character and comfort…

another purpose of problems is they sanctify my character.  they make me like JESUS.  they help me mature.  they help me grow. 

james 1.3-4 (niv), the testing of your faith produces perseverance…so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 

that is GOD’s long-range goal.  HIS ultimate purpose is maturity.  GOD wants you to grow up.  HE wants you to mature and in this CHRISTian life, character is the bottom line. 

there are so many CHRISTians who have absolutely no idea of GOD’s agenda in their life.  they don’t know what’s happening and as a result they are overwhelmed by their problems.  GOD’s number one purpose in your life is to make you like JESUS CHRIST.  GOD is much more interested in building my character than in making me comfortable.  if GOD is going to make me like JESUS, HE’s going to take me through the things that JESUS went through.

there were times that JESUS was lonely, fatigued, tempted to be depressed and discouraged.  the bible says there are two ways that GOD makes us like JESUS.

-through the word of GOD.  john 17.17 (niv), sanctify them by the truth.  YOUr word is truth.  james 1:22-25, “HIS word makes us like JESUS.”  it builds our character, matures us but even if you read the bible two hours a day, how many hours of your life are you not reading GOD’s word?  GOD demands even more the second way.

-through the circumstances of life.  here’s where james hits it right on the head. 

so many CHRISTians say, “everything was going great when i first became a believer.  then all of these problems came.  maybe GOD doesn’t love me.  maybe i’m not a CHRISTian.  maybe i’m not really saved.  maybe i’ve missed the boat.’  no, you are exactly where GOD wants you to be.  you’re in HIS character course.  HE’s making you like JESUS.

just a thought from the front porch...

what if it doesn’t pass the test…

a GOD-given dream always has to pass the test of scripture but what if it doesn’t pass the test? 

let’s say you’ve got a GOD given dream (you think) for fast food japanese food.  nobody’s doing this.  this is GOD’s dream for my life – sushi in a sack.  a GOD-given dream.  you’re thumbing back through the book of “hezekiah” someday (i know there’s no such book) and you find a little known verse that says, “thou shalt not sack sushi.”  it’s there.  it just flies out at you.  what do you do?  what do you do when your dream and GOD’s word don’t match?

we do what many of us do.  we try to change GOD’s word.  “it doesn’t really mean what it said.  in the context that this was written, sushi was different in that day than it is today.”  all these things we say.

if you have what you believe is a GOD given dream and you’re reading GOD’s word and HE shows you clearly that it’s not HIS will for your life, what do you do?  you fall on your knees and you praise GOD!  you thank HIM that HE saved you from the hurt and the heartache that the dream would have taken you into.  praise HIM for HIS word. 

humbly say, “my ways aren’t YOUr ways.  YOU have higher ways than i do.  i need YOUr direction for my life.”  you should be more thankful than anything for those times in your life when GOD says, “that is not the way to go.”  think of the heartache HE’s going to save you.  don’t try to change HIS word.  let HIS word change and mold your life.  it’s tough when it’s a dream though, because dreams are so personal.  but let HIS word change and mold your life.

just a thought from the front porch…

anger or authority and assurance…

how do our dreams past the test?

when i face the test of denial, the answer is commitment.  when someone denies the dream it’s an opportunity for me to express a new and fresh commitment to GOD and to that dream. 

when i face the test of doubt, the answer is scripture, GOD’s word.

for joseph GOD’s word was the dream, he had to go back to the dream again for GOD’s word.  but we have a bible to look at.  we can look at this bible to find the answers for GOD’s dream for our lives.  dreams are personal so when people react with doubt at our dream we often react with anger.  one of the common things when people doubt our dream, especially if it’s someone important to us – a parent, brother, sister, close friend, pastor – is an angry reaction of “i’ll prove them wrong.” 

what happens then is our dream turns into a vendetta.  instead of following GOD’s dream for our lives we’re trying to prove somebody else wrong.  and that’s no way to find GOD’s will for our lives.  instead of saying, “i'm going to prove somebody else wrong” or instead of allowing somebody else’s doubts to cause you to admit defeat and give up, there’s a better test.  it’s the test of scripture.

GOD given dreams always have to pass the test of scripture.  what does GOD’s word say?  does it strengthen this dream or are there some things here that make me begin to doubt this is GOD’s dream for my life.  when you take a GOD-given dream and you start to read through GOD’s word with that dream on your mind saying, “LORD, if it’s right, show me.  if it’s wrong, show me.” when you start to ask people you respect who know the word, “is this a GOD given dream, does it fit with scripture?” one of two things are going to happen. 

you’re either going to find out it’s not GOD’s dream or it is.  and if you find out it is, the test of scripture does two great things.  first of all it adds authority to your dream and then it adds assurance to your dream.  if you get GOD’s authority you know you have something to say.  but also you know you have an inner assurance. 

just a thought from the front porch…