Individual …

Posted on janLeave a commentPosted in Life, Potential

                                                          … or just different?

God did not make us all different,
but He made us all individual.

      God created us in His image,
      … which means that before Him we are all the same,
      … with equal abilities to live in the fullness of life!
      But God created us all individual,
      … each with our own freewill,
      with the ability to decide our own future.
      Individual with the right to be different.

However, it is God’s image in us,
… and His image of us,
that He wants us to live, to be!

      We have known and believed
      the love that God has for us.
      God is love,
      and he who abides in love
      abides in God, and God in him.
      1 John 4 16

God is love and it is that image of love
… that God wants us to live
in our own individual way.

      Choosing who He created us to be
      … is what will make us individual, different.
      Choosing His way, His principles,
      … is what will make His image in us manifest,
      is what will make us that individual HE created us to be.
 

A Gift …

Posted on janLeave a commentPosted in Life, Potential

                                     … filled with potential!

The gift of life … is not about a gift,
… but the potential of that gift.

The value of a gift, any gift
… is not in the cost, the size or how it looks
but in the potential that is in that gift.
As Jesus said …

      I have come that they may have life,
      and that they may have it more abundantly.
      John 10 10

Jesus came so we could have life,
… but what are YOU doing with that gift?

      Are you waiting for God to do things in your life?
      … or waiting on Him for instructions on what you need to do?
      Are you expecting your circumstances to be taken care of?
      … or expecting to know what to do to counter those circumstances?
      Are you expecting God to be there regardless of what you do?
      … or are you looking for direction on the way ahead?

God wants to bless us and take care of us,
… and even told us how that will happen,

      And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you,
      … because you obey the voice of the Lord your God.
      Deut. 28 2
      The Lord will command the blessing on you in your storehouses,
      … and in all to which you set your hand,
      Deut. 28 8

Are you listening to and obeying HIS instructions in your life?
And are you setting your hand to do what He wants you to do?

      It is YOUR life, a gift from God,
      … and if YOU respond to the potential God put in you,
      YOUR life WILL be
      … full, blessed, prosperous and be all that God said it should be!
      Life in abundance!
 

God’s faith…

Posted on janLeave a commentPosted in Faith, Trust

                                                                … in YOU!

The faith that God has in what He has created,
… and the faith that God has in YOU,
is the faith that YOU need to have in Him!

As God Himself said to us…

      Now the just shall live by faith;
      But if anyone draws back,
      My soul has no pleasure in him.
      Hebrews 10 38

Faith is what enables us to live what God has provided
… through His love for us,
… through what Jesus did for us!

      I have come that they may have life,
      and that they may have it more abundantly.
      John 10 10

Jesus lived by faith,
… and by faith in God He went to the cross for us.
What about you?
Are you willing to live by faith in God?

      But without faith it is impossible to please Him,
      for he who comes to God must believe that He is,
      and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
      Hebrews 11 6

That is the faith God wants us to live by,
… because that is the faith that He responds to!
 

Work out …

Posted on janLeave a commentPosted in Life, Responsibility

                                     … your own salvation!

The Bible clearly tells us that Jesus is our Saviour,
yet, Paul writes to the Philippians saying …

      work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;
      Philippians 2 12

Is salvation really our responsibility?
… or are we missing something?

      What is certain is that we cannot save ourselves.
      Paul is therefore not talking about us working out our own restoration,
      … neither is he talking about us working out our own forgiveness.
      But Paul is making an extremely important statement, by asking us,
      … what are you doing with what Jesus has done for you!

So what is working out our own salvation all about?

      It is like someone having put money in the Bank for us!
      That money is ours, it belongs to us,
      … irrespective of whether we deserve the money or not
      … it’s a gift to us, it’s our money!
      And yes, it is extremely valuable,
      … and all its benefits are also ours,
      … not just to have, but for us to use!
      However,
      … before that money becomes of value to us,
      … before its benefit becomes real in our lives,
      we need to draw it from the bank,
      … and start using it,
      and working with it so that we benefit from it.

We need to live out the benefits of that free gift,
… that gift of salvation, restoration and forgiveness,
which will become a REAL benefit in our lives,
as we live that abundant life Jesus paid the price for us to have!
 

In a relationship …

Posted on jan1 CommentPosted in Faith, Relationship

                                                             … with Him!

      It is not our relationship with Jesus
      … as our Healer,
      … as our Saviour,

      but it is our relationship with Jesus as our Lord
      … that manifests His presence in our lives,
      … that manifests His salvation in our lives,
      … that dispels our needs and manifests His answers!

Yes Jesus died for us.
He has already acted on our behalf,
… and therefore healing and salvation belong to us!

      who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree,
      that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness
      – by whose stripes you were healed.
      1 Peter 2 24 / Isa 53 5

But how do I walk in His fullness?
Not just by receiving Him as Saviour,
… but by also developing a personal relationship with Him!

      A relationship with Him because of who He is
      … the One we want to be with,
      regardless of our state or our need!

It is that relationship with Him
… that takes us into His presence,
… where we receive all that He has done!
That is our part, what we need to do
… as the apostle James said,

      Thus also faith by itself,
      if it does not have works, is dead.
      James 2 17
 

The choice

Posted on jan1 CommentPosted in Choice, Trust

                                                                … is yours!

      That Tree ‘O’ me
      … what’s my choice going to be?

When Adam and Eve faced that tree,
… they had to make a choice.
The result we know!

      We all have ‘a tree’ in our lives,
      … situations that confront us,
      and choices to make that affect our future.

      What is your choice?
      But even more importantly,
      … what are you basing your choice on?

Jesus had to make a choice
… when He was tempted by satan in the wilderness,
about His future and what He was going to do in life!
What was His choice?

      But He answered and said, “It is written,
      ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but
      by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.‘”
      Matt 4 4

Jesus’ choice was not to react to what confronted Him,
… nor to make a decision according to His need,
But He made His choice based on God’s Word,
… trusting in God’s provision,
accepting what God said of Himself …

      So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth;
      It shall not return to Me void,
      But it shall accomplish what I please,
      And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.
      Isa 55 11
 

The goal of faith

Posted on jan1 CommentPosted in Faith, Potential

                                                  … pleasing the Father!

As with everything in life,
… if you are going to succeed,
… you need to have a clear goal.
In other words, not just WHAT but also WHY!

      But without faith it is impossible to please Him,
      for he who comes to God must believe that He is,
      and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
      Hebrews 11 6

The goal is to please God.

How do you do that?
… by making Him the goal of your life.
How do you do that?
… by believing that He is.
That He is what?
… that He is who He says He is!
and …
… that He is a rewarder.
What kind of reward is that?
… God wanting to bless you with all that He has.
How does He do that?
… by responding to your act of faith in Him.
What is that act of faith in Him?
… your actions of seeking Him
and
… walking in what He promised you.

      God’s presence is the goal.
      Seeking Him is the way.
      Faith is the seed.
      His blessing is the harvest.
 

Making Him the center

Posted on jan1 CommentPosted in Challenge, Potential

                                                          … of your life!

Walking in His promises …
Sounds easy, but seems so difficult to do.
Yet God says He wants to bless us …

      And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you,
      because you obey the voice of the Lord your God:
      Deut 28 2

And Jesus went even further, telling us it WILL work.

      If you abide in Me, and My words (rhema) abide in you,
      you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.
      John 15 7

But how is it possible for this to happen in our lives?

Well what do those two scriptures have in common?
… Hearing and abiding in what He has said!
And how do I do that?

When we make Jesus the center of our lives,
… and as we hear what He has to say to us,
… His rhema (His words) for our lives,
It SHALL be done for us!

But what is His rhema?
His word that He reveals to me (to us) personally,
… which will always be confirmed in Scripture!
And, He is not a liar,
… therefore, what He says, His words to us, He will do!

      If you abide in Me, and My words (rhema) abide in you,
      you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.
      John 15 7

Make Him your Source, He knows and has what you need!
 

Seed to the sower

Posted on janLeave a commentPosted in Challenge, Potential

                                                   … and bread to eat!

      Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food,
      2 Cor 9 10

Why does God give seed to the sower?
Because God can trust the sower to put the seed to work,
… not just for himself but for the benefit of others.
On the other hand however,
… the eater sees no potential in the seed,
… except for feeding himself,
and will therefore only use the seed for his own benefit.

      The reality of life, and of benefitting from life,
      … is summed up for us by God in Gen. 8 22

      While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest,
      Cold and heat, Winter and summer, And day and night shall not cease.

      Unless you put something in,
      … there will be no fruit, no harvest,
      … and certainly no possibility of increase.

But what about the bread, who is that for?

      The bread is also for the sower!
      God knows that from planting to harvesting takes time,
      … and because God can trust the sower with the seed,
      … that he will not eat the seed,
      The sower therefore can also trust God to look after him,
      … whilst he waits for the harvest!

      Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food,
      supply and multiply the seed you have sown,
      and increase the fruits of your righteousness,
      2 Cor 9 10

What are you doing with what you have,
… so that God can increase what is in your hands?
 

Succeeding by …

Posted on jan4 CommentsPosted in Commitment, Responsibility

                                     … renewing your mind!

As with everything in life, if you are going to succeed,
… you need to have a clear goal.

      And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed
      by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove
      what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
      Romans 12 2

No, the goal is NOT renewing your mind,
… that is the path.
Living that good and acceptable and perfect will of God,
… that is the goal.
And to reach that goal depends on the decisions you make.

      What happens in your life is determined by your decisions,
      … and that is what the renewing of the mind is all about.
      What you think and what you decide.

Having set the goal, to live God’s perfect will,
the way there is obvious …
… find out exactly what His will is, through His Word,
… which will give you a clear vision.

So how do you renew your mind?

      bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,
      2 Corinthians 10 5

We are thinking ALL the time,
… which means we are making decisions all the time.
Since the devil’s playground is the mind,
… it is imperative that we
… compare every thought with what God says about it.
And in that way,
… as we continue to decide on every thought according to God’s will,
… our minds are being renewed to His way of thinking,
and our lives are being transformed into His perfect will.