Behold,
I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will
even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert. (Isaiah 43:19 KJV)
As
I sit and connect with God, this morning, He brings me to this Scripture, and it got me thinking.
I've often said that it’s not a great idea to assume what God’s doing, or thinking.
That means you’re putting yourself in His place, and you believe you know more
than He does (I'm guilty of this, myself...but I've learned my lesson!) Lucifer did that....and was thrown out of Heaven for it.
All
the time, I hear people ask, “If God's so "all powerful", why does He allow bad things to happen? Why doesn't He just stop them?”
Well...if someone comes chasing after you, with a big stick, aren't you going
to run for cover?? How do any of us know that maybe God’s allowing all these bad
things, because He knows they’ll bring us closer to Him??
The Bible says, in Psalm 9:9, many people are suffering— crushed by the weight of their troubles. But the Lord is a refuge for them, a safe place they can run to. (Easy to Read Version)
Now, I’m not assuming
to know what God thinks, or anything...I’m smarter than that! LOL!! But, think about
it...the Scripture, above, tells us He does new things to make life a little more bearable!
For
instance, consider all these different Bible translations we have available to us, these
days. So many people get offended at them, citing that the King James is the
ONLY translation there should be; but, how do any of us know that it wasn't God’s idea to create easier to read versions of the Bible??
I’d consider that making “a
way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert”. Wouldn't you??
See...thanks
to all those different variations/translations, more people are getting to know God, because
they can finally understand what the Bible is teaching! Granted, some of those
translations have left whole verses and chapters out (not good, folks!); but if
you can’t understand...
“Be
of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to
men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits. Recompense to no man evil
for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. If it be possible, as
much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.” (Romans 12:16-18 KJV)
you might be able to understand... “Be
friendly with everyone. Don’t be proud and feel that you are smarter than
others. Make friends with ordinary people. Don’t mistreat someone who has
mistreated you. But try to earn the respect of others, and do your best to live
at peace with everyone.” (same Scripture, but from the Contemporary English Version)
Folks,
we’re not supposed to be fussing with each other over what God’s will is; it’s
not our place to assume we know what God is up to, with all that’s going on in
the world! That would be usurping OUR will, and claiming it's God's will. We’re only supposed to be concerned with how He wants us to impact
the world!
That’s OUR
job...the job of the Believer; and, the biggest impact would be to introduce the Savior to those who may not understand that that’s who He is.
We’re also not supposed to stand in judgment over anyone, for any reason,
either, and I hear more and more Believers doing that! Jesus' own words to His followers:
Luke 6:37-38 Judge not, and ye shall
not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye
shall be forgiven: Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed
down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom.
For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you
again. (KJV)
Luke 6:37-38 Don’t pick on people, jump
on their failures, criticize their faults—unless, of course, you want the same
treatment. Don’t condemn those who are down; that hardness can boomerang. Be
easy on people; you’ll find life a lot easier. Give away your life; you’ll find
life given back, but not merely given back—given back with bonus and blessing.
Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity. (The Message)
This
is what we (the Believers) are supposed to be doing with our time...
Mark 16:15 And he said unto them, “Go
ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” (KJV)
Mark 16:15 And then he told them, “You
are to go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone, everywhere.
(The Living Bible)
The
GOOD NEWS (aka: The Gospel) is that Jesus gave up His life, being crucified on the cross and
resurrected from the dead, so no human being would have to spend
eternity in Hell...we can all
go to Heaven! The only “catch” is that you have to believe that...if you don’t
receive what Jesus did for you, as the gift it was intended to be, you won’t
make it to Heaven.
Not my rules, folks...just the truth!
Jesus
even said it.... “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to
the Father except through me.” (John 14:6 ESV) The Father is God, and He lives
in Heaven; none of us will ever get there, if we don’t believe that
Jesus IS the Savior of the world.
The
Apostle Paul taught us how to do that...
“If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus
is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will
be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it
is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” (Romans 10:9-10 NIV)
You
don’t have to change how you live, or think, or dress, or speak. You don’t have
to convert to another religion. And you don’t have to “be a better person”
before you decide to believe and confess; just do it!! And, I know, some of you are
thinking, “Why would anyone give up their own life, for me??” Simple...He did
it, because He loves you; and He knew that was the only way to bring you Home.
That
was the whole purpose behind His birth...He came down from Heaven to bring us
Home!!
 |
| John 1:14 And the Word (Christ) became flesh (human, incarnate) and tabernacled (fixed His tent of flesh, lived awhile) among us; and we [actually] saw His glory (His honor, His majesty), such glory as an only begotten son receives from his father, full of grace (favor, loving-kindness) and truth. (AMP) |
And, wouldn't you say that a virgin birth was a "new thing"? It only happened once, in the history of mankind!
Enjoy your Christmas holiday!! And, God bless us....every one!
oxoxox
