What God Cannot Do

"...which God, that cannot lie, promised...." Titus 1:2
There's a chorus that goes, "Every promise in the Book is mine: every chapter, every verse, every line." That's almost true. Some of the promises, of course, were specific to the nation of Israel, to the early church, and to specific individuals. But, as a general rule, every promise given in the Bible applies to each and every one who will accept God's gift of salvation. But that's not the best news...the best news is, the God who made all these promises is not able to lie. He cannot break His word! So when you find a promise in the Bible for protection, wisdom, guidance, provision, love, forgiveness, grace, mercy, eternal life, etc., etc., etc., you are GUARANTEED that it will happen! God said it...that settles it.

Greater Than Good

My cousin's "status message" on her instant messenger says: "Expect great things from God; attempt great things for God." I just want to talk about the first part of that. Expect great things from God. A lot of times, not even really thinking about it, we limit God. This request is too small to bother Him with. That one is too big to even think about asking for. Have you ever thought about the fact that, no matter what we want, it involves a person or thing or event in this world...and that God created ALL of that? Anything you could possibly ask for is something that is in His control. And, as His chosenly adopted (yes, I just created that term--hope you like it,) you have a right to ask Him for it...and to expect Him to do exactly what is, not just good for you, but GREAT for you...BEST for you! Don't expect the minimum from God--He's not a small-time deity.

Is It Nothing To You?

"Is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by?" Lamentations 1:12a
There's a story of a young man (let's call him Tom) who was walking home one day from school and dropped his books. As he bent to pick them up, another young man (let's call him Shane) walking with his friends came over to help and struck up a conversation. Tom was failry new to the area and didn't have any friends, so Shane invited him to his house to hang out. The two soon became friends, and as they went through school Tom became a star student and graduated valedictorian of their class. In his speech at graduation, Tom thanked his best friend and told about the day they met, "Shane never knew, but I was on my way home to end my life that day. I was miserable, lonely, and no one seemed to care until he came along."
I'm telling this from memory, and I'm certain I left out a lot, but the point is still there. I wonder how many people we pass every day like Tom. People who are ignored and forgotten and uncared for. People who feel like there's just no point in going on. People who see us and want to shake us and scream, "Is it nothing to you?!" Is it? Do we care? We should--Jesus does. Christian, let people know that you care! Just something simple like helping someone can literally change the course of that person's life.

A Few Miles From the Sun

Sometimes I feel lightyears away from God. Like He is nowhere near--a distant sun, visible, His existance known, but unreachable. Usually this is when I'm run-down and tired and/or when I've gotten too caught up in "life" to take time for the Bible and prayer. In times like these, it's especially important to "be still and know that I am God." Shut yourself up in a room to yourself or go for a walk--whatever you can to get alone and open yourself to Him again. For it's not that God is near or far--His presence is always with us--but that we've shut Him out. Open your heart and mind to let the God-sun shine in!

Be Flexible

I recently read a book that referred to a Yiddish saying that (translated, since only one of you MIGHT know enough Yiddish to understand) says, "Man plans, and God laughs." I'm a planner, and I know many of you are too. We like to have a plan and a backup plan and a backup plan for our backup plan. We want to be prepared for every contingency. There's not necessarily anything wrong with that, but sometimes we get so nailed into our plans and our designs that we refuse to let God work in our lives. We have to learn to be flexible, to leave God room to change our plans. Be a flexible person, because if you can't bend, God just might have to break you.

"We Just Need It Special"

Someone said something interesting to me today--he said, "Every now and then, we all need some prayer. Every day wouldn't hurt, but every now and then we just need it special." Like most great truths, it's surprisingly simple. Sometimes we just need a little extra prayer. Ever had someone just come to mind at an odd time? Or you run across something that brings someone to mind? Sure, it could be a coincidence. But God often uses little things like that. Take the nudge--when someone comes to mind for no apparent--or a very apparent--reason, take a few seconds to lift them to the Lord in prayer. Maybe the Spirit is telling you they just need it special.