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I want to talk a minute to any of you who feels powerless or forgotten or just not good enough because of unfulfilled desires and unmet deep needs.
Maybe you don’t have those things that others do, so you are “left out of the club” when it comes to certain parties or opportunities, while the “haves” seem to be moving toward a bigger and better future.
It’s easy to feel less-than when you keep focusing on your lack. If we were to look at your lack list, it might include one or several of the following areas of unmet needs/desires:
- A spouse
- Kids
- A job
- Good health
- A dependable car
- Friends to hang out with
- A house that you own
Sometimes the longer the list of “have-nots” you concentrate on the more powerless you can feel. Read the rest of this entry »
Go ahead. Throw in the towel. Quit. Say good-bye.
Isn’t that exactly what the devil wants you to do, right when you are nearing the corner toward some incredible breakthrough?
If you can just hold out a little bit longer, he knows that God’s blessing is going to come your way. So he is trying to get you off track. How? By turning up the heat. The devil kicks harder. He fights stronger, hoping that you will cave. Read the rest of this entry »
I have a wonderful friend Joe who invites me to dinner on occasion to partake of his fellowship and his fabulous cooking.
Joe is always sure to combine just the right ingredients for his savory concoctions – nothing is done half-heartedly, haphazardly, or by accident. He carefully selects the tenderest cut of meat, stirs in a selection of quality spices, and then labors over the stove so that the flavors are seared in to perfection. The results are a wonderful meal made from the heart.
In thinking about my friend, I really see a parallel to what God did with each of us when He brought us into being. He left nothing to chance when He formed us in our mother’s womb. He measured out just the right amount of physical traits and sprinkled in the right amount of character qualities. He let us steep in the flavor of His love and care. The results are a grand dish that He is proud to serve to the world. (See Psalm 139:1-16.)
So, next time you think that God doesn’t care or that when He created you He created a mistake or a disaster, remember His deliberate and measured love toward you. We are, after all, His special recipe.
– Laura J. Bagby
“… ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty” (Zechariah 4:6b, NIV).
This favorite passage came to mind several times recently when struggling to give God back the controls of my life.
What does it mean? Well, I am not a Bible scholar, but this is what I glean from this familiar passage. And just so you know, this is just my personal interpretation: Read the rest of this entry »
Ever have one of those days or weeks when you feel like God decided to take a vacation without telling you?
You check downstairs and out in the yard. Nope, He’s not there. You even make sure He isn’t somewhere in your car or at your office. Nope, He isn’t there either. He’s not at the kids’ school. He’s not staying at your friend’s house. He’s not at the gym where you work out.
But you do notice that He leaves hints that He has been there — things like forgetting His extra car keys or part of His lunch. Maybe He left His sunglasses behind on your kitchen table.
There are signs that He was there in your presence, but that’s it: There are only signs. As far as you are concerned, He up and left without so much as a “good-bye.” And there isn’t any real indication that He is going to return to you anytime soon. Read the rest of this entry »
