He is always in control

Mathew 17 : 24-26

24After Jesus and his disciples arrived in Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma tax came to Peter and asked, “Doesn’t your teacher pay the temple tax?”

25″Yes, he does,” he replied.

When Peter came into the house, Jesus was the first to speak. “What do you think, Simon?” he asked. “From whom do the kings of the earth collect duty and taxes—from their own sons or from others?”

26″From others,” Peter answered.

“Then the sons are exempt,” Jesus said to him. 27″But so that we may not offend them, go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours.”

For morning devotion at the school I work at there re 2 teachers assigned to each class. My partner and I take turns giving sermons and leading the 15 minutes we have with our class each morning. This morning she shared about how last week she was having a problem and without knowing it my sharing was very specific advice for her.

Even now I don’t remember the sharing I gave. Quite often I go to class with little or no idea what I am going to talk about and just talk about something I have heard or learnt in the past. But God is God and He is in control !!

Why didn’t Jesus just take a coin out of His pocket and hand it to Peter to pay the tax ? Because He wanted to make the point that He is in control of everything, nature, money, every circumstance, everything !

One of my favourite experiences as a Christian is when you have the revelation or ‘re-revelation (remember) that God is working in every aspect of your life. He knit us together in our mother’s womb, He clothes the lilies in the field (Matthew 6:27-29), He commanded the waves and wind to stop, He cures disease and HE LOVES YOU AND ME !! How wonderful that is, if He is with us, who is against us ?

Lean on Him today, trust in Him, have faith in Him. They are the key words in Christianity because that is what Christianity is all about. The fact that God is God and He has a beautiful plan. Love Him, trust Him and know that all things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28

GBU

A Sense of Joy

Most people who know me would say I am not a very happy go lucky person. I might seem to take things seriously and never be satisfied, but they don’t know the inner me. I have always been a very intrapersonal person. I think a lot. I analyse myself and the things I do. I talk to God a lot and work on my relationship with Him. I feel regret deeply and constantly ask myself if I am inline with His plans or if I could be doing better.

I have been struggling with running a new department at work. My wife and I have recently been sick. I was cleaning the fridge on the weekend and I put a hole in the freezer so we now need to spend a fortune on a new fridge. The first rain of the rainy season came a few nights ago and our newly renovated roof LEAKS!! I was up at 2:30 in the morning moving furniture and mopping up.

And yet the dominating feeling I have had during all these events is JOY !! I know ,without a doubt, that God will see me through these problems. We don’t have enough money to fix them all instantly, hopefully we can get the roof patched up before it rains again. Hopefully we can scrape together enough for a new fridge before all our groceries go rotten. Hopefully…but if not, so what ? We are still alive !! God is still awesome !! I could be dead tomorrow but if I am not I will praise His Mighty Name !!

Someone sent me a comment a few days ago mentioning his despair because his friend is dying of cancer. We are all dying, slowly or quickly, sooner or later, how great it is to fill our days with joy instead of despair. Of course, this is easy to say when you are not faced with a dying friend but there is a lot to be said for living in the positive.

If your friend recovers, you worried for nothing. If your friend doesn’t recover, you spent your last time together worrying. I think that is what Jesus meant when he said we shouldn’t worry. There’s no point. It will end when it ends. Just do all you can to use your gifts, talents and opportunities to the fullest while you have the chance.

God Bless You, spend this day KNOWING that He loves you, His ways are higher than yours and all things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to his purposes.

A Reality Check

As I rushed to the hospital a couple of nights ago, my wife saying “ Wake up Kellie, wake up, don’t go to sleep honey.” And my one year old daughter with her eyes rolling back in her head and her body hot and convulsing, I was in a state of EXTREME fear. Just writing about it brings tears to my eyes and a pain in my chest.

Kellie had been sick for a few days. At first she had a temperature but no other symptoms and we thought that maybe it was brought on by her new teeth coming through. The second night she got very hot and we took her to the doctor the next morning. He gave her medicine and said to take her to the lab for blood tests if she was still hot in 24 hours. We gave her the medicine and her temperature went down, she sleep through the afternoon and awoke seeming much better.

That night, we gave her another dose of medicine and within 30 minutes she was shaking and looking seriously unwell. My first thought was that she had a reaction to the medication. We jumped in the car and sped to the hospital.

My mind was racing and I was praying desperately in my head. I started to think “ What have I done to cause this ? Please God, help us ! Help my baby ! I’ll do anything Lord, please, please, please !”

I know we are no longer under the consequences of our sins. I know that we do not suffer God’s wrath when we do wrong. I know my baby wasn’t sick because I was being punished. BUT, I took a very quick stock of my life that night and it gave me a new determination to rid my life of all that is not pleasing to God.

You don’t realize that the ‘weeds’ have crept in. Slowly, over time, you compromise your walk with God. Little things become ok. You justify them to yourself….I do right in so much of my life, a few little sins here and there are ok.

I want to get a tattoo “16/2/09” so I can remember the fear that I felt that night. So when I lose perspective, I can recall that all that matters to me is living right by God. Not because I am scared He will punish me if I don’t but because it is the only life worth living.

All my thanks and praise to God that Kellie seems to be getting better BUT I still pray “ Not my will but His” If something does happen to me or one of my family, I will be crushed but I want to be so close to God and so right with Him that there is no chance I will be ripped away or pull myself away from Him.

Don’t let sin create a buffer between you and God.

God Bless You, gef