Sorrow Into Joy
On April 30 of this year, I had to say goodbye
to my little four-footed furry friend Obie.
This little gray Schnauzer had seen me through a lot—
a major career change,
two moves,
the death of my 95-year-old aunt,
the death of my 93-year-old dad,
and many more life events.
Amos (my other little Schnauzer) and I were forced
to find our “new normal.”
And God was so very, very faithful.
He walked us through the grief and helped us smile again.
I LOVE Psalm 34:18 from the Living Bible:
“The Lord is close to those whose hearts are breaking.”
I attended two funerals this week.
Moms of two of my dear friends passed away recently.
And I was reminded once again that:
“The Lord is close to those whose hearts are breaking.”
Whether it’s a mom, a spouse, a friend . . . or even a pet . . .
God understands our hurt.
I’m so grateful for a Savior who truly cares about
every
single
detail
in
our
lives!
Only GOD has the ability to turn our sorrow into joy.
“ . . . weeping may stay for the night,
but rejoicing comes in the morning” (Psalm 30:5 NIV).
Take Possession!
Joshua asked the Israelites an all-important question
In Joshua 18:3. Let’s take a quick peek:
“How long will you wait before you begin to take
possession of the land that the Lord, the God of your
ancestors, has given you?” (NIV)
Seven tribes still hadn’t taken possession of the amazing land
God had given them! This amazing gift of land filled with “milk
and honey”—fertile land that produced HUGE crops . . .
was sitting right in front of them, but they still hadn’t possessed it!
Does that make you scratch your head?
Why would anyone procrastinate possessing such a terrific gift?
Let’s dig a bit deeper.
The Israelites had been nomads for years.
And they had become extremely comfortable with their
nomadic lifestyle. To move inside the Promised Land
would mean several changes:
• They’d no longer live in tents; they’d have to build houses.
• Roads would need to be created.
• Inhabitants would have to be driven out.
• Eventually it would be amazing . . .
but first there would be a lot of work involved.
Do you sometimes think the Christian life is a lot of work?
Don’t be discouraged!
The gifts God gives us are
superb,
perfect,
excellent
and pure.
And any work He asks us to,
we do in His strength
and
with His equipping.
So why not possess EVERYTHING God wants you to have?
Thoughts?
A Gift?
In Numbers 13:2 we see that God had brought the Israelites to the
edge of the Promised Land. He was giving it to them.
But His gift would require something of the recipients.
Sometimes we mistakenly assume that when God gives us
something, all we have to do is receive and He’ll do the rest.
For example, the gift of salvation is free for the asking.
But we have a responsibility of actually living it out.
We can’t expect God to magically fill our minds with His Word.
We have to read it, absorb it, memorize it and live it.
This is what it means to “work out” our salvation.
“. . . continue to work out your salvation
with fear and trembling”
(Philippians 2:12 NIV).
Let’s look at that same verse in a different version:
“Work hard to show the results of your salvation,
obeying God with deep reverence and fear”
(Philippians 2:12 NLT).
The Israelites got the gift of the Promised Land,
but it wasn’t without having to battle giants,
clear the land,
tear down walls
and do a lot of reconstruction.
What might God want to be giving you,
but you’ve resisted because there’s work involved?
Thoughts?
I’d sure appreciate your prayers this weekend as I speak
at the Virginia District Ladies retreat in the Blue Ridge Mountains.