Category Archives: Wait on the Lord

‘Tis The Season–Really??? Bible Ballistics: BBs #418

13 Wednesday Dec 2017

Posted by in 'Tis The Season?, Abundant Life In Jesus, Confidence, Faithful is He that has Promised!, I Will Never Leave You, Jesus Is The Only Way!, Knowing God's Word, Made like Jesus!, Perseverance, Salvation, The Only Way, The Word, Time, TODAY, Unexpected Interruptions, Wait on the Lord, Walking With Jesus

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Bible Ballistics: BBs #418   ‘Tis The Season–Really???

 

As I sit here writing this morning, I am thankful that my computer is running again—we had issues last week and that is why we haven’t posted on our normal schedule. Then this morning I get up and start to write, and voila—now no Internet! I couldn’t help but think of what the scriptures say about a time and season for all things—and this seems to be the season for interruptions. But I have learned that ‘interruptions’ don’t have to always be a bad thing. God often allows interruptions to get our attention, to teach us some new lesson, or to review an old one that we keep forgetting, or sometimes God just wants us to come aside and be with HIM!

I want to share a passage with you today that is worthy of our time and attention; a passage that was made famous in song some years ago, yet perhaps with little thought to the God who inspired the principle! And what is that principle? That God is God, and when we love, trust and serve Him through His Son Jesus Christ, we can rest in the assurance that God is at work in “ALL” things, no matter the season!

While God isn’t the author of evil, He does allow evil to continue because when man chose to sin, we essentially gave Satan the “title deed” to planet earth, you might say! Yet even in this disaster, God loved us so much, that He, already knowing what we would do, had provided a plan for HIS “Only Begotten Son” to take on flesh and blood, live and walk on planet earth, and die for our sins on a cruel, Roman cross! But, praise God, HE didn’t stay dead—He arose on the third day, triumphant over sin, death and hell, and all who will come to HIM in repentance and faith can know the full assurance of His saving grace, His presence within, as well as His promises to keep us no matter what is going on without!

“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

2 A time to be born,

and a time to die;       

a time to plant,

and a time to pluck up that which is planted;

3 A time to kill,

and a time to heal;

a time to break down,

and a time to build up;

4 A time to weep,

and a time to laugh;

a time to mourn,

and a time to dance;

5 A time to cast away stones,

and a time to gather stones together;

a time to embrace,

and a time to refrain from embracing;

6 A time to get,

and a time to lose;

a time to keep,

and a time to cast away;

7 A time to rend,

and a time to sew;

a time to keep silence,

and a time to speak;

8 A time to love,

and a time to hate;

a time of war,

and a time of peace.

9 What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboureth?

10 I have seen the travail,

which God hath given to the sons of men

to be exercised in it.

11 HE hath made every thing beautiful

in his time:

also he hath set the world in their heart,

so that no man can find out

the work that God maketh

from the beginning

to the end.” Ecclesiastes 3:1-11

God set the world to be our gift and our challenge—one which we can successfully meet only with His grace and power within, in the person of the Holy Spirit (who comes and dwells within every believer). It’s what Jesus came to provide!!! It’s what the Christmas ‘season’ is really about—

not just food and fun—

not just toys and tinsel—

not just snow and songs—

not just family and frolicking–

but Christmas is about The Christ Child who came to “save His people from their sins”! God allows seasons of life to help us grow, learn and mature into faithful, productive children of God— “exercised in it”! HE never leaves us alone, or on our own in any season, He’s ever working on us!

“And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children,

My son,

despise not thou the chastening

of the Lord,

nor faint when thou are rebuked

of him:

6 For whom the Lord loveth

he chasteneth,

and scourgeth every son

whom he receiveth.

7 If ye endure chastening,

God dealeath with you

as with sons;

for what son is he

whom the father chasteneth not?

8 But if ye be without chastisement,

whereof all are partakers,

then are ye bastards,

and not sons.” Hebrews 12: 5-8

It is important to note that the word used here for “chastisement” is a Greek word that refers to “child training”—all that is involved in training a child unto adulthood, not just corrective discipline.

James also reminds us that interruptions and seasons of life aren’t necessarily a bad thing.

“My brethren,

count it all joy

when ye fall into divers temptations;

3 Knowing this,

that the trying of your faith

worketh patience.

4 But let patience have her perfect work,

that ye may be perfect (mature)

and entire, (complete in Jesus)

wanting (lacking) nothing.”    James 1:2-4

And in closing our thoughts today, I simply want to leave you with another passage of assurance to ponder.

“And we know that all things work together

for good

to them that love God,

to them who are the called

according to his purpose.

29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.” Romans 8:28-29

And “ALL”, my friends, means “ALL”!!! Today and Today…!

Snippets For Friday??? Bible Ballistics: BBs #376

14 Friday Jul 2017

Posted by in Approved Unto God, Knowing God's Word, The Word, Wait on the Lord, Walking With Jesus

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Bible Ballistics: BBs  #376   Snippets For Friday???

 

“Yea, though I walk

through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil:

for thou art with me;

thy rod and thy staff

they comfort me.”   Psalm 23:4

We often see this passage quoted or read at times of grief or sorrow, at funerals or just when we need comfort in times of difficulty. But I’d like to take a different approach to it; I’d like us to recognize something that is often overlooked—this person IS walking. He’s not sitting down and unafraid, he’s not lounging, or twiddling his thumbs, and unafraid—he IS ‘walking’! He is on the move with the Lord, and when we keep on walking with the Lord, and He with us, we can truly “fear no evil”, for He IS walking with us. The key being, we must ‘walk’ with Him, not sit on our ‘pew’ and wait for others to ‘get moving’, but be “walking” with Jesus!

By the same token, there is a time when we are to wait! We are to “wait upon the LORD”! Another familiar passage and again I want us to peruse a different focus than we usually have in this verse. While the Lord will renew our strength, and we will mount up—there is also (again) the clear indication that we are to be movement!

“But they that wait upon the LORD

shall renew their strength;

they shall mount up with wings as eagles;

they shall run,

and not be weary;

and they shall walk,

and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31

While we are waiting on the Lord it is to be as a servant “waiting on” their master. This servant isn’t expected to idly sit by and “wait” for something to do; wait for his name to be called; wait till someone is watching; wait till he’s ‘in the mood’! No, “I must be about my Father’s business” continually (Luke. 2:49). God expects us to be ‘walking’ in His ways, then as He leads in a particular way or time, HE will provide the strength to “run and not be weary”, to “walk and not faint”, through the mundane, routine walk of living a holy, righteous life before a dark and wicked world. Too many of us are sitting around waiting to “mount up”, when we aren’t even moving! Even Jesus in His childhood knew that serving the Father was an active, participatory relational activity. What about you?

So how do we move and wait at the same time? We simply press on with Jesus, going in one direction (His direction!) until HE changes our marching orders.

“I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:14

And last but certainly not least, we “study to shew thyself approved unto God”! We stay in The Word and feast on the truth of God—both the living Word, Jesus, and the written Word, the Bible.

“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”   Psalm 119:105

“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15

There it is again, a path—indicating movement, and my feet—walking! Even Paul calls us a “workman”—that’s pretty clear. So get up, get going and follow wherever HE leads you today, having NO fear “for thou art with me”!!!