The best life is a God First life

Category: Trust (Page 3 of 3)

Painful Anniversaries

Some anniversaries are heartwrenching as we recall moments in time that shattered our hearts, such as; terrible life-changing accidents or the passing of loved ones. August was once a month of celebrated births for our family but now includes the dates of painful loss that tears at our very being. One August, I found myself praying for emotional strength and comfort that only God can provide for my loved ones in the coming days. As I prayed, I found myself stating, ”Father, please help all my family and us in these coming days as I don’t know what to do” as I spoke these words, it dawned on me, I was doing it!

Nothing is more powerful than God’s help, whether He provides comfort to our hearts and minds beyond our understanding and/or places projects and people in our lives to help us through.

Praying is so simple one might diminish its value in their minds and forget just how powerful communicating with our creator truly is. Scripture tells us the prayers of the righteous are the most powerful.  This tells me If I want my prayers well heard, I will pursue righteousness with all I have to give. Scripture also tells and demonstrates that the closer we draw to God, the closer God draws to us. 

Let us Pray often with righteous prayers from loving hearts then, trust God!

Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” James 4:8

“Therefore say to them, Thus declares the Lord of hosts: Return to me, says the Lord of hosts, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts.” Zachariah 1:3

“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.Mark 11:24 ESV

“do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7 ESV

“Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” James 5:16 ESV

If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you”. –John 15-7

God First!

Injustice, Anger, and Control

Sometimes controlling anger to injustice can be a real challenge, and exercising control is not what we want to do; it’s like we’re choosing to absorb pain rather than do something to stop it. The pain can seem unbearable at times, but all things are possible with God, and it’s worth it to stay the course and follow the example of Christ.

Jesus exercised ultimate control; He could have called 10,000 angels at any moment. At any moment, Christ could have and stopped absorbing all the pain He suffered. However, Christ’s love for God and mankind proved greater than any temptation to lose control.

All that love for His Fathers Will and all of us had a tremendously positive effect. The trickle-down effect of Christ absorbing all that pain was our salvation. The life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus demonstrate God’s love for us.  Every soul now has the opportunity and promise of eternal life when we accept God’s grace by our obedient faith; Heaven is our home. 

Jesus could have gotten angry and lashed out the way many of us might respond, He could have ended all of us at any moment, but instead, Jesus was consumed with love and compassion and exercised control.

Jesus had experienced pain and rejection before, but He knew; what He was about to suffer was far beyond all those previous experiences combined. This knowledge of what was to come had Jesus sweating blood on the Mount of Olives. He prayed for a different solution, but if not, he wanted to submit to God’s will, not his own.

And he came out and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed him. 40 And when he came to the place, he said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” 41 And he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, 42 saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” 43 And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. 44 And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.”

Luke 22:39-44

Jesus exercised submission to God’s will, but rather than show anger; He demonstrated love and constraint; Jesus tells us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. I admit this is difficult sometimes, but if it were not for our betterment, Jesus would not have told us to do so. Also, keep in mind what Jesus says in Romans 12:14-21 and trust Him.

  • Matthew 26:53 (12 legions of angels)
  • Matthew 19:26 (all things possible)
  • Luke 1:37 (nothing’s impossible)
  • Philippians 4:13 (christ who strengthens me)
  • Matthew 5:39-44 (love your enemys)
  • Matthew 22:37-40 (All encompasing)
  • Romans 12:14-21 (I will repay, says the Lord)

God First!

Trudge and gain

Sometimes situations in life are tough, but we simply trudge forward with God’s help and our unwavering faith. Eventually, those tough times become part of our wisdom and strength until the good times bless us again.

For if God is with us, who can be against?

God First!

Doing without expectation of reciprocation

– At some point in life I decided that doing things for others should be done without expectation of any reciprocation. For me, this was the best attitude to have toward helping others.

In reflecting, I think in part it’s because I’m a little selfish. I don’t want to risk feeling that someone owes me something because I did something for them of my own accord. In other words, I don’t want to risk feeling angry or overly disappointed if, for some reason, they are unwilling or can’t help me at a later date.

Rather than calling it selfish, a better word might be “guarded” as in guarding my heart. By purposely deciding ahead of time that nothing is owed due to my effort, not even as much as a simple thank you, my heart is guarded against potential bitterness or disappointment.

By extending help without any expectation of reciprocation, I’m actually protecting my heart from becoming bitter should the situation arise when I could use some help and can’t seem to get it. I remind myself, “I am owed nothing,” which helps me stop my thoughts from going down that bitter path of anger and disappointment. Instead, I trust that God will provide for me if I need it, and then I let it go and dismiss it from my mind.

One thing for sure, whatever my real motivation, I’ve never regretted when I’ve had the opportunity and took the time to help others. That’s always a win for me.

God First!

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