Search Results for: blog does god want us to be healthy wealthy and wise

Ever Wonder Why You Bother?

Do you ever wonder why you bother? Sometimes I do? And it’s usually when things don’t turn out the way I expect. I suspect some of you are no different. We go into a situation, we pray for guidance and we have our own ideas of how we want God to answer the prayer. That had been my case. I’d prayed about a situation and then acted in faith. Months went by and I kept faithful in prayer and hope. Unlike the situation mentioned in the prayer that never fails, then the answer came and it was what I expected. … Continue reading →

When Pressure Comes

Sometimes no matter what we do there will be those who will criticize, who will tell us we should be doing something else, we should be doing more, we should be involved in some program or that we’re just plain wrong. Even Paul experienced this sort of pressure. In Acts Paul had an idea of what he needed to do. He was hurrying to be in Jerusalem if possible on the day of Pentecost, Acts 20:16. He calls the elders of the church at Ephesus and reminds them of all he has taught them, verses 18-21 and informs them of … Continue reading →

Doing Ourselves out of Great Benefits

Have you ever given someone a gift and they didn’t thank you? Don’t you feel it’s unappreciated? Imagine how God feels when we don’t thank Him for the gifts He gives us. Since we are created in God’s image and we know we feel when a gift is unappreciated, it’s not unreasonable to suspect that God is far from happy when we don’t acknowledge his gifts and thank Him for them. Deitrich Bonhoeffer points out that we could be doing ourselves out of great benefits by not thanking God. He says, ‘we prevent God from giving us the great spiritual … Continue reading →

Actions Bring Consequences

We often hear that God is a God of love and He is. He is also a God of judgment as we see in Isaiah 3. The thing is that God’s judgment does arrive without Him first giving His people warning of what is to come if they do not change their ways. Isaiah 3:1-8 God warns He will divest Judah of leadership supports because of defiant deeds. While we might criticize these people for not listening to Isaiah’s prophecy and the warning God gave, how often do we refuse to listen to what God is saying to us? Maybe … Continue reading →

What Do You Need? Part 2

Yesterday we looked at what we need as against what we want and how Jesus always had his priorities right. The crowd as well as the paralytic man must have been in shock when Jesus said, ‘My son, your sins are forgiven,’ Mark 2:5. Certainly the scribes were taken aback by this, Mark 2: 6-7. People don’t like being told they are sinners. We like to think we’re as good as the next person and better than some. We’re nice people. After all we don’t murder, or steal or do anything really wrong. Sometimes even Christian leaders shy away from … Continue reading →

What Do You Need?

In these days of economic recession, it’s time for us to take stock and think about what we really need. The other day I saw some T-shirts advertised cheap. When I went in they were sold out but they did have lots of lovely blouses at reduced prices. ‘Why don’t you buy one?’ my husband said when he saw me looking at them. ‘Because I don’t need them.’ I needed a cheap T-shirt to wear to tennis. I didn’t need pretty blouses to wear out, though I have to admit it was tempting. It’s so easy to get caught up … Continue reading →

7 Marks of the Mature Christian – Part 2

My last blog gave 2 marks of the mature Christian. Here are the remaining 5 Marks of a mature Christian. 3. Prayer for others – This is what Paul did. He prayed for others, and what we need to do too. If you don’t have a prayer partner or are not part of a prayer covenant, can I suggest you do something about that? It’s a great help to your Christian life. It is interesting that Paul didn’t pray for them to be happy or to be healed from disease. He prayed for them to grow in their faith and … Continue reading →

Protecting Your Child from Mistakes

You can’t always protect your children from mistakes. Sometimes you’ve got to let them go, trusting God to uphold and undertake for them. It’s not easy. I know. Letting go is something I struggle with, but I’ve had to learn to do it. You have to trust that you have brought them up so that ultimately they will make the right choices and not make decisions that will endanger their lives. It might mean making choices we won’t agree with, like dating a non Christian or them becoming involved in activities we would rather they did not or that we … Continue reading →

Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People? Part 2

Yesterday we saw how we need to make the most of the freedom we have to further the cause of the gospel, by taking the opportunities we have. As Paul underwent his imprisonment not only the guards came to hear the gospel message but other Christians were encouraged and trusted in God because of the faith they saw in Paul. What’s more, rather than them cowering in fear afraid to speak out, they actually grew in ‘courage to speak the word of God without fear’ Philippians 1:14. Plus, the numbers of believers trusting God was growing. That’s often the way … Continue reading →

Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People?

Sometimes we hear people say, ‘Why does God let bad things happen to good people?’ Have you ever asked that question? I know I have. And I’ve had people ask it of me. It’s not an easy question to answer. Bad things’ happening to good people is the theme of ‘All the Days of My Life’ by Jo-Anne Berthelsen. But the novel also shows that others are drawn into the kingdom as they see a believer struggle with hardship and loss and still continue to trust in God. Yes, the book is fiction – fiction based on fact. However, we … Continue reading →