Needs Met... Above and Beyond What I've Asked

Philippians 4:19  "And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus."
Matthew 6:7-8  "And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words. So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him."
Isaiah 58:11  "The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail."
Job 10:12  "You gave me life and showed me kindness, and in your providence watched over my spirit."
Romans 15:4  "For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope."
1 Corinthians 10:13  "No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it."
1 Timothy 6:17  "Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment."
1 Peter 4:11  "If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen."

      When you look at our society, do you see more need or greed?  There is definitely both, but we have a Provider for all of our needs.  We often focus on our material needs more than our spiritual needs, but God knows and does whatever it takes to meet both of those needs.  "Many times, He allows a need to come so that He can teach you to trust Him in a greater way. No problem is too complicated or too difficult for Him to handle." [intouch.org]  Many of our hurts are the designated roads to what we needed to draw us closer in our relationship with Christ.
       Matthew 6:33 tells us "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."  God wants us to trust in Him before all else and obey His commands.  'THEN' is the key word, He is committed to providing for your needs and the desires of your heart, according to His will.  What you may think is a fulfilled desire, my turn into a life lesson with hurt, because you are not following His ways in your life.  "Anytime we “expect” God to move a certain way, we have missed the deeper lesson that He wants us to learn.  We should never obey Him merely to manipulate our situation. God knows our hearts. When we are surrendered to Him, He sees our devotion and goes to work on our behalf."[intouch.org]
      In the verses above, each one shows the many different ways God provides for us.  He knows our needs before we do, He strengthens us physically and spiritually, He gives us hope and encouragement thru The Bible, He gives us an escape from temptation, He gives us pleasures in this world for our enjoyment..according to His will, and He gives us endurance to finish this race of life well to bring glory to His holy name.  What a list of reasons to trust Him completely with your eternal life.
     May you seek first the Kingdom of Heaven in your heart, mind and soul.  Then put your trust completely in God and His will for your life and its desires.  With obedience, He will not fail to guide and provide for all your needs...above and beyond what you've asked for in prayer.

Patience

Colossians 3:12  "Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience."

Ecclesiastes 7:8-9  "The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride. Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit,  for anger resides in the lap of fools."

        If you know me at all, you know 'patience' is not my gift nor do I pretend it to be.  Patience is a daily struggle of mine.  I am able to say I have a better grasp on it now than my younger days, but I recognize the fact that I will never master it in this life.  I blog on the topic of patience often, because of my own need to work on this characteristic of God in my life.  

       Philippians 2:14-16  " Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life.  And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain."

        Sometimes I wonder how God is using my disease as a way to build faith qualities within me, not just frustration.  His patience with me to learn patience is amazing, to say the least.  CMT, my disease, makes me wait in so many ways.  As I am typing now, I have to stop and wait for my arm to rest before I can type any more.  It's a test of patience with myself... will I rest and continue or just give up on the project completely?

       "More important than the awaited goal is the work God does in us while we wait.  Waiting deepens and matures us, levels our perspective, and broadens our understanding." [J.C. Maxwell]

        God's patience with each of us is beyond our understanding.  None of us would wait on others or ourselves, like God does, on any matter.  "Since God is a patient God, when we abandon patience we miss the opportunity to show our world the glory of God through our lives." [odb.org]  Philippians 1:6 promises "He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."  When I contemplate my failures with patience, this promise encourages me that God isn't finished with me yet.

        Romans 12:12 reminds me to "Be patient in tribulation."  I'm not saying it's easy, but God has a plan with a purpose.  So we must pray for direction to submit to His plan, patience to wait and endure well with His plan, and knowledge to know His plan above our own.

        May we all pray for the patience to endure times of trial, to keep anticipating, keep hoping, keep believing in the promises of God.  Pray for patience to be patient.

3 Areas to Control Our Patience Through [intouch.org]

1] Thoughts. It is important that we shift our attention away from the circumstance and onto the Lord. His Spirit will help us gain the right perspective.

2] Emotions. When the Holy Spirit oversees our feelings and reactions, we will find ourselves becoming calmer. Then He will empower us to respond in a godly manner.

3] Speech. Asking Him to help us have self-control over our tongue is essential. A timely word can defuse a situation; speaking defensively or shouting angrily at the other person can inflame it (Prov. 15:18).

 

Compassion

Lamentations 3:22 "Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail."

Ephesians 4:32  "Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you."

Colossians 3:12 "Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience."

1 Peter 3:8-9 " Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble.  Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing."


        "The definition of compassion is a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is hurting, in pain, or has misfortune and is accompanied by a strong desire to help the suffering. Jesus Christ is the greatest example of someone with true compassion. Not only did Jesus have compassion and heal people from physical suffering, he also showed the greatest compassion for mankind when He died on the cross for our sins." [biblestudytools.org]
         Psalm 86:15  "But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness."  We are often quicker to judge others first, before showing any compassion.  Oh, but for the grace of God go I.  We must remember that we are all sinners and we are not all at the same place in our spiritual walk with God.  Compassion is grace in action towards others.  "While his compassion can be thwarted by disobedience, there are times when his disobedient people's only hope is that his compassion overcomes his anger."
          Compassion is understanding the troubles of others and reaching out in love, not condemnation.  The greatest example of this is found in Jesus on the cross in Luke 23:34 "Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”  When we have felt wronged by another, can we first consider another's needs before our own?   Jesus knew that the need for Him to die for our sins was greater than what He had to suffer through.  
                  Compassion is an attribute of God and of Christ-followers.  God's compassion's are faithful and new every morning.  As part of the Church, we should point others to the path of Christ in whatever their needs may be--spiritual direction and/or material goods-with compassionate action that is freely and tenderly given.  How do we express compassion to others?  First, begin with the right attitude.  A non-judgmental attitude will make you more approachable.  Secondly, kindness will make your words or deeds more acceptable.  Thirdly, gentleness is more effective than any harsh word.  understanding the troubles of
When you see someone in need,
Love demands a loving deed;
Don't just say you love him true,
Prove it by the deeds you do. —Sper

What Changed?

2 Thessalonians 3:16  "Now may the Lord of peace Himself continually grant you peace in every circumstance. The Lord be with you all!"

Philippians 4:11  "Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am."


      Life is a series of ever-changing circumstances, both good and bad.  Change is inevitable and sometimes we have to humble ourselves to a new low.  Low points can bring great joy tho, with the right attitude and gratitude.  "Conditions around us will fluctuate, but if we belong to Christ, He’ll use every situation to accomplish His will, in and through us. Even when we face matters of life and death, we can share Paul’s desire—that Christ would be exalted in us, whether through life or death." [intouch.org]
      Would you change your past or present state of circumstance, if you could?  Many of us would, but 'Thank God' that our power is limited.  He is in control, not our minuscule view.  "Jesus did not promise to change the circumstances around us. He promised great peace and pure joy to those who would learn to believe that God actually controls all things." [Corrie Ten Boom]
        Is your focus on your circumstances?  When we concentrate our minds on our situation, it can become larger than life, both in our minds and reactions towards it.  "Anxiety comes when we look at our circumstances and then 'our' ability, but faith comes when we look at our circumstances and then 'God's' ability."  "Ships don't sink because of the water 'around' them, ships sink because of the water that gets 'in' them.  Don't let what's happening around you get inside you and weigh you down."
        What if, we realigned our focus on God's presence with us and His never-changing attributes.  God is good ALL THE TIME and ALL THE TIME God is good!  God never ceases being full of grace and mercy.  He is ALWAYS kind, just, patient, loving, present, all-knowing, holy, righteous, sovereign, eternal, incomparable, incorruptible, infinite and more than we can describe.
         As for my personal state of circumstance, there is more joy than heartache in the waiting to be called Home.  I won't make light of the discomfort in losing my physical freedom within this body, but I know my soul will go on after this body has passed.  So, I focus on what makes my soul happy, with respect to God's will for my life.  I believe Jesus came to give us life to the fullest, so its my calling to glorify Him in all I do...whether its soaking up the sun outside, doing a breathing treatment, or taking my air on/off while visiting with friends.
        'Be still and know that I am God' is a practical way to see your circumstance as, in His control and part of His plans.  He won't give us more than we can bear, even when we question.  We can be joyful knowing, whatever circumstance that we are in, that it is temporary and will pass to another state of existence or to eternity.
        "Our eyes are to be focused on the Lord, not on our circumstances. We are to live above the shadows of fear and bask in the sunlight of faith. Even though we, like Habakkuk, may have a long list of troubles, faith’s answer to disappointment must always be: “Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation” (v.18). That type of attitude will enable us to live above the circumstances instead of under them." [odb.org]


If in every circumstance, we turn to Jesus.. we will always find Him there.  

Obedience

Psalm 32:8-10   "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;  I will counsel you with my loving eye on you. Do not be like the horse or the mule,  which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you.  Many are the woes of the wicked, but the Lord’s unfailing love surrounds the one who trusts in him."

Psalm 128:1  " Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in obedience to him."

Jeremiah 7:23  " Obey me, and I will be your God and you will be my people. Walk in obedience to all I command you, that it may go well with you."

Psalm 119:33-34  "Teach me, Lord, the way of your decrees, that I may follow it to the end. Give me understanding, so that I may keep your law and obey it with all my heart."


      We all struggle with obedience and we never out grow this weakness, derived from our sin nature.  We hopefully improve, but we will never master it here in this life.  Our obedience falters due to procrastination, busyness, laziness, worldliness, doubt and selfish desires.  When we surrender our lives to Christ, we make a commitment to follow His ways in obedience, the best we can.

      "A life of surrender says, “God, whatever, whenever, wherever, and however You want it, my answer is yes.”  A willing response to each of these divine calls prepares the believer for God’s call to accountability. Scripture tells us that every person will experience a day of judgment. For those who refused God’s invitation to salvation, it will mean wrath and eternal separation from the Lord. For God’s children, it will be a day in which our response to His call on our lives will be evaluated. Only those things done at His direction and in His way will matter when that time comes; everything else will count for nothing (Ps. 127:1-2).
intouch.org

       Often our obedience is compromised with trying to negotiate with God's commands.  We honor God with our complete obedience.  He isn't interested in our excuses or questions of why, He wants willing compliance.  "We sometimes choose not to obey the Lord completely. Then we try to justify our own sinful behavior by telling ourselves that it doesn’t really matter to God, or that other Christians are far more sinful than we are. But God demands total obedience."  [odb.org]

       God has a plan for our eternal good, and it is foolish not to obey Him.  As for myself, I compare my obedience to God with following my doctor's orders.  I first try to negotiate, is this an order or a recommendation?  I know he is looking out for me, but how serious is he about this?  Can I substitute this for that?  How long do I have to continue with this?  Whether or not I follow is my decision, but it will also be my consequence to suffer or be blessed.  "You can develop the strength to obey God by staying in close fellowship with Him, relying on the Holy Spirit, and trusting Him for your every need." odb.org

To say we follow Jesus Christ
Without attempting to obey
Reveals our lack of faith that He
Will lead us right in every way. —Sper

 3 Principles of Obedience [intouch.org]

1. Compliance in small matters has eternal significance and leads to blessings from God.  Wouldn’t you rather follow Him out of love than out of fear?

2. Following Jesus is always beneficial to others.  When we live out biblical principles, our families will be enriched, and those within our circle of influence will be encouraged to follow our example. And as we share how God responds to our obedience with His goodness, others may be motivated to seek after His Son Jesus.

3. God may tell us to respond or act in ways that make little sense. The Lord told Noah to build an ark, instructed Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac, and directed Joshua to conquer Jericho through silent marching on six days and shouting on the seventh. All of these men agreed to God’s plan even though it did not make sense. Their trust in God overruled any concerns and led to great reward.

Distractions

Ephesians 3:16  " I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith."


      As human beings, we are easily distracted.   Satan has used this weakness to his advantage from the very beginning with Eve in the Garden of Eden.  2 Corinthians 11:3  "But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ."  We need to be aware and resistant to the distractions against our thoughts, goals and focus on God.
      "Our world offers a multitude of ways to compromise on what we know is right, but if we’ll make up our minds ahead of time, we’ll be able to stand firm in our obedience to God. Although a world that does not believe may mock our values and lifestyle, their respect for us actually lessens when we waffle and give in to temptations. What’s worse, our witness for Christ is damaged.  Conviction about God’s truth is like an anchor. When the winds of opinion blow and the waves of temptation pound us, we can know with certainty the right way to respond. Don’t vacillate in your obedience to the Lord. Your unwavering stand for what’s right can powerfully influence others." [intouch.org]
       "Satan designs every temptation to bring as much discomfort as possible to the saint, hoping to rob him of his peace and create self-doubts about his sincerity. But God does not sit idly by.  We have a sure promise that "the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous" (Psalm 34:15)". -- William Gurnall
        Satan distracts our thoughts with doubt, deception and distortion of the Truth.  Sin begins in our minds and when we start justifying that sin as acceptable, the devil often wins and sinful actions follow.  Philippians 4:8  "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."
        Satan distracts our goals with discouragement and discontentment.  Haven't we all felt like the verse in Romans 7:19 "For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing."  We can get discouraged by the timelines of our witness efforts with an unbeliever, but we must remember God's own patient timeline with ourselves.  Galatians 6:9  "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."
       Satan distracts our focus off of God with a worldly view and persuasion.  Titus 2: 11-14  "For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people.  It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age,  while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good."  We can say "No" to this world that we are just passing through, because we know God and His Word of Truth never changes.  Satan uses subtle, cunning methods to drift us away from God, so that we don't even realize how far we are from God.
        May we stand firm in our faith and stay focused on God's everlasting Truth.

Isaiah 26:3-4  "You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.  Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal."

Judging Others

Matthew 7:1-5  " “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.  For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.  “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?  How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?  You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye."

Romans 14: 10-13  "You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat.  It is written:  “‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before me;  every tongue will acknowledge God.’”   So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.  Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister."


        As you can see from the title of this blog, "Judging Others", that this may be a convicting blog for some of us.  I may be the most taught student of all, because I have learned a thing or two about how dislocated my heart is at times from Jesus' example.  
        "In His teaching, Jesus sets an example of how we should live and act in this world. Whether in parables or the Sermon on the Mount, He places very little emphasis on what we need to know, but instead on what we need to do. Matthew 25 is a beautiful example of Jesus revealing where our hearts should be. In describing the day of judgement for individuals, Christ reveals something significant about those who are accepted into God’s glory and those who aren’t. In the passage, God does not commend or chastise our beliefs, our doctrine. He only talks about how we treated those around us." [intouch.org]  Are your actions and words towards others that of a sheep or a goat?

Matthew 25:31-46

 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne.   All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.   He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.  “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.   For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,   I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’  “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?  When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?  When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’  “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.  For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink,  I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’  “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’  “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

         As believers, "our knowledge of God’s vast authority shouldn’t support or prop up our “I’m-right-you’re-wrong” attitude—it should make us quiver with humility. That posture of surrender—along with acknowledging both God’s vast omnipotence and Christ’s example of love and service—should bring us all to a position of grace toward others, rather than critique and division.  In fact, the Christian faith is all about loving God and others in the moment, even when circumstances tell us it would be easier to withdraw. "  intouch.org

        You might be thinking that we are taught right from wrong and that takes judgement.  Right, but our standard of righteousness is Jesus...not ourselves.  Jesus is the 'only' perfect and impartial judge!  We must check our motives of judging others.. does it make us feel better about our own sinfulness?   "Like the Pharisee in Luke 18:11-12, we can become trapped in a circle of comparing ourselves to other people. We can boast about ourselves and live as though we have the right to judge and the responsibility or the power to change others." [odb.org]

        "Whether today finds you needing forgiveness for judging others or desiring assurance that no sin is beyond His grace, be encouraged by this: No one is throwing stones today; go and be changed by God’s mercy." [ odb.org]

There are three instances in the Bible where God calls us to judge others: [A. Howard]

1]We judge to keep ourselves from falling into sin and temptation. 

1 Corinthians 5:9-13

2] We judge when we help a believer sever ties with a sin in their life. 

Galatians 6:1

3] We judge in order to avoid false teaching and distorted truths. 

Matthew 7:15-16, 20