"Once safely on shore, we found out that the island was called Malta. The islanders showed us unusual kindness. They built a fire and welcomed us all because it was raining and cold. Paul gathered a pile of brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand. When the islanders saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said to each other, 'This man must be a murderer; for though he escaped from the sea, Justice has not allowed him to live.' But Paul shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no ill effects. The people expected him to swell up or suddenly fall dead, but after waiting a long time and seeing nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and said he was a god." Acts 28:1-6 (NIV)
Under the guidance of The Holy Spirit of God, Luke, the physician and frequent travelling companion of the Apostle Paul, recorded this event which occurred after the ship wrecked during a severe storm on their way to Rome. Paul was a prisoner on the ship. He was being transported to Rome to be heard by Cesar because he had appealed the results of an earlier trial. When the poisonous snake bit Paul, he did not panic. He shook it off, and kept on doing what he was doing.
When trouble strikes, don't panic, shake it off, and keep on working for The Lord. Don't panic, when we panic, we tend to get emotional, which clouds our judgment, and we tend to make bad decisions, which make our situation worse. Shake it off, grabbing the head of a snake or trying to pull it off will do more damage to us. Most of our troublesome situations will not be solved by force or the use of our strength. We need to treat most of our problems like water on a duck's back. Trouble, like most storms, won't last very long. (Psalms 30:5) Keep on working for The Lord. All of us are part of God's plan, and He has something for us to do. The Church is the body of Christ, and all believers have a function to perform. (1 Corinthians 12:12 and 12:27) So, keep on working, or get busy and start working for The Lord. If we are doing His will, all things will work out for our good. (Romans 8:28)
Showing posts with label trouble. Show all posts
Showing posts with label trouble. Show all posts
Sunday, October 5, 2014
Saturday, March 29, 2014
Do Not Keep Unworthy "Friends"
"But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land, those you allow to remain will become barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides. They will give you trouble in the land where you will live." Numbers 33:55 (NIV)
Regarding the non-believers, "... if you do not drive out ... those you allow to remain will become ... thorns in your sides. They will give you trouble ... where you will live." These are the words of The Lord God spoken by Moses to the people of God telling them that they are not to mingle with and befriend certain non-believers in the land that they were moving into. They were to drive them away and not associate with them. For if they allowed them to remain in their midst, they would become thorns in their sides and cause them trouble.
Today we also need to be careful regarding those whom we choose to associate with and to befriend. We are to spread The Word of God to everyone, but those who will not welcome us or listen to us as we share The Word of God, we are to leave them alone. (Matthew 10:14, Mark 6:11, and Luke 9:5) How can two walk together unless they agree? (Amos 3:3) This does not apply to one who is married to a non-believer, when only one of them accepted Christ. (1 Corinthians 7:13-14) However, the friends we choose often exert a great influence upon us, and if we cannot turn them to Christ, we should not let them turn us away from Him. (Galatians 6:1, James 5:9, James 5:12, and 2 Peter 3:17) When The Lord God says for us to leave some people alone and not to associate with them, we ought to let them go. To keep them in our lives will just bring us pain and trouble.
Regarding the non-believers, "... if you do not drive out ... those you allow to remain will become ... thorns in your sides. They will give you trouble ... where you will live." These are the words of The Lord God spoken by Moses to the people of God telling them that they are not to mingle with and befriend certain non-believers in the land that they were moving into. They were to drive them away and not associate with them. For if they allowed them to remain in their midst, they would become thorns in their sides and cause them trouble.
Today we also need to be careful regarding those whom we choose to associate with and to befriend. We are to spread The Word of God to everyone, but those who will not welcome us or listen to us as we share The Word of God, we are to leave them alone. (Matthew 10:14, Mark 6:11, and Luke 9:5) How can two walk together unless they agree? (Amos 3:3) This does not apply to one who is married to a non-believer, when only one of them accepted Christ. (1 Corinthians 7:13-14) However, the friends we choose often exert a great influence upon us, and if we cannot turn them to Christ, we should not let them turn us away from Him. (Galatians 6:1, James 5:9, James 5:12, and 2 Peter 3:17) When The Lord God says for us to leave some people alone and not to associate with them, we ought to let them go. To keep them in our lives will just bring us pain and trouble.
Saturday, May 18, 2013
Christ Has Overcome The World
"I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33 (NIV)
After Jesus told His disciples about His upcoming departure (John 16:16), the Apostle John recorded these word which Jesus spoke to them. Jesus said, I told you this so that you would be at peace and not worry when it happens. The He said to them, in this would you will have trouble, but don't worry because He had overcome the world.
As present day disciples of Jesus, The Christ, we should understand that we will have troubles, trials, and tribulations. (Job 14:1 and John 16:33) However, this should not concern us, because He is with us, and He has assured us that if we believe in Him, will be victorious. He has already conquered the world. (Romans 8:38, Hebrews 13:5, 1 John 4:4) With Him, and only with Him, will we be victorious.
After Jesus told His disciples about His upcoming departure (John 16:16), the Apostle John recorded these word which Jesus spoke to them. Jesus said, I told you this so that you would be at peace and not worry when it happens. The He said to them, in this would you will have trouble, but don't worry because He had overcome the world.
As present day disciples of Jesus, The Christ, we should understand that we will have troubles, trials, and tribulations. (Job 14:1 and John 16:33) However, this should not concern us, because He is with us, and He has assured us that if we believe in Him, will be victorious. He has already conquered the world. (Romans 8:38, Hebrews 13:5, 1 John 4:4) With Him, and only with Him, will we be victorious.
Sunday, December 16, 2012
Don't Worry Pray
"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:34 (NIV)
Jesus said to His disciples and the others in the multitude on the mountain, do not worry about the things that may happen tomorrow. Each day has its own troubles and challenges which must be dealt with, without worrying about the possible problems that could arise tomorrow.
Nothing good ever comes out of worrying. If there is some action that you can take to effect a situation, do it. If there is nothing that you can do about it, then pray about it and don't worry about it. We do not know what will happen tomorrow. (James 4:14) Worrying about something which may or may not happen is pointless. This is not to preclude thoughtful preparation for the future. What is condemned is getting upset, anxious, or fretting about some possible future event. Besides, tomorrow is not promised to us. God is in control of everything and anything that happens to us is under His permissive will. So, don't worry, pray.
Jesus said to His disciples and the others in the multitude on the mountain, do not worry about the things that may happen tomorrow. Each day has its own troubles and challenges which must be dealt with, without worrying about the possible problems that could arise tomorrow.
Nothing good ever comes out of worrying. If there is some action that you can take to effect a situation, do it. If there is nothing that you can do about it, then pray about it and don't worry about it. We do not know what will happen tomorrow. (James 4:14) Worrying about something which may or may not happen is pointless. This is not to preclude thoughtful preparation for the future. What is condemned is getting upset, anxious, or fretting about some possible future event. Besides, tomorrow is not promised to us. God is in control of everything and anything that happens to us is under His permissive will. So, don't worry, pray.
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Praying In The Midst Of Trouble
“Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm ... The Lord provided a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish three days and three nights. From inside the fish Jonah prayed to The Lord his God. He said: ‘In my distress I called to The Lord, and he answered me ... I called for help, and you listened to my cry.’ ” Jonah 1:15-2:2 (NIV)
The prophet Jonah told the men on the ship that he was the cause of the storm. He also told them that they could calm the seas, save the ship, and save themselves if they threw him overboard. Reluctantly, they threw him overboard and Jonah was swallowed by a great fish. From the belly of the great fish, Jonah prayed.
Jonah’s problems went from bad to worse. He was caught in a great wind, then a violent storm, then thrown overboard, and swallowed by a great fish (which today we call a whale) before he began to pray. Like Jonah, we want to do things our way and not God’s way. Even when we get in trouble, in the midst of a storm, we persist. Only when our situation seems hopeless do we turn to God in prayer. We would do better if we prayed more often and followed His Word instead of doing what we see as right in our own minds. We should pray that He would order our steps and guide our tongues. If we spent more time reading The Word of God and praying, we would probably not be in the midst of trouble so often.
The prophet Jonah told the men on the ship that he was the cause of the storm. He also told them that they could calm the seas, save the ship, and save themselves if they threw him overboard. Reluctantly, they threw him overboard and Jonah was swallowed by a great fish. From the belly of the great fish, Jonah prayed.
Jonah’s problems went from bad to worse. He was caught in a great wind, then a violent storm, then thrown overboard, and swallowed by a great fish (which today we call a whale) before he began to pray. Like Jonah, we want to do things our way and not God’s way. Even when we get in trouble, in the midst of a storm, we persist. Only when our situation seems hopeless do we turn to God in prayer. We would do better if we prayed more often and followed His Word instead of doing what we see as right in our own minds. We should pray that He would order our steps and guide our tongues. If we spent more time reading The Word of God and praying, we would probably not be in the midst of trouble so often.
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Help Your Brother In His Hour Of Need
"You should not look down on your brother in the day of his misfortune, nor rejoice over the people of Judah in the day of their destruction, nor boast so much in the day of their trouble. You should not march through the gates of my people in the day of their disaster, nor look down on them in their calamity in the day of their disaster, nor seize their wealth in the day of their disaster ... 'The day of The Lord is near for all nations. As you have done, it will be done to you; your deeds will return upon your own head.' " Obadiah 1:10-15 (NIV)
The prophet Obadiah had a vision from The Lord about Edom and Esau, Jacob's brother. Because Esau stood by and watched, and did nothing, when his brother was being defeated and Jerusalem was being destroyed, he was going to suffer in the future.
We should all be aware of the fact that doing nothing does not make us innocent. If our brother is being wronged and we stand by, watching, and do nothing to help him, then we are just as guilty as those who wronged him. Also we are not to rejoice at the suffering of others. Their misfortune should not be a cause for joy. We should not take advantage of them because they are defenseless. As we do to others, so it will be done unto us. Be very careful how you treat people and who you choose not to help. Judgement day is coming and we will have to give an account for all that we did and did not do.
The prophet Obadiah had a vision from The Lord about Edom and Esau, Jacob's brother. Because Esau stood by and watched, and did nothing, when his brother was being defeated and Jerusalem was being destroyed, he was going to suffer in the future.
We should all be aware of the fact that doing nothing does not make us innocent. If our brother is being wronged and we stand by, watching, and do nothing to help him, then we are just as guilty as those who wronged him. Also we are not to rejoice at the suffering of others. Their misfortune should not be a cause for joy. We should not take advantage of them because they are defenseless. As we do to others, so it will be done unto us. Be very careful how you treat people and who you choose not to help. Judgement day is coming and we will have to give an account for all that we did and did not do.
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Be Encouraged God Is In Control
"Arise, Lord! Lift up Your hand, O God. Do not forget the helpless ... But You, O God, do see trouble and grief; You consider it to take it in hand. The victim commits himself to You; You are the helper of the fatherless ... The Lord is King for ever and ever ... You hear, O Lord, the desire of the afflicted; You encourage them, and You listen to their cry, defending the fatherless and the oppressed, in order that man, who is of the earth, may terrify no more." Psalm 10:12-18 (NIV)
"Arise, Lord!" is a battle cry and "Lift up Your hand" is a reference to God's strength and power. There is a battle going on against the wicked and this is David's call to God not to forget the helpless, the weak, the orphans, the sick, the oppressed, the depressed, those that are in trouble, and those that are suffering. The prayer is for God to hear their cry, to encourage them, and to help them.
The same is true for us today. The wicked seem to have triumphed over the righteous. Evil people seem to be prosperous and the righteous people seem to be suffering from one calamity after another. However, things are not as they seem. The Lord God is King, and He is in control. He knows our situations and our desires. Be encouraged, He hears our cry and our prayers. He has the power to make wrong things right. We just need to be confident that He will do so. Pray, have faith, and wait on The Lord.
"Arise, Lord!" is a battle cry and "Lift up Your hand" is a reference to God's strength and power. There is a battle going on against the wicked and this is David's call to God not to forget the helpless, the weak, the orphans, the sick, the oppressed, the depressed, those that are in trouble, and those that are suffering. The prayer is for God to hear their cry, to encourage them, and to help them.
The same is true for us today. The wicked seem to have triumphed over the righteous. Evil people seem to be prosperous and the righteous people seem to be suffering from one calamity after another. However, things are not as they seem. The Lord God is King, and He is in control. He knows our situations and our desires. Be encouraged, He hears our cry and our prayers. He has the power to make wrong things right. We just need to be confident that He will do so. Pray, have faith, and wait on The Lord.
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