 |
Increase in Unexpected Ways
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE:
And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.
2 Corinthians 9:8, NIV.
TODAY'S WORD:
When the Israelites were in the desert, God fed them with manna from heaven. It was miraculous provision; yet, they got tired of eating the same thing every day. They said, “Moses, we want some meat to eat out here.”
Moses thought, “That’s impossible. Meat out here in the desert?” That’s steak for some two million people. There were no grocery stores, no place to buy food. But God has ways to increase you that you’ve never thought of. God simply shifted the direction of the wind and caused a huge flock of quail to come into the camp. The people didn’t even have to go after it. The food came to them. What’s interesting is that quail don’t normally travel that far away from the water. If there had not been a strong wind, the quail would have never made it way out there in the desert. What am I saying? God knows how to get your provision to you.
What do you need today? What are the desires of your heart? God’s grace is sufficient. He is able to make all grace abound so that in all times, you have everything you need. Trust Him to bring increase in unexpected ways!
PRAYER FOR TODAY:
Father, thank You for Your grace and provision. I trust that even when I can’t see how things will work out, You will bring increase in unexpected ways. Help me keep my eyes on You, Jesus, the Author and Finisher of my faith in Jesus’ name. Amen.
|
“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:32 NIV)
Real forgiveness is not a cheap term you just throw out that instantly makes everybody feel better. That’s not real forgiveness.
The Bible says real forgiveness is four things:
Forgiveness is remembering how much you’ve been forgiven.
“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32 NIV). This is the starting point for genuine forgiveness. If you don’t feel forgiven, you won’t want to forgive anybody else. If you’re hard on yourself, you’re going to be hard on others. But the more grace you receive from God, the more gracious you’re going to be to others. The more forgiven you feel by God, the more forgiving you’ll be toward others.
Forgiveness is relinquishing your right to get even.
Romans 12:19 says, “Never avenge yourselves. Leave that to God, for he has said that he will repay those who deserve it” (LB). Life is not fair, but one day God’s going to settle the score. He’s going to right the wrongs. So, who can get better justice — you or God?
Forgiveness is responding to evil with good.
The Bible says in Luke 6:27-28, “Do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you” (NIV). How can you tell when you’ve really forgiven somebody? When you can look at that person’s hurt and not just your own and pray for God to bless him or her.
You ask, “How could I ever do that for the person who’s hurt me?” You can’t unless you allow the love of God to penetrate your life. Only the love of God can help you do something like that.
Forgiveness is repeating the process as long as necessary.
“Peter came to him and asked, ‘Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?’” (Jewish law said you had to forgive a person three times, so Peter doubled it and threw one in for good measure.) “‘No, not seven times,’ Jesus replied, ‘but seventy times seven!’” (Matthew 18:21-22 NLT)
How long do you have to keep forgiving a person? As long as it takes. You have to keep forgiving that person until the pain stops and the desire to get revenge goes away.
Talk It Over
- What difference has God’s grace made in your life? How can you extend that grace to others?
- For whom do you need to pray God’s blessing today? What hurt do you need to let go of?
- What good can you do for someone in your life who hates you or who has wronged you?
No comments:
Post a Comment