Joshua 1:6-9 “Be strong and
courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the
land I swore to their forefathers to give
them. Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant
Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the
left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Do not let
this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day
and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you
will be prosperous and successful. Have I not
commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be
discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
An adventure is defined as
an unusual incident or exciting experience, a bold feat or daring under-taking,
undergoing a venture with risk and open to danger. By nature, life is an
adventure because we do not know what tomorrow can bring. My personality
prefers structure and order, forethought and planning, but as the old Scottish
poem by Robert Burns goes “The best laid schemes of mice and men often go
awry.” "C'est la vie", "Such is
life", and the adventure. Do not be terrified; do not be
discouraged; desire to push forward and embrace it, for the Lord your God will
be with you wherever you go!
Philippians
1:12-14 “Now I want you to know,
brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel. As a result,
it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to
everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. Because of my chains, most of the
brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more
courageously and fearlessly.”
Our Pastor reminds
us that obstacles can and will come across our path, that cause hurt and
distrust, but we must interpret life through the filter called “God is on my
side.” Unbelief is essentially not
trusting and believing God in a lack of faith, many times because of the
obstacles of life. But true satisfaction is not living by what we know or by
what is safe because there are always obstructions to hurdle and complications
to impede the best of us. It is stepping out in faith that makes us “people of
character”, strong and courageous, meditating on and obeying the word of God in
the spirit of righteousness.
John 16:33
“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.”
There are parts of
the world that suffer religious persecution. Being comfortable will not advance
the kingdom of Heaven Plymouth
Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
In Christ, Brian
6 comments:
Hi Brian,
My personality is very wild and carefree. I have no trouble at all with the unexpected as I love adventure although I do admit that when I cannot see the outcome I do tend to fret a bit. In times of not knowing the out come, I have great comfort in the fact that Jesus has overcome the world.
Blessings brother,
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Child of God, 1 Corinthians 12:12-13 explains that the body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body. The Lord created each of us with different personalities and gifts. verses 24-27 go on to say: But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. Honoring the different God-given personalities and associated gifts really connected with me some years ago, in a Small group Bible Study on Christian Psychologist Gary Smalley's Hidden Keys to Loving Relations session Six "titled Discovering Your Personality Type and the Types of Your Family & Friends". The light came on, and I could see how all the parts fit together and were valuable, needing to be respected and honored. The children of God all find a common purpose in the head of the church body, our Lord Jesus Christ. Keep your fire and enthusiasm - Advance the gospel, the faith and the kingdom. Thanks for the common precious sister.
I don't really like the unknown either. I like structure and schedules.
But really all that is ahead is unknown. We just think we have it all planned out.
Admittedly, I'm all about the schedules. The unknown causes my brain to go into panic mode. My heart knows the Truth, yet I continue to try to make it my plan instead of His. Great post, Brian! Thanks for sharing.
Ma, doesn't the Lord instruct us to count the cost before doing things? So structure, planning and schedules are good and important to our routine lives and help make life more balance and peaceful. What's around the next curve or over the hill and front of us, we can't see or know for sure, but we do know the One who does and lovingly cares for us always. Crossing bridges when we get there can be exciting and stressful both, so we're not supposed to "live" by that method. There are plenty of surprises that pop up along the path of life to make it exciting enough. Stop and smell the roses. Thanks for the motherly advice Ma.
Larri (S.I.), Glad that you mentioned that. Anyone with many "balls in the air", and a day with more errands, chores, activities, appointments, duties, events, obligations and responsibilities than one could do in 24 hours, must arrange, organize and schedule that day. But you are right that we need to put the Lord plans before ours and not allow the distractions of busyness reign and rule our life. You make a great point on the difference between knowing the Truth and acting upon it. In seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, there is no blind attention to the things of this world.Structure and schedules help us maintain the proper balance. Thanks for the comments.
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