"You have said,
'How terrible it is for me!
The Lord has given me sorrow along with my pain.
I am tried because of my suffering and cannot rest." Jeremiah 45:3
Wisdom for the Way
Charles Swindoll
READ Jeremiah 40:1-45:5
SITUATION Except for 52:31-34, chapters 40-44 are chronologically the last writings in the book of Jeremiah. They recount the fall of Jerusalem (in 586 B.C.) and its aftermath of destruction.
OBSERVATION After the fall of Jerusalem, Jeremiah ministered to the remnant in Palestine and Egypt. They may have lost hope, but God looks at the big picture.
INSPIRATION It's impossible to pass through life without experiencing times when you cannot see your way through a deep valley. Times when the package delivered at the back door comes delivered in the ugly wrapping of death or affliction or illness or even divorce....John Selden, the old British jurist and scholar, put it even more bluntly, "pleasure is nothing else but the intermission of pain."
You may find yourself enjoying the intermission. Today, you may be smiling. Your heart may be light and merry. Perhaps answers to prayer have come beautifully and deliberately. You are swept away in delight. But it's also quite possible that you are caught in the grip of affliction. You may be going through some of the hardest days of your life. You may be wondering, Why? Why me? Why this trail?
When you persevere through a trail, God gives you a special measure of insight. You become the recipient of the favor of God as He gives to you something that would not be learned otherwise. (From Wisdom for the Way by Charles Swindoll)
APPLICATION If you're undergoing a trail in your life, try to look at the big picture. Reflect on your current situation and ask God to help you see it from his view. Spend a day alone with God and ask him to help you understand his perspective for life.
EXPLORATION Guidance -- Psalm 23:3; 25:4-5; Isaiah 58:11; John 16:12-13
The Devotional Bible - Experiencing The Heart of Jesus; Max Lucado, General editor, New Century Version, Thomas Nelson Publishers
Seeking Guidance: The First Step
Dr. Charles Stanley
1 John 1:8-10
By forsaking the broad worldly way, believers have chosen a narrow path (Matt. 7:13). However, we’re not wandering blindly on it. The Holy Spirit is our guide. He directs our steps toward new opportunities and offers discernment so we can make wise decisions that keep us on course for God’s will.
It is the nature of this journey that we have to stop often and seek guidance. God is pleased to respond to earnest requests for direction, as He wants to keep His followers in the center of His will. But I’ve discovered that many Christians wonder how to pursue divine guidance.
Seeking God’s direction involves a pattern that begins with cleansing—in other words, the first place to look is at ourselves. Ask, “Father, do You see anything in my life that might interfere with my understanding what You are saying?” Sin shuts down the guidance process: it strangles the power flowing from the Holy Spirit and thereby clouds our judgment (1 Thess. 5:19). First John 1:9 tells us that God cleanses unrighteousness when we confess our sins. The Bible also contains a clear warning for those who refuse to relinquish a rebellious habit or attitude—the Lord does not hear their cries (Ps. 66:18). As He brings to mind problem areas, lay them before the cross.
Cleansing is actually woven into the entire process of gaining divine guidance. God brings sin to our attention as we’re equipped to deal with it. So on the way to receiving His clear direction, we may revisit this “first” step often and in that way can experience a time of rich spiritual growth and renewal.
For more biblical teaching and resources from Dr. Charles Stanley, please visit http://www.intouch.org/.
No Fight Left
To GOD be all the glory, honor, and reverence!
In JESUS' name, Amen.
Thank-you MESSIAH YESHUA/JESUS CHRIST!
I'm giving it all up to YOU!
Praise the LORD of Lords and the KING of Kings!
Amen.
We all need to give it all up to GOD, perfect reminder. Beautiful. May JESUS continue to bless, guide, direct, and use you for HIM and His kingdom.
Keep steadfast, focused, and strong in the faith trusting JESUS CHRIST all the way!
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