by Carol Roberts | Mar 23, 2017 | Love
Here I am all flattened out on a phase in life that goes round and round like a potter’s wheel. The same situations keep coming up in life, maybe not the exact same things, but the equation is the same. Each time I think I have grown past a certain habit it happens all over again, boom. Another belly buster onto the potter’s wheel of life.
I trust too much. I don’t trust enough. I continually miss out on opportunities that long should have happened for me. I see blessings and opportunities happen for others but why not me? Here I go again for another belly buster onto the potter’s wheel to have the jealousy pounded out of me.
When I turn old habits over to God it is a blissful experience. Peace like I rarely feel makes everything easy. I put my situation into God’s loving hands and the peace of being lifted from the ground up is awesome but then splat, another belly buster. Brokenness, disappointments and despair engulf me as each old habit is picked, pulled and pounded away from me. It’s about the time I feel I can do nothing right I start to notice I’m rising above my feelings.
Nothing has really changed. I’m still me but somehow I feel better about things because God is starting to build me up into the person He intends for me to be. About the time I feel comfortable here comes another belly buster onto that wheel. Here I go again. Another pounding to remove pride and other things that put me before God.
Finally one day I am built into a beautiful pot but here comes the fire. Another closed door so to speak. Just when I think I’m really somebody special the fiery trials come in ways unimagined. People I could count on as friends through thick and thin are not there. They either dump me because I’m not giving to them what they want or they quit speaking all together because they like the world better. What a painful fire this is but the fire stops. I’m lifted to the platform to cool. This is an awesome time of peace. I’m up in front to cool down plus I’m being viewed as special but here comes the fire again to burn off this comfort zone and pride. Will it ever end? Probably not. Once again I’m taken from the fire and placed to cool. This time I make an effort to not enjoy being seen or praised too much. I sit and sit and finally I feel totally forgotten. I have been been through numerous hardships and fiery trials. God has granted me wisdom and knowledge and a great appreciation of Who He Is yet I sit with no purpose at all.
Praise God. He can now fill me to the brim and running over with His love and blessings. He can now use me to carry His blessings to others to be poured out. I now have a purpose unless pride and other worldly ways creep back in, then it’s back to the fire. It’s always the best idea to remained focused on the Word of God and to pray. Spending time alone with God to seek His face in all things will prevent a multitude consequences.
Isaiah 64:8 New Living Translation
And yet, O Lord, You are our Father. We are the clay, and You are the Potter. We all are formed by Your hand.
by Carol Roberts | Mar 22, 2017 | Encouragement
There are times we pray for a certain thing or situation in life and it seems we get hardships instead. Occasionally God will grant our desires almost immediately and we are encouraged by those answers. Most of the time our answer to prayer will be the type where we are presented a pathway that leads to the answer we desire.
New pathways require hard work. We are to face debris in our lives that must be removed in order for us to walk further along the path. There are fallen logs and rocks that are thrown at us by the devil that need to be rebuked. Sometimes there will be muddy areas that cause us to slip backwards where we have to repeat the same lesson in life. Other times there will be thick underbrush causing us to strain ourselves to get through only to be shown afterwards a smoother path a few steps over.
All of these things establish endurance and grows faith. Our faith is tested by how we keep a grateful attitude through all the disappointments and hardships along the way. A poor attitude could very well cost us our blessing as we will be focused on anger and resentment and not see what God is unfolding.
The key to growing in grace is to grow in thankfulness and gratitude. The devil will always challenge the things coming to us that are worth fighting for. There is every reason to be grateful.
1 Thessalonians 4:1 New Living Translation
Finally, dear brothers and sisters, we urge you in the name of the Lord Jesus to live in a way that pleases God, as we have taught you. You live this way already, and we encourage you to do so even more.
by Carol Roberts | Mar 21, 2017 | Love
There is a lot of comfort having a loving daddy in life. When things do not go right daddy seems to know how to make things better. He is a strong male and is to be an earthly example of how God treats His children.
So many times a male role model is not available and people are without such an example. It’s important for all people to live as God would have us to. Even though there are no substitutions for a godly earthly daddy God’s spiritual love toward us never fails. God is our ultimate Father and He is all things to us.
As we live to glorify our Father in heaven He will see to it that all gaps are filled. Just as the Bible states that there are friends who are closer than a brother He can also provide His choice of mentors who offer godly counsel.
God is available at all times and He is experienced in handling any situation we may walk through. He is our heavenly Father and He loves us very much.
Psalm 84:11-12 New Living Translation
For the Lord God is our sun and our shield. He gives us grace and glory. The Lord will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right. O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, what joy for those who trust in You.
by Carol Roberts | Mar 20, 2017 | Hope
After a violent storm the sun shines brighter. The air is fresher. The sky is bluer. The grass, trees and plants are greener.
After repair work is done on a water line the tap water is muddy and rusty. When the water runs clear it is free of hidden debris and more desirable to drink.
After trials in life are times of a renewed mind. Failed friends are a reminder that Jesus is the perfect true friend. Lost jobs are an opportunity to seek something higher. Demotions mean a chance to see how another person handles the job in order to polish skills or focus on a new beginning.
The living waters of Jesus Christ offer bigger and brighter ways of thinking, trusting and faith building. The Bible speaks of counting trials joy. For a Christian trials mean that the living water is running and the pipes are clearing. It may be muddy at first but there is joy knowing that the water is flowing.
James 1:2-3 New Living Translation
Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.
by Carol Roberts | Mar 17, 2017 | Love
Do you ever feel you are always the one asked to serve while others seem to be promoted? How do you feel about that? Do you become jealous of those in higher positions or angry that you should be promoted while a lesser qualified person gets selected? If these emotions get the best of you each time unfairness happens there is a point to remember.
Your promotions are spiritual and your rewards last forever. This earth as we know it is passing away very quickly. God’s word remains forever.
If a person asks you to push broom instead of sorting mail it’s an opportunity to serve God, not man. If a person asks you to sweep up instead of leaving with the rest of them, remember Jesus Himself came to serve.
Have you ever watched a person refuse a job that others consider lowly and they make a scene over it? What emotions came to your mind? Did you want to join in with that person creating a two against one situation to declare a protest? Did you laugh on the inside thinking you were glad it was not you this time? Did you swell up with pride on the inside thinking they were asked to do a lower task while you were not?
Your rewards come as a result of a willing attitude. God never judges you on your assigned task but how well you display a servant attitude while doing the task. Have you ever considered these tasks to be an act of love from God toward you? You are being given an opportunity to serve just as Christ did.
Luke 14:11 New Living Translation
For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.