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Where is God when it hurts? In this study you will explore more deeply about the love of God.
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“For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope – the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good” (Titus 2:13, 14).
In these verses, Paul reminds us of the amazing message of salvation. Jesus Christ gave Himself for us. He provided a way for us to know God because we couldn’t reach God on our own.
Jesus is the one who redeemed us from all wickedness. Jesus is the one who purifies us, so that we can be His very own people. Because of this truth, our whole lives are to be focused on waiting for the day when Jesus will return to the earth and take us to be with Him forever. We are waiting for Jesus. He is our blessed hope. He is our great God. He is our Savior.
So, what do we do while we are waiting?
Paul tells us that while we are waiting we need to allow God’s grace to do its work in our lives. The nature of all mankind is to be lazy, selfish and proud, but God’s grace teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions. It also teaches us to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives.
While we wait for Jesus our time is filled with saying “No” to the temptation to lie, to be sexually promiscuous, to be gluttonous, to be idle, and to gossip. By the power of God’s grace our waiting is characterized by discipline, generosity and service to others.
Holy God, help me to make waiting for Jesus the focus of my life. Teach me by Your grace how to say “No” to ungodliness and how to live a self-controlled and righteous life.
Questions: What is the difference between passive and active waiting? How does God’s grace teach us?
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You ask a very good question Michael, what do we do while we wait. The answer is found in scripture…we do all the things that God has told us to do. We press into Him, meditate on His word, love others and serve. And all the while we trust that He is all that He says He is…patient, kind, loving, just and working all things together for good to those that love Him.
Okay, if a guy jumps in here? I ask the same question: “What does God want me to do while I wait on Him.” Now, the simple answer is be quiet, pray, read scriptures, trust and so on. And, yes, I know that we all must do that. But in reality, what does the jobless person do who cannot afford to feed his family, the mother whose child is getting sicker or the woman whose husband continues to cheat on her. If the bridge is on fire, at what point does one jump into the rocky river below. Love to hear your comments.
Also, if I may, please check out Journeys with the Messiah at http://www.TheJourneysProject.com. I believe you will be blessed. If so, please forward the link to others.
Thanks and may God continue to bless each of you.
Michael
Kanj,
Please feel free to post anything that any of us share from this site. I’m convinced God puts the gals together each devotional because we all as a collection get to share wisdom learned from HIM as we’ve walked our Christian path ways.
It’s a blessing to me every time I read what any of the gals feels led to share…..
we minister back and forth for HIS honour & glory.
Sisters in Christ to encourage and assist in our journeys.
Blessings
andi,
you have articulated my inner thoughts almost to the tee. may I post it where I can re-read and remind myself when needed that what I sometimes think and feel I’m the only one who has these thoughts, is not so. as I approach my 3rd year re-united with Jesus Christ, I am, I believe learning and absorbing Scripture for the first time. I am now in my third start with Genesis and have found Scripture to be as if I had never seen it before. I hadn’t really, I now see it through the peseverence, daily self controled eyes that were too blind to see before this. God bless
Thanks for sharing a bit of your struggle Jennifer. Please let me pray for you.
Holy God, you know how long the days are for Jennifer when her child is unwell. Remind her of Your constant presence so that she knows she is not alone. May You make David’s words in Psalm 27 true for Jennifer: “I am still confident of this, I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord. Be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” Be her tower of strength and her refuge. Amen.
Jennifer, I say this blessing over you: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13)
Waiting is an issue in my life. I try to be patient but it is hard at times especially with issues of the health of my child. I have felt so helpless with issues recently but with a lot of faith and prayer we finally got answers and some help. Even now we have to wait and be patient for our son’s body to adjust to Diabetic medicines but with God’s help it will happen.
This whole post is so me. I am dealing with personal issues, and I have a hard time being patient. I do good, then I mess up again. I feel like a hypocrite. I am not working, but I know if I was I wouldn’t be getting myself into some problems like I do. I am not a troublemaker, but I have been thru a lot with my husband, whom I do love very much inspite of what he did to me. ( A whole other issue), but I have forgiven him. Anywho, he is incarcerated currently, but HE Does love Our Father in Heaven. I am just exhausted I guess for waiting for him, but I am, but it is not easy. Praise God though, I do begin to help volunteering at a local christian radio station, so I believe God is heading me in a great direction. Thank you for hearing me out, I guess I needed this. God bless you all.
thank you
WOW! thanks so much Andi and Cathy. Just when I felt like I was a forgotten person I read your posts and felt so much better. I will heed your advice and I cannot thank you enough. I will pray for you as well with all my heart.
Dear Lord, thank you for putting into our lives just what we need when we need it. I thank you Lord for all the wonderful sisters that this allows me to meet, to love and to pray for.
The spirit is willing but the body is weak. I try; to begin each day with saying yes to Jesus, but as the day progresses, I do not always remember in every situation. This year, I am trying to focus more on being content and happy. I am the type of person who over analyses just about every situation and encounter. I get tired of myself sometimes. I want to interact with other people the way Jesus does. that is my prayer. I am praying for you Arlette. This is the time of year classes may be starting up at community college. Perhaps you can look into taking something you enjoy or to update your skills. You will soon be employed and never get this time to do things you want to do. It is hard to think like that I know, as my husband was unemployed last year and it is hard not to worry about finances. Do all you can to get a job, and then try to enjoy your free time, build your relationships, improve your skills. Will keep you in my prayers.
God really does work in mysterious ways, while I was reading this I had my xm radio on and the song “While I’m waiting” came on!! WHEW!! It never amazes me how God speaks to me if I will just listen and wait on HIM, and not on my own will!! God bless you for sending this to me every day!! I need it more than you will ever know!! =}
Hey Arlette, I found it extremely interesting that you are in your 6th month and still dealing w/negative thots and feelings. I was the same for the first 6 months too. It took that long for God to teach me to begin to ‘rest and relax and rely upon and in HIM.’ I pray Father that Arlette comes to this place you brought me to very soon Lord; for I believe YOU will cause an inner explosion of understanding in her spirit and soul that will impact her life for the rest of it….. and as a result will cause her to be impact those whom you bring into her ‘realm of influence.’ I ask these things in Jesus name…. and also Father that YOU bring her employment in YOUR perfet time. In Jesus name I ask these things. Amen
This spoke directly to me today and what I am dealing with! Lord, help me to rely on you day by day, moment by moment, to be self-controlled and say no to the temptations of this world! I can’t do it on my own.
I lost my job about 6 months ago. I have always worked and it has been very disconcerting to not work. I have felt like I should be doing something but yet cannot find what that something is. I pray daily to my Lord to use me however He sees fit. Then I wait. Perhaps waiting is what I am suppose to do,,,waiting with hope, waiting with faith, waiting with joy for the amazing blessings He has bestowed upon this unworthy sinner. I try to wait with patience knowing that despite how the world sees me or even how I sometimes see myself He loves me and thinks me precious. It is very scary to feel like I am just floating around and it is lonely feeling forgotten by people. But I , many many times a day, rebuke those thoughts and try to rest in the Lord. He has a plan for me. He knows the whys of everything and I must wait patiently and, as the scripture says, “Be still and know that I am God”. It is hard but no matter how many times I fall down He lifts me back up. Thank you for writing this devotional and God Bless.
Amen Robin.
The writer asks what is the difference between active and passive waiting? I think we all know what passive waiting is and I believe that ‘active’ waiting could be very different for each one of us. I say this because HE calls us all to do specific things, to specific daily tasks, reaching out, ministry for HIM.
Having written this I also add that active waiting can also appear to others to be passive at times, for there are times and seasons when physically we may not be obviously ‘busy’ for HIM yet our spirit & soul are ‘actively waiting.’ Like being pregnant for instance. And so we learn to understand we can be ‘active’ even as we wait for Him.
Some years ago after a move and a precious job loss I sought HIM as to what ‘should I be doing for you Lord,’ and HIS response was to ‘spend time w/Me and pray.’ This was an incredibly Active time internally yet to those around me may have appeared to be Inactive.
This also taught me not to weigh my walk w/others and vice versa as we all walk the pathways HE prepares for us in advance; yet I love how we intersect and move together for times and periods of times [oh dear I’m down a bunny trail now….LOL]
I need this work SO much, in my life. There are things I KNOW The Holy Spirit calls me daily, to lay down. May I heed. God once gave me a little chorus:
“Lord, please give me a heart that heeds,
that gives up sin, self and greed-
Lord please give me a heart that will yield,
to Your Word, Your will, Your way~
Jesus, You’re Everything, EVERYTHING
Please be my Everything, ALL to me-
I give You everything, EVERYTHING-
Jesus, be Everything, All I need.”