Once Upon A Time

God is Wisdom

My son, do not forget my teaching but keep my commands in your heart, for they will prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity.

Proverbs 3:1-2

Remember hearing childhood stories about fairy godmothers, princesses and super heroes?….Oh, what it is like to be a small child wrapped up in the arms of a loving parent while listening to fairly tales with happy endings! … We all wish for happy endings when it comes to our life story and especially when it comes to our children’s.  We do everything to protect them, to teach them, to warn them about poor choices, dangerous situations,...but we all know they don’t always listen nor do what we tell them.

Our relationship with our Heavenly Father is much the same….His word provides instruction to protect us, but we too sometimes don’t listen.  No matter what we have done, however, His arms are always wide open for our return.  Are we ever too old to be wrapped up in loving arms, cared for and forgiven?  God doesn’t think so – With Christ in our hearts, He longs to comfort us, forgive us for our sins, and to give us the wisdom and strength to avoid future persuasion.  And, it is in this context with Him that we can live …happily ever after!

For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' So they began to celebrate. Luke 15:24

Because God is Wisdom, through Christ we can live a victorious life.

 

Careful What You Ask For

God is Goodness

He rained down manna for the people to eat, he gave them the grain of heaven. Psalm 78:24

I want it all and I want it now! That sounds like a battle cry from many people we know, and maybe even ourselves at times. What is so interesting is that same selfish desire probably hasn’t changed much since creation. Eve had everything she could possibly want, but she had to have the forbidden fruit too. And the Israelites were not satisfied with just manna from heaven – they demanded meat. While in the desert outside of Egypt, God had provided just enough for them to be sustained, and He never provided too much so they would continue to trust in Him for their provision. But God grew tired of their grumbling and let them have their way. They feasted on quail to their hearts delight, however, their lack of trust angered the Lord and they were all destroyed.

Thousands of years have passed since these events happened, but people’s wants and needs have not changed. Nor has God’s goodness changed, always providing the perfect amount. It is just sometimes we don’t think we’ve been given enough or we don’t see from where our provision truly comes.

What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? Romans 8:31

Because God is goodness, we can trust that all our needs will be met through Christ.

People Pleasers

God Is Love

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. Ephesians 2:8-9

The world is full of people pleasers. And while that is a good thing for those of us who are service providers, we all know it is exhausting, if not impossible, to constantly please others. Looking at the motive, we see ourselves striving for acceptance and love. To win over hearts, we can fall into the trap of believing we must earn acceptance. And often we find no matter what we do or say, it is never enough to feel at peace.

But the Bible tells us that we are loved and accepted unconditionally by God. We can never be separated from God’s love no matter what we do or don’t do. And, no good works will provide that love, because it is a gift from God. God loved us first and chose us to be in a relationship with him – nothing is required to receive the gift other than the desire to accept God’s saving grace which was made available to us through Jesus. We don’t need to be perfect, we just need to be His.

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39

Because God is love, through Christ we are completely loved and accepted.

Removing Impurities

God Is Holy

He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; ... Malachi 3:3

Let’s face it - No one likes to change their ways or habits, no matter how destructive they may be or how necessary. While the status quo is always easiest, deep down, we all admit there are some things we’d like to change about ourselves. Maybe it’s having more patience with a co-worker, or having a higher level of integrity at work; maybe it’s being more of a team player, or being more charitable….

The Bible tells us that God is constantly at work refining our character. Just like the silversmith that removes impurities in metal over a blazing fire, God places us in hot spots to perfect our character. Daily, we can find ourselves in situations that challenge us to move in a new direction, to extend grace, forgiveness, or a helping hand when we would not otherwise. We have two choices – to stay on the same path or to be like Jesus in our thoughts and actions. But how many of us choose the latter? If we trust God and obey His word at times of testing, we will find that just like silver, imperfections in our character are removed allowing His reflection in our life to become real and visible to those around us.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Matthew 5:8

Because God is holy, He continues to perfect our character through difficult circumstances.

The Gardener

God is Faithful

He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he. Deuteronomy 32:4

Just about everyone loves spring – It is an incredibly uplifting and joyous time. The flowers are in bloom, the weather is warm, the days are getting longer --a welcomed change from the dark and cold days of winter. But without the toil of winter, would such a glorious spring be possible?

So too is it with life…No one enjoys walking through a difficult season, but they serve a purpose despite not always understanding what that may be. During such hardships, we long for the day when our circumstances will change, when life will get back to normal. But perseverance during trials can bring forth splendor in ways that we can’t even imagine. Trusting God as he prunes the dead branches in our lives provides an opportunity for God centered traits to flourish within us. God’s desire is to see our character and life blossom like the most beautiful garden ever imagined when we draw closer to Him. Getting through difficult seasons is challenging and can require more patience and effort than we planned, but when we trust God to rescue us, the results will be glorious.

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:
a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
a time to search and a time to give up,a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

Because God is faithful, we trust that even during the most challenging of times, through Jesus, all our needs will be met.

Forgiveness

God Is Gracious

Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. Matthew 18: 21-22

We all seek to be forgiven, but what happens when forgiveness is asked of us? It takes courage, patience and a generous heart to forgive others when we have been wronged. At times we hold grudges, seek revenge, suppress anger and struggle with releasing hurts that can be very deep and profound. Consequently, we end up suffering more and becoming bitter by not letting go.

So, how does one accomplish this daunting task of forgiveness? Jesus’ death on the cross reminds us of the extreme suffering Jesus endured to provide payment for our sins. So if God’s grace allows us to be forgiven without any cost, we too should be able to extend the same grace and forgive others without receiving payment. When we embrace God’s miraculous gift of grace that has been extended to us through faith and not by any works we do, we will then be able to forgive others, and in doing so experience freedom and true joy.

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:6-8

Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. Colossians 3:13


Because God is gracious, through Christ we are able to forgive others and live joyfully.

Vision Trumps Fear

God is All Powerful

So the king asked me, "Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart." I was very much afraid. Nehemiah 2:2

Our greatest obstacle to accomplishing a goal is fear. Fear can conjure up a slew of reasons why the task can not be accomplished. Fear can immobilize. Fear can stop us dead in our tracks. So how can we resist or defeat fear?

When Nehemiah stepped into his vision to rebuild the broken walls and gates around Jerusalem, he was afraid to approach the King to ask for permission and resources. Knowing this was a grand vision from God, Nehemiah’s fear dissolved when he placed his confidence in God. Ultimately, his vision became reality, an inspiration to many as he was able to accomplish an unbelievable task, a “God-sized” goal -- all because Nehemiah overcame his fear by trusting God.

We all have a dream or a vision to be passionate about -- a vision about our lives, our careers, our families, our finances ….So what is stopping you? Is your fear bigger than your vision and greater than your faith?

In God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? Psalm 56:11

Because God is all powerful, we can accomplish great things when we trust God with the outcome.