God Has Something Better For You!

I have been thinking about the last line of this quote, ‘write a good one’. While there is a bit of truth to it, it screams “you’re in control – do as you please.” How true it is; we like to be in control, we like to know exactly what’s happening, where we’re going and do as we please. When we feel like things are out of control, we worry! I can attest to that!

This attitude, or mindset, of having to be ‘in control’ all the time, conflicts with what God calls us to do, calls our hearts to be and calls our minds to think.

I read a lovely quote recently that summarises what we ought to do:

Don't cry over the past - it's gone.

Don't stress about the future - it hasn't arrived.

Live in the present moment, make it beautiful.

~Anon

Just focus on today and keeping your heart right with and for Jesus, and leave the rest in his hands. Give it all to him and trust that all will be well. It doesn’t mean that life will be smooth sailing – we live in an imperfect world! What it does mean is that your heart can rest in that fact that He can see the whole canvas, and for everything that happens, God has a purpose for it happening – for our benefit.

He knows all things, sees all things and hears all things. We are told in his Word, the Bible that ‘all things work together for good for those that love him who are called according to his purpose’ (Romans 8:28). The Lord hears every prayer prayed; and he will always answer them, however it may be with an answer we might not like or at a time later than we expected. But… I can promise you, because God promises us, that it is for the best!

When I finished reading my devotion today, I thought “Oh how true!” The title says it all: ‘God has something better for you’. The devotion is quoted below:

When God knows something is good for you, He says ‘Yes’; and when it’s not, He says ‘No’. Why would God say ‘no’ to you? Maybe the timing is wrong, or He has something better in mind. Gratitude comes when you realise what could have happened, but didn’t because God intervened. Stop trying to break loose from the loving grip of the One who holds you for your own protection! The Bible says: ‘Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you your heart’s desires. Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust Him, and He will help you… Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for Him to act.’ (Psalm 37:4–7)

Looking back on her life, Billy Graham’s wife, Ruth, said, ‘If the Lord had said “Yes” to all my prayer requests, I’d have married the wrong man—several times.’ What you’re so upset about now, you may be thanking God for later. The more (you grow in your relationship with him), the more you begin to see how wise your heavenly Father is, and the more you learn to trust Him.

The Psalmist wrote, ‘The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.’ (Psalm 23:1) What a picture: God leading you, God feeding you, God protecting you, God watching over you. Like a lifeguard at a beach, in order to save you, God will sometimes interrupt your life, risk embarrassing you in front of your friends, and maybe even bruise a rib or two. That’s because He loves you too much to let you drown in the thing you thought was so good for you. The main thing is: God has something better for you!

Taken from ‘The Word Today’, Wednesday 31^st December 2014.

'Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus' ~Philippians 4:6-7.

‘When the sun goes down, the stars come out’ ~Anon. What a beautiful thought! How true it is in reality, and how true it is in the lives of those who have Jesus in their heart.

~Leah

Prepare Him Room

'…They will call him Immanuel – which means ‘God with us'' ~Matthew 1:23b.

Willow Tree figurines

The birth of Jesus was an event that was foretold thousands of years before the event actually occurred. There are numerous accounts written of a child to be born, a son to be given to us. ‘He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace’ ~Isaiah 9:6.

At the exact time appointed by God, it came time for Jesus to enter this world. An angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph and told him that his wife ‘“(Mary) will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save people from their sins”. All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet*: “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” – which means ‘God with us’’ ~Matthew 1:20b, 21-23; *cross reference Isaiah 7:14

‘The time came for the baby to be born, and she (Mary) gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn’ ~Luke 2:7.

Every single prophecy concerning Christ’s first coming was fulfilled to the letter, and every prophecy concerning His second coming will be too. That time is drawing near. It will be a horrible tragedy to be ‘left behind’. We have the opportunity now to know Jesus; to love him and accept him as our Saviour. We are told to watch and wait (Micah 7:7a&b) and be prepared for that moment that will happen at a time no-one but God knows (Matthew 24:44) ‘in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye’ (1 Corinthians 15:52a).

    Many people today, have no room for Jesus in their hearts. They are too busy, too preoccupied and believe that Jesus is not relevant for this modern world; with the state that this world is in, really the opposite is true. On the other hand, others may acknowledge Jesus and try and ‘fit’ him in to their life, but too many other 'things' are competing for priority, so Jesus takes a backseat, rather than sit in the driver's seat.

Jesus ought to be the centre of our lives: the forefront of our mind, our hearts, our lives. We are called to ‘love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength and mind' (Luke10:27b); to ‘Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness’ (Matthew 6:33a) and ‘trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight’ (Proverbs 3:5-6).

He will direct our path through life, he has plans to 'prosper you... to give you a future and a hope' (Jeremiah 29:11); we just need to trust him implicitly in all things (Psalm 31:14) and allow him to implement these plans in and through our life (Psalm 31:15a).

Prepare him room in your heart.

For unto us a child is born

O behold, the mystery now unfolds
See the star shine on the virgin foretold
Angels sing and light up the sky
Hope rings out in a newborn’s cry
Swing wide, you ancient gates
For Christ is born today!

CHORUS
Prepare Him room
Prepare Him room
Let the King of glory enter in
 
God with us, the promise has come to be
This, the one the prophets were longing to see
In the darkness a blazing light
To the hungry the words of life
His kingdom now is near
For those with ears to hear

Oh, our hearts, as busy as Bethlehem
Hear Him knock, don’t say there’s no room in the inn
Through the cradle, cross, and grave
See the love of God displayed
Now He’s risen and He reigns
Praise the Name above all names!

Accept him into your heart today – you will not ever regret it.

It is my prayer for you:
 ‘May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope…’ ~Romans 15:13

Encounter Him

We encounter the love of God everyday in our lives. One way that he expresses His love for us is in His creation.

‘Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing’ ~Isaiah 40:26.

It’s amazing to know that ‘by the word of the Lord were the heavens made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth’ (Psalm 33:6). What a wonderful thought! ‘He spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm’ (Psalm 33:9).

We cannot ‘fathom the mysteries of God. (We cannot) probe the limits of the Almighty’ ~Job 11:7.

The majesty and wonder of God cannot be fully comprehended by man. God himself cannot be ‘boxed into’ a mere English word or a collection of words that describes his majesty, his ‘awesomeness’ completely and in its entirety, justly.

 ‘For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse’ ~Romans 1:20.

The essence of God's divine nature is love and righteousness (Psalm 33:5). He is the source of a divine love called ‘agape’ love; love of unmerited favor, that which is offered to all of mankind through God's grace (Ephesians 2:4-6). He is the source of righteousness in the world; his nature is the source of all goodness, love, truth, and wisdom (Colossians 2:2-3).

How true it is – ‘How great is our God – beyond our understanding! The number of his years is past finding out’ ~Job 36:26.

There is so much about God that we don’t understand – it’s overwhelming just how wonderful He is.

'Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. By faith we understand that the universe was formed by the word of God (by God's command), so that what is seen was not made out of what is visible' ~Hebrews 11: 1 & 3

One thing we do know, one thing we do see, one thing we do experience is his LOVE.

‘The earth is full of his unfailing love’ ~Psalm 33:5b.

God wants us to ‘experience’ how wonderful he is – how majestic, mighty, powerful, faithful and loving he is. However, in our imperfect human state, we can’t fully do that. Thus, for now: ‘taste and see that the Lord is good’ (Psalm 34:8a). It is just a ‘taste’; it is a glimpse of what is to come ‘for those who love him’ (1 Corinthians 2:9)

'The wonders' (Psalm 9:1b) of his creation – 'the work of his fingers' (Psalm 19:1b) that surrounds us: the natural beauty of the heavens and the earth is an expression of his love to us. The beauty and exquisite detail of a nighttime sky illuminated with millions of stars. The grandeur of a mountain range or canyon, the refreshing and beautiful sight of a waterfall. The soft colours of fading daylight and the vibrant of a new day dawning.

'The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders; where morning dawns, where evening fades, you call forth songs of joy' ~Psalm 65:8

There is something magical about a sunrise. The abyss of darkness fades away as the light begins to pierce through. The magical blue becomes a warm, rosy glow with its radiance ever increasing, as the bright colour of scarlet heralds the arrival of a new day. There is a moment, a pause, before it harks its song and takes flight; spilling golden light upon the plains, across the hills, penetrating the deepest of forests, and scaling the tallest of peaks.

‘Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life’ ~ Psalm 143:8

‘Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days’ ~Psalm 90:14

'It is good to praise the LORD and make music to your name, O Most High, proclaiming your love in the morning and your faithfulness at night...' ~Psalm 92.1-2.

God’s ultimate expression of His love was giving us His Son, Jesus:

‘This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins’ ~1 John 4:9-10.

It is truly a beautiful, wonderful, comforting and empowering concept to grasp:

…‘Neither height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord’ ~Romans 8:39.

  

‘The Lord your God is with you; he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing’ ~Zephaniah 3:17.

As the time of year where we celebrate the birth of Jesus nears, may you reflect on what the love of God truly is and know that:

'For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast' ~Ephesians 2:8-9

The sun comes up, it's a new day dawning
It's time to sing Your song again
Whatever may pass, and whatever lies before me
Let me be singing when the evening comes.

You're rich in love, and You're slow to anger
Your name is great, and Your heart is kind
For all Your goodness I will keep on singing
Ten thousand reasons for my heart to find.

And on that day when my strength is failing
The end draws near and my time has come
Still my soul will sing Your praise unending
Ten thousand years and then forevermore.
~Matt Redman