by Carol Roberts | Apr 9, 2017 | Hope
With faith all things are possible through Christ. What about the times when things are too big for us? When things are out of the control of human beings we rely on God to do what we cannot do.
If our faith is weak, it’s perfectly ok to ask for more. God welcomes us with much delight to come into His arms asking Him to do what we cannot. It is a step of faith to trust God. It is an honor to God for us to ask Him for more faith which will allow Him to do more.
Mark 9:23-24 Living Bible
“If I can?” Jesus asked. “Anything is possible if you have faith.” The father instantly replied, “I do have faith; oh, help me to have more!”
by Carol Roberts | Apr 7, 2017 | Hope
Doesn’t it seem like certain people get all the breaks? A beautiful lady walks into an interview and immediately gets promoted above you. You have been at the company for years and you have always pleased your boss. What’s up this time? Why does this brand new beautifully shaped, gorgeous faced and innocently countenanced lady come in brand new and get it all?
You have remained loyal to God, to you boss, to your duties and what is rightfully yours is taken away when the opening becomes available. What is so perfect about this person that she turns heads wherever she walks.
You see her as perfect. You are jealous, angry and gossipy over this situation. You will do anything in your power to let others know how unfairly you are treated. Who can blame you? You are definitely wronged by the hiring managers and shunned by your own boss. You watch while your boss and higher ranked workers giggle all around her while she innocently smiles back at them. Everything she says and does is gold. She gets invited out to lunch often. In fact the lunches are long. You are left doing all the work.
You are the one God studies because He is pleased that you are working directly for Him. You are the one seeing to it the needs of the company are being met which pleases God. You are the one who acknowledges God in all things. You are the one who cannot be compared to this new girl in the work place because your achievements continually promote the company. Your achievements tell others faced with your same situation that your lifestyle is a witness for Christ.
Just as you are faced with the test of patience, the new girl is faced with other temptations all her own.
God will promote you in His timing and His way, possibly not at this company but He will promote you. God notices your loyalty and your trust and He will not disgrace you. It’s important for you to continue your loyalty to God regardless of what others around you are doing. Your reward comes from the heavenly realm.
Galatians 6:4-5 Living Bible
Let everyone be sure that he is doing his very best, for then he will have the personal satisfaction of work well done and won’t need to compare himself with someone else. Each of us must bear some faults and burdens of his own. For none of us is perfect!
by Carol Roberts | Apr 6, 2017 | Encouragement
We dart to and from places. We race to get the best bargain. We pack our days full of activities. We get a call from a friend who needs to talk and our day is too packed to listen. We say will call them later and later never comes. We completely forget.
Unfortunately this is the life style of so many today. There is never a spare moment to be still and take inventory of our own selves. There is no time to acknowledge God.
The friend who needed us? We learn that she was making her final calls to friends before being called home to heaven.
What are we missing by filling our days full of activities? A lot. As time continues living this type of a life we realize the most important things pass us by. Many of us will live an entire lifetime and miss the most important thing which is a relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
When we spend quiet time with Him, He walks with us through even the greatest of storms. Obstacles that come up in life that are extreme are made more bearable because we walk with God. The activities we dart to all day only satisfy the desires for the moment.
Our favorite ball team may win a championship but God Is the Champion. Sometimes keeping busy means to fill our minds with things to crowd out what we really need to face.
There is nothing too hard for God. There is no relationship greater than the one we share with our Maker. As we cling to Him, there will be less of a need to live in a whirlwind of activity that ends in emptiness. All He needs is for us to keep an open heart and He will see to it we are lead in a direction that brings about peace.
Matthew 7:24-25 Living Bible
All who listen to my instructions and follow them are wise, like a man who builds his house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents, and the floods rise and the storm winds beat against his house, it won’t collapse, for it is built on rock.
by Carol Roberts | Apr 5, 2017 | Love
Have you noticed that there are some people who always get recognized? Everywhere certain people go others will give way to them.
They never consider the feelings of anyone but themselves and others feel obligated to step aside for them to have the moment of recognition. The key here is “others.” You depend on some of the others as your boss, best friend, preacher or recreational leader. You work hard to meet the challenges required as an employee, church member, little league player or a friend. You do your best yet when these certain people come into the picture you are suddenly cast aside by the ones you work hard to please. Suddenly you are sitting on the bench while this important person’s son plays ball in your spot. You are playing second fiddle because that important conductor comes in wanting his own person playing your part. You are asked not to serve in church because you no longer fit a new format where it looks better to have important people serve instead of you. You no longer have an evening out with your best friend because a popular football player wants to be a part of that group and that football player does not like you.
It’s bad enough that pride puffs up a person into somewhat of an idol to people but when others give way to them, it hurts even more. It’s the others you depend on. Pride works two ways. Pride will puff some up into being little gods and it will puff up others who want to be recognized by these little gods. Pride is what got the devil cast out of heaven. Pride is what keeps the devil hard at work creating pride among people today. Pride hurts people.
God has His way of dealing with these prideful empires of people. However the results may seem far in the future. Some puffed up people go on for years doing the same thing to people they do not like and get by with it. Are they really getting by?
You are without the batting spot in the ball game and the prideful person or coach have no remorse over your feelings. You do not get to play your part in the performance that you worked so hard on because a trusted conductor chose a well known at the last minute. You do not get to join the night out because your friend chose the popular football player to hang with. You do not get to serve on a committee at church because the opening needs to be left in case someone considered more desirable may want to serve.
You watch while these people have all the fun. You see their smiles and laughter but what these prideful people do not see is their losses. They have lost your trust and your respect. They have lost your loyalty and hard work for them as you work hard some place else. While they may see you as just one person, it is understood there are others facing the same thing as you with these exact same people. Pride catches up with them.
Humility comes from God to bess you. During these hard times of waiting, sometimes for years, it’s important to know that God has not forgotten you and there are blessings in humility. The center letter in the word “pride” is I. The center two letters in “humble” are MB standing for mountains of blessings.
God blesses for an eternity. These situations that are taken from you are for a brief moment. God is still on His throne and God knows all things. God blesses you for a pleasant humble attitude even though tears. God is watching you with a loving eye. He is angry with the wicked every day.
Matthew 23:10-12 Living Bible
And don’t be called ‘Master,’ for only One is your master, even the Messiah. “The more lowly your service to others, the greater you are. To be the greatest, be a servant. But those who think themselves great shall be disappointed and humbled; and those who humble themselves shall be exalted.
by Carol Roberts | Apr 4, 2017 | Salvation
What if you had a chance to be there when God created the earth. There was a time when there was nothing at all. Imagine witnessing that. Suddenly things lit up for a while and got dark again. There was a time when oceans were there but no land. Imagine that. Water everywhere but no life in it. The water is big. The water is cool yet it’s still and lifeless.
Surely there is God Who is causing these things.
Suddenly solid ground emerges and later life of all sorts. Then from the dust of the earth a human man emerges.
When we look at life this way, it becomes easier to understand that life’s problems are easy for God to handle. Most of what we deal with today are are people problems. People do not get along. People disagree. People do mean things. However God takes care of even these issues if we call upon Him.
When we take time to ponder the greatness of God we can be assured that the things we encounter today are under God’s control. God is love and He sees to it all things work out for the good of those who love Him.
Jeremiah 33:2-3 New Living Translation
This is what the Lord says—the Lord who made the earth, who formed and established it, whose name is the Lord: Ask Me and I will tell you remarkable secrets you do not know about things to come.