by Carol Roberts | May 9, 2017 | Hope
There are times we work hard to achieve only to have our rewards handed to someone else. Sometimes as children we try to complete the task in the time given by our parents. When the allowance is given to us they present us with the option of giving the allowance to a charity or to the church. In order to please them we give it back.
We work hard expecting the reward that comes with the hard work and we either give it up or it is taken when another is rewarded instead of us. It leaves us with an empty feeling. We are angry, jealous and grieved yet when we look toward heaven it’s totally different. When we think of these rewards being placed into God’s hands instead of giving them up or having them taken away it sheds a brand new light onto our perceived losses.
God can take any reward turned over to Him, multiply it and either send or store blessings for us. This change of heart can bring renewed attitudes and peace while waiting on God to bless.
Mark 10:29-30 New Living Translation
“Yes,” Jesus replied, “and I assure you that everyone who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or property, for My sake and for the Good News, will receive now in return a hundred times as many houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and property—along with persecution. And in the world to come that person will have eternal life.
by Carol Roberts | May 8, 2017 | Hope
Have you ever wondered what is so great that would take God many weeks, months or years to prepare?
Many times the greatest blessings are those coming after the worst trials. The devil will always want to discourage you to the point of giving up before the blessing gets to you.
During these discouragements God can always be found through prayer, encouraging words from others or unexpected thoughts that come to mind.
Joseph was in jail. He was falsely accused by Potiphar’s wife. It wasn’t long before he was accompanied by the cup bearer and baker. The baker represents the body of Christ which was broken for you and the cup bearer represents the wine and the blood shed that still heals today. Even in jail Christ visited Joseph in a beautiful way. Even though Joseph was forgotten for another two years the blessing was well worth the wait.
What are you still trusting God for that will be worth your wait? In the mean time Christ can be seen in all things.
James 1:2-4 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. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.
by Carol Roberts | May 7, 2017 | Love
There are ones in life who say they love us but it’s only lip service. There are people who promise things but those promises never happen. There are opportunities available but those same opportunities are closed doors for us.
These days are referred to politically correct. Just tell everyone what they want to hear for the moment. Unfortunately those feel good moments last for seconds at best.
So many things seem promising then we go through the embarrassment and pain of reaching for these promises that turn out to be nothing at all. Some will even say they can’t believe we fell for such nonsense.
The devil is on the warpath lately and he will use people we respect the most to deliver these empty opportunities and promises. Feel good words ruin friendships, break up marriages and causes distrust in the whole human race unless we get our focus on the truth.
When focus is placed on God and the truth of His word we start to experience real love and promises actually delivered. God will send truthful and right opportunities, occasions and people when we trust Him. He will open doors we never thought possible and yes, other doors will close tightly in our faces. The closed doors of failed friendships, opportunities and replicas of love are things that were never there from the start.
When we seek God’s face in all things, He will guarantee He is for real. When we pursue the open doors He has for us it will be fulfilling. Other lies that fail will not matter so much because we are trusting God Who has never failed. We can still stand tall because our love comes from the Most High.
Romans 8:38-39New Living Translation
And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.
by Carol Roberts | May 5, 2017 | Love
We are a walking testimony for Christ when we live a life of obedience. In many places we are hindered from speaking the gospel but when we live our lives according to the way God would have us, the very expressions on our faces speak volumes.
While we are here, the way we present Christ to others is through our actions. It is our faith in God that carries our memories forward to other generations.
The way we exercise faith through adversity will allow others to notice Christ. Able from the book of Genesis was murdered because of his willingness to obey. Thousands of years later we remember Able’s act of faith and obedience.
Hebrews 11:4 New Living Translation
It was by faith that Abel brought a more acceptable offering to God than Cain did. Abel’s offering gave evidence that he was a righteous man, and God showed His approval of his gifts. Although Abel is long dead, he still speaks to us by his example of faith.
by Carol Roberts | May 4, 2017 | Encouragement
As young people we attend school. The teacher stands before a classroom of students giving instructions. These instructions will reveal which answers on upcoming tests will be the correct ones. There are students who will not listen and unfortunately will give incorrect answers on the tests.
There is another school. Our teacher is Jesus Christ and His instructions are in the Bible. During quiet times and prayer He demonstrates comfort and encouragement. He reveals things in our hearts that otherwise we would never have considered. The more we listen the more we are prepared when the tests of life come.
There are always people who will not take the time and many will not care. Some even think it’s a cool thing to do to not follow any rules. A lot of these people will have a following of others who want to be like them. Unfortunately this lifestyle comes with consequences that are not visible at first. The type of logic they use is not the type that leads to security for an eternal future.
Each day is precious and has been created by Him and for Him and He wants to include us. The more we want to know about Him the more He will show us His perfect wisdom and knowledge. It will keep us out of trouble and prevent a lot of unwanted surprise obstacles down the road.
Mark 4:24-25 New Living Translation
Then He added, “Pay close attention to what you hear. The closer you listen, the more understanding you will be given—and you will receive even more. To those who listen to My teaching, more understanding will be given. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them.”