October 3 ~ Ezekiel 37:11-14
The Lord said: Ezekiel, the people of Israel are like dead bones. They complain that they are dried up and that they have no hope for the future. So tell them, “I, the Lord God, promise to open your graves and set you free. I will bring you back to Israel, and when that happens, you will realize that I am the Lord. My Spirit will give you breath, and you will live again. I will bring you home, and you will know that I have kept my promise. I, the Lord, have spoken.”
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
I have a great recipe for a sour cream raisin pie. This may sound awful to you, but I promise, it is delicious. Raisins are suspended in a creamy, sweet custard made mostly of eggs, sugar, and sour cream… topped by a golden meringue. Now, I love raisins, but the thought of hard, chewy nuggets in a creamy pie does not appeal to me. The key to making the raisins tasty for this pie is to soak them for a few minutes in boiling water. They plump and become juicy and have an altogether different consistency from that of their dried state. The raisins are transformed!
There are many situations in life where we become like dried raisins… lifeless, hard and chewy. Or we become like dead bones… no life in us at all. We give up… we throw our hands in the air and say, “This is too hard… I just cannot continue. Things will never change. My future is hopeless.” Or we give up on someone else – or a certain situation. We humans are often pretty quick to lose our hope and throw in the towel!
Here’s the deal… with God, all things are possible. It ain’t over until He says it’s over! We must never give up. Just like dried raisins can be rejuvenated – brought back to life, so to speak – and used to create an amazingly wonderful pie… God can often breathe life back into us or our situation. He can make a way where we saw none. God can “open our graves” and set us free.
I don’t know what you are facing. I don’t know where you have admitted defeat and decided things are hopeless. I have no clue how or when you have given up… but I know that many of us have - at least for a while. And I am here to tell you that we serve a God of endless possibilities… miracles we cannot imagine. All we have to do is say, “LORD, I don’t know how, when, or where you will change my situation… but I know that you will. I am giving this to You, recognizing Your strength and power, and asking You to turn things around, according to Your perfect will.”
I pray that you will develop the kind of deep abiding faith in God that allows you to release your “dry bones” to Him. Do whatever it takes to become so in tune with Him that you trust Him completely – not just if you face uncertainties, but especially when these happen! Get to a point in your relationship with God where nothing rattles you… where you hand Him all of your troubles and truly release them. Feel the freedom of knowing that HE is in control and working things out perfectly. Learn to truly LIVE in God… to allow His Spirit to fully give you breath… and to operate in the confidence and peace of knowing that He always has your back!
©2012 Debbie Robus
Showing posts with label never giving up on others. Show all posts
Showing posts with label never giving up on others. Show all posts
Daily Devotional for June 30, 2012
James 5:19-20
My dear friends, if you know people who have wandered off from God's truth, don't write them off. Go after them. Get them back and you will have rescued precious lives from destruction and prevented an epidemic of wandering away from God.
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.
One day last week, I made tuna salad. As I opened the cans of tuna fish, my cat, Lucy, came into the kitchen and began to cry and rub my legs. I have never given Lucy and Mabel tuna fish. They get a small spoonful of canned cat food each night, but never “human” food! I was tempted to give Lucy a small bite of the tuna, but I knew from experience with our first two cats that this would start something that I could never reverse!
We could apply this same principle to how we treat others… we cannot get this started! When someone wanders off track… engages in behavior that is irresponsible at best… or even downright immoral or ungodly… we must not dismiss them. We must never say, “Well, I tried… I gave it my best… but I’m done.” We most certainly cannot become disgusted and give up on them. If we give up on others, this will have a cumulative effect. We will find it easier and easier to throw up our hands, concede defeat and walk away. And the devil will dance.
Jesus never gives up on us. If we want to be like Him, we can never give up on others, either. We must continue to pray and trust God for His will to be manifested. We have to stay positive and faithful. We don’t need to preach and lecture. But we must maintain contact and offer love and kindness… let the other person know we still care - no matter what.
I can’t tell you how or when things will turn around… or if you will ever physically see the results of your efforts. I can assure you that if/when someone who has wandered away does make a change, you will be blessed… and so glad you didn’t give up on him/her. Either way, you will have the satisfaction of knowing that you did what God asked of you… that you persisted in showing love, grace, mercy and forgiveness. Never let it be said of you that these attributes have limits in your life. Love as Jesus did… without conditions or constraints.
Be ready to go the distance for others, just as Jesus does for us. And if/when the person does come back to God’s truth, be grateful… not for what you have done, but for how generous and dependable our Heavenly Father is toward each of us. Humble yourself and thank God for allowing you to play even the smallest part in showing unconditional love – and persistent faith – to others. This is not only our duty… it’s our privilege as Christians and Disciples of Christ. Are you doing your part to be the hands and feet of Jesus to others? Isn’t it time you did?
©2012 Debbie Robus
My dear friends, if you know people who have wandered off from God's truth, don't write them off. Go after them. Get them back and you will have rescued precious lives from destruction and prevented an epidemic of wandering away from God.
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.
One day last week, I made tuna salad. As I opened the cans of tuna fish, my cat, Lucy, came into the kitchen and began to cry and rub my legs. I have never given Lucy and Mabel tuna fish. They get a small spoonful of canned cat food each night, but never “human” food! I was tempted to give Lucy a small bite of the tuna, but I knew from experience with our first two cats that this would start something that I could never reverse!
We could apply this same principle to how we treat others… we cannot get this started! When someone wanders off track… engages in behavior that is irresponsible at best… or even downright immoral or ungodly… we must not dismiss them. We must never say, “Well, I tried… I gave it my best… but I’m done.” We most certainly cannot become disgusted and give up on them. If we give up on others, this will have a cumulative effect. We will find it easier and easier to throw up our hands, concede defeat and walk away. And the devil will dance.
Jesus never gives up on us. If we want to be like Him, we can never give up on others, either. We must continue to pray and trust God for His will to be manifested. We have to stay positive and faithful. We don’t need to preach and lecture. But we must maintain contact and offer love and kindness… let the other person know we still care - no matter what.
I can’t tell you how or when things will turn around… or if you will ever physically see the results of your efforts. I can assure you that if/when someone who has wandered away does make a change, you will be blessed… and so glad you didn’t give up on him/her. Either way, you will have the satisfaction of knowing that you did what God asked of you… that you persisted in showing love, grace, mercy and forgiveness. Never let it be said of you that these attributes have limits in your life. Love as Jesus did… without conditions or constraints.
Be ready to go the distance for others, just as Jesus does for us. And if/when the person does come back to God’s truth, be grateful… not for what you have done, but for how generous and dependable our Heavenly Father is toward each of us. Humble yourself and thank God for allowing you to play even the smallest part in showing unconditional love – and persistent faith – to others. This is not only our duty… it’s our privilege as Christians and Disciples of Christ. Are you doing your part to be the hands and feet of Jesus to others? Isn’t it time you did?
©2012 Debbie Robus
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