I have a poster on my door that says "We all smile in the same language." It depicts children from different nationalities holding hands around a globe. All of them are smiling. The message is clear. Everyone likes to feel special and good about themselves. We never know what is going through someone's mind when we approach them. A smile has a way of disarming even the most cynical among us. Lord, help me learn to smile more.
4/16/14
4/10/14
Mindful of the Past
Hebrews 11:15 - And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, the might have had opportunity to have returned.
This scripture from the book of Hebrews might seem a bit odd if we don't understand the context. The eleventh chapter of Hebrews is often called the "Faith Hall of Fame." It speaks of people like Noah, Abraham, Samson, David, and many lesser known heroes of the Old Testament. Verse 15 is speaking of Abraham when he left the Chaldean city of Ur in pursuit of his promised land. It is also a reference to the children of Israel after they left Egypt. They were seeking a place God had promised them. In the case of Abraham, he left family, friends, and everything to obey what God had put in his heart to do. He went where God lead him, not knowing how it would turn out, but simply obeying God by faith. No doubt there were hard days when he wondered if had made a mistake. But he didn't let himself dwell on those thoughts for long. For if he had, he might have turned around and gone back to where he started.
I once heard a conversation between two men whom I knew had been delivered from a lifestyle of drugs and alcohol when they came to God. One guy was talking about his "testimony" of where God brought him from. The other guy basically said, "I don't like to dwell on those things to much. God has delivered me from that and I like to leave it in the past." The first God responded, "I like to remember where I came from." Sadly, the guy who liked to remember where he came from has returned to his former lifestyle. He must have spent too much time dwelling on the past. When the pressures of life mounted up, it was easy to go back to what he used to be.
The point I am making is this: all of us have a past. All of us have made choices. We can't undo yesterday anymore than we can see tomorrow from today. We must do the best we can by faith. Yes, we learn from the past. The past is important so that we don't make the same mistakes again. But too much time studying the past will rob us of the joys of today and the hopes of tomorrow.
Today is a brand new day. Let us live it with joy and appreciate what God has given us. Yesterday is gone and tomorrow may not come. Live for the moment with joy. If is all we truly have!
Trusting in Jesus,
Sullivan Jones
This scripture from the book of Hebrews might seem a bit odd if we don't understand the context. The eleventh chapter of Hebrews is often called the "Faith Hall of Fame." It speaks of people like Noah, Abraham, Samson, David, and many lesser known heroes of the Old Testament. Verse 15 is speaking of Abraham when he left the Chaldean city of Ur in pursuit of his promised land. It is also a reference to the children of Israel after they left Egypt. They were seeking a place God had promised them. In the case of Abraham, he left family, friends, and everything to obey what God had put in his heart to do. He went where God lead him, not knowing how it would turn out, but simply obeying God by faith. No doubt there were hard days when he wondered if had made a mistake. But he didn't let himself dwell on those thoughts for long. For if he had, he might have turned around and gone back to where he started.
I once heard a conversation between two men whom I knew had been delivered from a lifestyle of drugs and alcohol when they came to God. One guy was talking about his "testimony" of where God brought him from. The other guy basically said, "I don't like to dwell on those things to much. God has delivered me from that and I like to leave it in the past." The first God responded, "I like to remember where I came from." Sadly, the guy who liked to remember where he came from has returned to his former lifestyle. He must have spent too much time dwelling on the past. When the pressures of life mounted up, it was easy to go back to what he used to be.
The point I am making is this: all of us have a past. All of us have made choices. We can't undo yesterday anymore than we can see tomorrow from today. We must do the best we can by faith. Yes, we learn from the past. The past is important so that we don't make the same mistakes again. But too much time studying the past will rob us of the joys of today and the hopes of tomorrow.
Today is a brand new day. Let us live it with joy and appreciate what God has given us. Yesterday is gone and tomorrow may not come. Live for the moment with joy. If is all we truly have!
Trusting in Jesus,
Sullivan Jones
3/27/14
What is Faith?
Do you know why its so hard to have faith. Simply put, its because we can't see the future and none of us like to make mistakes. The very definition of faith is "believing in the unseen." It is trusting in God to know that he has never let me down and will not start now. When God speaks to us to do something, it is usually something out of our comfort zones. We all have a comfort zone of things that we are willing to do. When we are compelled to move out of that safe are we are not very happy with life. Like any good parent, God has a way of encroaching on our comfort zones and exposing us to more. In those times when we are feeling God lead us to do something that wouldn't normally make sense, we must use our faith. It can seem like we are going out on a limb, as the old saying goes, to follow God's leading. But there is no safer place to be than when we know we have done our best to obey God. Faith is following a God I can hear and feel to lead me where I can not see. It might seem difficult (and even crazy) but the benefits always outweigh the doubts. Faith in God will never lead us wrong !
Trusting Him Daily,
Sullivan Jones
Trusting Him Daily,
Sullivan Jones
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