In God We Trust... The X Factor Devotional - Day Thirty Four - February 25, 2010

“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

There are two ways people live their lives as they pass through this world – either remembering God or forgetting Him.  They either acknowledge His presence and live their lives in dependence on Him, or they pay no attention to His claims on them and live a life on the basis of their own understanding and abilities.  The worst tragedy and cruelest deception is the man who says feebly with his lips, “I trust God,” but an examination of his calendar and checkbook shows no difference between him and the man who does not make that claim.  The question we must ask ourselves today is, “Do we trust God?”

The very nature of this question produces two possible meanings:  First – “Can you ‘trust’ God?”  That is, is He trustworthy?  Can He handle the decisions and the problems in your life?  Secondly – “Can ‘you’ trust God?”  That is, do you have the ability to trust Him?

These verses reveal some important things about trusting God:

• The matter of trust is an all or nothing thing.  Notice how many times the word “all” is used.
• The command to trust precedes the promise.  Blessing comes after trust is expressed.
• The promise is conditional.  Unlike many of the unconditional promises in the Bible, this promise of direction is given only to those who exercise trust in God.

Prayer Focus: Pray your faith and trust in God will grow.  Pray you will allow God to be in control and you will utterly depend on Him and .desire His will be done.  Pray the fruits of our deepened trust in Him will result in guidance from Him.  Ask God to identify an area of your life where you need to yield to Him.  Then give it to Him and look for His provision.  Hey – we say we trust God.  We want to trust God.  And now it’s time to actually take that to the next level

Disappointment... The X Factor Devotional - Day Nine - January 21, 2010

"Yet the LORD, the God of Israel, chose me from my whole family to be king over Israel forever."
1 Chronicles 28:4

This expression from 1 Chronicles followed the greatest disappointment of King David’s life.  He had just learned from God that he would not have the honor of providing leadership for the building of God’s Temple.  David had said in 1 Chronicles 28:2 that his heart had been set on building a magnificent dwelling-place for the God of Israel.  Later, he describes the energy, enthusiasm, and unbridled generosity he had already invested in this God-honoring project:  "With all my resources I have provided for the temple of my God — gold for the gold work, silver for the silver, bronze for the bronze…Besides, in my devotion to the temple of my God I now give my personal treasures of gold and silver…" (1 Chronicles 29:2-3).

After all of this sacrifice and preparation, David learns that he would not be the man to build God’s Temple.  What was his response?  What would we do in the face of such disappointment?  His response teaches us one of life’s greatest priorities:  focusing on the goodness of God.  Instead of throwing a "pity party," reflect on how wonderfully gracious God has been to you.  That’s exactly what David did.  Upon learning he would not be personally involved in building the Temple, he reminded himself and others around him of the incredible honor he already enjoyed:  "Yet the LORD, the God of Israel, chose me from my whole family to be king over Israel forever" (1 Chronicles 28:4).

David did not allow this disappointing circumstance to rob him of his joy, nor did he regret having sacrificed so much to build the Temple.  He did not pout over his loss; he rejoiced in the honor that had been given to him as king and gave generously to the Temple project.  David’s lost opportunity could have made him resentful or bitter.  Instead, he maintained an attitude of gratitude and remained focused on the big picture of God’s purpose and glory.

Prayer Focus: Regardless of the disappointments you are faced with today, take some time to reflect on all the special expressions of God’s goodness in your life.  Put perspective on your disappointment.  How many good things are still a part of your life and your family’s life?  Are there others suffering more?  Thank God for how he has already blessed you.

Out Of Nowhere

It's always good to give God glory. You do it. I do it. We sometimes even do it when things are not going too well.

But every once in a while... when things aren't too bad. In fact, when things are going pretty well. Life is happening. Ups and downs occur. But, overall, life is going pretty decent.

And then... WHAM! Out of nowhere - God just blesses the absolute bejeezers out of you. And you stand there and go... whaaa? What was that? Why did You do that? Where did that come from?

Honestly... I'm ashamed of myself for not believing He will do this kind of thing more often. I'm ashamed that I feel the need to write about it. I'm ashamed that I make such a big deal out of it.

C'mon folks... God loves us. God loves YOU. God loves His children. And He WANTS to bless us. I guess the question is... "Are we trustworthy with those blessings?" Do we recognize Him in the midst of our struggles?

I am blessed. I am so thankful. I can 'see' Him at work in my life and my ministry. I am honored and humbled to be a part of His team. Just thought you should know that.