Imagine Being Adopted by God!

Jesus said, ‘Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein.’ You need to become a little child again, to allow yourself the kind of relationship with the Lord that you may have missed; to allow Him to heal and adjust the damaged places of your past. God provides arms that allow adults to climb up like little children and be nurtured through the pain of earlier days. The new birth gives you a chance to start over. God will not abuse you when you come to Him. Through praise, you approach Him like a toddler on unskilled legs. In worship, you kiss His face and are held securely in His embrace. He has no ulterior motive, for His embrace is safe. That’s why it’s important that you learn how to worship and adore Him. Even if you were exposed to grown-up situations when you were a child, God can reverse what you’ve been through. Here’s what He told His people: ‘I passed by and saw you kicking about…and as you lay there…I said to you, ‘Live!’ I made you grow like a plant of the field. You grew up and developed and became…beautiful…I…covered your nakedness. I…entered into a covenant with you…and you became mine. I bathed you with water and washed the blood from you and put ointments on you. I clothed you with an embroidered dress and put leather sandals on you. I dressed you in fine linen and covered you with costly garments’ (Ezekiel 16:6-10 NIV). And God can do that for you too.

Cuando Cruces las Aguas yo Estare Contigo

"Cuando cruces las aguas, yo estare contigo; cuando cruces los rios, no te cubriran sus aguas;  cuando camines por el fuego, no te quemaras ni te abrasaran las llamas"  Isaias 43:2

 

 

Dios sabe lo que es mejor. Ninguna lucha pondrá en el camino aparte de su propósito, su presencia y autorización. ¿Qué estímulo trae esto! Tu nunca has sido víctima de la naturaleza o la presa del destino. Probabilidad se elimina. Tú eres más que una veleta azotada por los vientos de la fortuna. ¿Dios realmente se abandona a los caprichos de los ladrones enloquecidos por drogas, codiciosos invasores corporativos, o líderes malignos? Perezca el pensamiento!

Vivimos bajo la palma de la mano protectora de un rey soberano que supervisa todas las circunstancias de nuestra vida y se deleita en hacernos bien.

Nada viene a tu camino que no haya pasado primero por el filtro de su amor.

God Is With Us.

"She will have a son, and she will name him Immanuel."

Isaiah 7:14

God's treatment for insignificance won't lead you to a bar or dating service, a spouse or social club.  God's ultimate cure for the common life takes you to a manger.  The babe of Bethlehem.  Immanuel.  Remember the promise of the angel?  "'The virgin will be pregnant.  She will have a son, an they will name him Immanuel,' which means 'God is with us'"  (Mathew 1:23).

Immanuel.  The name appears in the same Hebrew form as it did two thousand years ago.

"Immanu" means "with us."  "El" refers to Elohim, or God.  Not an "above us God" or a "somewhere in the neighborhood God."  He came as the "with us God."  God is with us.

Not "God is with the rich" or "God is with the religious."  But God is with us.  All of us.  Russians, Germans, Mexicans, Buddhists, Morons, truck drivers and taxi drivers, librarians.  God is with us.

Glimpses of God's Image

"God's breath of life is in my nose."

Job 27:3

"Yes God made all things, and everything continues through him and for him.  To him be the glore forever!" (Romans 11:36).  The breath you just took?  God gave that.  The Blood that just pulsed through your heart?  Credit God.  The light by which you read and the brain with which you process?  He gave both.

Everything comes from hi...and exists for him.  We exist to exhibit God, to display his glory.  we serve as canvases for his brush stroke, papers for his pen, soil for his seeds, glimpses of his image.

from Cure for the Common Life

Each Day Matters

"You have told people...about me."

Acts 23:11

“You were chosen to tell about the wonderful acts of God.”  (1 Peter 2:9)  Let’s spend a lifetime making our heavenly Father proud.  Use your uniqueness to do so.  You exited the womb called.  Don’t see yourself as a product of your parents’ DNA, but rather as a Brand-new idea from heaven.

Make a big deal out of God. Become who you are for Him!  Has he not transferred you from a dull, death destined life to a rich, heaven-bound adventure?  Remember, “You were chosen to tell about the wonderful acts of God” (1 Peter 2:9) and so every day of your life.

With God, every day matters, every person counts.

And that includes you.

God's Priority

"I, the Lord, am you God, who brought, you out of Egypt.  Open your mouth and I will feed you."  Psalm 81:10

"Depend on the Lord; trust Him, and he will take care of you"  (Psalm 37:5).  God is committed to caring for our needs. Paul tells us that a man who won't feed his own family is worse than an unbeliever (1 Timothy 5:8).  How much more will a holy God care for his children?  After all, how can we teach or minister or influence unless we have our basic needs satisfied? Will God enlist us in his army and not provide a commissary?  Of course not.

"I pray that the God of peace will give you every good thing you need so you can do what he wants"  (Hebrews 13:20).  Hasn't that prayer been answered in our life?  We may not have had a feast, but haven't we always had food?  Perhaps there was no banquet, but at least there was bread.  And many times there was a banquet. 

 from The Great House of God

"The Brief Journey of Life"

"Our time on earth is like a shadow" 1 Chronicles 29:15

 He who "lives forever" has placed himself at the head of a band of pilgrims who mutter, "Lord, how long will this go on?" (Psalm 89:46). "How long must I endure this sickness?" "How long must I endure this spouse?" "How long must I endure this paycheck?" Do you really want God to answer? He could, you know. He could answer in terms of the here and now with time increments we know. "Two more years on the illness" "The rest of your life in the marriage." "Ten more years of bills." But he seldom does that. He usually opts to measure the here and now against the there and then. And when you compare this life to that life, this life ain't long.