All things work together

All things work together
The apostle Paul writes,
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28.
This portion of scripture can be the hardest thing to believe, especially when we are going through tough times.
Yet the apostle Paul believed this and the apostle Paul was someone who was no stranger to hard times.  Through all the hardship Paul went through, things did work for good. For it helped spread the gospel of Christ throughout the know world.
Paul during his life time was able to speak to the common man. He spoke to intellectuals in Athens. Was able to witness to people after a shipwreck. Paul also witnessed to Jewish leaders, to a Jailor, Roman soldiers, governors, even the Roman emperor himself.
Paul no matter what he went through lived his faith in word and in deed. Which is what we are called to do in our lives today.
So my question to anyone reading this who claims to be a follower of Christ Jesus. Do you believe what Paul wrote? Are you despite what you are going through, good or bad, telling people of your faith in Christ Jesus in world and in deed?
Please think about it. 

Shepherd

 Shepherd

The Psalmist writes,

“The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. 

He makes me lie down in green pastures, 

he leads me beside quiet waters, 

he restores my soul. 

He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, 

I will fear no evil, for you are with me; 

your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. 

You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 

Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, 

and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.” 

                                                                      Psalm 23.

Is the Lord your shepherd?
Do you trust God in the dark times of your life?
Do you honour God when your life is good?
Is it only when you are in trouble that you turn to God?
Do you praise God for the good times you have?
Psalm twenty-three is a psalm of trust in God.
In the ancient world the word Shepherd was quite often used to denote kingship. So what the Psalmist is saying here is the God is the sovereign of his life.  That he trusts God to be with him in the good times and the bad times.
That by trusting God he will dwell in Gods house forever.
So I ask the question, is God truly sovereign in your life?
Can you honestly say that you trust God no matter the circumstances?
Can you say that you will dwell in the house of the Lord forever?
Please think about it.

A Walk of Faith

A walk of Faith
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” 
                                                                                  Proverbs 3:5,6.
Over the years I’ve had a lot of things happen to me, good and bad. During the good times I didn’t think much about what was happening and why it was happening. I just enjoyed it and thanked God for the good times.
When I was going through the bad times that was another thing. I questioned God, why? When I got cancer I had no real fear of dying. I knew were I would spend eternity still I asked God, why?
Then several weeks later with the cancer operation being called a success when I developed blood clots on my lungs as a result of the cancer operation, that all most killed me I asked God, why?
I prayed a lot during that time and the answer came down to “trust Me, have faith in Me”. Sometimes in life that’s all a believer can do.
Paul writing to the Romans wrote,
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” 
                                              Romans 8:28
We as Christians need to remember that bad things do happen to good people in this life why we may never know. They just seem to happen. The key is to keep our faith in God.
While I was in the hospital with the blood clots. While I never went out of my way to tell people about Christ,  I was able to talk with a few people about God. People noticed my reading the Bible and made positive comments.
I hope that I planted a few seeds during that time.
At the same time however my faith was strengthened. I knew God had more for me to do in this life and time has shown that to be true.
There’s a famous poem called Foot prints it goes like this,
“One night a man had a dream. He dreamed he was walking along the beach with the LORD. 
Across the sky flashed scenes from his life. For each scene, he noticed two sets of footprints in the sand; one belonging to him, and the other to the LORD.
When the last scene of his life flashed before him, he looked back at the footprints in the sand. He noticed that many times along the path of his life there was only one set of footprints. He also noticed that it happened at the very lowest and saddest times in his life:
This really bothered him and he questioned the LORD about it. “LORD, you said that once I decided to follow you, you’d walk with me all the way. But I have noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life, there is only one set of footprints. I don’t understand why when I needed you most you would leave me.”
The LORD replied, “My precious, precious child, I love you and I would never leave you. During your times of trial and suffering when you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you.” 
      Author unknown
While this poem may not be scripture it is true. If we truly have faith in God, faith in Christ, He will carry us through the bad times in our lives.
We may not know why we go through such times, or why God lets us go through them but if we trust God, He will deliver us safely through to the other side.
As the writer of Proverbs states,
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 
in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” 
                                                                                                    Proverbs 3:5,6.
Faith is the key thing in a Christians life. The writer of Hebrews states,
“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” 
                                                                                                                         Hebrews 11:1
“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”
                                                                                                    Hebrews 11:6.
As Christians we know we have a reward waiting for us in Heaven the key is keeping our faith in God, in the good times and in the bad.
Please think about it.