Flowing Streams

As a diabetic, sometimes I develop a strong thirst that needs to be satisfied. It has never been to the point of feeling like I am crawling in a desert searching for a stream, but it is quite strong. I am not satisfied until I find some refreshment.

Psalm 42:1-2 says, “As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?” God has placed within every heart a desire to know Him. It is a deep thirst that cannot be quenched by anything else. We can deny it or seek to satisfy this thirst with self-satisfying thoughts and activities. But the thirst will always remain until we know Him through placing our faith in Him and see Him face to face in eternity.

Getting Things Done

To do great things we must first do certain things. We need to identify the needs. Then, we need to ascertain who can best assist us in meeting those needs. Before we ask for this assistance, we should accurately assess our interests in these needs. Then, we should gather the resources needed to accomplish the task.

James 5:16 says, “The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and wonderful results.” God answers prayers. But He promises great power and wonderful results to those whose sins are forgiven and are living by faith, while they pray with a fervent spirit. Persistence and earnestness in prayer move the heart of our loving Heavenly Father. He has all the resources needed to answer our prayers. He is just waiting upon us to ask according to righteous motives and earnestness.

Knowing My Thoughts

My wife and I have been married more than 50 years. Sometimes, we will be in a conversation with other people, and still know what our spouse is thinking. However, this knowledge is not complete nor always accurate. When our first two children were very young, our toddler daughter would tell us what her baby brother was thinking. She did this so much and so accurately that her brother didn’t need to talk very often and was late in developing his language skills.

Psalm 40:17 says, “As for me, I am poor and needy, but the Lord takes thought for me. You are my help and my deliverer; do not delay, O my God!” We have nothing to offer our God, but His thoughts and love are upon us constantly. Accurately and completely knowing our needs and desperate cries, God helps us and delivers us.

Counselor With Me

We can and do get advice from a variety of sources. Counselors can offer wisdom that helps. But counselors do not often go with us to help us implement their advice. They don’t stay with us to remind us what we should do.

Psalm 16:7-8 says, “I bless the Lord who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me. I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.” The Lord offers us counsel so that we may know the right things to do and the things that will truly help us. He promised to never forsake us, so He is always there to give us the strength that we need to implement His wisdom. It is our responsibility to meditate upon these things. When we then follow the Lord’s counsel, we will not be shaken because He is there with us.

Adoption Into God’s Family

Unfortunately, the adoption of a child can be a long, expensive, and sometimes frustrating process. But, it is a wonderful thing that the adopting parents are doing for the adopted child. They welcome the child into the newly enlarged family and give the child their name and all the blessings of their family.

John 1:12-13 says, “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” Those who trust in Jesus Christ as Savior and LORD become the true children of God. Through this adoption, we become members of the royal family,  children of the King of kings, Lord of lords, Almighty God. We are escorted into His glorious presence by our Lord Jesus, who intercedes on our behalf. We receive the Father’s blessings and are welcomed into His family forever.

Making Things Move

Yesterday, I was trying to move chairs in an auditorium to a different location. Chairs were already stacked as much as 6 or 7 high and I just needed to use a handtruck to move them. I moved a couple stacks fairly easily, but I just could not move the third stack or any others. I simply did not have the strength. I haven’t worked on muscle strength for quite some time and apparently my muscles haven’t remained toned.

Luke 17:5-6 says, “The apostles said to the Lord, ‘Increase our faith!’ And the Lord said, ‘If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.'” Faith begins with surrender to God, acknowledging that with God nothing is impossible (Luke 1:37). Then faith is really only true faith when it is exercised. As we exercise faith, we learned to trust God more and our faith becomes stronger.