Where has my focus been lately?
It's been on myself. What do I do next? How will I study for this test? What will happen to me in the future?
Lately, everything has been weighing me down. I feel like everything is so heavy I can't handle it anymore. What did I do? I fell on my face before God and began to pray. I asked him what I was doing wrong and what I should do about it. I quickly realized something. I've been going to my friends about problems and not God. I hadn't been seeking Him. I was seeking approval from others. I was focusing on myself and my problems. I wasn't being who I needed to be. I sought my own pleasure instead of doing things that would bring God pleasure.
Psalm 55:22 says,
"Cast your burden upon the LORD and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken." (NASB)
I need to cast my burdens upon Him, not others. He will sustain me. I will not be moved. As Needtobreathe so rightly puts it, "Yahweh, Yahweh, Great is Your glory, You go before me." Dear interwebspace, I want you to know that I plan to put God first, and that I will cast my cares upon Him. I will focus. I will listen to the Holy Spirit and what He tells me to do.
If you're out there reading this, I want you to learn from my failure. Put God first. Go to God first. He will sustain you. People will let you down 100% of the time. God won't.
Showing posts with label faith. Show all posts
Showing posts with label faith. Show all posts
Monday, February 28, 2011
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Faith.
I can only explain faith as trust in God. What kind of faith should the Christian have? I'll just let Jesus tell you:
Mark 10:13-31(NIV)
13People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. 14When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 15I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." 16And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them.
17As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. "Good teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
18"Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good—except God alone. 19You know the commandments: 'Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.'"
20"Teacher," he declared, "all these I have kept since I was a boy."
21Jesus looked at him and loved him. "One thing you lack," he said. "Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."
22At this the man's face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.
23Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!"
24The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! 25It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."
26The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, "Who then can be saved?"
27Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God."
28Peter said to him, "We have left everything to follow you!"
29"I tell you the truth," Jesus replied, "no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel 30will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—and with them, persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life. 31But many who are first will be last, and the last first."
I think that's the best way to describe faith. In order to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, you have to have faith like a child. Kids have a lot of faith. They have faith that their superiors will take care of them. They have faith that their parents will feed them. They can't take care of themselves. Children exhibit total dependence, and that's what we have to have with God.
You can't get to Heaven except through Jesus. No man is "good enough" to inherit the Kingdom of God. Jesus told the rich young ruler, who said he had kept all of the commandments, to give up all of his possessions to God. He wouldn't do it. Will you surrender all you have to God? Or are you like the rich young ruler? The first shall be last, and the last shall be first. Are you obsessed with being first in life? Or are you humble, putting God first, others second, and yourself third?
Things to ponder... :)
Mark 10:13-31(NIV)
13People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. 14When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 15I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." 16And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them.
17As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. "Good teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
18"Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good—except God alone. 19You know the commandments: 'Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.'"
20"Teacher," he declared, "all these I have kept since I was a boy."
21Jesus looked at him and loved him. "One thing you lack," he said. "Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."
22At this the man's face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.
23Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!"
24The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! 25It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."
26The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, "Who then can be saved?"
27Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God."
28Peter said to him, "We have left everything to follow you!"
29"I tell you the truth," Jesus replied, "no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel 30will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—and with them, persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life. 31But many who are first will be last, and the last first."
I think that's the best way to describe faith. In order to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, you have to have faith like a child. Kids have a lot of faith. They have faith that their superiors will take care of them. They have faith that their parents will feed them. They can't take care of themselves. Children exhibit total dependence, and that's what we have to have with God.
You can't get to Heaven except through Jesus. No man is "good enough" to inherit the Kingdom of God. Jesus told the rich young ruler, who said he had kept all of the commandments, to give up all of his possessions to God. He wouldn't do it. Will you surrender all you have to God? Or are you like the rich young ruler? The first shall be last, and the last shall be first. Are you obsessed with being first in life? Or are you humble, putting God first, others second, and yourself third?
Things to ponder... :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
