This is the last in the series of Spritual Truths. The women's fellowship group will meet again today. I didn't attend last week, but it was a business meeting as we have our Harvest and Thanksgiving service next month. We have much to be thankful for. Last year we did not such a service, but this year tensions are reduced and we are able to worship more freely. In spite of this, most other churches that were in our neighborhood have moved out of the area. We praise and thank God for watching over us and keeping us strong.
The next series will focus on Christians from long ago or the more recent past who serve as a source of encouragement for us today. Please pray with me for guidence as significant lives are considered for our study.
THE FUTURE IS IN GOD'S HANDS Romans 15:1-13
Today we examine the 8th and last
Spiritual Truth; to me it is the most exciting and frightening. This Truth
recognizes God’s continued presence in our life today, and tomorrow. We
recognize that just as God spoke through his prophets and disciples, he
continues to speak to us today. He speaks to us in the scripture of his return
to earth to judge the saved and unsaved. We know him as the Creator and Judge, the
one that we can trust with our future.
We also know
him as the one who offers hope and strength when we feel weak. Without God in
our lives, life can be quite pointless. While we don’t know what will happen in
the future, God does. As human beings we often get caught up in life’s challenges.
Do you ever have days where you feel nothing goes right? Do those days ever
seem to go on and on? When I begin to feel hopeless like nothing is going right
I remember His promises. One such promise in 1 Cor. 1:8-9 states “He will keep
you strong to the end so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord
Jesus Christ.”
I find hope in
such verses because life can be so overwhelming at times and sometimes we get
so busy we lose perspective and forget how much God and others care for us. At
times God can even remind us to slow down and rest. Keeping our priorities in
order is important.
Trusting God
to work in our lives is like baking a cake; first a recipe is chosen, then the
ingredients are assembled, the baker mixes them up, he pours the batter in the
form while scraping the pan, puts the pan in the hot oven, and after some time
he pulls it out, lets it sit for a while and finally cuts it with a knife
before offering it to the guests for consumption. Some cakes are decorated
first to look fine, while others are just left plain. The whole process is a
labor of love for the baker, but the cake goes through many transformations,
not all of which are easy. There can be gentle folding or vigorous beating. The
oven has to be hot for the cake to turn out well. Some recipes are made up of
rich, sweet ingredients, while others are more basic, but the end is the same.
The cake must be consumed for its purpose to be met. On rare occasions cakes
might be burnt or cut into various forms before being decorated. If the
ingredients are not chosen well, the consumers may discard the cake and it gets
thrown out in the trash, but the best cakes are eaten till the last crumb is
gone. The cake itself doesn’t get any say in the matter; it’s the baker and
consumer that determine the fate of the cake.
What kind of
cake might you be? Are you a sheet cake, spread out thin, an oatmeal cake that
offers some sustenance to the consumer, or are you a fancy wedding cake that
rises high and whose decoration is much admired? Did you dry out in the
cooking, or were taken out too early and ended up a little mushy? Or did the
baker leave you in just the right amount of heat and serve you up warm? Some of
the most enjoyed cakes are the simplest, but devoured quickly.
If we are
going to trust God, we have to allow him to handle us how he feels best, we
have to trust him not to overcook us or run away before His work is done. We
have to trust him with the presentation as he prepares for us to be consumed.
What will people say in the end? Will they wash you down with their drink or
sit back after eating and feel content? Will they praise the baker or walk away
wishing they’d had another choice? Will you trust God to prepare you as He sees
fit? Remember, if you fight him, you will not fulfill His dream for you and you
might miss the party in the end.
Questions: 1. Do you leave God to work in your life? 2. How
can you trust God more? 3. How can you encourage those
around you? 4. What other
promises from God are a source of encouragement for you?
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment