God Does Do-Overs
“Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness And rivers in the desert.” Isaiah 43: 19
Do you have past failures that trouble you? Are they significant enough to you that accumulated they cause you to tend to feel you have a failure complex? To use a colloquium they bug you.
The prophet Isaiah wrote God’s message to the people of God who were in captivity in Babylon saying: “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.” (Isaiah 43:18-19)
W – O – W !
There are more good things in the past of all of us than we tend to remember. However, don’t expect past victories to sustain you. Don’t rob yourself by not reflecting on them with gratitude. Don’t be an ingrate failing to thank the Lord for them. Pause and consider that.
Conversely, don’t allow past failures to paralyze you. Isaiah’s prophecies to the children of Israel came at a bleak period in their history. They were in captivity, in exile in Babylon. People lost everything back home that they thought would be theirs forever. They were homesick and dreaming of going back, but life was going nowhere. If God could do a new thing for them He surely can for you.
The fear of failing again can cause hesitation and potentially immobilize you. Sure, to act is to risk failure. Failure to act guarantees failure. God has already removed all obstacles of coming to Him.
Be realistic about your past. Also be confident about your future. Our God is a God of new beginnings. He prefaces making all things new by forgiving all things past predicated on contrition, confession, and commitment. Once that is established expect God’s smile to accompany His mighty right hand as He makes all things new. Accept that word “all.” Your past failures and brokenness no longer rule over you, define or defeat you. He specializes in makeovers.
Pray the prayer of David who asked of the Lord, “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me” (Ps 51:10). Heart is a metaphor for the control center of one’s life. It starts there and permeates all of life.
Regarding your self-image, remember there is a difference in saying I failed and I am a failure. You are a new creature in Christ. Believe it and act accordingly.
Be loyal to the royal blood that flows in your veins. You are not alone. He who does new things is your loving Lord.
Spread Cheer Anonymously
Do something nice for someone today and be sure not to get caught.
Don’t you like it when someone does something nice for you unexpectedly? Most people do. If you do, you are not very different from others who would also. So, go out there today and make someone feel good. Don’t do it to gain favor or something in return. Think of someone you would like to give a lift anonymously. Remember, don’t get caught doing it.
Don’t be like the wealthy church member whose church was having a fundraiser and he said, “I would like to give $50,000 anonymously.”
Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius wrote, “…we’re only doing what we were formed by nature to do, so why should we need recognition for helping.” When the doing of an act is more gratifying than any compliment that follows that is true kindness.
When a person feels noticed and appreciated in their own persona they are instantly empowered. Empower someone today. They may be out of power.
My wife was going through the checkout line in the grocery store recently and as she paid the clerk handed her a bouquet of roses. When my wife said she didn’t get them or pay for them the clerk said, “I know, the lady who checked out before you paid for them and said they are for you.” My wife caught up with her in the parking lot to thank her and asked if she knew her. The lady said she didn’t know my wife, she just wanted to brighten her day. It did. They parted without exchanging names, but both feeling good about the interchange.
The greatest giver of all, our Lord Jesus, said it is more blessed to give than to receive.
Seneca affirmed this saying the payoff for a good deed is in the act itself, not in what comes after.
Research even suggests that altruism can improve your attitude and make you healthier, happier, and less stressed.
I had one intended anonymous act backfire on me. While doing my own yard work one day I thought how nice it would be to have someone stop and help. A few days later I passed a person I did not know putting out pine straw in flower beds. I circled back, got out and offered to help, which I did, but the whole time he looked fearful at someone who would do that. He never knew who I was.
Remember the operative word is “kindness” not “anonymous.” However when anonymous a sense of well being results. Surely it is a blessing to the recipient, but not as much so as the doer.
Jesus was a proponent of acts of anonymous kindness noting, “…do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” (Matthew 6: 4).
The God Who Supplies
“And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19
This is one of the most misunderstood and misused verses in the Bible. Progressive Theology declares God wants you healthy, wealthy, and wise.
Adherents postulate that gifts given to a certain person or cause will result in blessings from God. That is, He will supply all of the givers need because of the gift. This makes it appear God can be bought off. God does not work on a quid pro quo basis. We don’t give to get. We give because we have been given.
The operative words are need “chreia” and shall supply, “pl?ro?”. We fail to realize the difference between a need and a want. The word translated “needs” comes from the Greek chreia, which means necessity or business. The Greek word translated as “supply”, pléroó, means “to render full, to complete.” He will fully supply your necessity and the business He has trusted you to perform in His kingdom. Nowhere does God imply He will meet our wants.
Notice, though, the verse does not include the word “desires” in the sentence. We may desire good weather while on vacation or a job without conflict, but these do not reflect our needs. Our wants may not align with what He considers best for us—our true needs. Some needs mentioned elsewhere in the Bible include redemption, forgiveness, and justification. He offers to freely provide these needs.
Have you ever thanked God for the foolish wants you had to which He said no? The thing you thought to be a blessing would have turned out to be a burden.
If you have a special need today, focus your full attention on the goodness and greatness of your God rather than on the size of your need. Your need is tiny compared to His ability to meet it. The God who was wise enough to create the universe is loving enough to look after you. What a serene and quiet life we might lead if we learned to trust God as our supply Master.
Faith prompts us to pray, “Giver of Life and all good gifts, grant us also wisdom to use only what we need, courage to trust our bounty, imagination to preserve our resources, determination to deny frivolous excess, and inspiration to sustain through temptation”.
In a certain area of Mexico, there are hot springs and cold springs found side by side. And, because of this convenience and natural miracle, the local women would often bring their laundry, boil their clothes in the hot springs, and rinse them in the cold springs. A tourist watching this procedure commented to his Mexican guide: “They must thank God for generously supplying such an abundance of clean hot and cold water.” “No,” said the guide, “they complain God did not supply the soap.” Is that you or a friend?
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ” (Ephesians 1: 3).
“Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41: 10).
One Hebrew name for God is Yahweh-yir´eh (Jehova jireh) meaning “the God who provides.” He has committed Himself to provide for your needs. The supply is according to “His riches in glory” which are inexhaustible. He really means for you not to worry about your future.
A Farmer’s Life
“The hard-working farmer must be the first to partake of the fruit.”
II Timothy 2:6
Metaphors are used throughout the Bible to aid our understanding. Athletic metaphors are favorites in the Epistles. The world of athletics is often used to illustrate the Christian life. Mention is made of track and field (1 Corinthians 9:12), boxing (1 Corinthians 9:26), and wrestling (Ephesians 6:12).
One with much meaning that is rarely mentioned is the farmer. The farmer is used as an illustration of a good Christian. Having been reared on a family farm in an agrarian society, and having a degree in horticulture, I know a bit about farming. Consider some similarities between a farmer’s life and that of your life as a commendable Christian life.
A farmer (Christian) knows that occasional failure is inevitable. Regardless of how hard and smart he works, forces of nature can work against him causing failure. Still he does not become defeated, he perseveres. Perseverance is listed along with faith, virtue, knowledge, self-control, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love in order to avoid being barren and unfruitful. (II Peter 1: 5 – 9)
A farmer (Christians) must have a lot of patience which is definitely needed in order to deal with the surprises that may come his way. He knows what the Bible means “to wait on the Lord.”
A farmer (Christian) must have a passion for and commitment to the work. Some years and seasons are worse than others and require more work. But farmers keep on going and work through the tough times in order to be productive.
A farmer (Christian) must be committed to life-long learning. Things change so fast it is imperative for him to be a continual-learner. Study to show yourself approved unto God.
A farmer (Christian) must be ingenious, creative and adaptable. As a good musician must master the fundamentals before improvising, so a farmer must master the fundamentals of his craft in order to improvise, adapt, and creatively respond to changing circumstances.
A farmer (Christian) must be a problem solver, the challenges are many. A farmer who thinks a constant stage of life will be arrived at presenting no new challenges is in a state of self-deception. New problems needing a solution arise daily. The problems demand creative solutions.
A farmer (Christian) must be a good time manager. Deferred action can result in crop loss.
A farmer (Christian) knows three things: you reap what you sow, you reap later than you sow, and you reap more than you sow. Therefore, sow wisely, that is always consider “What then….” when acting.
A Different View of Abortion
Imagine these scenarios. If all the infants in all the wombs of all the women of all the world could communicate at the birth of one of them named Sam the others could be heard to say, “Poor ole Sam passed on.”
Now, imagine this scenario. An intruder came in and dispatched Sam, forcefully taking him out. The others could be heard to say, “Poor ole Sam was brutally murdered and drugged out. He had such potential, yet, he was mercilessly killed.”
That is abortion as seen from the victim’s viewpoint.
Fifty years ago when abortion was legalized it was said it would lead to a new philosophy. Young adults would grow to believe that if it is legal to kill at that stage it is OK to kill at any age. Without it being said the concept would prevail subconsciously and murders would increase. Sure enough in the streets of our cities deferred abortion is being practiced on young adults by young adults. The principal instrument used for the deferred abortion is the handgun.
In abhorring the horror of abortion the welfare of the young mother must be considered. Assistance in not aborting must be given to her. No federal funds can be expected to give assistance to young mothers who elect to give birth to and rear a child. The private sector will have to provide assistance. Keep in mind there are already pro-life clinics that give assistance.
Almost all of those who go to pro-life centers have made their choice to give birth before going. Most go there seeking advice and help. Protesters disrupting centers that are there to help them inflicts hardship on such potential mothers. This disrupts the mother in making her choice.
In general pro-life centers act as a referral center designed to provide a loving non-judgmental environment. They don’t shout condemnation and wave the Bible in the face of a potential mother. There is no condemnation, only love. It is little known they dispense diapers, clothing, and vitamins until the child is two years of age. Council regarding finding funding and a place to live is also afforded. Insight, not pressure, is given regarding potentially putting the child up for adoption in a good home. They are there to help, not condemn.
Further help is needed by enacting laws making adoption faster and less expensive. Birthing clinics that make giving birth less expensive would greatly help.
This is a bright hour for churches to show even greater compassion and more support. Families capable of adopting and rearing a child should step forward. All should pray. This is a new era and new concepts as to how to best meet the needs are surely going to be needed. Arise to the needs.