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"Although Abram had been demonstrating his faith through his actions, it was his belief in the Lord, not his actions, that made Abram right with God. We, too, can have a right relationship with God by trusting him. Our outward actions-church attendance, prayer, good deeds-will not by themselves make us right with God. A right relationship is based on faith--the heartfelt inner confidence that God is who he says he is and does what he says he will do. Right actions will follow naturally as by-products."

Blessings & Peace

Robert

robt.wallace@gmail.com

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Rejoice

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!" ~Philippians 4:4

Sometimes it's very difficult to rejoice.  In today's world with all the different pressures and obstacles we face, this might seem all but impossible.  Yet, we are directed to "Rejoice in the Lord always."  Praising our Father means we have to put aside the personal stuff and focus on HIM.  Even as His children, saved by Christ, we still struggle with self.

Christ tells us, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." ~Matthew 16:24  Until we deny our self, rejoicing in the Lord will seems like an impossible task.  In our journey we must learn to discipline our body, heart and minds.  In doing so we will be well on our way to fulfilling this command.

Remember, as we journey along, that with God all things are possible (Mark 10:27).  In and through Him we learn that we are able to "Rejoice in the Lord always."  We also need to remember how to react to the trials and tribulations just around the corner.  They wait in part to test us in this act of rejoicing.

James helps us put this in context and directs us to "consider it pure joy."  The "it" here are the trials and tribulations in life.  James 1:2-4, "Count it all joy, my brothers,^[a] when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."

Our Father's will is that we become like Jesus and in His work we face many obstacles and trials.  Without these, we miss out on the greatness of our Lord and Savior.  When we take stock of everything going on in our life from day to day and add in these perspectives, life shows a new focus.  We still have work to do on our part as God performs His work in us.


In the end, this journey leads to an eternity with our Father and our Lord.  We need these experiences as we grow in grace. Our Father is always about His business within each of us.  We should embrace these times and lean on Christ always, as He will provide us with all we need to succeed.  We have everything before us and on our side in this journey.  Our Father who has no limitations; a Savior who provided us with the perfect example of how to live this life; and let's not forget the "great cloud of witnesses" cheering us on.


Blessings & Peace
~Robert

"Put your hope in God" - George Mueller

From my hard copy of "Streams in the Desert" by L.B. Cowman for today.

Starting with Psalm 43:5; "Why are you downcast, O my soul?"  When we consider who we are in Christ and our salvation, should we ever be downcast?  Just this Sunday our pastor related part of a conversation, "how are you?"  I was part of that conversation, he asked me and my response was....okay.  Really?  When we consider our destiny and where this journey will bring us to in the end, okay is a slap in our Savior's face.  This is just my opinion, but is it anything less?

The devotion goes on next to point out that we have but to bring everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving to God.  I think that most of my trouble, maybe yours too, is that I forget in the middle of life that I'm the child of the MOST HIGH GOD.  The troubles of this life are meant to help me.  Help me grow in grace.  Help me by strengthening my faith.  Help me to remember that only through Christ alone will I overcome in the victory of Jesus.  Apart from Christ we have no hope and the future is in question and doubt.  In CHRIST however, we are able to live in victory in all things!

By placing our hope in God, all things are indeed possible.  Nothing is impossible with God, ever!  Remembering Job and how he lost everything, children, livestock and crops.  Yet after the testing was finished, God restored him and all he'd lost.  God didn't just restore what was lost, but increased it all double.  He had children and lived to see his children's children through four generations.

I'm not saying that God will bless us in this fashion, I am saying that with God all things are possible and this alone should keep us smiling or at the very least in peace.  God alone should be the place for our hope.  In Christ alone will we grow to understand this undeniable truth.

Blessings & Peace

~Robert

JESUS > Religion

Faith

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." ~Hebrews 11:1

"By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance,obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going." ~Hebrews 11:8

"Some men brought to him a paralytic, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven."" ~Matthew 9:2

Faith is something often struggled with as if it is mystical or beyond grasp.  The truth is much easier and we only make it difficult to understand when related to God.  We struggle to understand faith with regard to our Lord and Savior, God our Creator and God our Father.  Many may say, "It's just so hard because I haven't seen Him or He doesn't 'talk' to me...."

Looking at the first verse quoted above, "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see".  We put these words into action everyday with regard to many things in our life.  For example, the breaks on our cars will work every time we press the break pedal.  That the lights will come on in a dark room just by flipping the light switch.  Taking medicine makes the symptoms of colds or illness go away.  The sun will rise today and tomorrow.

We place faith into things we do not understand all the time and have little to zero understanding of how they work.  I'm not a pilot and really do not understand completely how airplanes fly, yet I will purchase a ticket and walk onto a plane in full confidence that the pilot's and crew will safely take everyone on board to the destination.  Did the Wright brothers envision the aircraft we have today?  I don't know, but they believed flight was possible and set out to prove the point.

Abraham believed God long before he arrived in the land God promised and the promise to make him the father of all nations.  God called him out and Abraham took action, "certain of what we do not see".  He left his home and lands for the unknown, based solely on God's word.

We could go on and on with the examples today.  For now, are you willing to take action on what God is calling you to do today?  Do we really believe God for our daily life and all that we need?  We either believe God or we don't.  We accept His Word as truth and walk in faith or we don't.  Faith grows stronger in action.  We cannot grow stronger by wishing a thing is true.  We accept something as true in the absence of any physical evidence.

Based on stepping toward our Father and walking in the direction He leads, we will experience growth in faith and we will learn how to make this journey in Christ alone.  As with everything in life, we will have successes and failures in our walk.  Faith in God's Word and character will become unwavering as we continue to keep our focus on Him in the journey.  Distractions will come in every form to shake us, to derail our course.  We purpose to live by faith, believing that God will see us through.

Blessings & Peace

~Robert

Expectations - Cont....

Last week I left us with the following:

"We will continue this topic..... For now, let's examine ourselves to see if we're living today and everyday in expectation.  The expectation that as we move and grow closer to our Father through Jesus, are we expecting to know more of Him in our life?  Are we expecting HIS presence, power and peace?  Are we expecting HIM to lead us in this life as we've given our life completely to HIM?"

Daily and in the moments of each day, we have the opportunity to seek HIS presence and expect HE wants us to seek HIM.  This is the way a deep, honest and involved relationship works.  Be honest with yourself, do you think of those closest to you during your day?  If you're married or engaged, how often do you think about your mate during your day?  Although separated by the business of the day, our relationship doesn't cease or suffer.  We still desire this one we love, the person we've committed our live to in this earthly journey.

My wife (Tracy) calls me everyday during her lunch.  Just checking in to see how I'm doing and "what cha' doing".  Sometimes, I'm unable to take her call or even able to call her back and I hate this.  We banter and have a short two minute conversation.  We love doing this, because we love each other and want to speak to one another.  At times, we talk longer as something needs our attention and some action maybe required.

I bring this up to say, commitment to one another is more than talk.  She and I decide that we want to stay connected.  We want and need to talk during our day.  We want to be together more than apart.  Here it is, we EXPECT that our desire is the same one for the other!  I expect she's going to call and guess what, if she gets busy and doesn't call, I'm on the phone calling her.

Expectations build in a relationship just as naturally as breathing.  Now for the rub.  If we are cavalier in our walk with our Lord and Savior, can we really expect to know His presence?  If we don't read and study HIS Word, can we honestly expect to learn who HE is to us?  Without a consistent prayer life, can we ever learn to converse with our Father?  Without walking in faith by taking steps of faith, can we ever develop trust in our Father?

By studying HIS Word, we can expect to see how our Father has dealt with His children, since Adam and Eve.  In studying we learn how to avoid pitfalls and greater still we learn of the consistency of God.  Our Father never changes, His actions, concern and discipline are all the result of HIS great love for us!

In prayer, we learn how to pour out our hearts in confession of failings and sins.  We learn how to honestly praise HIM for who HE is and who HE is in our life.  To acknowledge that we need HIM in every area of our life. (This certainly grows as we grow, because we start out being self-reliant due to our sin nature.)  In prayer we bare ourselves to HIM who knows everything about us already, but in doing so we acknowledge to our self that HE knows and cares.  In prayer we confess all to our Father without condemnation, for HIS plan is work out in us the very image of Jesus Christ.

Steps of faith are those actions we take believing the truth of God before seeing the truth.  We tithe and give offerings first out of obedience to His Word.  Then we see His faithfulness to us and we start giving more based on the experience of our faith.  As we go along, our Father places challenges before us to stretch our faith.  An every case, faith is what we believe turned into action.

Faith is the way we walk expectantly in God's truths.  At every turn, in the moments of life both large and small.  Sometimes, I personally marvel more at seeing HIM is the smallest of things.  Regardless, as we grow and come to expect meeting our Father in every aspect of this life, we find HIS rhythm for our life.

Live expectantly today and every day, for our Father wants to be in a active, intimate and vibrant relationship with you and I.

Blessings & Peace

~Robert

Expectation

Expectation - the act or state of expecting : anticipation <in expectation of what would happen.


Expectation is the thing that comes along as we grow.  For everyone, the time is different and isn't related in any specific way.  As we look back on the lives of those who have gone before us we can see in all of them, determination.


The Old and New Testaments are full of examples.  Christ's church - beginning with the Apostles moving through today, is not lacking in examples.  We can and will point out examples from scripture and church history.  However, we must remember that what takes place today will one day be discussed as historical to future generations.


So much has and is happening in our Lord's church.  God is still working out HIS Holy plan of reconciliation for all mankind.  While the cannon's of His Word are closed, God our Father isn't done.  His message still goes forward through us!  Since Christ's ascension and until His return, we have been and are living in  exciting times.  His church waits and has been waiting for HIS return.


Christ gave examples of waiting expectantly for His return, for God to move and work through our lives.  We can trace people all the way back through the Old Testament who've been given a task, a mission or signs to look for and they've worked, waited or moved....expectantly.


Abraham, moved in faith to a land foreign to himself and family.  He waited for a promised heir to be born.  In just these two different examples, whether waiting or moving he did so expectantly and in faith.


Noah endured ridicule in his journey building the ark with his sons.  Faith that God would cause rain to fall, even though "rain" was something new.  They went on building as they expected God to be faithful to HIS word.


In captivity, the children of Israel believed the prophets and expected God's personal intervention so they could be freed from their bondage.  During their times of captivity, they work for those holding them in bondage and their captors prospered.


Expectation was woven into the fabric of their lives.  Not the expectation of man, but of God.  What about the three Hebrew's, Shadrach, Meshack and Abednego?  Their expectation began with a step of faith.  That God would honor and protect them as they held to their belief that the kings' best food and drink wasn't in their best interest.  As they stood on their faith and trusted God, so did their expectation that God would prove HIMSELF to be the only God.  They expected that whether they lived or died in the fiery furnace, God would reign show Himself the God of all.


Fast forward to the disciples.  Before Christ ascended, He instructed the disciples to wait for the promised Holy Spirit.  That the Holy Spirit would be with them (and us) in His absence.  Trusting Christ and having faith, they stayed together and prayed, expecting that the Holy Spirit would indeed come as promised.


We will continue this topic..... For now, let's examine ourselves to see if we're living today and everyday in expectation.  The expectation that as we move and grow closer to our Father through Jesus, are we expecting to know more of Him in our life?  Are we expecting HIS presence, power and peace?  Are we expecting HIM to lead us in this life as we've given our life completely to HIM?


Blessings and Peace
~Robert