Showing posts with label possible. Show all posts
Showing posts with label possible. Show all posts
If you have ever had the desire to tell God no, don’t be downhearted. You’re in good company. We read in God’s Word of how Moses essentially told God no. God came to him one day and told him to speak to a large group of Egyptians. Moses immediately responded by telling God to “‘send someone else’” (Exodus 4:13 NIV). He makes a lot of excuses, saying that he has never been an eloquent speaker and that he is “‘slow of speech and tongue’” (Exodus 4:10 NIV). In the end, Moses’ brother Aaron traveled with him and did most of his talking for him. While things went okay at first, Aaron caused Moses quite a bit of trouble, even fashioning a golden idol in the image of a calf when Moses was up on the mountain (see Exodus 32:1-6 NIV). Surely this was not good publicity for Moses’ ministry, having his brother put up an idol that the people began to worship, instead of worshiping the one true God whom Moses and Aaron were there to preach to them about. But many of the problems associated with the partnership of Aaron and Moses could possibly have been avoided if Moses had not said no to God.
Think about it. What if Moses had said yes to God? What if he had put aside his fears concerning public speaking and being in front of a large group of people? What if he had fully trusted the God who created him? Moses was afraid and felt ill-prepared and inadequate. But God said, “‘I will help you speak and will teach you what to say’” (Exodus 4:12 NIV). God was on his side, but Moses let his fears get in the way. While we will never know what might have happened if Moses had said yes, it is a good opportunity for us to examine our own lives.
Let’s take a look at Newton’s third law of motion: For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. While we are not talking about forces emitted on particular objects, the same theory applies. Everything we do impacts our future. Every decision we make can have a negative or a positive outcome. Saying no to God or saying yes to God can have a negative or positive impact on our lives. He knows the outcome no matter our decision, but He gives us the freedom to choose the direction our lives will go.
What about you? Has God called you to do something, yet you have repeatedly told him no? Has He placed a burden on your heart to minister to others who are sick, help collect food for the less fortunate, or travel to a foreign mission field? Maybe He has simply called you to help out in your local church, visit the home-bound and hospitalized members of your church, or call someone to encourage them during a difficult time in their life. Or has He called you to fervently pray every day for your family, your friends, your church, your community, your nation, or even the world? Whatever your calling is, don’t tell God no. He knows that you can handle the task. Just as He helped Moses, God will give you the tools you need to be successful. He is more than enough! As the Bible clearly states, “‘with God all things are possible’” (Matthew 19:26 NIV). So the next time God asks you to do something, go forth boldly and say, “Yes, Lord!” Then reap the blessings you encounter as God makes the impossible possible!
In Christ’s Love,
Jennifer
As I sit here watching the cursor blink on my screen, I am reflecting back on the past 99 blogs that I have written. I’ve written about personal struggles, joyous occasions, and many of my favorite scriptures. When I wrote my first blog, I had just watched the movie Julie & Julia. In the movie, Julie writes a cooking blog. So I decided I should have my own blog too. I wondered if anyone would even read the words I wrote. Inevitably, I have come to realize that God used an unlikely source, this particular movie, to lead me to write this inspirational blog. As for my concerns that no one would read my blog, I have had over 44,000 readers so far. You see, God can take something that seems quite insignificant and transform it into something extraordinarily monumental.
I am reminded of the stories we read in the Bible of the loaves and fishes. The disciples told Jesus that the people needed to go to the nearby villages and get something to eat. Jesus said there was no need to send them away. He simply told the disciples to give them something to eat. Jesus’ disciples nearly panicked when Jesus told them to feed the thousands of people. What good would a few pieces of bread and a handful of fish do when there was literally a multitude to feed? I can only imagine how stressed they were at that very moment. I mean, they couldn’t run to the nearby Sam’s Club or Costco and load up a flatbed cart full of the necessary items to prepare a delightful meal of the highest quality fish and artisan bread. Who knows how close the nearest market even was? But they didn’t want to disappoint Jesus, the Lord of Lords and King of Kings. I’m sure they held the loaves and fish in their hands, trying to come up with a plan in what seemed like an impossible situation. Soon they found out once more that nothing is impossible with God.
When Jesus saw their concern, He said, “‘Bring them here to me’” (Matthew 14:18 NIV). Before He had the disciples pass out the food, He gave thanks to God. An act so small, saying a blessing over the five loaves and two fish, resulted in a miracle. Matthew 14: 20-21 (NIV) says, “They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.” God did not just provide the minimal amount to feed everyone there, but there were leftovers! Imagine the disciples’ faces as they picked up the pieces that were not eaten because the crowd had had their fill.
Our lives are a lot like the miracle of the loaves and fishes. Many times, we are given blessings or responsibilities that may seem small at first, but inevitably, every little thing we do for the Kingdom of God is epic in proportion. I am reminded of the beloved song written by Kittie L. Suffield in 1924 titled, “Little Is Much When God Is In It.” The chorus states:
Little is much when God is in it!
Labor not for wealth or fame.
There’s a crown—and you can win it,
If you go in Jesus’ Name.
Labor not for wealth or fame.
There’s a crown—and you can win it,
If you go in Jesus’ Name.
Whatever you do, do it as unto the Lord. Whether your calling is to teach Sunday School, clean houses, collect donations for the food pantry, serve as a Wal-Mart greeter, care for the sick and elderly, or any other responsibility the Lord has entrusted to you, I want you to know that what you do matters. Why? Everything you do unto the Lord is noticed by the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He knows when you give someone a meal, when you smile at someone, and even when you whisper a silent prayer for someone on your mind. One glorious day, we will lay down our cares and worries of this life. Those who have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ will hear the words, “Well done, thy good and faithful servant.”
While I pray that God uses this blog to encourage someone in their journey through life, it matters not whether it is read by 10 or 10,000. What matters most is that I write it for the cause of Christ. For only Jesus Christ has the power to use it to uplift someone who is downtrodden, bring hope to someone lost in a sea of despair, or encourage someone who is crying out to God for a much-needed miracle in their life. I am just the messenger. It is my prayer that God can use me as a willing vessel. With Him in my corner, I know that this blog will make the next hundred and even hundreds more after that. Why? Because with God, all things are possible!
In Christ’s Love,
Jennifer