Trustful Decisions
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A Time to Think
"Each day comes bearing its own gifts. Untie the ribbons." —Ruth Ann Schabacker |
| To Act Every day, try to be a little wiser than you were the day before. |
| To Pray Lord, it’s hard to make a decision that will affect my future. Help me to trust You to guide me wisely. |
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The Economy, the Economy, the Economy..... Recent polls indicate that is the number one concern
of the American people. The word is defined as, "financial affairs: the production and consumption
of goods and services of a community regarded as a whole; careful, thrifty management of resources,
such as money, materials, or labor." However, I believe, from what I hear on a personal level, that folks are the most concerned about how 'the sluggish economy' affects them in particular.
of the American people. The word is defined as, "financial affairs: the production and consumption
of goods and services of a community regarded as a whole; careful, thrifty management of resources,
such as money, materials, or labor." However, I believe, from what I hear on a personal level, that folks are the most concerned about how 'the sluggish economy' affects them in particular.
I know of many, many cases in which the monthly bills are due and there's no money in the bank.
Of course, this causes extreme stress and gigantic depression, further exasperating the problem. People feel helpless in this situation, and that's certainly understandable. Of course I
firmly believe in prayer, and I definitely trust that all things are in God's plan and by His time. Unfortunately, creditors simply do not 'take that' as a 'payment due'. My Daddy used to say, "We can only do what we can do." That sounds so simplistic, but it's spot on. If we have depleted all 'earthly' sources as possible, if we have indeed done all we can physically do, then what we need to do is take a deep breath and turn it over to the Lord.
Of course, this causes extreme stress and gigantic depression, further exasperating the problem. People feel helpless in this situation, and that's certainly understandable. Of course I
firmly believe in prayer, and I definitely trust that all things are in God's plan and by His time. Unfortunately, creditors simply do not 'take that' as a 'payment due'. My Daddy used to say, "We can only do what we can do." That sounds so simplistic, but it's spot on. If we have depleted all 'earthly' sources as possible, if we have indeed done all we can physically do, then what we need to do is take a deep breath and turn it over to the Lord.
I know that I've told this scenario before, but it seems to fit in here:
Back during the Depression, a man and his wife would put all their bills into a hat, then when he got paid, they would draw out the bills - one at a time - and pay them until the money ran out. One particular creditor was hounding them unmercifully, and finally the man told him, "If you don't back off, I'm taking your bill out of the hat!"
Reread the 'To Pray' above.
Joel 3:14,16
"Thousands upon thousands are waiting in the valley of decision.
There the day of the Lord will soon arrive.
........... But the Lord will be a refuge for His people,
a strong fortress for the people of Israel."
There the day of the L
........... But the L
a strong fortress for the people of Israel."
When Jesus died and arose, we all became 'His people'. He loves us, He cares for us. After all, 'we can only do what we can do' in any situation, and if we've done that, then we must turn it over to the Lord and take peace in His shadow.
Nahum 1:7
"The Lord is good,
a strong refuge when trouble comes.
He is close to those who trust in Him."
a strong refuge when trouble comes.
He is close to those who trust in Him."
Hope you have a peaceful, reassuring day. Maggie
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Coffee Break
"Thy Will"
"Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven." Matthew 6:10
"Thy will be done". How often we pray this simple pray. But praying it and saying it is one thing, while meaning and following it is another. It's easy to say, "Let Your will be done", but what happens when the will of God conflicts with our will. What happens when His will takes us in a direction that we would not choose? What happens when His will doesn't line up with our plans and agenda?
When we say, "Thy will be done", we usually mean as long as it takes us to the "palace" not the "pit"; an "oasis" not the "desert"; the "mountain top" not the "valley". But the will of God doesn't always take us into bright, sunny, pleasant places. Remember Jesus was lead into the wilderness by the Spirit. And what about the cross- it was the will of God.
The will of God will often take us into places that we would not choose for ourselves. The places where His will would take us are not always easy- often they are hard. So what do we do then? How easy is it to submit to His will then? Do we surrender to His will or do we totally ignore it and fulfill our own will?
The will of God may not be a pleasant place at the moment, but it is taking us somewhere. For Joseph the pit was the first stepping stone to the palace. For Jesus the wilderness was the place where He got victory over the temptations of the flesh and empowerment for the work He was sent to do. For Jesus the cross, though it looked like a place of death, actually was the place that provided an open door to eternal life.
We need not fear or draw back from the will of God when it takes us into unpleasant places. We just need to submissively follow His will and trust that through it He is working all things together for our good and that even the unpleasant places are stepping stones that take us from glory to glory.
Have a great day. God's will is not always in accordance with our will, but choose to follow His will because it is taking you to a greater plan than you have for yourself.
For further reading:
Matthew 4:1-11; 26:39 - "Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil. For forty days and forty nights He fasted and became very hungry. During that time the devil came and said to Him, 'If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.' But Jesus told him, 'No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God'.
"Then the devil took Him to the holy city, Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, and said, 'If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say, ‘He will order His angels to protect you. And they will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone'.
"Jesus responded, 'The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the L
"Next the devil took Him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 'I will give it all to You,' he said, if You will kneel down and worship me'.
"Then the devil went away, and angels came and took care of Jesus."
"He went on a little farther and bowed with His face to the ground, praying, 'My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from Me. Yet I want Your will to be done, not mine'.”
2 Corinthians 3:18 - "So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like Him as we are changed into His glorious image."
Romans 8:28 - "And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them."
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Coffee Break is written by Lorraine Ezell
About the Master's Business Ministry, Inc.
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