraid to speak out about their Faith.

This man whose life was cut short by an assassin's bullet lived by the principle's of Micah 6:8.  He had this verse written on paper that laid upon his desk.  He kept this verse in his pocket.

He kept this verse in his heart.

He lived this verse.

"He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?"

This man lived his life with his faith first, his family second, church third, and then he lived his life for the youth of today who fill our college campuses. 

His heart was focused on the youth of America, to challenge them to think for themselves, to search for Truth, and to learn how to discuss issues, instead of destroying others.

When his wife first heard that her husband had been shot, the first thing she posted on all the Social Media Outlets was Psalm 46:10-11. "Be still and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah."

What a testimony in the moment of grief!

I heard something while listening to News Radio while I was driving home after this event happened.  The speaker reminded the listeners that God knew the moment of our conception, He knew the exact moment of our birth, He knows the exact number of our days, and He knows when we take our last breath.

Young or old, rich or poor, good or bad; we all have a beginning, and we all have an end.

So, what are we doing in between?

The darker our world becomes from evil, the brighter our lights will shine for the glory of God.

Darkness does not like the light, and it will do everything it can to put the light out.

This man's life might have been snuffed out by a cowardly sniper, but the principles that he lived for are stronger than ever before.

Truth will never be silenced.

My son texted me today and he said something very profound...

    He reminded me that "we will win in the end..."

        There IS victory in Jesus Christ!

            But that's just me!

"These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world."

Words of Jesus, John 16:33

"Despite tribulations, God's goodness prevails."  Anonymous

The Forgotten Invitation

"Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not."

Jeremiah 33:3

I made great preparations.

I cleaned my house up and down and, in every nook, and cranny.  I baked three different kinds of pastries and poured hot water into my tea pot.  Then, I placed a freshly, ironed tablecloth over my table, folded cloth napkins into fans, and placed them onto each plate.  In the center of it all were freshly cut flowers from my garden.

Beautiful.

Now all I needed was my friend to arrive.

I watched the clock as the minutes ticked by.  Quarter past, half past.  My friend was now an hour late for my tea party and I had not received a text or a phone call explaining her delay.

Then it dawned on me: I never sent her an invitation.

Now, did this really happen?  No.  But as I sat down to begin my bible reading and devotion for the day, that thought had entered my mind.

The mechanics of my day had begun just like they normally do.  I woke up, (which is always a good thing!) got out of bed and prepared myself for the day.  I made myself a cup of coffee and walked into the small front room where my prayer chair is placed in the corner with a lap pillow and a quilt made by a dear friend of mine.  My snuggly, faithful dog is already waiting for me there.

But this morning felt a little different as I reached for my journal, prayer sheet and bible.

This morning, I realized how familiar my morning routine had become. The familiarity, the mechanics.

Routines can be good, but they can also become not-so-good.

As I began to pray, I asked God not to allow my mornings with Him to become mechanical.  

I cannot assume my Lord will meet with me here, just because I showed up in my normal spot.

I must invite Him to come and join me as I pray and read His Word.

I must invite Him to show me something new from His Word so that His Word can conform me into His image.

I must invite Him to my bible study every day...

    After all, Jesus invites me to come to Him...

        Every.  Single.  Day...

            But that's just me!