Trust God, Not Circumstances

On By vickleaIn Scripture, YouVersion App1 Comment

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Good things happen and we are delighted to praise God. Bad things happen and we turn and blame God for them. Our circumstances are not caused by God; in general, our circumstances are caused by the sin in the world, our fallen world and our own wrong choices. My sister wants to know why she is going blind. Why would a loving God cause that to happen? My reply is that He didn’t cause it, but He has allowed it and no matter the circumstances, we are to continue to trust God. This life is a schoolmaster for our eternity with the Lord. We either learn the lessons we need to learn from the hard things we go through or we learn them later from another hard thing. Unlike some school teachers who just shake their heads in frustration and give up, God doesn’t turn away from us and give up. He wants a relationship with us that is based on His sacrifice and our trust, and if it takes hard times to get us there, then He will allow it. Harsh God? No, a loving Father who wants the best for each of us.

God’s Wisdom

On By vickleaIn Scripture, YouVersion App2 Comments

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We all know that bad things happen to good people and good things happen to bad people. And like the little child who is told to do something they don’t want to do, the ultimate question is, “But why?” God knows the answers, has a plan and is working things out to fulfill His purpose. That truth does not always satisfy my quest to know but it is the truth so I will stand on it. Satan wants to destroy us, God uses Satan’s plans for His glory. We may not like it, but that is how it is. Like the toddler put into bed kicking and screaming because they claim that they are not tired yet, we must inevitably accept that God knows best, lie down and get some rest in the middle of our temper tantrum against our authorities and know that God will watch over us and bring us through. He is a wise and all-knowing God…and we are neither of those.

Living by God’s Laws

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Do you remember when you were a child and your parents set down certain rules that you had to follow, for your own safety and well being? For example, I was told at a very young age to always look both ways before crossing a street. I was told not to touch certain plants like poison ivy or oak. They might look harmless, but I found out the hard way that they were indeed untouchable. As I aged, the rules changed and I felt more restricted by them, but my parents assured me that they were for my good. I was not to go out alone at night; I should have a sibling or a friend with me. I was told that smoking was bad for me as was alcohol. I was instructed that sexual relations before marriage was bad for me physically and emotionally.

Just as my parents had rules for me, I had rules that I expected my children to follow because I love them and wanted them to be safe. Likewise, God gives us rules, standards to live by. We are not a society that likes to follow rules. This is the generation of “if it feels good, do it” and “do what makes you happy.” People may have changed their view of God, but He has not changed His view of them. He loves each of us and wants what is best for us, even when we are ignoring His standards because we think that they restrict our freedom. What they actually do is give us more freedom to live longer, happier and healthier lives. God’s rules are for our benefit, not our harm. God doesn’t want us to suffer the consequences of wrong choices, so He makes clear what the right choices are. It is up to us to listen and follow them. Or, we can reach out and touch the hot stove and find out for ourselves that it will indeed burn us. Obedience is a choice, but so is sin. Thus, we are expected to choose wisely. Our Heavenly Father loves us, just as we love our children, and He wants us to grow closer to Him, following His rules because they are what is best for us. He who knows us best and loves us best gives us rules so that we can become the best person we can be, representing our Savior and loving the life that God gave us.

Depend on Jesus Daily

On By vickleaIn Scripture3 Comments

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I don’t know about you, but I have a large streak of independence in me. I have been that way all my life, but especially after I was left alone in a new place while my husband was deployed with the military. I had to learn to navigate myself and the children to the places we needed to go, take care of repairs of cars and the apartment, discipline the children and generally manage everything alone. But I knew, even when I was feeling lonely, that God was with me. I leaned into Him for strength to keep going when I was pregnant and alone. I cried out to Him when I was afraid because there were a boatload of mice in our new apartment. I reached out to Him when we had needs that I just could not meet alone, like getting to the hospital and giving birth. God always met me right where I was, even though I continually declared my independence, God knew that I didn’t mean that I didn’t need Him…He knew I did and He always hovered nearby so that when I reached the end of my rope and couldn’t hang on anymore, He reached out and grasped my hand firmly in His and led me to a safe and quiet place. I learned through those experiences that Jesus is a dependable ally and I can rest in Him when all of the world around me seems to be chaotic and too demanding. I learned to give to Him my resentment about moving again and being left alone. He gave me the ability to forgive and to keep on being the best wife, mother and teacher I could be in each new place. My branch had to keep moving due to circumstances beyond my control, but I found out that the vine moved with me, already deeply rooted in my heart and life so that I knew just who to turn to when I was overwhelmed. God always provided a church family, new friends, a job and the one time I needed it a good neighbor willing to take me to the hospital in the middle of the night and stay with me there until I gave birth the next morning. God is good, and I am thankful to be a dependent branch.

Christ’s Resurrection

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The good news keeps coming! Yes, we are weak humans with a finite time on earth. But the good news is that, with Jesus and His resurrection power, we have hope for an eternal future. That is the source of our joy on earth. We don’t have to go around feeling defeated by all of our earthly diseases and pains. We are ultimately victorious, and we need to live like we are victors, with a smile on our face and joy in our hearts.

Follow the Good Shepherd

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I’m sure that when you were a child, you played the game “Follow the Leader.” There was great discussion among my friends whose turn it was to be the leader, but once that was decided, off we romped, twisting, turning, rolling on the ground and laughing as we went. The leader didn’t say anything; he just did actions which we did our best to follow.

Now that we are adults and following Jesus, we have to not only follow His actions but we have to also listen attentively for His voice. He called us His sheep and said plainly that we hear His voice and recognize it. It’s like when my husband calls on the phone. I know it is him because I know his voice well. That’s how we are supposed to know Jesus’s voice…immediately and well because we have spent time with Him, in prayer and in His Word. His actions are not ones of twisting and rolling around but rather they are actions of helping others, serving and leading others to know Him. As long as we are following Christ, we are on the right path. We don’t have to be concerned about getting lost on our journey to eternity because Christ is leading the way. Our task is to follow and not to stray off. As humans, it is easy to walk away and choose our own path, thinking that we know better or that we can do just this one little thing (sin) and then get back to following Jesus again. But straying leads not just us on the wrong path but others who have been looking to us for guidance may stray as well. We have to be ever aware that others are watching, some to see if this faith we profess is real and others to rejoice in our fall if it happens. Thus, we are called to follow closely to our Good Shepherd, not straying or lingering where we should not, but always moving forward behind Him in our march to our eternal destiny.

Remain in the Light

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There are many in today’s world who choose to live in darkness. Some don’t even realize that the place where they abide is filled with the darkness of the world because the enemy of our souls has blinded them to the truth. Those of us, however, who know the truth are called to stay in the light that Jesus has provided, not to join our fellow men in their darkness, but rather to invite them to come into the light with us. There should never be a time when we join others in the darkness because Jesus called us out of that place of ignorance and sin. Why would we go back in only to stumble around again and perhaps fall? The obvious answer is that we who are pressing into God and listening to the leading of His Spirit would not choose darkness over light. We are the light that Jesus left on the earth to shine into darkness, not to become a part of it. So when we condone sin and say it’s not a big deal, let’s be clear that it is a big deal to God and we are taking a dangerous step into darkness. We should always remain in the light, never wavering or flickering, but shining brightly in spite of those who are offended by the light.

Look to Jesus

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All of us are constantly looking for something. Maybe it’s something bigger, better and what we think will be more satisfying. It’s not the things in our lives that satisfy. It’s not even the various people we hold dear that can bring satisfaction. It is only a relationship with Jesus, our Lord and Savior, who loves us so much that He gave His life for us and offers us His daily bread to satisfy our hungry souls.