John 14:26 – “But the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, whom my Father will send in my name, he will teach you everything, and remind you of everything which I tell you.”

We have considered the ministry of the Holy Spirit and reflected on the truth that He reminds us of Jesus Himself and that He reminds us of the Teachings of Christ.  Today I would like for us to take a step deeper into this understanding and hopefully, it will minister to our hearts.

HE REMINDS US OF THE MIRACLES OF JESUS

Jesus repeatedly demonstrated power over nature or the natural.  He brought the supernatural into the natural world.  We see that He turned the water into wine, walked on the sea, stilled the storm, and caused the catch of a net full of fish.  He has power over all the power of the enemy and has all power in heaven and on earth.  He is LORD of All.

Jesus repeatedly demonstrated power over sickness and brought the power of God into the bodies of people driving out disease.  He healed Peter‘s mother-in-law of a fever.  He healed lepers, those paralyzed, maimed, crippled, deaf, and blind.  Sickness could not stand in His presence.

Jesus repeatedly demonstrated power over the devil.  He cast out demons, delivered the demoniac who had the legion of demons, healed demon-possessed, and set them free.  The Holy Spirit reminds us of what Jesus did and that we have been given the authority over all the power of the devil. We have the Promise of the Father in the Person of the Holy Spirit to empower us.

HE REMINDS US OF THE SUBSTITUTIONARY DEATH OF JESUS

Isaiah prophesied that He would suffer pain for us in Isaiah 53:5 and Paul told us in Galatians 3 that Jesus became a curse for us on the Cross.  Then John brings to light in 1 John 2 that Jesus died for the sin of everyone if we will receive His mercy and grace.  We dare not forget the Cross and the importance of the Blood of Jesus.

HE REMINDS US OF THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS

In Matthew 28 we discover that the stone was rolled away, and He was no longer in the grave.  In Revelation 1:18, John informs us that Jesus conquered death and hell, and in 1 Corinthians 15 we are called to remember that His victory over death is the Hope of all believers. We too shall rise from the dead.

HE REMINDS US OF THE PROMISE TO RETURN FOR US

In John 14:1-3 we have the incredible promise of Jesus to come back for us and take us to His Father’s house where our bridegroom has prepared a place for us.  In Revelation 22:12, Jesus declared to John in the vision, “Behold I come quickly, and My reward is with Me.”  Paul tells us in 1 Thessalonians 4 to comfort each other with those words.  The Holy Spirit keeps that promise fresh in our hearts.

Therefore, if we listen to the voice and nudging of the Holy Spirit, He will remind us of ALL that Jesus did and spoke.  He will make the scriptures real to us and enable us to apply them to our lives.  He comes to encourage us, strengthen our faith, and make us effective witnesses in this world.

The Comforter Has Come!

God bless you as you enjoy this day in Jesus!

John 14:26 – “But the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, whom my Father will send in my name, he will teach you everything, and remind you of everything which I tell you.”

I love reading and studying the life of Jesus while He was here on earth.  He devoted His time to the redemption of mankind.  Before He went back to heaven, He promised us Another Comforter who would enable us to stand in the present world victoriously.  He was and is our example in everything!

The Holy Spirit, the Comforter, ministers to us and reminds us, so that we do not forget what Jesus did and what our purpose, provision, and power are.  The ministry of the Holy Spirit is vital to the church and to the believer as we can see in this passage in John 14:26, that He (Holy Spirit) will teach us and remind us of everything Jesus taught.

As mortal finite beings, we discover that we forget things.  Maybe you don’t, but most of us do.  If we dwell on our earthly circumstances, we will lose sight of the Vision of Christ’s Glory and Power.  The Comforter (Holy Spirit) is given to both empower and remind us of our LORD.  He keeps the heavenly vision fresh in our minds and hearts.

Jesus spoke of the ministry of the Holy Spirit in John 16:15, “Everything that my Father has is mine; this is the reason why I told you that he will take of my own and show to you.”  He will take of Mine and reveal it to you.  In John 15:26, Jesus said that the Holy Spirit would testify of Him.  That is important and powerful.

Therefore, in light of that reality, I would like for us to consider some of the things that the Holy Spirit comes to remind us of.

HE REMINDS US OF JESUS

The Holy Spirit keeps the spotlessness of Jesus before us and in the forefront of our minds.  Even Pilate told the Jews, “I find no fault in Him.” (Luke 23:4).  Jesus came, born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, died a substitutionary death on the Cross, rose again on the third day, and is now ascended to the Right Hand of the Throne of the Father.

The Holy Spirit also reminds us of the humanity of Jesus.  He was fully God and fully man otherwise He could not have qualified to buy us back from the dominion of the devil and reclaim what Adam gave up in rebellion.  Jesus needed food, water, and rest just like we do.  According to Hebrews 4:15, He faced temptation.” For we do not have a high priest who cannot share our infirmities, but we have one who was tempted with everything as we are, and yet without sin.”

HE REMINDS US OF THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST

If we went no further than Matthew 5, we would have a lifetime of knowledge that is powerfully liberating.  The Holy Spirit takes those beatitudes real and brings them to life in practical application.  If you go through that list, you see a life that is never lacking in victory.  In Matthew 6, He reminds us of the prayer we call The Lord’s Prayer and its life-changing power and revelation.  In Matthew 6:25-34, He helps us to understand God’s cure for anxiety and worry.  Then in Matthew 7, He teaches us how to receive answers to prayer and the power of persistence.  Ask, Seek, Knock!

I want to pause there and take this up again in the next devotional.  We need to be reminded of what the Holy Spirit comes to remind us of.  We need to embrace those truths and exercise the authority we have been given and pull down strongholds and take every thought captive to the obedience of Jesus.

God bless you as you enjoy this wonderful day in Him!

John 10:1-10 – “TRULY, truly, I say to you, He who does not enter by the door into the sheepfold, but climbs up from another place, is a thief and a bandit.² But he who enters by the door, is the shepherd of the sheep.³ To him the door-keeper opens the door; and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by their names and brings them out.⁴ And when he has brought out his sheep, he goes before them; and his own sheep * follow him, because they know his voice.⁵ The sheep do not follow a stranger, but they run away from him; because they do not know the voice of a stranger.⁶ Jesus spoke this parable to them; but they did not understand what he was telling them.⁷ Jesus said to them again, Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.⁸ All who have come are thieves and bandits, if the sheep did not hear them.⁹ I am the door; if any man enter by me, he shall live, and he shall come in and go out and find pasture.¹⁰ A thief does not come, except to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they might have life, and have it abundantly.”

Last time we focused on the mission of the thief to steal.  Today I want us to consider additional insights into the mission and purpose of the thief.

THE THIEF COMES TO KILL

I believe that the devil would obliterate us from the planet if he could.  He would kill us physically hoping to kill us spiritually and separate us from God eternally.  He comes to kill in many ways and to kill many things.

He comes to Kill our Faith in God.  A priority of hell is to create doubt raise questions that we cannot answer and distort God’s truth to the point that we are unable to embrace the Truth of the Bible.  If we cannot trust God’s Word, we cannot exhibit faith in God and His word.  The Bible tells us that without faith it is impossible to please God so if the thief can kill our faith in God, he can separate us from God.

He seeks to Kill our Hunger for God.  Jesus said, “Blessed are they who hunger and thirst after righteousness…”  In Luke 12:15 we find the warning to beware of covetousness and are reminded that life is not what we possess but God.  The thief attempts to kill our faith in and hunger for God in many ways.

He seeks to develop in us a hunger for carnal things and to become so busy with busyness that we are unable to hear God or fellowship with Him.  He inspires us to focus on riches, advancement, power, possessions, status, and prestige.  As he cultivates those appetites, he turns our hearts from God and kills our faith.

THE THIEF COMES TO DESTROY

That is the ultimate desire of the devil.  He wants to destroy our ability to hear that inner voice of our conscience and sear it.  We then live with no guilt, no remorse, no fear of God, and no shame.  He tells us everyone is going to get in so no worries, just enjoy life and do your thing.

He has, in many ways, been successful in developing a generation or two of people who believe they can live in any manner and do anything, and all is okay.  Conviction has been stripped from their hearts and they no longer fear God.  Hebrews 3:13 exhorted, “But exhort one another daily, while it is called today; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.”

The thief’s purpose is to steal, kill, and destroy.  The contrast is the purpose of Jesus, He came to give life and that life is abundant.  He came to destroy the works of the devil.  He came so that we could be eternally free.

We need to be aware of the devil’s works and tactics but not fearful of him.  We are more than conquerors so let’s being to live like God is telling the truth.

God bless you today and every day!

John 8:21 – “Jesus again said to them, I am going away, and you will seek me, and you will die in your sins; and where I am going you cannot come.”

We covered two of the great tragedies in our last devotional.  We considered the reality that People Die and that People Die In Their Sins.  Today, I want us to move forward as we consider the other tragedy to which I referred at the beginning and God’s Hope!  Now, let us move to the next two.

PEOPLE WHO DIE IN THEIR SINS WILL BE SEPARATED FROM GOD ETERNALLY

The reality is that if a person dies in their sins they cannot go where Jesus is.  He is in heaven and no sin can enter that city.  Tragically, I know many who know about Christ, can quote passages of scripture, and have heard more sermons than they can remember and yet are lost.  Hearing about Jesus or even knowing about Jesus is not enough, action is required.  We must repent and confess our sins and receive His forgiveness and experience the new birth.

In America, a person can hear preaching every day of the week.  You can turn on your radio, or television, or use the internet and hear gospel preaching 24/7/365.  You can have all the Christian books and periodicals you desire.  But if you do not hear His voice and repent (do a 180-degree turn and go the opposite direction) it, does you no good to hear.  Without Jesus, people die in their sins and those who die lost will remain lost for eternity.  Jesus said, “where I go you cannot come.”

I realize that is a morbid, bleak, and dark picture filled with gloom.  But thanks be to God it does not have to be because there is a solution.  Jesus stands at the door of our hearts and is knocking and if we open the door He will come in and transform us through salvation.

PEOPLE WHO DIE IN CHRIST ARE GOING WHERE HE IS

In John 8:31-32 we have the awesome words of our LORD, “Then Jesus said to the Jews who believed in him, If you abide by my word, you are truly my disciples.³² And you will know the truth, and that very truth will make you free.”

God has looked down from heaven and provided a way of escape from the fires of hell providing a pathway for us to live in Him and enjoy the abundance of life here and hereafter.  Romans 5:9 declares, “Much more then, being justified by His blood, we shall be delivered from wrath through Him.”

We have the inspiring hope found in John 14:6, “Jesus said to him, I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no man comes to my Father except by Me.”  In John 14:1-3, He promised to prepare an eternal place for us and return to take us home to be with Him forever. 

The way of salvation is personal.  In John 1:12 we discover, “But those who received him, to them he gave power to become sons of God, especially to those who believed in his name;”  In 1 John 1:9 we find the path made clear, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Paul declared in Ephesians 2:8, “For it is by grace that you are saved through faith; not of your doing: it is the gift of God:” God’s way to salvation is through the Door (Jesus) that we must walk through in accordance with His word.

Our lives could be pictured as boats adrift in a stream that flows over a huge waterfall.  We are nearing the edge of the falls, and someone throws us a lifeline from the shore, and another offers a line from below the falls.  Which do we choose?

The line from the shore is a sure answer to salvation but the line below the falls is a guarantee of eternal doom and destruction.  Life without Jesus is doom, but Life in Jesus is Eternal.  I pray that if you do not know Him, you will choose the lifeline He offers today.

God bless you as you enjoy this day in Jesus!

John 8:21 – “Jesus again said to them, I am going away, and you will seek me, and you will die in your sins; and where I am going you cannot come.”

The man Job said that man, born of a woman is of few days and full of trouble or sorrows.  It is a sad reality that tragedies are a part of life and come to everyone.  I believe that the most disturbing statement in the Bible may well be this verse in John 8.  Jesus said, “…you will die in your sins; and where I am going you cannot come.”  What could be more horrifying that that?  I cannot fathom hearing those words and not falling on my face, repenting of every sin, and pleading for God’s mercy and grace. 

This passage brings four thoughts to my mind as I read it.  I would like to share my thoughts with you.

PEOPLE DIE

That is an unavoidable fact.  When we are born, in a very real sense, we begin to die.  We begin the journey from the cradle to the grave and our eternal destiny.  The writer of Hebrews declares that staggering reality, “…it is appointed for men to die once, and after their death the judgment.” (Hebrews 9:27).  We will one day end this journey on earth and stand before God giving an account of our lives to Him who knows everything from beginning to the end.

I told someone, “If you can guarantee me that you will not die, none of your loved ones will die, and none of your neighbors will die, I will not mention death to you again.”  But we know that God has spoken through the Word of God (Bible) that each of us faces this unavoidable appointment.  We will die.  I am not trying to be morbid, but it is a reality that we must face and should face.

PEOPLE DIE IN THEIR SINS

I know some discount and deny the reality of sin.  They insist that everyone will go to heaven regardless.  They insist that a loving God could not and would not allow His children to go to eternal hell.  But we only become His children through the new birth. We are all His creations but not all born again into the family of God. Sadly, they transform the Bible to satisfy their desire to not have to be accountable for their lives.  They seem to forget that God is Love, but He is also Holy, Just, Pure, Righteous, and Merciful.  He will judge sin!  He has to.  Failure to do so would transform Him into something other than the Eternal Righteous God that He is – Totally Without Sin!

That should prompt us to think about family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, and everyone we meet could one day die in their sins without Jesus.  Jesus addressed the importance and value of the soul when He asked, in Mark 8:37, “what could a man give in exchange for his life (soul)?”  Dying without God’s forgiveness and the new birth is at the top of the list of most tragic things.  It has eternal ramifications.

Revelation 22:11 declares, that people often die the way they have lived.  “He who is unjust will continue to be unjust: and he who is filthy will continue to be filthy: and he who is righteous will continue to do righteousness: and he who is holy will continue to be holy.”

Everyone, no exception, will face eternity in the condition in which they died and based on their lives.  If a person lives without Christ and dies without Christ, they will die in their sins and face the judgment of God and the eternal reward of that rejection of His Grace!

I want to deal with this one more time but will pause here.  I pray that the LORD will rain His mercy upon you and enable you to live free of sin and guilt. 

Have a Great Day!

John 4:35 – “Do you not say that after four months comes the harvest? behold, I say to you, Lift up your eyes, and look at the fields, which have turned white and have long been ready for the harvest.”

We have considered the first two parts of the Los Angeles slogan – “Vision to See, Faith to Believe, Courage to Do.”  Now let us move to the last part and mine the gold that is there.

COURAGE TO DO.

It is beyond tragic that sometimes we see and believe that something can be done but lose heart before we even attempt the task.  Courage is absent and we are defeated by our trepidation before we dare to do what we see and believe possible.

James 2:17 – ^“Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”  It is beyond tragic if we allow fear to defeat us.  We do not have to fear because the devil is a defeated foe, and we are more than conquerors through Jesus!  We have been given authority over all the devil’s power, so Why Not Use It?

Joshua 1:7 – “Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go.”  Then in verse nine, we read, “God is with you wherever you go.”  That is powerful.

We have no need or cause to fear man because the work before us belongs to God and He is going before us.  We do not have to fear the devil because Jesus completely defeated him at the Cross and in the Resurrection.  We do not have to fear difficulties because nothing is too difficult for God and no mountain can resist faith.

Philippians 4:13 declares, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”  How many things?  ALL THINGS! 

A brief snapshot of this is in the Old Testament in the man named Shamgar.  The Bible says that he slew six hundred Philistines with an ox goad.  An ox goad was a wooden tool, about eight feet in length with an iron spike or point on one end, and was used to spur the oxen along and could be used as a scraper to remove the clods of earth from the plowshare when it became encumbered.  He certainly did not have a weapon of war but a farming tool and achieved this feat by the power of God.

King Asa had these qualities as we see in 2 Chronicles 14-15 that he went out against two-to-one odds.  Asa cried out to the LORD, “LORD, it is nothing for You to help, whether with many or with those who have no power; help us. O LORD our God, for we rest on You, and in Your name, we go against this multitude, You are our God; do not let man prevail against You!”  In brief, His prayer was, “It’s All You God, so Help Us, Please!”  If we place ourselves in the hands of God, we have placed ourselves in a position of Unlimited Possibilities.

I heard years ago about a lady in Church describing faith, obedience, and responsibility.  She said, “If God tells me to jump through a hole in the wall, it’s my responsibility to jump and His to make a hole in the wall.”  What if we lived that way with Vision to See, Faith to Believe, and Courage to Do?

Believers, we have the message and the commission. We have been given Power and authority through the Holy Spirit.  The only thing that is waiting is for us to respond to God’s call and say yes!  He is calling now, what is your answer?

God bless you!

John 4:35 – “Do you not say that after four months comes the harvest? behold, I say to you, Lift up your eyes, and look at the fields, which have turned white and have long been ready for the harvest.”

We addressed the first part of the slogan from Los Angeles – “Vision to See, Faith to Believe, Courage to Do” now let us move to the next part and uncover the treasure hidden therein.

FAITH TO BELIEVE.

I am convinced that we sometimes see the need but fail to do what is needed because we have no faith for the task.  Sometimes the task before us or the need seems impossible or beyond the reach of our ability.  It is like having a $100 need and only $40 in the bank.  It would require faith to step out when the resources do not seem present.  However, if we are resigned to waiting until we have everything in hand to dare to step out, we may never step out.  Sometimes it requires an Act of Faith to break through the obstacles and turn loose the blessings.

Mark 9:23 declares, “Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”  Mark 11:22 declares, “Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”  Faith in Who or Whom?  God, not what you have in your hand or what you know you can do.  God is the God of the Impossible and if we believe Him, He said, “Nothing is impossible to us because nothing is impossible with Him.”

Our faith must be in God!  That is first and foremost and we must trust His ability to do what he said He would.  Our confidence must be in His integrity and honesty that He will do what He said He would.  We must see ourselves as instruments in God’s hand.  Our faith is in God, not us. 

Jesus said in Matthew 17:20, “…if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed you shall say to this mountain, remove from here to there and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.”  That is incredible but completely credible!  We must develop the ability and willingness to Believe God!  We must learn to rely on His faithfulness and His character to do exactly what He has declared in His word.

Someone said concerning the Revivals of the Church that revival came to the Early Church because – They heard and believed His report.  They obeyed His word.  They prayed and trusted Him totally.  Revival continued in the Early Church because – They made His kingdom the focus of their lives.  They applied His Word to their every situation.  They prayed and trusted Him totally.

I believe that pattern can continue or be reproduced in today’s world and church if we will do what they did and become what they were we will have what they had.  God has not changed!  He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.  We need Faith to believe Him and need to begin living as if He were telling the truth!

I will take this one more step in the next devotional but for now, I will pause.

God bless you as you allow Him to instill Faith in your heart to believe and obey His Word!

John 4:35 – “Do you not say that after four months comes the harvest? behold, I say to you, Lift up your eyes, and look at the fields, which have turned white and have long been ready for the harvest.”

I want to draw something out of the annals of trivia housed in my brain. It was something that happened decades ago in Los Angeles, California.  The L.A. Chamber of Commerce offered a prize of $500 for the best slogan submitted for their city’s campaign.  A mother of three children won with this slogan, “Vision to See, Faith to Believe, Courage to Do.”

If you take the time to dissect and examine that slogan you will find some incredibly powerful truth embodied in it.  I believe that this is the need of the hour for God’s people and His church.  We need Vision, Faith, and Courage.  Vision to see, faith to believe, and courage to do.

I believe that it is vital that we develop those three things in today’s church.

VISION TO SEE.

For me, one of the most perplexing problems in much of the church is the lack of vision.  Had the early church been devoid of vision, like many modern-day churches and leaders, the Church would have died in its infancy.  The apostle Thomas said, “Except I see, I will not believe.”  Much of today’s church says, “Except I see, I will not do.”

Proverbs 29:18 says, “Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained, But happy is he who keeps the law.”  The KJV and others use the word perish.  I believe that it is vital that someone reveals the truth or people perish.  It is vital that someone articulate the vision or people will never become committed to it. They will go in their separate directions rather than becoming a unity, an army, a family, or a body.  A candle has little value if it is hidden under a bushel and eyes are of little value if there is no vision.

Reconsider the text verse John 4:35, please.  We need vision to see what needs to be done.  Preachers frequently urge people to work for the LORD but fail to tell them what needs to be done or even why.  What needs to be done?  One aspect is our Commission to take the Good News (Gospel) to the world.  We are promised that God’s Truth will set people free!  Truth liberates deception and falsehood enslaves. That is part of destroying the works of the devil and seeing the Kingdom of God come upon the earth.

My heart’s cry is that God’s people will awaken, realize the need, and catch the vision of the Body of Christ.  Each member is important just like each member of our physical bodies is important.  All members are not equal in ability or function, but all have a purpose and if the body is to be all it can be, each member must fulfill its purpose.  You are important to the Body.

Let me make a statement that some may disagree with – “Your Church’s spirituality depends on you.”  A chain is only as strong as its weakest link.  A battle plan is effective only if all the soldiers do their job at the prescribed time and in the prescribed way. 

Let me offer another that may not be received – “Your Church’s effectiveness depends on you.”  Please understand, that I am not saying you as separate from the Holy Spirit. If each member of the local church does what God has designed and called them to do, their community will be reached with the gospel.  I pray that God will open our eyes to help us to have Vision to See what needs to be done and be willing to do it. 

We also need to see what is being done.  If I can see what needs to be done and what is being done, it is easy for me to know what I can do.  When God spoke to Isaiah the prophet He asked, “Who will go?  Who can I send?”  Isaiah shouted, “Here am I, send me!”  You do not need to volunteer for every task but if you have the ability and gifts to fulfill that need, then Why Not You?

I will address this more in the next devotional.

God bless you as you experience Vision to See!

Romans 8:28 – “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”  NASB

I have heard people quote this passage and say, “God will make everything good.”  You can see that that is not what that says if you examine it carefully.  It does not say that everything is going to be good but that everything will be used (good and bad) to work together for your good.  Terrible horrible things happen to good people and good things happen to bad people and the goodness or badness of an event in one’s life does not reflect their piety or lack thereof.

The Promise is – “God will cause all things to WORK TOGETHER for good to those who love Him, those called according to His purpose.”  The Promise is not – “All things are or will be good.”  I am reminded of Joseph in the Bible when his jealous brothers sold him into slavery, and he ended up in Egypt.  He went from managing Potiphar’s house to prison and then ascended to a place of rulership in that land.  That was amazing.

Then, his words to his brothers, when they came and bowed before him, were, “You meant it for evil, but God meant it (or took it and worked everything together) for good.”  His words were similar to Mordecai to Queen Esther, “Who knows if you have been brought into the Kingdom for such a time as this.” 

The events of life, for the believer, may be bad individually, but God takes them and blends those experiences and events with all the other events and experiences to produce the finished product that is GOOD!  His Promise is not to take every bad thing in life and make it good but to use it to produce, for you, GOOD!  You are the finished product He is interested in not just the individual events or encounters in life.

I have used the illustration many times of baking a chocolate cake from scratch.  In that process, you have the baking chocolate (bitter), baking soda, flour, butter, eggs, sugar, milk, etc.  Some of those are good and some, if eaten alone, would not be very tasty.  The baker takes the individual ingredients and blends them together into a mixture.  The eggs are beaten and whipped together into flour, baking soda, sugar, milk, etc.

In life, we often feel we are being BEATEN by events, but that beating or blending is melding every experience into a mix that can produce the finished product.  Then, once everything is blended it is poured into a baking pan, placed in the oven, and heated for a specified time.  In life, we not only experience the blending which feels like a beating but once we are sufficiently beaten and blended, we are placed in the oven of life and the heat is turned up. 

It is here that the complaints of most of us reach a crescendo and some even become angry with God over the plight they are experiencing.  But, in baking, once the mix is cooked or heated for a specified time it is taken out of the oven and the wonderfully moist and tasty chocolate cake is produced.  The baker then puts on the icing and serves that tasty morsel to the delight of chocolate lovers.  In life, when God pulls us out of the oven, he puts the icing on the cake through the Holy Spirit and produces a life that is drawing and appealing to the seekers of Life and Truth.  He works the good and the bad in our lives blending them into a mix that produces the finished product. 

I have stood before families having to tell them of the loss of a child, a home, or something terrible and I would never tell them “This is good.”  I tell them that God has not forgotten or forsaken them and that He takes the bad things of life and blends them with the good causing them to work together for our good. 

God is focused on the finished product, not simply the individual experience.  A few years ago, I watched a TV show in which a young boy had cancer and he told the doctor he was not afraid to die.  The doctor asked if it was because he believed he would go to heaven and the boy said, “No it is because I believe I won’t.  If I believe in heaven I’d have to believe in God and then I’d have to believe God gave me cancer.”  That is a wrong theology embraced by too many. God did not give him cancer!

His family was struggling with their child facing a health death sentence. They could see nothing good in this nor should they.  It would be ludicrous, in my mind to blame God for the disease in light of the Bible’s revelation that Jesus bore in His body the stripes for our healing.  The Bible says in James 1:17, that “every good gift and every perfect gift is from above…”  

If God is the one putting diseases on people then why would Jesus bear the stripes for healing? Why would He give power over the powers of hell to His followers to heal? Why would He declare in Mark 16, “And these signs shall follow them that believe; In My Name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.” 

Jesus was accused of healing through the power of the devil, and He said asked how Satan could cast out Satan. He proclaimed that He was working against the powers of darkness in His acts of healing.  Cancer, disease, loss of job, home, family, etc. are not good things, but GOD can and will meld the experiences of life into a mix to produce a finished product. That finished product is GOOD!  It is not the individual parts but the finished product that is the focus. 

Every experience in life has brought us to the place we are today and made us what we are.  If we recognize and believe that God will take ALL THINGS and cause them to work together for our good, we can face the good and the bad with quiet contentment and confidence.  

I do not believe nor suggest that we passively accept everything that happens and say, “Well, it’s God’s will.”  The devil is the one who wants to destroy you, not God.  The devil wants to hurt you, not God.  The devil brings a temptation to you, not God.  The devil seeks to get you to turn your back on God, not God.  Fight the good fight of faith and resist the devil and the Bible says he will have to flee from you.  The converse is also true if we do not resist the devil then he will not flee from us.

You are not what you will be.  You are more than you once were.  You can be more than you are.  Cooperate with God and look for what He is doing in your life and rejoice.  He has never failed, and He will never fail.

God bless you as you enjoy this wonderful day in Him!