an illustration of the fact that GOD takes something negative and makes a positive is that GOD took the absolutely worst thing that ever happened in the history of the world and created the very best thing that ever happened in the history of the world.
GOD took the death of CHRIST on the cross and through that opened up heaven for people like you and me who if we say yes to JESUS CHRIST we can spend eternity with HIM. HE took the very worst thing and created the very best thing. then the question becomes, how can we not say that in our individual lives GOD can’t take whatever circumstances we’ve gone through and create something good from them. if HE can do that, can HE not take my experience and draw something good? i think HE can and the bible says HE will.
also remember that the day is coming when suffering will cease and evil will be judged.
a lot of times you hear people say, “there are people suffering in this world this very moment. why doesn’t HE come back right now and cause suffering to cease and to judge evil?”
to criticize GOD for not coming back yet is almost like taking a john grisham novel, reading the first third of the book and then throwing it away and say, “what a stupid book! he didn’t tie up all the loose ends of the plot.”
wait a second! the book’s not done and GOD promises the day is coming when HE will consummate history and then evil will be judged. we think of jonbennet ramsey and what a horrible thing – an innocent child murdered and somebody’s apparently gotten away with murder. but they haven’t gotten away with murder. GOD will judge that person and they will be held accountable for the crimes they’ve committed. they’re not getting away with murder.
so why doesn’t GOD come back now? because of HIS love. look at 2 peter 9.3 (niv), the LORD is not slow in keeping HIS promise as some understand slowness. HE is patient with you not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
GOD is holding back the curtain of history, holding back the consummation of history because of some of you reading this who don’t know HIM yet. and if GOD were to come back at this time you would be shut out of knowing HIM. you’d be shut out of heaven forever. the reason GOD hasn’t come back yet is an expression of HIS unbelievable love for you. HE is giving you a chance.
just a thought from the front porch…
Showing posts with label negative. Show all posts
Showing posts with label negative. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Saturday, December 11, 2010
exaggerate the negative…
the fourth mistake elijah made that lead to his being depressed is in the second part of verse 10 of 1 kings 19 (cev), i am the only one left and now they're trying to kill me too. he exaggerated the negative. poor me! elijah is having a pity party. everybody's against me!
but the fact was, everybody wasn't against him. there was only one person – one woman and her threat was an empty threat. if elijah had just thought about it instead of listening to his feelings, he'd have realized that there was no way jezebel would have killed him.
notice in verse 2 it said jezebel sent a messenger to say, tomorrow i'm going to kill you. if jezebel had really intended to kill him, she wouldn't have sent a messenger to warn him. she would have just sent a hitman. jezebel was much too clever to have elijah knocked off. elijah was very influential. if he'd been a martyr that would have only increased his influence and probably caused a revolution in the country. on top of that, she was probably afraid of what GOD would do to her if she touched GOD’s man. it was just a threat.
so she let him get away to the desert. why? because she didn't want to kill him, she just wanted to make him a coward in front of the nation. that was her plan. one minute in chapter 18, elijah is a hero. in chapter 19, elijah is a zero but elijah didn't stop to think about that.
but he didn't look at it that way. why? because when we're depressed, we always exaggerate the negative. everything looks bad. if you're depressed, the world is going to pot. everything is going to the dogs. you're pessimistic. everything you look at stinks. it's your attitude. it's your filter. it's the way you're looking at it. it's the way you're thinking. your thinking affects everything.
i heard about a grocery store where they had an old wino hanging around. one day he fell asleep and they stuck some limburger cheese under his mustache. he woke up saying, “this place stinks.” he walked out. everywhere he went he kept smelling it. finally he just sat down and said, “the whole world stinks!” and we do that when we're depressed. it's not the world. it's the way we look at it. it's our attitude.
the fact is, elijah wasn't the only one. in verse 18 (niv), but seven thousand israelites have refused to worship baal. there are plenty other people. but elijah exaggerated it.
we always do these things. we focus on our feelings, not the facts. we blame ourselves for things that aren't our fault. we compare ourselves to others and we exaggerate the negative.
just a thought from the front porch…
but the fact was, everybody wasn't against him. there was only one person – one woman and her threat was an empty threat. if elijah had just thought about it instead of listening to his feelings, he'd have realized that there was no way jezebel would have killed him.
notice in verse 2 it said jezebel sent a messenger to say, tomorrow i'm going to kill you. if jezebel had really intended to kill him, she wouldn't have sent a messenger to warn him. she would have just sent a hitman. jezebel was much too clever to have elijah knocked off. elijah was very influential. if he'd been a martyr that would have only increased his influence and probably caused a revolution in the country. on top of that, she was probably afraid of what GOD would do to her if she touched GOD’s man. it was just a threat.
so she let him get away to the desert. why? because she didn't want to kill him, she just wanted to make him a coward in front of the nation. that was her plan. one minute in chapter 18, elijah is a hero. in chapter 19, elijah is a zero but elijah didn't stop to think about that.
but he didn't look at it that way. why? because when we're depressed, we always exaggerate the negative. everything looks bad. if you're depressed, the world is going to pot. everything is going to the dogs. you're pessimistic. everything you look at stinks. it's your attitude. it's your filter. it's the way you're looking at it. it's the way you're thinking. your thinking affects everything.
i heard about a grocery store where they had an old wino hanging around. one day he fell asleep and they stuck some limburger cheese under his mustache. he woke up saying, “this place stinks.” he walked out. everywhere he went he kept smelling it. finally he just sat down and said, “the whole world stinks!” and we do that when we're depressed. it's not the world. it's the way we look at it. it's our attitude.
the fact is, elijah wasn't the only one. in verse 18 (niv), but seven thousand israelites have refused to worship baal. there are plenty other people. but elijah exaggerated it.
we always do these things. we focus on our feelings, not the facts. we blame ourselves for things that aren't our fault. we compare ourselves to others and we exaggerate the negative.
just a thought from the front porch…
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