God cares

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God Really Does Care..!!

17th June

“So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time He will lift you up in honour. Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about you.”

1 Peter 5:6-7

Have you ever had the experience of thinking that you are on your own? That you have to handle life’s problems on your own? That nobody else understands what you are going through? If we are honest with ourselves then probably all of us have experienced these kind of thoughts before. The truth is, this kind of thinking is completely false. We are never on our own and never have to face “life” on our own. God is not only always with us but He truly cares about each of our worries and pains.

As we discussed yesterday, we can often get despondent about doing the right thing and not always seeing the fruit that that bears. Yet we’re encouraged that at the right time, we will harvest what we have sown if we do not give up. Today’s passage further highlights the struggle between doing good and being humble and not thinking that we are living in vain when we fight for justice or when doing good.

The motivation is the same. To being glory to Jesus in our actions, lifestyles and decisions. That means that even if we have to make decisions in our lives that might seem unfair for us, might be painful and might segregate us from the “in” crowds, if it is for the glory of God, then we need to humbly do it with grace and joy. The reward is that God will lift us up. In truth, God’s elevation is far greater than man’s empty praise (even with the right intentions).

We can also encourage ourselves, that when we feel like we are on our own, we are not: God is always there. It is God who gives us the strength to be humble and to keep fighting for goodness. It is God who carries us when our strength is spent. It is God who holds all of our problems in His hands. Why? Because He cares for us. Let us be encouraged that we are not on our own and our good deeds are not in vain.

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The Lord Made The Heavens

4th May

“The Lord has made the heavens His throne; from there He rules over everything.”

Psalm 103:19

Are there situations in your life where you feel like there is no hope or light at the end of the tunnel, where the problems are mounting up to form a huge weight on your shoulders? If so then today’s verse is for you!

David, in the previous few verses has just finished describing the frailty and temporary existence of man. He comments that mankind is as the “wildflowers flowers of the fields” that grow today and are gone tomorrow. In fact the NLT version sounds even more morbid “The wind blows, and we are gone!” just like the flowers. Yet rather than dwell on mans temporary existence, David moves straight to the magnitude and supremacy of Almighty God.

When we dwell on how small we are and insignificant we might feel, we loose sight of who God is and how big He is. In fact God is so big that He made the Heavens His throne. If we are to understand the “Heavens” as the huge expanse of the sky and all the universe both unknown and known, then that is pretty big!God is so much bigger than we could ever imagine. However, the great news is that He wants to be involved in our every day life on a deep and personal level, so that when we face situations that seem like they are too big for us to handle, we can call on the Name of the Lord and find refuge, help and strength. Why? Because He is bigger than any problem we will ever face!

Jesus has power over our situations because He is above our situations. He is able to save, able to heal, able to provide and able to guide. He has the ultimate power that outweighs our greatest expectation of who and what we picture God to be. He rules over everything. He is eternal yet His very breath breathed life into to mankind.

Can Jesus help you today…? Absolutely and He will if you ask Him to!

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Are You Not More Valuable Than The Sparrow?

16th March

“What is the price of five sparrows – two copper coins? Yet God does not forget a single one of them. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.”

Luke 12:6-7 

What determines your value? Is it monetary wealth? Material possessions? Man’s affirmation? Or is it your career status?

If you look at a 5 or 10 pound note you will see that it is just a piece of paper. Yet what determines its monetary value? One of the reasons is the Queen’s stamp on the note. This says that the Bank of England promises to pay the value of the figure stated on the note. The Queen’s stamp is almost like an affirmation of this promise. Yet without it, it’s just a piece of paper. What is written on it, gives it its value.

Jesus, in today’s passage encourages His disciples that God values us so dearly. It is interesting to note, that Jesus had the authority to say these things as complete truth, because He was God. If so, then we should take great encouragement also, knowing that what Jesus is saying is true for us today. We are valued more than the sparrows that fly about who neither labour nor toil for their food, yet are provided for by the hand of God (Matthew 6:26). Jesus takes this picture a step further and exclaims that even though the sparrows are used for trading purposes, he still values each one and DOESN’T FORGET EVEN ONE OF THEM!! If God remembers a sparrow, how much does he know us?

Jesus finishes this passage with an astounding fact. God even knows the hairs on our head. It may seem an irrelevant piece of information, however it is so important in knowing Gods character. God knows us so deeply and intimately. Even more than we know ourselves. If He knows how many hairs are on our head, then surely He knows your worries, struggles and hardships. The greatest thing of all is that He has stamped His promise on you and that is what gives us value!