Never Give Up!-In His Word 12-19-16
Sometimes at this time of year as Christmas day
comes near we just feel like we can’t take anything else, we just want to give
up! We want to give up living the way we know we should and spend more than we
should in order to find joy or happiness in objects instead of God himself. The
thing is money cannot buy happiness, though it seems like it at times it is
fleeting and short termed enjoyment and finding Christ and knowing He is with
us is the one thing that will give us everlasting peace, even in times of
emotional unrest He can bring peace. So today if you feel like giving up,
skipping the day of celebration with friends or loved ones, or even if you feel
like no one is there for you, reach out to the one person who can provide what
you need; call out to Jesus today. He loves you and I mean really loves you! He will comfort you in a time of need
if you just reach out to Him! He cares for you enough that no matter what you
have said or done, He will make a way of peace, hope and love for you this
year, this time, this day! How do I know this? I read it in His Word! He will
never leave you nor forsake you! How come? Because He loves you …. This much!
(stretch your arms out as far as you can reach cause He loves you more than
that!)
4 Therefore, since God in his mercy has
given us this new way, we never give up. 2 We reject all
shameful deeds and underhanded methods. We don’t try to trick anyone or distort
the word of God. We tell the truth before God, and all who are honest know this.
3 If the Good
News we preach is hidden behind a veil, it is hidden only from people who are
perishing. 4 Satan, who is
the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They
are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand
this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.
5 You see, we
don’t go around preaching about ourselves. We preach that Jesus Christ is Lord,
and we ourselves are your servants for Jesus’ sake. 6 For God, who
said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made this light shine in our
hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus
Christ.
7 We now have
this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars
containing this great treasure.[b] This makes it
clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.
8 We are pressed
on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not
driven to despair. 9 We are hunted
down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. 10 Through
suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life
of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies.
11 Yes, we live
under constant danger of death because we serve Jesus, so that the life of
Jesus will be evident in our dying bodies. 12 So we live in
the face of death, but this has resulted in eternal life for you.
13 But we
continue to preach because we have the same kind of faith the psalmist had when
he said, “I believed in God, so I spoke.”[c] 14 We know that
God, who raised the Lord Jesus,[d] will also
raise us with Jesus and present us to himself together with you. 15 All of this is
for your benefit. And as God’s grace reaches more and more people, there will
be great thanksgiving, and God will receive more and more glory.
16 That is why we
never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are[e] being renewed
every day. 17 For our
present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a
glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! 18 So we don’t
look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that
cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we
cannot see will last forever.
2 Corinthians 4:1-18
This is how we know what
Love is; Jesus came to earth so that we can overcome the world of trouble and
trials and whatever horrible things that satan throws at us.
For God so loves us in the
world that He gave us the best gift of all, His son Jesus, to separate us from
our sinfulness and pain and to make a way straight to God and eternal life
through Him.
What a mouth full of
emotion can throw at us we can ingest and swallow to make us stronger in Christ
because He will not forsake us. Though we go through all manner of trouble from
feeling alone in a crowd to being poor and worried where the next plate of food
will come from; He is with us to support us and to help us in our time of need
if we just remember to ask for His help!
We need to keep focused on
God, not the issue and seek Him to find the answer. God speaks to us today, not
always by a talking donkey but often by other people, in His Word, or even that
still small voice in the time of prayer. He has not forsaken us to wallow in
self pity wondering why He has allowed us to suffer but instead He has given us
a way out. The way may be rough but if we stick with Him, He will make us
victorious in the end!
Today while you worry if
you had enough money for the gift you bought or if you are trying to get the
money for the food on the table; give the need to God and then allow Him to
provide for you!
Accept what comes in the way it comes and that God is in
control and know that you will grow through this time as long as you trust Him to
provide.
The thing is God knows our ‘tells’!
He sees our hearts, and knows our minds, He hears our cries when we think no
one can here us or cares to listen. We need to know that He will help us if we
trust Him. He will open the door to ministry, but we have to walk through it to
see what He has for us there! He will provide us food, but we may have to go to
the soup kitchen to get it. He will give us love, but we may have to hang with believers
who we don’t know yet to feel it. He places us in a place to receive the gifts
He has for us but it is our job to open the gift in a timely fashion.
If someone gives me a gift
and I leave it sitting there unwrapped it is of no use to me. I must unwrap my
gifts to get the most of them. Just saying I have a gift is not enough it was
given for a purpose; just saying you love Jesus, or Jesus loves you is not
enough; He was given with a purpose; go and tell the world that Jesus loves
them and will never forsake them! But first- you must believe it for yourself.
Trust in the Lord with all
your heart, and lean not in your own understanding. In all your ways
acknowledge Him and He will direct your path. Proverbs 3:5-6
This is one of my most
favorite scriptures because it always tells me where my hope comes from. My
hope comes from my Lord and He will direct me where to go and whom to speak
with for help for myself and for those around me in the place He has placed me
and you.
Dear Heavenly Father, Thank
you for placing us where You need us to be, it is our desire for each of us to
see, here and know what You have for us today and in this season of our lives.
Direct our paths, and we will trust You to do so. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Suggested readings; Luke
2:1- 2 Corinthians 5: 1-21 and 2 Corinthians 6:1-18
Merry Christmas!