Welcome!
Date: Thursday, July 15, 2010
Today: When good things come “wrapped” in the bad things of life!
Passage: Gen 50: 20-21 NIV
20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. 21 So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children.” And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them. (emphasis added)
You may reject a candy, because the “wrap” does not look that good
But may be, that the candy inside was very good!
Many a time, blessings come wrapped in the bad things that come to us!
Devil’s intention is to harm us; but God turns the same “harm” into something good!
In the New Testament, we see that our enemy is not any human being, but the devil
12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. (Eph 6:12-NIV)
Satan comes to steal, kill and destroy, but Jesus came to give us life in abundance (John 10:10)
Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8)
His plans are for our blessing (Jeremiah 29:11)
The righteous person faces many troubles, but the LORD comes to the rescue each time. (Ps 34:19-NLT)
A life without any trouble/pain is a life without any gain!
Joseph’s life was not funny; nor was Jacob’s
I don’t know what kind of a life you expect
But a life that does no good to others, a life that wants to enjoy for one self alone, is far away from what God expects from us
The greatest joy is in doing what the Lord expects us to do
When I was young, I used to think, “How much better it would have been, if I had to study nothing, but just relax!”
But now, I know the benefit of not relaxing, but studying
When our break-times exceed our work-times, life can start becoming
meaningless
A purpose-driven life makes sense to God
Joseph and David were a blessing to their brothers, their people
That does not mean they did not enjoy their life
There were many other “leaders” during their time
But these people were different
We don’t have to just copy what others are doing
God made you unique and different
Make a name for God, unlike many who make a name for themselves
Children might do things that make sense to them, but those things may not make sense to the parents, all the time
In the same way, many things that make sense to us may not make any sense to God at all!
Joseph’s brothers did the worst to him; so did the people, to Jesus
But all the bad they did, finally turned out for something good
Let us stop blaming others saying, “they did not do the best for us and that is why we suffer………”. I know people who do that/speak that all the time!
God is the only ultimate good. We will learn that, as time goes on
So, the best thing in life is to cling on to God
If we did something good for somebody, the good for us will come through somewhere else; do not expect it back from the same person/place!
That is why we (must) say, “God is good-all the time”
Be thankful for everything. Stop grumbling and murmuring (Phil 4: 4-6)
Do you like to have a person around you, always grumbling and complaining?
On the other hand, how great you feel, to be around a person who is always thankful, happy and praising God!
So, why can’t we be that person?
God came to bless us; but He found us complaining and grumbling. So he left
Next time, as God comes to us, make sure that He will find us happy, thankful and praising
He will not leave, without leaving a blessing for us
Stay blessed!
BG
Prayer: Lord, I thank you for everything. I am so thankful for the privilege of prayer, without which I would have done ….what..? Help me to pray, and be a blessing; Amen