The Value of Affliction - Lesson 3 - ... from God

I’ve said it before and I am sure this will not be the last time I say it.
We do not have a tit for tat God.

Isaiah 55:8-9, ‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.’


We are not rats being trained to run a maze being rewarded with food pellets.
We are not Pavlovian dogs being trained
To salivate at the ringing of the bell

And we are not insane asylum patients
Being given electric shock therapy to bend us into submission.

We were created for more than that.
We can’t even comprehend what is in store for us.

1 Corinthians 6:3, ‘Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?’


If you weren’t destined for greatness
The enemy would not be threatened by you
And would leave you alone.

You are a threat.
You are not a dog
You are not a rat
You were created for something greater.

Opening thoughts…





At this point we are ruling out the problems in your life
that are a consequence of sin
Those you have to put into another category
and deal with them separately.

We are talking about the Value of Affliction from God.
What is He doing with you?
What is He molding you into?

Deuteronomy 8:5, ‘Thou shalt also consider in thine heart, that, as a man chasteneth his son, so the LORD thy God chasteneth thee.’

Let’s think of it in a less abrasive way.
As a man moldeth his son, so the Lord thy God moldeth thee.

What are your thoughts to that paraphrased interpretation?





Psalm 127:3-5, ‘Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.’

Let’s think about those arrows.
Made of wood.
Branches do not always grow straight
They bend and twist.
Because of their environment

Because of lack of sun light
Poor soil conditions
They could have been broken and mended.
Some grow straighter than others.
Better soil
Better light
Better protection from harsh elements.

The mighty man would select his branches
Young saplings to turn into arrow shafts.
Depending upon the amount of the defect
Would determine the amount of time needed to mend
That branch straight.

When the arrow was ready
The mighty man, the skilled archer, would take aim.
The archer would have to take into account
all other data when he took aim.

Wind speed
Distance
Is the target moving?
Are there obstructions in the way?

We often look at this verse with us as the parent and our children as the arrows
Let’s look at it now in terms of the father being the mighty man
And us being the arrows being shot into the world.

Let’s read those verses again…

What caliber (quality) of arrows are we?
Is it the Lord’s fault?
The wind’s fault?
The moving target’s fault?





If I do a word association game what is the first thing you think of?
Job – Probably patience.
But that is only stated once in James 5:11

However when Job was being confronted by his 3 ‘friends.’
He appeared to be humble, patient and sorrowful
It does however turn rather prideful.
In Chapter 31 he is almost shaking his fist at God
As to his righteousness.

At that point Job’s 3 ‘friends’ were quiet
Possibly they had said all they had.
I believe they were silent because they finally god Job
Where they wanted him.

At that point the young Elihu speaks.
He speaks for 6 chapters uninterrupted
And let’s Job know that he is puffing himself up
a little too much.

And reminding him how we cannot understand the Lord.
After Elihu is finished.
The Lord appears in a whirlwind
And sums up more eloquently than Elihu the same
And goes on unanswered for 4 chapters.

The final chapter 42, Job admits his wrong
Then he is rewarded.

Job 6:4, ‘For the arrows of the Almighty are within me, the poison whereof drinketh up my spirit: the terrors of God do set themselves in array against me.’

Here he is talking about his pain in his physically body
and his pain in his spiritual body.

How are you during physical pain?
How are you during spiritual pain?





Next verse of Job

Job 6:5, ‘Doth the wild ass bray when he hath grass? or loweth the ox over his fodder?’

The donkey isn’t freaking out when he has something to eat.
The ox will plow when his feed bag is full.
If I was at rest, at ease, and happy, I would not complain.

Can you relate to Job here?





Conclusion

We do not have a tit for tat God.
You are not a trained rat.
You are not a dog.
You are not a mental patient.

You were created for more than that.
I believe possibly more than you are aware of at this time.
The enemy knows your potential.
As also does the Lord.
Are you aware of your potential?

2 Chronicles 32:31, ‘Howbeit in the business of the ambassadors of the princes of Babylon, who sent unto him to enquire of the wonder that was done in the land, God left him, to try him, that he might know all that was in his heart.’

The Value of Affliction - Lesson 2 - Chastisement

‘Anyone can give up; it’s the easiest thing in the world to do. But to hold it together when everyone else would understand if you fell apart, that’s true strength.’ – Author Unknown


There is a difference between chastisement and punishment
Punishment would fall under the category of
A negative consequence for your actions
With reward being a positive consequence for good actions.

Chastisement is for your good
Chastisement has a character building outcome
If you choose to accept it.

If you run from chastisement
Or deny it
You will not learn the lesson.

If you don’t know if you are being chastised or punished
I believe you are probably being punished.

Hebrews 12:5-8, ‘And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.’

I don’t chastise others children,
I may correct them when they are wrong
But when it comes right down to it
I am not trying to teach them a lesson
I only want them to stop doing what they are doing.

Which are you?
Are you the Lord’s child who he is helping to grow
Or are you just being asked to stop doing what you are doing?





This is not differential equations
Or learning another language
It is up to us to decide how long it takes us to learn a lesson.

Deuteronomy 8:5-6, ‘Thou shalt also consider in thine heart, that, as a man chasteneth his son, so the LORD thy God chasteneth thee. Therefore thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to fear him.’

I understand that we don’t want to change
We say words like,
‘I’ve always been like this.’
Then we justify our sin
And compare it to someone else who has a ‘worst’ sin.

That is why we don’t like change
So why do we deny growth?





Job 33:19-20, ‘He is chastened also with pain upon his bed, and the multitude of his bones with strong pain: So that his life abhorreth bread, and his soul dainty meat.’

Verse 20 has the answer,
Can you elaborate…





Psalm 94:12-13, ‘Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest, O LORD, and teachest him out of thy law; That thou mayest give him rest from the days of adversity, until the pit be digged for the wicked.’

Like a soldier going through boot camp
The soldier would not be ready if they just gave him a pep talk
and sent him off to war.

In turn they also cannot test him in every possible scenario
He needs to be put in extreme situations
With no apparent means of escape
When the soldier in training completes the assignment

Confidence is hopefully learned or a lesson in
Team building skills
When he learns he has to trust in someone else

Prov. 3:11-12, ‘My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction: For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.’

Any further thoughts here?





John 15:2, ‘Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.’

No chastisement is pleasurable when it is happening.
The husbandman is never closer to the branch than when he is pruning it.
So if you think you are alone, you are not.

Does the term ‘every branch’ mean every person
Saved and unsaved?
Or does every branch mean every Christian

I believe it means Christian.
I don’t believe the unsaved would be plugged into Jesus.

Having said that
This verse says the branch that is not bearing fruit will be taken away.

Your thoughts on that comment…





Then the second part of that verse mentions
that the productive branch will be purged
I take that to mean that the hindrances we have will be taken away.

Your thoughts on that comment…





1 Corinthians 11:31-32, ‘For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.’

We worry too much about everyone else.
When I say ‘we’ this time I mean ‘we’
All of us.

Let me paraphrase that verse.
‘If we worry about ourselves, others won’t worry about us.’

Your thoughts…





Revelation 3:19, ‘As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.’

Zealous meaning: enthusiastic, passionate, fervent & eager.

What advice do you have for us here?





I have said it before
I believe that as soon as you acknowledge that you are under chastisement
The Lord will alleviate some of the pain.

When we behave as the strong willed child.
The Lord will win and break our spirit.

I believe it is also possible for the time frame to pass
The Lord will stop trying to teach us the lesson he wants to learn.
As with His fruit analogy
He will give it to someone else.

By Him leaving us on the branch and keeping us alive
We are stealing nutrients from someone who could produce fruit.
Rather than us sucking the life out of the vine.

I don’t want to be a hindrance to producing what the Lord wants
I also don’t want you to be a hindrance.
If you are a hindrance I don’t have to worry about you.
John 15:2 will take care of that.

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The Value of Affliction - Lesson 1 - Introduction

‘Anyone can give up; it’s the easiest thing in the world to do. But to hold it together when everyone else would understand if you fell apart, that’s true strength.’ – Author Unknown


This is to be the conclusion to each of these lessons as the answer is given.
But as usual we need practical application to put into practice.
Even when we don’t like the answer
We often know it to be true.

The Lord knew our struggles from the beginning of time.
He knew our weaknesses
And He planed our rewards.

As I said when we hear the answer and know it to be true
We don’t like it
We seldom embrace it right away.

I believe as long as we don’t run from it
As long as we don’t deny it
There is a chance for us to grow.

2 Corinthians 12:7-10

‘And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.’
‘For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.’
‘And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.’
‘Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.’

In those verses is the answer to our afflictions
It’s the best answer I have.
I don’t like my afflictions
I often don’t see the good that can come out of them.
Either I trust Him or I don’t.

You’re opening thoughts…





Now let’s look to our example.
As we read it we know we are to be more like Jesus
However if you are anything like me
You relate more to the disciples.

Matthew 26:36-46

‘Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder.’
‘And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy.’
‘Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me.’
‘And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.’
‘And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour?’
‘Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.’
‘He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.’
‘And he came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy.’
‘And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words.’
‘Then cometh he to his disciples, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.’
‘Rise, let us be going: behold, he is at hand that doth betray me.’

There it is your Conclusion at the beginning.
Now let’s dissect what we have in front of us
And find a way to apply it – practically.

Value - worth price cost charge rate assessment importance significance

Affliction - suffering difficulty burden problem hardship pain trouble misery

Yeah I know what doesn’t kill me makes me stronger.
Usually we are given that advice when we don’t want to hear it.
Possibly from someone
who truly doesn’t know what we are going through.

Also quite possibly someone who has exhaled themselves above measure.
Thankfully we don’t have to worry about them.
As the Lord will.

Maybe I don’t feel like growing.
I just want to get by for a little while.
I need a break.
I need to catch my breath.

Job 14:1, ‘Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble.’

How’s that for an answer.

Your thoughts here…





We can read earlier how Job handled his situation.

Job 1:20, ‘Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped,’

I’m not going to ask if this is how you handle your trouble,
But what advice do you have
for someone like myself who does not react this way?





We often think we are alone
At times we are
A spouse who doesn’t understand
Friends who don’t understand.

Exodus 3:7, ‘And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows;’

Why is it we think we are alone from God?





Psalm 119:50, ‘This is my comfort in my affliction: for thy word hath quickened me.’

Is that why?
We cant hear Him because we are not listening (reading)?





Psalm 119:143, ‘Trouble and anguish have taken hold on me: yet thy commandments are my delights.’

Your thoughts here?





2 Corinthians 4:8-10,

‘We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;’
‘Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;’
‘Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.’

What is our hope?
Where are you putting your hope?





Usually we read verses that that talk about
(If I may paraphrase)
This world is going to be bad,
You just have to wait till heaven for happiness.
Listen to this verse closely,

Romans 8:18, ‘For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.’

In us means in us.
Possibly through us.

There is a revelation He will give us
If we don’t wait we might miss it.
I don’t know when enough is enough.
I know when I have had enough.
I know when I’ve had more than enough.

I don’t like it.
I hate it.
I can’t stand it.

read Romans 8:17-25



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The Value of Affliction - Index

‘Anyone can give up;
It’s the easiest thing in the world to do.
But to hold it together when everyone else would understand if you fell apart,
That’s true strength.
– Author Unknown


Lesson 1 - Introduction
Lesson 2 - Chastisement
Lesson 3 - … from God
Lesson 4 - Tested by the Lord
Lesson 5 - Blessings in Disguise
Lesson 6 - … Sometimes Prolonged
Lesson 7 - Divine Delays
Lesson 8 - Faint Not
Lesson 9 - Fear Not
Lesson 10 - Divine Encouragement
Lesson 11 - Be Strong
Lesson 12 - The Refining Influence
Lesson 13 - Conclusion


‘And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.’

2 Corinthians 12:9

Content Yet Still Wanting - Lesson 13 - Conclusion

Introduction

From almost 3 months of this topic here are two stumbling blocks
I believe we have that hold us back or hinder our contentment level.

1. We have a fear of the unknown.
2. We feel we deserve to be happy.

With our fear of the unknown…
That stems from our comments or thoughts that sound something like,
I do trust God, but…

Or our prayers are aimed at heaven
As a blueprint of how things are to be designed
And any deviation of those plans through us into a tizzy.

With our feelings of deserving to be happy…
We are to be content
As in at ease, pleased and comfortable.
Not in terms of elation and physically satisfaction.

You’re opening thoughts or rebuttals…





Philippians 4:12, ‘I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.’

Content with what we have
And still wanting more spiritually
In terms of serving the Lord.

Your thoughts…





Content in terms of Poverty

Proverbs 14:30, ‘A sound heart is the life of the flesh: but envy the rottenness of the bones.’

Do we read these verses and skim over them as they don’t apply to us.
We need to read them as everyone is for us
As they are.

How can we use verses like this to help keep us in check?





Content in terms of Abundance

Matthew 13:12, ‘For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.’

We treat our children like this.
If they don’t use properly or respect something
We tell them we will take it away
Or give it to some little boy or girl who will appreciate it.

When we originally reviewed this topic before I proposed to you
What if the Lord said that about your spouse…?

Your thoughts on that or a similar topic…





A New Beginning

James 1:23-24, ‘For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.’

Every night when we go to bed we say tomorrow will be different.
We look at ourselves in the mirror and promise today will be different.

What advice do you have for us on days like that?





The Mind’s Eye

How we see ourselves
And how we remember the past

1 Corinthians 13:11, ‘When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.’

What advice do you have for those of us
who may still be holding on to those old comfortable habits?





With Others

Hebrews 11:25, ‘Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;’


You have a problem at church
You are not alone.
You are under attack at work
You are not alone.

You are under attack from your spouse
You are not alone.
Your children are not under subjection
You are not alone.

Do you think your problem will go away or get better
if you return to the comfort of your favorite sin?

What help can you share with us on this one…





With Ourselves

Hosea 10:12, ‘Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.’

We only have to worry about ourselves,
Get the soil ready
Plant seeds
Possibly even maintain the soil
The rest is up to Him
Not us

What advice do you have for us when we think so highly of ourselves?





The Answer

2 Timothy 3:16-17, ‘All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.’

This verse doesn’t necessarily apply to when someone else is wrong.
We should turn this verse to ourselves.
We can correct and reproof ourselves before others have to.
Or before the Lord will.

As we may be perfect.
That is up to us.
The Lord has given us the user’s manual.
We can review it for preventative maintenance

Or we can ignore it until a crisis is eminent
and we are in no position to learn.

Let’s be proactive
Instead of reactive.
Let’s institute a preventative maintenance program
As opposed to working damage control.

It is less expensive to maintain a boiler
Than it is to have a repair man fix it on the coldest day of the year.

We never have enough time to do it right in the first place
But we always have time to go back and fix it.

Let’s keep our priorities in order.
Let’s be content with what the Lord has allowed us
And still want to do more for Him
And do more for those He has put us together with.


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Content Yet Still Wanting - Lesson 12 - Perfect and Entire

Introduction

We have reviewed how to be content in our poverty and
How to be content when we are experiencing abundance.
And as we battle ourselves in our own ‘Mind’s Eye.’

We have also reviewed how to be content with others
With our own service to the Lord
And with our walk with the Lord.

So far most of the answers have reduced down to it is a heart issue
And to do what the Lord asks of us
And trust Him to produce the result.

What I have also learned is that we are to praise him for the outcome
Regardless of the results.

That is hard to do but we need to do it.
It is that true test of our trust.
No conditions
No ultimatums.

1Thessalonians 5:18, ‘In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.’

Opening thoughts…

Are you better at being content now than you were when we started this series?
Are you quicker to trust the Lord than you were earlier?
Do you truly trust Him to produce the best results?



James 1:4, ‘But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.’

It appears that patience has to be established for the rest to follow,
Your thoughts?





Job 1:1, ‘There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.’

What can we learn from Job to be closer to the design
that the Lord has planned for us?





1Kings 8:61, ‘Let your heart therefore be perfect with the LORD our God, to walk in his statutes, and to keep his commandments, as at this day.’

What advice do you have for me so I can apply this to my life?





2Corinthians 13:11, ‘Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you.’

When we feel alone or separated from the Lord
what can we check to make sure or get back on track?





Philippians 3:15, ‘Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.’

Do you pray for that or do you pray for the Lord to change the other person?





Colossians 1:28, ‘Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:’

Missed opportunity
I speak of this often
It is easier to live with ourselves
when we have done all that has been asked
Or all that has been told to us to do.

What practical advice do you have for us here?





2Timothy 3:16-17, ‘All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.’

Do you know what the least read book is?
Your car’s user manual.
When do you or when would someone read it?

What about us and our user’s manual?





2Chronicles 32:31, ‘Howbeit in the business of the ambassadors of the princes of Babylon, who sent unto him to enquire of the wonder that was done in the land, God left him, to try him, that he might know all that was in his heart.’

The Lord has not left you.
He is as close to you as the day you were saved.
Even if you walked away
Or are ignoring Him.

What have you learned about the content of your heart?





Conclusion

Don’t wait for a breakdown before you go to your user’s manual.
Don’t wait for a catastrophe to get back on track

Don’t overlook the missed opportunities
When striving for something that wasn’t laid out for you.

Don’t wonder where the Lord is
When you know where He is.

Know what is in your heart
Good or bad
Work on the good and do not ignore the bad.

Cleanse what you can with His Word
And continually ask Him to help.
Don’t be afraid of how He will do it.

Know that He wants you to grow
And it is not a sign of weakness to ask for help.
I believe it is a sign of strength.

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Content Yet Still Wanting - Lesson 11 - ... with this Life

Philippians 4:12, ‘I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.’

How well do you balance being content and still desiring more?
Have you ever really gone without?
Do you trust Him to provide all your wants?
All of your needs?

Those are rhetorical questions and I know the answers to them
As do you.

Do you trust Him to give you all you deserve?
You are afraid that He will give you all you deserve.
We deserve Hell.
We do not deserve to serve Him.

Content yet still wanting in terms of this life…
We are to be content with what is physically handed to us
And still want more spiritually.

We are to be content with our children’s actions
And still want more for them spiritually.

We are to be content with our spouse’s actions
And still want more for them spiritually.

The Lord never holds us back from being all that we can be.
Do we ever hold others back from being all that they can be?
Maybe not directly
But on a passive basis do we?

Are all our words uplifting and edifying? (Eph 4:29)
Or do some cut so they can know how we feel.
‘Oh yeah you think that hurt, try this one on for size.’

Your thoughts on being contend and still wanting with this life…





Deut. 7:6, ‘For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth.’

Above all people
Not that we are better than others
But as we learned before
We are to be held to a higher standard.

I just want to be like everyone else.
They seem happy,
Not a care in the world.

What advice do you have for me?





Luke 12:48, ‘But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.’

The given part came first then comes the requirement on our part.
It’s not like the Lord is asking us to be good,
Then He will reward us.
We are expected to be good
Because of what we have already been given.

What advice do you have for someone who flip-flops that in their head?





Psalm 4:1-4, ‘Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness: thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress; have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer. O ye sons of men, how long will ye turn my glory into shame? how long will ye love vanity, and seek after leasing? Selah. But know that the LORD hath set apart him that is godly for himself: the LORD will hear when I call unto him. Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah.’

As a mother and a father can’t you hear your child’s voice over others?
As a man aren’t you able to decipher noises in the middle of the night
As being the house creaking or possible danger?

Verse 3 says, ‘…the LORD will hear when I call unto him.’
Do we have that same confidence
that our Father will hear our voice?
Or do we compare Him to others who have let us down?





1Corinthians 1:26, ‘For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:’

Not many have answered the call.
Some ignore it and some deny it.
Some drag their heals
And some embrace it.

Which are you?





Let’s read on to find some more answers.

1Corinthians 1:27-29, ‘But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence.’

However you are called,
And to which ever degree you serve Him
Do it humbly,
You are merely the pipe where His water flows.
He is allowing you to do His work.
You aren’t really all that special.

If you think about it in humble terms
You are doing what you are supposed to be doing
Quite possibly the bare minimum
What could you possibly brag about?

Your thoughts…





Ephesians 1:4, ‘According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:’

Get yourself holy and make yourself without blame
this morning when you are called to the alter.
Stop beating yourself up
Stop making excuses for why you can’t do
what was asked of you.

What advice do you have for someone
who is acting like a child who doesn’t want to clean their room?





James 2:5, ‘Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?’

How can you help us to understand this verse?
Poor of this world
Where your treasure there will your heart be also.




Do you remember the story of Hosea

1Peter 2:10, ‘Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.’

Hosea 2:23, ‘And I will sow her unto me in the earth; and I will have mercy upon her that had not obtained mercy; and I will say to them which were not my people, Thou art my people; and they shall say, Thou art my God.’

The Lord looks at us and says we are still His bride.
He deserves to get rid of us
But He won’t.

We have obtained mercy.
We often think the Lord can’t forgive us that easily
So we punish ourselves some more

Or when things are going good we get nervous
And possibly sabotage the situation.
We don’t feel comfortable when things are going too good
Based on the past
we know something bad is going to happen.

What final advice do you have for us in our level of being content?





Conclusion

As bad as things have been you have never gone without
The Lord has never let you down.
Even if you don’t understand all that is going on
Or what possible good can come out of a given situation.
We are to be physically content and want more spiritually.

We are to be content with our children’s actions
And still want more for them spiritually.

We are to be content with our spouse’s actions
And still want more for them spiritually.

The Lord never holds us back from being all that we can be.
Let’s see to it that we never hold them back.

We are to be held to a higher standard.
And I assure you are never alone.
Even if you have turned your back on the Lord
He is still there for you.

As a parent can hear their child’s voice in a crowded situation
The Lord can definitely hear yours.

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