decisions that help us make good decisions…

now there are some decisions that all of us can make that in turn will help us make every other decision in our life. they are decisions that help us make good decisions.

one of them is, i can decide to live life GOD’s way.  that’s a decision we can make.  romans 12.1 (esv) says, present your bodies as a living sacrifice to GOD.

in our modern world the idea of a sacrifices is a foreign concept.  we’re not all that familiar with sacrifice.  but in ancient times people would take animals, they’d put them on stone slabs, usually cut their throat or in some way have all the blood drain out and offer that dead animal as an offering to GOD.  but in this verse the bible says, GOD doesn’t want us to be dead on an altar.  HE wants us to be alive.  HE wants us to be a living offering to HIM, a living sacrifice.  it’s really the essence of giving the full yes to GOD.  “GOD, i’ll give you my whole life!”

if i could use a driving analogy, it would be the picture of you getting out from behind the wheel of the car of your life and getting over into the passenger seat and allowing GOD to get behind the wheel and allowing him drive.  so then, instead of you being the leader or the director or the boss of your destiny you’re looking to GOD and you’re wanting HIS ways to become your ways.  you’re submitting to HIM. 

i know this is quite a challenge for us independent types.  we have a hard time giving our whole life to GOD.  i’ve talked to enough of you to know the reasons why.  some people have said things like this, if i ever give a complete yes to GOD, if i ever say, GOD, you do what you want to with my life, some of you believe that from that moment on your life will be miserable.  you’ll have to stop having fun.  GOD will dress you weird.  you’ll have to talk funny.  you’ll have to move to the remotest parts of the world. 

where do you get the idea that living for GOD is a miserable life?  that’s not what the bible says.  the first sermon that JESUS ever preached was a message on how to find happiness in difficult situations. there’s a book in the bible called philippians.  the whole point of that whole book is about how to find inner contentment and joy in a very challenging world.  JESUS said in john 10.10 “I have come that you might have life and have that life miserably.”  that’s not what HE said.  (gnt),  I have come in order that you might have life – life in all its fullness.

just a thought from the front porch…

when problems are unexplainable…

sometimes you go out and in all sincerity you pray, you work, you think you’re on the right thing and you go out and do what you think GOD wants you to do and it flat out bombs!  what do you do with that?  don’t worry.  it’s all a part of GOD’s plan and HE’s moving you to where HE wants to take you.

so when problems are unexplainable, i trust in GOD’s care.  i trust in HIS care that if HE guides me HE is going to provide for me.  HE is going to take care of me. 

the bible says this in isaiah 26.3 (ncv), you, LORD, give true peace to those who depend on YOU because they trust YOU.

listen, your life is never going to be problem free.  it is a reality of life.  it’s always something!  if it’s not one thing it’s another. 

your life is like a big aircraft carrier and the problems are like planes out there circling, lined up, waiting to land.  you have about ten or twelve or twenty or thirty planes waiting to land on your deck right now.  so just about the time you get one in and you get that problem solved number two plane moves up to number one position and number three moves up to number two. 

the moment you get number two landed, number three is now number one.  and the rest of your life you’re going to have one problem after another after another.  you have to learn how to have peace in spite of your problems and in spite of conflict. 

if you’re only at peace when you’re on vacation you’re going to have peace very little in your life.  you have to learn to trust GOD’s care even when you have problems.

just a thought from the front porch…

what GOD’s silence means…

here, note that  first, accepting of GOD’s plan is a learned experience.  you are not by nature a contented person.  neither am i.  by nature we are discontented.  GOD says contentment is something you learn.  you learn to accept the things you can’t change.

second, it’s a choice.  paul says i choose to be happy in spite of my circumstances. 

and third, he says it’s possible only through CHRIST’s strength.

we need to learn to accept GOD’s plan even when i don’t understand it.  why? 

because the truth is most of the things that happen in your life GOD doesn’t explain why they happen.  most of the things in your life GOD’s not going to give you an explanation.  HE’s going to remain silent when you’re going through that problem, through that trial, through that difficulty, through that circumstance that you don’t like. 

think back to when you were in grade school.  in grade school the teacher would pass out the test, you would sit down and start taking the test and he or she would sit at the front in silence while you took the test.  the teacher is always silent when the test is being given.  and that’s true in life.  that’s true with GOD. 

anytime you’re going through a tough time and GOD is silent and you’re praying, “GOD!  why is this happening?  what’s going on in my life?  help!” and GOD is silent, you can know by GOD’s silence this is a test.  please note that any time GOD is silent in your life it means that this is test. 

GOD is saying, “are you going to trust ME even when you don’t feel ME?  are you going to trust ME even when you can’t see ME, hear ME and you feel like I’m a million miles away?  will you accept MY plan, MY wisdom, MY love, MY goodness even when there’s nothing emotional.  you don’t feel any goosebumps, you don’t feel anything special in your life.  will you trust ME when I am silent?” 

GOD tests you like that all the time.  HE wants you to pray when you’re in those situations that’s when you need to pray the prayer of surrender.  YOUr kingdom come, YOUr will be done.  “GOD, i don’t know what’s going on in my life.  i don’t know where YOU’re taking me.  i don’t know where i’m going to end up.  but i’m going to say this even in advance.  YOUr will be done.” 

that is the prayer of surrender.  it’s the first key to peace where you say i’m going to accept YOUr plan even when i don’t understand it. 

just a thought from the front porch…

it is always better…

GOD’s plan for your life is always better.  when you cooperate with GOD’s plan for your life you can relax and you can stop being overwhelmed.

GOD looks at your life from an eternal perspective, not just the here and now.  GOD will always sacrifice short-term comfort in your life in order to gain long term glory in your life.  GOD will sacrifice short-term comfort in order to build character in your life that’s going to bless you for eternity.  GOD is not interested in making you comfortable.  GOD is interested in preparing you for eternity where you’re going to spend gazillions of years.  HE knows what’s best and HE knows what’s good and HE loves you.  that’s why being overwhelmed can actually be good for you.  it throws you to your knees saying, “GOD, i’m going to have to depend on you.”  and GOD says, “that’s exactly where I want you!

just a thought from the front porch…