May 30 ~ Romans 11:1-5
I ask then: Did God reject his people?
By no means! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the
tribe of Benjamin. God did not reject his people, whom he foreknew.
Don’t you know what Scripture says in the passage about Elijah—how he
appealed to God against Israel: “Lord, they have killed your prophets
and torn down your altars; I am the only one left, and they are trying
to kill me"? And what was God’s answer to him? “I have reserved for
myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” So too, at
the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. And if by grace,
then it cannot be based on works; if it were, grace would no longer be
grace.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
As
Nathan approaches his fourth birthday, he has taken up the rally cry of
“You don’t love me anymore!” when he is reprimanded. We assure him
that we do, and he often follows with, “Well, then I don’t love YOU
anymore!”…or the “knife-to-the-heart” response – “I am not your bestest
friend any MORE!” We smile and say, “Okay”…and he has to do his “time
out” or whatever anyway!
Timothy, our resident worry-wart, will
often spontaneously ask, “Are you mad at me?” …as if he has done
something that upset us – or that he knows he should not do. Of course,
we assure him that we are NOT mad at him. And Zola just goes with the
flow! The three children are in many ways a microscopic model of the
world at large and how we operate and react in regard to others –
particularly authority figures and leaders.
I have long heard it
said (and more frequently in recent months)…that by all rights, God
should wipe us all out and either start over or give up completely.
We’ve all said and done things that must make God crazy in any given
moment. The quote for this date on my daily calendar says, “Only some
of us can learn by other people’s mistakes. The rest of us have to be
the other people.” And this is where God’s grace comes into play.
Without
God’s grace, we surely would be totally banished from the face of the
earth. He could not put up with us otherwise! Because of God’s grace,
we are given second chances – often, lots of them! God honors His
promise to redeem us through the blood of Jesus. So those of us who
have surrendered our hearts to Jesus Christ and admitted our sins and
shortcomings are covered by God’s grace and mercy. This is not a
license to live as we please…but it IS a reminder that our “good works”
will not get us into God’s “good graces.”
The message for today
is that God is occasionally mad at us - or disappointed. He may not
feel like being our “bestest friend” in the moment. But because of the
blood of Jesus…and God’s amazing grace…we are part of the “remnant” who
are protected and given more chances than we deserve to turn things
around. Let’s show God just how grateful we are and make the most of
them, shall we?
©2016 Debbie Robus
Showing posts with label making mistakes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label making mistakes. Show all posts
Daily Devotional for April 19, 2012
Hebrews 3:15-19
For who were the people who turned a deaf ear? Weren't they the very ones Moses led out of Egypt? And who was God provoked with for forty years? Wasn't it those who turned a deaf ear and ended up corpses in the wilderness? And when he swore that they'd never get where they were going, wasn't he talking to the ones who turned a deaf ear? They never got there because they never listened, never believed.
Scripture quotations from The Message. ©1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
Have you ever tried to tell give a person advice – or directions – or you tried to show someone how to do a particular task… and the whole time, you knew they were not listening? In the end, all you could do was stand by and watch this person go the wrong way… or make a poor choice… or royally botch whatever he/she was trying to accomplish.
Imagine how this feels for God… because we do these same things to Him all the time! He has shown us the way. He has given us His word, His Holy Spirit, fellow believers to minister and encourage us, and much more… and still we tune it all out and try to do things on our own. God has given us the beauty of His creation, yet we doubt His existence. He has blessed us immeasurably, still we gripe and complain and have some pretty big pity parties!
We are our own worst enemy (with the devil’s help, of course). We block hearing from God… and in doing so, we block His blessings – and for some, salvation and the promise of an eternity spent in Heaven. We make the same mistakes over and again… then wonder why nothing ever works out for us like we had hoped.
The secret of success is hearing from God. I don’t necessarily mean success in a financial or material manner… although not listening to God could block these, also. I am talking about the success that comes from finding the joy, peace, hope and encouragement that God stands ready to give us… the life-altering health and wealth of living in the abundance of His blessings. We can all still enjoy this! All it takes is a shift of attitude… a willingness to pay attention, seek God’s word and will, and truly LISTEN to what He is telling us.
God’s word blesses us… empowers us… allows us to excel in all things. Don’t you want that for yourself? Won’t you stop, look and listen… and learn what God has in store for you in the days to come?
©2012 Debbie Robus
For who were the people who turned a deaf ear? Weren't they the very ones Moses led out of Egypt? And who was God provoked with for forty years? Wasn't it those who turned a deaf ear and ended up corpses in the wilderness? And when he swore that they'd never get where they were going, wasn't he talking to the ones who turned a deaf ear? They never got there because they never listened, never believed.
Scripture quotations from The Message. ©1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
Have you ever tried to tell give a person advice – or directions – or you tried to show someone how to do a particular task… and the whole time, you knew they were not listening? In the end, all you could do was stand by and watch this person go the wrong way… or make a poor choice… or royally botch whatever he/she was trying to accomplish.
Imagine how this feels for God… because we do these same things to Him all the time! He has shown us the way. He has given us His word, His Holy Spirit, fellow believers to minister and encourage us, and much more… and still we tune it all out and try to do things on our own. God has given us the beauty of His creation, yet we doubt His existence. He has blessed us immeasurably, still we gripe and complain and have some pretty big pity parties!
We are our own worst enemy (with the devil’s help, of course). We block hearing from God… and in doing so, we block His blessings – and for some, salvation and the promise of an eternity spent in Heaven. We make the same mistakes over and again… then wonder why nothing ever works out for us like we had hoped.
The secret of success is hearing from God. I don’t necessarily mean success in a financial or material manner… although not listening to God could block these, also. I am talking about the success that comes from finding the joy, peace, hope and encouragement that God stands ready to give us… the life-altering health and wealth of living in the abundance of His blessings. We can all still enjoy this! All it takes is a shift of attitude… a willingness to pay attention, seek God’s word and will, and truly LISTEN to what He is telling us.
God’s word blesses us… empowers us… allows us to excel in all things. Don’t you want that for yourself? Won’t you stop, look and listen… and learn what God has in store for you in the days to come?
©2012 Debbie Robus
Daily Devotional for March 15, 2011
Psalm 51:1-2
You are kind, God! Please have pity on me. You are always merciful! Please wipe away my sins. Wash me clean from all of my sin and guilt.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
Every year when I revisit The Purpose Driven Life, I gain new insights. God continues to show me things through His word and individual studies of the Bible and Christian life. These last few days, I’ve been reminded of our importance to God and how forgiving He can be. If you think for one minute that you are not important to God, you are sadly mistaken. And if you think He can’t forgive you for whatever mistakes you have made, you are doubly wrong.
“But I keep being tested,” you may say. “Why would God test me and allow life to be so hard and hurtful if He really loves me?” One of my early studies this week spoke about testing, and Pastor Warren said this… “You will be tested by major changes, delayed promises, impossible problems, unanswered prayers, underserved criticism, and even senseless tragedies. A very important test is how you act when you can’t feel God’s presence in your life. God never allows the tests you face to be greater than the grace He gives you to handle them.”
So what does this mean for us? Does this mean God wants us to suffer and make mistakes? First of all, our “suffering” can never come close to the suffering Jesus endured on our behalf… no matter how bad we feel our situation may be. And secondly, God doesn’t make mistakes… and He doesn’t do things on a whim. We can’t begin to understand His purposes… and that is the point. He wants us to trust Him… to consider every single incident in our lives as not only a test, but an opportunity to accomplish His will.
So when you are confronted with illness, an unpleasant boss or co-worker, a really difficult teacher, or even a parent you feel is being unreasonable, you have an opportunity to go one of two ways… you can honor your faith in God and operate in love, grace and mercy, or you can let the devil have control and wallow in anger, self-pity, frustration, and more. When things don’t go like you want – you lose your job and can’t find another – or you don’t get the job you want… when your relationships seem to fall apart… when “life” seems to kick you in the gut… these are not just “tests” – they are opportunities.
Ask God to show you how to serve Him in even the most insignificant events… from school work to cleaning your room/home/car to doing your very best in the workplace and your community. Consider the daily “tests” of life to be opportunities for growth – and understand that when you “fail” them or fall short, God is ready to forgive you and strengthen you for the next time. The key is seeking Him… calling on God to forgive you and help you to grow… and following through in a genuine effort to do better afterward.
Rick Warren says “Life is about letting God use you for HIS purposes – not your using Him for your own.” Are you focusing on God and trusting Him to guide your daily choices? Have you asked Him to forgive you and restore you to a stronger Christian walk? Isn’t today a good time to start?
©2011 Debbie Robus
You are kind, God! Please have pity on me. You are always merciful! Please wipe away my sins. Wash me clean from all of my sin and guilt.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
Every year when I revisit The Purpose Driven Life, I gain new insights. God continues to show me things through His word and individual studies of the Bible and Christian life. These last few days, I’ve been reminded of our importance to God and how forgiving He can be. If you think for one minute that you are not important to God, you are sadly mistaken. And if you think He can’t forgive you for whatever mistakes you have made, you are doubly wrong.
“But I keep being tested,” you may say. “Why would God test me and allow life to be so hard and hurtful if He really loves me?” One of my early studies this week spoke about testing, and Pastor Warren said this… “You will be tested by major changes, delayed promises, impossible problems, unanswered prayers, underserved criticism, and even senseless tragedies. A very important test is how you act when you can’t feel God’s presence in your life. God never allows the tests you face to be greater than the grace He gives you to handle them.”
So what does this mean for us? Does this mean God wants us to suffer and make mistakes? First of all, our “suffering” can never come close to the suffering Jesus endured on our behalf… no matter how bad we feel our situation may be. And secondly, God doesn’t make mistakes… and He doesn’t do things on a whim. We can’t begin to understand His purposes… and that is the point. He wants us to trust Him… to consider every single incident in our lives as not only a test, but an opportunity to accomplish His will.
So when you are confronted with illness, an unpleasant boss or co-worker, a really difficult teacher, or even a parent you feel is being unreasonable, you have an opportunity to go one of two ways… you can honor your faith in God and operate in love, grace and mercy, or you can let the devil have control and wallow in anger, self-pity, frustration, and more. When things don’t go like you want – you lose your job and can’t find another – or you don’t get the job you want… when your relationships seem to fall apart… when “life” seems to kick you in the gut… these are not just “tests” – they are opportunities.
Ask God to show you how to serve Him in even the most insignificant events… from school work to cleaning your room/home/car to doing your very best in the workplace and your community. Consider the daily “tests” of life to be opportunities for growth – and understand that when you “fail” them or fall short, God is ready to forgive you and strengthen you for the next time. The key is seeking Him… calling on God to forgive you and help you to grow… and following through in a genuine effort to do better afterward.
Rick Warren says “Life is about letting God use you for HIS purposes – not your using Him for your own.” Are you focusing on God and trusting Him to guide your daily choices? Have you asked Him to forgive you and restore you to a stronger Christian walk? Isn’t today a good time to start?
©2011 Debbie Robus
Daily Devotional for February 3, 2011
Psalm 19:11-14
By your teachings, Lord, I am warned; by obeying them, I am greatly rewarded. None of us know our faults. Forgive me when I sin without knowing it. Don't let me do wrong on purpose, Lord, or let sin have control over my life. Then I will be innocent, and not guilty of some terrible fault. Let my words and my thoughts be pleasing to you, LORD, because you are my mighty rock and my protector.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
We don’t always have the whole story. Two recent events triggered an old memory for me recently. We have been seeing our high school principal at basketball games – he’s come to watch his grand-daughters cheer. Then a former classmate mentioned Home Economics class on Facebook. When I was in high school, I couldn’t take Home Economics class, because there was a schedule conflict with my band class. So I took General Science instead. This meant that I had a different class schedule - and lunch hour - than my fellow ninth graders.
One day, our principal called an assembly to announce that the campus was going to be closed during the lunch hour, meaning we could no longer leave to go out to eat or home for lunch. He gathered us all together and then said, “If you are in grades 7-9, this doesn’t involve you, so go back to class.” The upper classmen who were in my science class said, “You need to stay, since you have lunch with us.” So I did. When I returned to class, my teacher didn’t think I should have stayed for the information. Neither did the teacher in the next class, for which I arrived late, and she sent me to the principal’s office.
I explained to the principal that I did not know I had done anything wrong – and told him why I stayed for his assembly. He “forgave” me and sent me back to class. I can see why the teachers thought I shouldn’t have stayed. I truly did not believe I was doing anything wrong by staying. I realized later that I could have gotten the information from someone in my science class, but at the time, I felt that what was being said pertained to me, and I needed to hear it firsthand.
In a totally unrelated event, my dad once told me of a conversation he had with an aunt who had no children. She made some comment about child-rearing, and my dad (who was just a young boy), replied, “How would you know? You’ve never had children.” What Daddy did not know was that his aunt had lost a baby as a teenager… and she felt that loss deeply, particularly since she never gave birth to any other children. My grandmother took my dad aside and explained this to him, and he felt badly. He really loved his aunt, and he was so sad that he had hurt her feelings… albeit unknowingly.
See… we don’t always have all the information. And sometimes, we say and do things we shouldn’t because we truly do not know we have made a mistake. There are two lessons here. The first is to be more aware of what we say and how we say it… and to be more careful with our words and behaviors. The second is to understand that we all make mistakes – many of them innocent, if no less wrong or hurtful. Thankfully, we serve a God who forgives us and sets us back on our feet.
None of us is perfect… we all have faults. God understands this. It is not an excuse – or a license to sin or to behave badly. But we must look at our own lives – and the lives of others – and consider how God loves us and extends grace and mercy when we falter. I am so grateful that God cares for us this way – and with this level of understanding. But do we do this for others? Are we willing to forgive and extend compassion and encouragement to those we encounter? Are we willing to do for others what God does for us on a daily basis? Shouldn’t we?
©2011 Debbie Robus
By your teachings, Lord, I am warned; by obeying them, I am greatly rewarded. None of us know our faults. Forgive me when I sin without knowing it. Don't let me do wrong on purpose, Lord, or let sin have control over my life. Then I will be innocent, and not guilty of some terrible fault. Let my words and my thoughts be pleasing to you, LORD, because you are my mighty rock and my protector.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
We don’t always have the whole story. Two recent events triggered an old memory for me recently. We have been seeing our high school principal at basketball games – he’s come to watch his grand-daughters cheer. Then a former classmate mentioned Home Economics class on Facebook. When I was in high school, I couldn’t take Home Economics class, because there was a schedule conflict with my band class. So I took General Science instead. This meant that I had a different class schedule - and lunch hour - than my fellow ninth graders.
One day, our principal called an assembly to announce that the campus was going to be closed during the lunch hour, meaning we could no longer leave to go out to eat or home for lunch. He gathered us all together and then said, “If you are in grades 7-9, this doesn’t involve you, so go back to class.” The upper classmen who were in my science class said, “You need to stay, since you have lunch with us.” So I did. When I returned to class, my teacher didn’t think I should have stayed for the information. Neither did the teacher in the next class, for which I arrived late, and she sent me to the principal’s office.
I explained to the principal that I did not know I had done anything wrong – and told him why I stayed for his assembly. He “forgave” me and sent me back to class. I can see why the teachers thought I shouldn’t have stayed. I truly did not believe I was doing anything wrong by staying. I realized later that I could have gotten the information from someone in my science class, but at the time, I felt that what was being said pertained to me, and I needed to hear it firsthand.
In a totally unrelated event, my dad once told me of a conversation he had with an aunt who had no children. She made some comment about child-rearing, and my dad (who was just a young boy), replied, “How would you know? You’ve never had children.” What Daddy did not know was that his aunt had lost a baby as a teenager… and she felt that loss deeply, particularly since she never gave birth to any other children. My grandmother took my dad aside and explained this to him, and he felt badly. He really loved his aunt, and he was so sad that he had hurt her feelings… albeit unknowingly.
See… we don’t always have all the information. And sometimes, we say and do things we shouldn’t because we truly do not know we have made a mistake. There are two lessons here. The first is to be more aware of what we say and how we say it… and to be more careful with our words and behaviors. The second is to understand that we all make mistakes – many of them innocent, if no less wrong or hurtful. Thankfully, we serve a God who forgives us and sets us back on our feet.
None of us is perfect… we all have faults. God understands this. It is not an excuse – or a license to sin or to behave badly. But we must look at our own lives – and the lives of others – and consider how God loves us and extends grace and mercy when we falter. I am so grateful that God cares for us this way – and with this level of understanding. But do we do this for others? Are we willing to forgive and extend compassion and encouragement to those we encounter? Are we willing to do for others what God does for us on a daily basis? Shouldn’t we?
©2011 Debbie Robus
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