|
GLEANINGS FROM THE WORD Experiencing an extraordinary God in ordinary life Issue #1,056 March 12, 2004 Public Confession I confess. It had been one of those days. The car needed work. All the things I set out to do for the day somehow never got done. I was tired and felt a cold coming on. I was feeling sorry for myself. In the words of my friend Dan, I was sitting on my "pity pot." To make it worse when I put the television on to vegetate a bit in front of the news, the lead story was about a business man who was being investigated for shady dealings. Wearing a tailor made designer suit, that probably cost more than my car is worth, he walked past the reporters . He ignored their questions and got into a car that probably cost almost what my house is worth. I confess that for a moment, I was very envious of what he had. I looked at his suit and his car and almost needed a towel to catch the drool. Satan knew exactly where to hit me at that moment. Normally, I could care less about cars, in fact my boys often tease me because I don't know one from another. The idea of spending several thousand dollars on a suit never made a lot of sense to me, but I wanted one like that at the moment, or at least the money the car and suit cost. "It's not fair God. He's a crook and look at the things he has." "It's not right God, even if he goes to prison he'll still end up with more money and toys than I'll ever own." God interrupted my pity party with, a "Who says it's not fair? That's not your call to make." Then he reminded me of a something the Psalmist wrote. Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of those who do wrong; for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away. Psalm 37:1-2 NI V God's judgment may often seem delayed from our perspective, but He promises justice. Even if the crooked businessman got away with it his whole life and never seemed to have to pay the price, he would face God at the time of his demise. God doesn't allow evil to go unpunished. Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Galatians 6:7-8 NIV There comes a time when God has had enough of evil. He's patient, but we mustn't ever confuse that patience with Him letting rebellion slide. The piper needs to be paid eventually. A lifetime of enjoyment of "ill gotten gains" (I know that's a bit of an archaic phrase, but I love the way it rolls off the end of the tongue) fades pretty quickly in an eternity of hell. The Psalmist carries on in his reminder not to be envious of evil people or their apparent success. Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret--it leads only to evil. For evil men will be cut off, but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land. A little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found. But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy great peace. Psalm 37:3-11 NIV The Psalm carries on through 40 verses on the same theme, have a read when you have a moment. God is still in control. It's His responsibility to deal with evil and wicked people, it is not my job to fret about them. I'm just glad I have Jesus so I won't be facing His wrath like they will. You know, my old beater doesn't look so bad when I remember that Jesus sits in it with me. My house looks pretty darn good, because Jesus lives there. I've got it pretty good after all. Until next time, keep your eyes on Him. Hallelu Yah (Praise God) Be blessed Kevin Never let the enemy tell you that you are worthless or insignificant. You have value in the eyes of God so great that it was worth dying for. You are a blessing to the world. You are so precious to God that heaven will not be complete without you. HELP FOR THE HURTING Sometimes when we're hurting, the stuff of the wicked seems pretty attractive. It's no wonder many people are drawn to crime, or find it easy to make the small compromises to get ahead. It can be pretty tempting. In the end, there's only one thing that truly satisfies and that's the love of Jesus in your life. You don't have to compromise to have that. All you have to do is recognize that you've made a mess of things, and that you need Him, then ask Him into your life. You can simply begin the relationship by honestly and completely opening your heart, admitting you need God's help, and saying a prayer along the lines of: Jesus: I have made many mistakes in my life and done things I am not proud of. I have sinned. I need your love and forgiveness. I believe that you came into this world and gave your life on a cross to pay for my sins and that you defeated death and rose again. Please forgive me, and be the Lord of my life. I give my life to you Lord. Amen If you pray this prayer for the first time let me know so I can rejoice with you. Did you know that at Gleanings, we have a dedicated team of prayer warriors and all prayer concerns are kept strictly confidential? Your comments, your questions and your joys are shared with the prayer team, to keep me accountable as the head of the ministry and to encourage them as they see God at work in your life. As with prayer all these things are kept confidential within the Gleanings team. To share your questions, comments, thoughts, prayer concerns and praise reports email us If you enjoyed this issue of Gleanings From The Word, email it, in its entirety, to a friend. For information on use of Gleanings in your church newsletter or other situations please visit the permissions page . You can write to us at Gleanings From The Word Ministries International 114 Oak St Sherwood Park, AB Canada T8A 0V8 © 2003 K.F. "Kevin" Corbin Gleanings From The Word Minististries International - All Rights Reserved
|