THE WILL OF GOD

[Jesus said,] "Father, if You are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from Me. Yet I want Your will to be done, not Mine." (Luke 22:42)

There are two kinds of people: those who say to God, "Thy will be done," and those to whom God says, "All right, then, have it your way."

-- C.S. Lewis


#2528

CHANGE CHALLENGES US TO GROW

"Everything Must Change" was the title of my High School Senior Class song. It went something like this: "Everything must change. Nothing stays the same. Winter turns to spring, the young become old and mysteries do unfold. There are only a few things in life that you can be sure of and that is rain comes from the clouds and humming birds do fly…"

Well, that became one of my favorite songs and one of my favorite verses in the Bible is, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." (Hebrews 13:8) It is certainly good to know that in the midst of all of the inevitable changes that we face in life, that our Lord and Savior never changes.

Change is one of the things that we experience in life that challenges us to grow in our faith… As we all continue on this journey of faith, let us all welcome change and keep the faith in our Creator who the Apostle Paul writes about in Philippians 1:6, "God who began a good work with you will keep right on helping you grow in God's grace until God's work within you is finally finished on that day when Jesus Christ returns."

-- Rev. Derrick R. Wright in the North Texas United Methodist Reporter, September 8, 2000


#2527

MADE TO FLOURISH

God made you to flourish -- to receive life from outside yourself, creating vitality and producing blessing beyond yourself. Flourishing is God's gift and plan, and when you flourish you are in harmony with God, other people, creation, and yourself. Flourishing is not measured by outward signs such as income, possessions, or attractiveness. It means becoming the person [God] had in mind in creating you. Flourishing means moving toward God's best version of you.

"The righteous will flourish like a palm tree… they will flourish in the courts of our God." (Psalm 92:12-13)

-- John Ortberg in The Me I Want to Be


#2526

THIRSTY FOR GOD

Our thirst for God will be satisfied. Once we have become aware of this yearning, once this passionate need and longing has opened up within us, we can hear a stream off in the distance gurgling toward us. We bend every effort to find that stream. However strong or persistent our efforts, though, they are insignificant compared with the mighty rush of water coming to meet us. Though we may try to slake our thirst elsewhere, the Living Water will find our parched mouths.

It will not be our small dippers that finally bring the water to our tongues. Rather, it will be the desire of the Water itself to meet our need, the love of the One whom we have struggled to learn to love, that will overcome our last resistance and pour delicious satisfaction on our aching lips.

-- David Rensberger from "Thirsty for God" in Weavings, July/August 2000, published by The Upper Room, Nashville, TN. Used with permission.


#2525

KEEP BELIEVING

The timing of God is often a mystery to us, and even sometimes a frustration. But we must not give up. We must not try to arrange our own solutions…

Don't give up today, and don't give in to the voices of unbelief and impatience. Remember these words from a beautiful song I have enjoyed so much over the years:
Keep believing in what you know is true;
Keep believing - - you know the Lord will see you through.
When troubles rise in your life, and you don't know what to do,
You'll be fine if you just keep believing.

-- Jim Cymbala in Fresh Faith


#2524