In life, we all face challenges that often appear beyond our control. Jesus said it this way, “in the world you will have trouble” (John16:33). On every hand, there can appear out of control situations that make the average person settle for less than God’s plan for their life.
Below is a list of things that I believe are out of our control. Therefore, it is crazy to worry about them.
• What Happened Yesterday.
Yesterday is gone forever, it will never return. It is a tremendous waste of your time and energy to worry about what happened or didn’t happen in the past. While many people are hindered by their past misfortunes, let me challenge you to never let your past dictate your future. The brightness of your future is largely determined by how well you forget what happened in your past. Let it go!
• What other people think, say, or do.
While I am an advocate for living in harmony with others and having someone to do life with, I understand that there will always be people who disagree with you. It does not matter how close you get to Jesus; in fact, the closer you get to Him the more they will hate on you. There are going to be haters, period!!! Some people cannot handle your success. Their own insecurities will not let them rejoice with you over your successes. It is wise to limit these kinds of people, especially as it relates to their influence in your life. Let me say it this way, you do not have to invite someone to your stage if they are not dancing to your music.
• The future
As much as we would like to say what we would be doing tomorrow, tomorrow is not promised. James 4:15 say, “instead you ought to say, ‘if it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” Understand this clearly, I believe strongly in having a life plan. No one should attempt to live in this world without having some idea of what you want out of life. However, what happens in life (the future) is really in God’s hand. I have learned that when we rest in this fact, we can see how to put our faith to action and give ourselves totally to his will. Besides, we still have Jesus’ promise that he will never leave us or forsake us. WOW! It is so awesome to know that your future is bright because of the one who holds the future. Therefore, my challenge to you is just let it go. Whatever you are worrying about today give it to Jesus; he can do more with it in a split second than you can do in your whole lifetime.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Monday, December 7, 2009
My Cup is Running Over
"My Cup is Running Over"
God’s blessings are always a superabundance.
When the “LORD is my shepherd,” “my cup runs over” in superabundance.
We do not have to wait until we get to heaven to experience God’s banquet house. His overflowing grace is something we experience as Christians in this life. Jesus said, “I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly” (John 10:10b). That is a cup running over with God’s grace. He does not just give us the gift of eternal life when we first believed, but He keeps on giving eternal life. The life He gives us is perisson, meaning, “to have a surplus,” “superabundance,” “till it overflows.”
Jesus gives us Himself (John 14:6). He is this abundant life. It is God’s kind of life. “My cup overflows,” means it is not just full; it is “running over,’ filled to the brim and overflowing.
God’s saving and sustaining grace is always like that. His grace is always in fullness, abundance and all-sufficiency.
The woman of Samaria met Jesus at Jacob’s well on a hot day. Jesus did not have a rope and a bucket to draw the water from the well so He asked the woman for a drink of water to quench His thirst. In the course of the conversation with the woman Jesus said, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink, you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water’” (John 4:10).
Jesus was ready to give this woman, who was a slave to sin, running water. “Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life” (v. 14).
Jesus is the source of a spring of living water that is always bubbling up, unfailing source, ever fresh. The idea is of water leaping, springing up. It is full of action, not a stagnant pool of water, but water gushing up with energy.
Jesus puts the well within us. The well springs up, and it goes on springing up from within into everlasting life.
God’s blessings are always a superabundance.
When the “LORD is my shepherd,” “my cup runs over” in superabundance.
We do not have to wait until we get to heaven to experience God’s banquet house. His overflowing grace is something we experience as Christians in this life. Jesus said, “I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly” (John 10:10b). That is a cup running over with God’s grace. He does not just give us the gift of eternal life when we first believed, but He keeps on giving eternal life. The life He gives us is perisson, meaning, “to have a surplus,” “superabundance,” “till it overflows.”
Jesus gives us Himself (John 14:6). He is this abundant life. It is God’s kind of life. “My cup overflows,” means it is not just full; it is “running over,’ filled to the brim and overflowing.
God’s saving and sustaining grace is always like that. His grace is always in fullness, abundance and all-sufficiency.
The woman of Samaria met Jesus at Jacob’s well on a hot day. Jesus did not have a rope and a bucket to draw the water from the well so He asked the woman for a drink of water to quench His thirst. In the course of the conversation with the woman Jesus said, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink, you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water’” (John 4:10).
Jesus was ready to give this woman, who was a slave to sin, running water. “Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life” (v. 14).
Jesus is the source of a spring of living water that is always bubbling up, unfailing source, ever fresh. The idea is of water leaping, springing up. It is full of action, not a stagnant pool of water, but water gushing up with energy.
Jesus puts the well within us. The well springs up, and it goes on springing up from within into everlasting life.
