“A fixed, constant attention to the promises, and a firm belief in them, would prevent solicitude and anxiety about the concerns of this life. 4 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. Paul tells us in Colossians:ġ Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. This gives eternal direction to our earthly duties as well. We are to be dominated by the pattern of heaven – which brings God much glory and us much satisfaction. We are to rest secure in Him as we walk through our valleys and He will take us form strength to strength. This is why the Bible so clearly teaches we are to set our hearts and minds on things above rather than on our circumstances. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. The Word of the Lord penned by the prophet Jeremiah comes to mind:ġ1 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. God had at length through the devious paths of providence faith-energized a man to who He could trust this important activity.” Basil Miller Other activities were but preparatory to the orphanage work. Now at Bristol, after the young minister’s soul had been strengthened by eighteen months of trust for the success of the Institution, God was ready to thrust him forth into his real mission. Mueller to the sphere of his life’s work. RyleĪ wonderful example of this fleshed out is the great missionary to the orphans George Muller - a man of great faith and prayer. To make us believe more is the end of all Christ’s dealings with us.” J. “We must believe there are wise reasons why God does not come to our help at once and take the suffering away.To believe more and trust more, is the real secret of Christian growth, progress, and prosperity. Believer, we must never wonder if God has our best interest at heart. To believe more and trust more is the hallmark of Christian growth yet we often spurn the methods of achieving them in our lives. Unbeknownst to His disciples in our verses for today, He was about to exponentially grow their faith and trust – not to mention others as well - yet they remained clueless. He is, and always has been, all about building faith among His followers which ultimately brings glory to His Father. Every action our Lord does has meaning and purpose and is wrapped in love whether we are able to discern this or not. Often, like these first disciples, we seem to place Jesus on a level playing field with ourselves while He stands alone - so far above - and so totally Other. “I do not work only in cases where there are no obstacles but I glory in overruling the prevailing circumstances, and I take pleasure in bringing victories in those places where no victory is anywhere in sight.” Frances J. Lazarus had died and Jesus was going to go raise him from the dead and apparently that was the furthermost thing from His disciple’s minds. Sometimes, like these disciples, we just have to be hit right between the eyes with the plain and solid Truth sans the cloaking of gentleness and sweetness. He first begins with “Let us go back to Judea” followed with “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep but I am going there to wake him up” and ending with plainly stating “Lazarus is dead”. Our Lord goes in a progression from simple sweetness in a language of beauty, to stark reality in communicating to His guys their friend Lazarus’ condition. With plainness and exactness of speech, Jesus states frankly to His disciples, “Lazarus is dead”.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |