Don't give up hope

1Kings 19:5 

while he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.”

I've often questioned myself why things are the way they and it's so easy to agree with Elijah's response because we just want control over life, our ministry, our dreams. Our emotions take the better of us and life gets bleak because we lose our vision and forfeit the goals. All we just want to do is give up because all hope is lost.

In a recent post by Ps Rick Warren, he says "Don’t you dare give up. Don’t give up on your family, on your church, on your dream or on your life." 

He goes to encourage that we are responsible for proclaiming the truth and leading people the best we can – but not the responses of others. We are only responsible for our own response. We’re responsible to teach God’s truth but not what they do with it.

Just don't allow "you" to become the issue in your own mind!  God is the issue.  Christ is the gospel.  We have received this ministry as we received grace. It is not merited and it is not ours.  It is a stewardship lent to us, but belonging to our Master.

May we learn to stay on course in God and find restoration in the Lord, whom I serve.

M.

He calms storms

Luke 8:25

In fear and amazement they asked one another, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him.”

In the messyness of life, I often forget  the greatness of God. A God who even has the winds and the waves obeying his commands.

Only when you look at God in this perspective does the challenges of life seem inconsequential. As I am ministered by the exclamation of the disciples, I remind myself that God is not someone I really know. The God I pray to is someone whom I know too little of and beyond my comprehension. However, everything of creation stops at His command and because of this, He's bigger than my imagination.

God be praised.

M.

God's will for us

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 

These verses were given to me by a kid's parent who dropped me a text after seeing me while picking up her kids from RR. It is very heartening to be encouraged when others see you and are concerned for you.

Rejoice, pray and give thanks. Not just do them, but to do them continuously.

I've only spotted the key word that this is "God's will" and that made me sit up. To recognise that the will of God is not for us to be swamped or overwhelmed. In Christ Jesus, God's will for us is to be glad in Him, to commune in prayer with Him and to give thanks to Him.

Tall order, but something that gets my mind off in a new direction. A better direction, at least.

M.