You Are Not On Your Own.
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
(Romans 8:28)
I recently ran across this little parable: A little bird was flying south for the winter, but the air was so cold that it couldn’t get to the warm climate before it began to freeze. It collapsed under the weight of the cold into a large field. A cow came by and dropped some manure on the freezing bird. At first, of course, the bird was upset, until the bird felt how warm the manure was. So the bird began to thaw out under the manure that the cow had left behind. In fact, the bird just got downright excited and started to sing at the joy of being thawed out by the manure. A cat was passing by and heard the sound of singing. He followed the sound to the manure. He started digging through the manure to get to the song, and discovered it was a bird. Then the cat ate the bird that was thawing out in the pile of manure. (It was rather a bad day for the bird!) Now there are a number of lessons in this story. The first lesson is, not everybody who drops manure on you is your enemy. Second lesson is, not everybody who digs you out of your manure is your friend. And finally, when you are in manure, the best thing to do is just keep your mouth shut. (author unknown)
Romans 8:28 is one of the sparkling jewels of the New Testament. It belongs to a class of Bible verses I call “cross-stitch verses.” It’s so good that believers will often have a cross-stitched version of it decorating the walls of their home. It’s one of those verses that’s so good you want to keep in front of you in a prominent place. You want to memorize it so it can minister to your heart on a regular basis. And rightly so, because the verse reminds us all of a very important truth; “You are not on your own.” No matter what you are facing right now, this verse gives us a solid assurance that you are not facing it on your own. “In all things God is at work for the good of those who love Him.” That makes a world of difference doesn’t it? The quickest and easiest way to plunge yourself into discouragement and depression is to convince yourself that you have deal with your issues all by yourself – particularly when the going gets rough. But hear the truth of God’s word – God is at work in your life. He’s at work in all things – good things, bad things, difficult things and seemingly impossible things. If you know Jesus, you do not walk alone. He is with you and nothing in all of creation can change that wonderful reality.
Now Satan will attempt to fill your minds with the just the opposite thought. He will often tempt you into believing that your Heavenly Father has abandoned you or left you on your own. Don’t you fall for it! Oh, how Satan loves to constantly inject an attitude of discouragement in people’s hearts – because discouragement leads to bitterness, to worry, to critical attitudes, to anger and to hopelessness. Discouragement always gives the devil the home field advantage. Perhaps the biggest problem with discouragement is that it is so contagious. When we choose to allow discouragement to get a grip on us, it not only leads us away from joy, but our negative outlook spreads to others. It infects others and leads them away from joy. It fills their hearts with doubt and emptiness. It undermines faith itself. The future becomes negative and hopeless, which is the exact opposite of how Christ wants his followers to live.
Rejoice in the truth that you are not on your own. God is at work. Trust in him and his involvement in your life. It may seem that you are knee deep at the moment, but with God there is often a big difference between the way things seem and the way things actually are. He has a purpose for you in the midst of what you are experiencing. Don’t focus on the problem. Focus on the Promise and your heart will be lifted.
Live the Victorious Life,
PT
(Romans 8:28)
I recently ran across this little parable: A little bird was flying south for the winter, but the air was so cold that it couldn’t get to the warm climate before it began to freeze. It collapsed under the weight of the cold into a large field. A cow came by and dropped some manure on the freezing bird. At first, of course, the bird was upset, until the bird felt how warm the manure was. So the bird began to thaw out under the manure that the cow had left behind. In fact, the bird just got downright excited and started to sing at the joy of being thawed out by the manure. A cat was passing by and heard the sound of singing. He followed the sound to the manure. He started digging through the manure to get to the song, and discovered it was a bird. Then the cat ate the bird that was thawing out in the pile of manure. (It was rather a bad day for the bird!) Now there are a number of lessons in this story. The first lesson is, not everybody who drops manure on you is your enemy. Second lesson is, not everybody who digs you out of your manure is your friend. And finally, when you are in manure, the best thing to do is just keep your mouth shut. (author unknown)
Romans 8:28 is one of the sparkling jewels of the New Testament. It belongs to a class of Bible verses I call “cross-stitch verses.” It’s so good that believers will often have a cross-stitched version of it decorating the walls of their home. It’s one of those verses that’s so good you want to keep in front of you in a prominent place. You want to memorize it so it can minister to your heart on a regular basis. And rightly so, because the verse reminds us all of a very important truth; “You are not on your own.” No matter what you are facing right now, this verse gives us a solid assurance that you are not facing it on your own. “In all things God is at work for the good of those who love Him.” That makes a world of difference doesn’t it? The quickest and easiest way to plunge yourself into discouragement and depression is to convince yourself that you have deal with your issues all by yourself – particularly when the going gets rough. But hear the truth of God’s word – God is at work in your life. He’s at work in all things – good things, bad things, difficult things and seemingly impossible things. If you know Jesus, you do not walk alone. He is with you and nothing in all of creation can change that wonderful reality.
Now Satan will attempt to fill your minds with the just the opposite thought. He will often tempt you into believing that your Heavenly Father has abandoned you or left you on your own. Don’t you fall for it! Oh, how Satan loves to constantly inject an attitude of discouragement in people’s hearts – because discouragement leads to bitterness, to worry, to critical attitudes, to anger and to hopelessness. Discouragement always gives the devil the home field advantage. Perhaps the biggest problem with discouragement is that it is so contagious. When we choose to allow discouragement to get a grip on us, it not only leads us away from joy, but our negative outlook spreads to others. It infects others and leads them away from joy. It fills their hearts with doubt and emptiness. It undermines faith itself. The future becomes negative and hopeless, which is the exact opposite of how Christ wants his followers to live.
Rejoice in the truth that you are not on your own. God is at work. Trust in him and his involvement in your life. It may seem that you are knee deep at the moment, but with God there is often a big difference between the way things seem and the way things actually are. He has a purpose for you in the midst of what you are experiencing. Don’t focus on the problem. Focus on the Promise and your heart will be lifted.
Live the Victorious Life,
PT
posted by Larry | 2:48 PM
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