Today Reminder - 07 November 2012 (My time)

A reminder for today

Some time later, the LORD spoke to Abram in a vision and said to him, "Do not be afraid, Abram, for I will protect you, and your reward will be great." Then the LORD took Abram outside and said to him, "Look up into the sky and count the stars if you can. That's how many descendants you will have!" (Genesis 15:1 and 5)

My time and God’s time – not the same time.

I thought I will go back to Abraham and just look at his life and how God made a covenant with him that he kept in His own time. Let’s do a quick review. God promised Abraham a child and that his descendants will be as many as the stars. Now Abraham was a faithful man and trusted God completely, yet his wife Sara said to him that they were old and this seemed impossible (does that sound familiar). So she told Abraham to marry Hagar so that she will give him a son (once again, we like to do it ourselves). So Abraham did and Ishmael was born, but this was not God’s plan nor was it by His hand. 

So in the end Abraham was a 100 years old when Isaac was born to complete God’s promise. But then God asked him to sacrifice Isaac (Has God ever asked you something that you hesitated to do, or that you ignored). Abraham at this stage did as God commanded, because he knew God would either stop him or bring Isaac back to life.

My dear friend, if you read the history behind Abraham you will see many human weaknesses that we ourselves display every day. God has a plan in your life and He will let it all fall into place when the time is right. It is our own unfaithful ways that makes us do things on our own to rush towards our goal and this ends up in disaster. In the end Abraham did not question anymore. He knew who God was and out of fear and respect he did as God commanded. There lies a great lesson in that where we first need to understand who God is and this understanding will bring a new perspective in our lives. Knowing who God is will automatically bring faith and trust into our relationship with God. 

It is easy to say that God is testing us and therefore we are not yet where we need to be. That is not true, I believe that God is preparing us for what lies ahead and whatever we face in life must not separate us from God, but instead it should bring us closer to Him. In the end it will all fall into place as God leads us to our destiny, and ultimately our destiny is to be with Him and glorify His name.

I pray that you will journey towards your goal with trust and faith and that you will not rush out of human error but that you will be patient as God prepares you for great things, in Jesus name.

Have an awesome day, dear friend of Jesus.

Cheers

Today Reminder - 06 November 2012 (Rewards)

A reminder for today

Jacob loved Joseph more than any of his other children because Joseph had been born to him in his old age. So one day Jacob had a special gift made for Joseph—a beautiful robe. (Genesis 37:3)

Rewards – Received and hated for it.

Joseph is just one of those examples in the Bible that you can read over and over. He displays so many great characteristics from which I believe we can learn a great deal.

Jacob loved Joseph more than his brothers and the Bible mentions here that the reason being is that Joseph was born to him in his old age. Now we have to remember that Joseph’s mother, Rachel, could not bear children and that God blessed her with Joseph and what we must also remember is that Jacob loved Rachel more than Lea, his other wife. At this stage in Joseph’s life his mother passed away giving birth to Benjamin

.

Now, out of this I have my thoughts. Joseph grew up with a father and mother that displayed enormous faith and trusted God completely. I believe that Joseph was a model son. In verse 2 of Genesis 37 we see that Joseph stood for what was right - But Joseph reported to his father some of the bad things his brothers were doing. If you look at the rest of Joseph’s life and the way he trusted God and handled all that happened to him, I think he was already like that as a child, so no wonder his father loved him so much. Joseph did everything right, and to show his gratitude Jacob gave him this beautiful robe - a blessing. This caused even more jealousy among his brothers who hated Joseph.

Do you see this happening today? When we stand for what is right and we do not take part in the wrong things we are frowned upon and people turn against us. When we are rewarded for doing good people will hate us for it. You might feel alone at times and you might think that you are the only one that tries to be righteous when all other seem so evil. Joseph must have been alone a lot. His very family hated him and wanted him dead, but Joseph knew he was not alone. He knew God was with him and his way of life brought great rewards to him that eventually saved his entire family. 

My dear friend, do not give up when people turn against you. Do not allow the evil of other to take away the joy you have in Jesus. Jesus destroyed the enemy and all his power is lost. All that he can do is to mislead other and use their stupidity to hurt those that stays on the right track. 

I pray that you will be filled with the Lord’s strength today as you face yet another day and I pray that you will see how God uplifts you and set you free from the evil of other. May you stand and fight for what is right and never be discouraged by what other say and think, in Jesus name.

Have an awesome day, dear friend of Jesus.

Cheers

Today Reminder - 05 November 2012 (Dreams)

A reminder for today

"We were out in the field, tying up bundles of grain. Suddenly my bundle stood up, and your bundles all gathered around and bowed low before mine!" His brothers responded, "So you think you will be our king, do you? Do you actually think you will reign over us?" And they hated him all the more because of his dreams and the way he talked about them. (Genesis 37:7-8)

Dreams – do not give up on your dreams.

Joseph was Jacob’s favourite which made him very unpopular with his brothers, and worst of all Joseph had these dreams where his brothers bowed before him and telling them about it certainly did not gain more favour.

Joseph’s dreams were God’s way of telling him what it is that awaited him in the future. God showed Joseph that he will become a great leader and even his brother’s will bow before him. 

I love Joseph, he shows so much humility and faith. I believe he too were confused by his dreams and probably were looking for advice, but instead he got more jealousy and hatred from his brothers. It must’ve been terrible for Joseph, for his very brothers mistreated him and hated him.

My dear friend, do not give up on your dreams even when you are faced with terrible opposition. Take your fears and worries to God and let Him guide you. Sometimes it is the things we think is impossible that God has planned for us. God surely will take you all the way where you must be, just have faith and don’t give up. Joseph was always humble and always faithful.

I pray that you will be patient and that you will ask God for guidance and direction, in Jesus name.

Have an awesome day, dear friend of Jesus.

Cheers

Today Reminder - 02 November 2012 (Knowing God)

A reminder for today

The LORD appeared again to Abraham near the oak grove belonging to Mamre. One day Abraham was sitting at the entrance to his tent during the hottest part of the day. He looked up and noticed three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he ran to meet them and welcomed them, bowing low to the ground.
"My lord," he said, "if it pleases you, stop here for a while. Rest in the shade of this tree while water is brought to wash your feet. And since you've honoured your servant with this visit, let me prepare some food to refresh you before you continue on your journey." (Genesis 18:1-5)

Knowing God – a journey.

After I read this chapter in Abraham’s life I passed it by thinking there is not really something motivating that I like to share. Most of this chapter consists of God’s promise to Sarai that she will have a son. But as I gave it some thought yesterday I kept on thinking about these specific verses. You see what caught my attention is the fact that Abraham saw three strangers and as he came nearer he recognised the Lord and asked them to stay and eat. Wow!

Do you see that! Abraham’s relationship with the Lord was on a level where he recognised Him when He visited in what seems as a human form. This made me think. Would I recognise the Lord, if He knocked on my door today? Will I know it is Him? 

How important is our relationship with the Lord? Do you see that Abraham walked so close with the Lord that he would recognise Him even as a stranger. I think that this is vital to our faith. We must spend time in prayer building on that relationship and we must spend time reading the Bible so that we can know more about God.

Knowing God will not only build our faith but it will surely bring us more in line with who we are to be in Him. 

My dear friend, in this very chapter we see how Abraham had an open relationship with God that was based on respect and honour. Even when he asked the Lord to be merciful on Sodom, he asked in a respectful manner. This is a man that knew God. Our relationship must be built on these same principles – respect and honour.

I pray that your journey will bring you closer to God, in Jesus name.

Have an awesome day, dear friend of Jesus.

Cheers

Today Reminder - 01 November 2012 (Work)

A reminder for today

"I worked for you through the scorching heat of the day and through cold and sleepless nights. Yes, for twenty years I slaved in your house! I worked for fourteen years earning your two daughters, and then six more years for your flock. And you changed my wages ten times! (Genesis 31:40-41)

Work – a gift.

If you read the history of Jacob’s life and especially his time living with Laban you will notice that he worked very hard even though he was fairly mistreated. Jacob shows character in the sense that he acknowledges God’s hand in his blessings. In Genesis 32:10 he prays: “I am not worthy of all the unfailing love and faithfulness you have shown to me, your servant. When I left home and crossed the Jordan River, I owned nothing except a walking stick. Now my household fills two large camps!” 

This is quite an eye opener. We enter this world with nothing but as we grow God blesses our work and increases our possessions throughout our lives. What is important is that we see these blessings and that we thank God for what we have. 

My dear friend, I pray that your live will be filled with contentment as you thank God for all that He has done and still will do in your life. I pray that you will be patient and that you will hear His voice as He guides you day by day, in Jesus name.

Have an awesome day, dear friend of Jesus.

Cheers