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…

i need it so how do i get it?...

so how do you rate on the “am i wise test?” that we’ve been taking here in chapter 3 of the nt book of james.  let’s review…  do you compromise your integrity?   how do you get along with people?  do you manipulate them and use them for things you want?  do you tend to antagonize anger?  always saying things that tick people off.  you know if you say it, it will push their hot button but you do it any way.  that is dumb.  james says that is dumb.  it’s not being wise.  if i’m wise i won’t antagonize your anger.

if i’m wise i won’t minimize your feelings.  feelings are neither right nor wrong, they’re just feelings.  when margaret, my wife has a feeling it’s valid.  whether it makes sense to me or not the fact is she feels it.  the same is true of me.  if i’m wise i will not minimize it. 

can your kids make suggestions to you?  can your husband make suggestions to you?  or your wife?  if i’m wise i won’t emphasize your mistakes.  i don’t rub it in, i rub it out.  if i’m wise i don’t try to disguise my feelings.

i don’t know how you did but i’m pretty sure it brought you around to the question how do i get wisdom?  james in the first chapter of his book says in verse 5 (niv), if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of GOD.

now we sometimes get confused here.  we think wisdom is like knowledge and all i need to do is read a book to get it or get an education.  no wisdom comes from GOD.  to get knowledge you look around.  to get wisdom you look up.  knowledge is something you learn.  wisdom is a gift.

wisdom is a gift from GOD.  leading up to our move from long island, i have sometimes asked GOD fifty times in a day for wisdom, GOD give me wisdom.  the last part of verse 5 (niv) says, ask of GOD who gives generously.  HE wants to give it to you.

if i’m loving and wise, i’m going to make it in life.  if you’re loving and wise you’re going to make it in life.  so why don’t you stop right know and ask JESUS to come into your life and to give you wisdom.

just a thought from the front porch…

joseph testing his brothers...

joseph has this test.  genesis 42.25-28 (niv),  joseph gave orders to fill their bags with grain, to put each man’s silver back in his sack, and to give them provisions for their journey. after this was done for them, they loaded their grain on their donkeys and left. at the place where they stopped for the night one of them opened his sack to get feed for his donkey, and he saw his silver in the mouth of his sack. “my silver has been returned,” he said to his brothers. “here it is in my sack.” their hearts sank and they turned to each other trembling and said, “what is this that GOD has done to us?”

that’s guilt twenty years later, unresolved guilt!  if you’re feeling that way every time something goes bad, get HIS forgiveness.  you don’t have to feel that, “GOD’s punishing us or what is this that GOD has done to us?”

so they go back to israel.  they eat the food.  they run out of food and they have to go back to egypt, the second journey.  joseph meets up with them again and gives them some food again.  and benjamin’s there.  genesis 43.15-16 (niv), so the men took the gifts and double the amount of silver, and benjamin also. they hurried down to egypt and presented themselves to joseph.  when joseph saw benjamin with them, he said to the steward of his house, “take these men to my house, slaughter an animal and prepare a meal; they are to eat with me at noon.”

so they have this great meal together.  joseph says, “let’s have the youngest served more food than anybody else – five times as much as anyone else’s.  then when they leave, let’s take some silver cup and put it in benjamin’s sack and let’s see what happens.”  they do that and they send them off.  they leave and they find this silver cup in benjamin’s sack.  genesis 44.11-34 (niv), each of them quickly lowered his sack to the ground and opened it.  then the steward proceeded to search, beginning with the oldest and ending with the youngest. and the cup was found in benjamin’s sack. at this, they tore their clothes. then they all loaded their donkeys and returned to the city.  

here’s the test: what are they going to do with the youngest?  perfect opportunity to throw him into the pit.  here’s the answer: joseph says, “what is this you have done?  you know that a man like me can find things out by divination.”  “what can we say?”  judah replied.  “how can we prove our innocence?  we are your slaves.”  joseph said, ‘i can’t do that.  only the man who was found to have my cup will become my slave.  the rest of you go back to your father in peace.” 

then listen to what judah says, please, let your servant speak.  don’t be angry, though you’re equal to pharaoh himself.  we’ve told you we have an aged father.  he’s going to die if we don’t bring our youngest back….  your servant, our father said, “you know that my wife bore me two sons.  one of them went away from me

what do you think joseph thought when he heard that?  and i said he’s surely been torn to pieces and i’ve not seen him since.  if you take this one from me too, harm will come to me.  …   so now, if the boy is not with us when i go back to your servant, my father is going to die.  your servant has guaranteed this boy’s safety…  please let your servant remain as my lord’s slave in place of the boy and let the boy return with his brothers.  how can i go back if the boy isn’t with me?’” 

that’s a long story that would make a great hollywood movie.  it’s told very quickly but it’s told for the ending.  judah says, “take me instead!”  years later, JESUS was going to say, “take me instead!” and HE died on the cross for us.  judah said, “i’ll be the slave in his place.”  JESUS released us from slavery.  judah is a forerunner of JESUS.

just a thought from the front porch…

someone else taking credit…

there is another way to picture how you and i can live the dream even when we don’t see it.  when i say live the dream, another picture in joseph's life is…

-you succeed in potiphar’s house.  succeed in the house of potiphar, his slave owner.  here’s joseph, this great leader.  GOD’s given him some great gifts and abilities and he’s given him a great dream and he’s working in the house of potiphar making his master very successful. 

if you have a GOD given dream, on your way towards that dream, you’ll meet some people who’ll hitch their wagon to your dream.  they’re even going to take the credit for some of the things that happened in your life because of your GOD given dream.  you can count on that.  potiphar did.  he got a lot of blessings from a man named joseph using him as a slave.  and there are going to be few people who try to use your dream.  what do you do about that?  do you just stop dreaming?  no.  you do what joseph did.  you keep serving HIM.  you don’t worry about them. 

you do what paul did.  he had a GOD given dream to share the gospel with everyone.  in philippians he tells us there are people who are jealous of that and tried to make fun of him and his preaching.  he said, “i don’t care about that. only that in every way whether in pretence or in truth CHRIST is proclaim.”  he forgot about those people who were trying to take credit for his dreams.  you and i need to, too.  forget about it.  GOD can take care about that.

when someone else tries to take credit for the dream, there’s a test.  and the test is this: who’s dream is it?  if it’s your dream – if you and i have started to take possession of it – there’s going to be a lot of anger.  but when i recognize it’s GOD’s dream i realize GOD can take care of them.  HE can take care of them real well!  HE knows exactly what to do to those trying to take credit for HIS dream.  that’s the test.

just a thought from the front porch…