How the road looks to me at times.

I've been struggling with my expectations of what God should do.

Too often, my thinking is, I'm his child so He should:
     Rescue me, take all the pain away,  
    give me no hardship, sickness,
    no  bad times.

But, when I look at history, believers who served God mightily have also suffered.
   

We see  ill health;  pain;  early death; poverty, even torture for their faith in their pathway.

In  some cases we are given a record  detailing  their lives and work in the kingdom, yet with suffering and hardship.  I am seeing that God their Father did not cushion their lives, prevent pain, sorrow, hardship, sickness and even death - but their lives were held never-the-less in God's keeping, and they did not walk alone.

Moreover, only in  some cases are we are given a glimpse of the value of  the lives of those around us.  It seems to me that too often we only see/ or maybe notice the hard parts, not the glory.

So, the bottom line today is:
   
     Do I trust that God is in my hardship as well as the good times?
     Do I believe God loves me and is directing my life?
     Do I give Him thanksgiving and worship even when my life is not going my
     way?  

     Yes, and Yes, and Yes.  

I do Lord God, by your enabling power in my life trust you.

                                             THANK YOU!

God's gifts, God's divine promises

I am a gift from the God the Father to His Son, Jesus Christ.

II Timothy 1:9 who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus *before the ages began, (ESV)  * Greek here "before time began"

Ephesians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 even as he chose us in him *before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. (ESV) *Greek here "before time began"

God saved us and called us, with a holy calling. Not according to our works, but according to HIS holy purpose and grace, granted to us in Christ Jesus.

To whom did God make this promise?

It was the Father to the Son. The father's love gave a love gift to the son - The gift? A redeemed humanity.

He predetermined who would be included in that love gift to his Son.

John 6: 37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.  ESV

John 6:44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.  ESV

John 6:39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day.  ESV

All the Father gives me shall come to me.

All the Father gives to the son are drawn to him.

All who are drawn will come

All who come will be received.

Of all who are given to Christ, not one will be lost.

That is me, and you, all who are born again into Christ. We are God's gift to his son our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ.

 
 LORD God Almighty, 
 I love you, 
 I worship you. 
 In awe I bow down,
 amazed, delighted, and
 reverent. 
 Thank you.








from notes on message "Election" by John MacArther -
http://www.ligonier.org/rym/broadcasts/audio/election1/

A.T. PIERSON quote

Below is a quote from his writings about the Lord Jesus Christ, the son of the most High God.  It has been slightly rearranged for readability.    A. T. Pierson, [Before Spurgeon died, he asked AT Pierson to take his place. Modern Missions Pioneer] This precious Book tells us of one who resigned the throne and crown of heaven, exchanged the radiant robe of the universal King for the garment of a servant, descended to death, condescended to human want and woe and wickedness, lay in a lowly cradle in a cattle stall at Bethlehem, and hung upon a cross of shame of Calvary, that even those who crucified Him might be forgiven. Can you span the chasm between the throne of a universe and that cross? A crown of stars and a crown of thorns? The worship of the host of heaven and the mockery of an insulting mob? … There is nothing like it in history, not even in fable. How can we understand … ? A man with human infirmities, without human sin or sinfulness; poor, yet having at His disposal universal riches; weak and weary, yet having the exhaustless energy of God; unable to resist the violence and insults of His foes, yet able to summon legions of angels at a word or wish; suffering, yet incapable of anything but perfect bliss; dying, yet Himself having neither beginning of days or end of years?