by Carol Roberts | Sep 24, 2015 | Encouragement
Have you ever known someone who takes, takes and takes? They call themselves Christians and speak loving and kind words yet they contribute nothing to society. The only time they speak kindly and respectfully to you is when they want something you can give them for the moment. You think you have a friend but what you have from this person is a leach.
The more you give to these people the less fulfilled you feel. You have entered into a downward spiral looking for more to give these end time narcissists just to get a simple hello and get none. They throw around the word love like chicken feed. There is no love in their hearts to back up the loving words they say.
Everywhere they go and every person they meet they create more emptiness. They are like an outer space black hole that sucks in anything in its path. More and more new people they meet because the people who genuine love them are not good enough to meet their ever growing demands for attention. For them it’s a continuous need for something new.
Why? Because instead of them having material things, material things have them. Material things do not fill the heart so it’s a continuous search for them because they remain empty.
Only God can fill a Christ shaped void in a heart. These narcissists are so right all the time that they refuse to acknowledge the only solution that can fulfill them.
They continue to want an audience for doing the things they are supposed to do automatically. You see them on social media drawing attention to actions such as cleaning their room, taking care of their child or tending to their jobs. It’s all about an audience where all eyes are upon them.
If you try to point them in the right direction you have crossed over their line. They will put statuses on social media about karma coming back to you or at best delete you. They want the world to know you did not please them because you stood up to them in a constructive way. They are right and the whole world is wrong.
What does the Bible say to do when you come across such a person? Run. Otherwise you will fall into a trap of giving all your time, effort and energy toward a person who will not even recognize it because it’s not enough for them. Eventually they will implode if you and others give them enough space and time alone.
2 Timothy 3:1-5 New International Version
But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.
by Carol Roberts | Sep 23, 2015 | Hope
God never disgraces anyone who is waiting for Him to act. God can do all things and nothing is impossible for Him. Others may wonder why we do not give up on situations that seem so impossible. Noah never gave up and there became a day when people got the worst wakeup call ever. The father of the prodigal son never gave up and he got his son back. God never plays favoritism and He never forgets our prayer requests. God is pleased with our faith. We plant trust and faith and we harvest a beautiful work of God’s hand in His timing.
Galatians 6:7b-10
You will always harvest what you plant. Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith.
by Carol Roberts | Sep 22, 2015 | Love
Who but God can create a new born baby? It took Him an average of nine months to physically put us together. It took Him from before time even began until now to love us and He is not done yet. At times we may not see Him, feel His presence or hear His voice but He is very much present. It is during those times we ride on His shoulders while He carries us over hurdles. When we do not see Him at all He has it all in His arms. His greatest work happens when He has control of it all.
We may not have our answer yet or we may not hold in our hands all we want but He loves us anyway. We are no less as a person just because our answers to prayer are still being prepared. What God prepares is worth twice the wait.
Psalm 71:5-7
O Lord, you alone are my hope.
I’ve trusted you, O Lord, from childhood.
Yes, you have been with me from birth;
from my mother’s womb you have cared for me.
No wonder I am always praising you!
My life is an example to many,
because you have been my strength and protection.
by Carol Roberts | Sep 20, 2015 | Encouragement
25 years ago is just that…. 25 years ago. When a person accepts Jesus Christ as his Savior the growing process begins. Just like when a new baby is born he does not automatically walk and talk. A new Christian grows into the likeness of Christ over time. Each person goes through times of resentment, rebellion and stubbornness in order to grow past themselves and into a maturing relationship with Jesus. There are hard knocks, anger, tears and of course mistakes along the way. Some people repeat the same lessons and mistakes over and over while others repeat a different set of mistakes over and over. The important thing is remaining on track, striving to reach the fullest potential Jesus has for each person.
People grow at different paces. People grow through different circumstances. Even though no two people experience exactly the same things, the hurts feel the same. As a body of believers we are to encourage one another as we grow. As time and maturity progress we learn who really encourages through prayer and constructive guidance and most of all acceptance.
One of the biggest discouragements is to be reunited with a person from 25 years ago and to be seen as less than what we have become. This person knew us when we first accepted Christ and watched us during our most vulnerable times in life. We are excited to see and talk to this person wanting them to see how we have grown. Instead we are treated like we are beneath them. They do not take the time to let us prove ourselves but instead abruptly log off the computer, walk away or rudely say bye.
In this situation, who grew and who did not grow? As badly as this discourages and hurts us it should be an indication that our prayers and compassion are needed for this person who does not accept our change. Yes, it’s still painful, especially when this is one we have always looked up to as an example. The important thing is that we please God. The Apostle Paul tell us in Galatians 1:10 Obviously, I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant.
2 Corinthians 5:16-17
So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know Him now! This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!
by Carol Roberts | Sep 19, 2015 | Encouragement
Jesus said the brick rejected by the builders became the cornerstone. This is true of many phases in life. A group of young friends get together to form a baseball team. One boy gets passed over to actually play each time because his talent is not baseball. However he brings to the team a lot of fellowship and an attitude of service because he desires to be a good baseball player. Over time that same boy works hard and practices and becomes big league material. Months and years pass by and he tries to join a greater baseball team. The head of the team is one of his friends from his past team when they played together as kids. Remembering the boy’s ability to play baseball in the past, the team head tells him, sorry, you do not play well enough without even checking him out. The young man tries out for another team where nobody knows him and gets placed on that other team. Because of that young man, the new team won the championship.
This happens all the time in life where people continue to consider the past of another person and give no consideration to the facts now. Situations change because God grows people into His likeness. The school of hard knocks and work and much prayer matures people. God sees each person for who they are today, right now. Pasts are forgiven and forgotten. The missions are available today and God uses each person for what he can offer today. For many who continually consider another person’s past, it could be that very person is the one to contribute the most. Jesus is worthy to be praised because people are not their past. The past is gone. People are who they are today. Praise God for that.
Matthew 13:31-32
He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.”