"Expect Great Things from God, Attempt Great Things for God."-- a sermon by William Carey, "the Father of Modern Missions"
Our Christian experience is a journey to the Celestial City, as John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress describes, and we must aim toward heaven to get there. But it's a solitary journey we must endure alone with only Christ as our Beacon and heavenly GPS. Aiming nowhere gets you nowhere! Israel's entrance into the promised land is analogous to the Christian's experience of the abundant life in Christ mentioned in John 10:10, and when Christ said in Matt. 6:33, "all these things shall be added unto you."
Our Christian experience is a journey to the Celestial City, as John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress describes, and we must aim toward heaven to get there. But it's a solitary journey we must endure alone with only Christ as our Beacon and heavenly GPS. Aiming nowhere gets you nowhere! Israel's entrance into the promised land is analogous to the Christian's experience of the abundant life in Christ mentioned in John 10:10, and when Christ said in Matt. 6:33, "all these things shall be added unto you."
In another sense, it also foreshadows our crossing of the bar into eternity to meet our Pilot face-to-face as we go one-on-one with the Lord at the Bema or Judgment Seat of Christ (cf. 2 Cor. 5:10) in glory to determine our final, eternal reward. But God wants to bless us in the here and now (in time as well as in eternity) and to make our way prosperous according to The Will that glorifies Him. Indeed, our future is in God's hands (cf. Psalm 31:15, ESV).
However, some believers never experience life to the full known as the more abundant life, even though they will be ushered into eternity with Jesus upon death. We are meant to eat the fat of the land in the here and now and to live in a land flowing with milk and honey as it were, but if we don't attain this, or sacrifice it for the kingdom's sake, there's a greater reward to go above and beyond the call of duty, such as martyrdom or missionary work. We are all poised to enter our promised land and be blessed by God in all our endeavors as we find His will for our lives and how he has gifted us--we can be like David who fulfilled all God's purpose for him. We can also conquer our personal demons and the archenemy, the devil, and take control of his territory with the armor of Christ, and we are more than conquerors (cf. Rom. 8:37) with Jesus and cannot lose--we are in a win-win situation. Don't waste your life wandering in the wilderness--claim the promised land!
What it takes is to take God at His word and at face value, and to claim His promises, none of which have failed (cf. Josh 23:14). We may seem like grasshoppers compared to the bullies of the world, but God is on our side and will fight for us. Just like Canaan was a land filled with giants, life is full of difficulties and obstacles, but we must keep our eyes on Jesus and He will see us through the flame and it won't overwhelm us (cf. Is. 43:2; 1 Pet. 1:7). We all have our personal giants and bullies to overcome. We can do all things through Christ, who strengthens us (cf. Phil. 4:13). With God, nothing is impossible (cf. Luke 1:37; Matt. 19:26) and nothing is too difficult for God (cf. Gen. 18:14; Jer. 32:17, 27)!
We honor God by observing His Word and claiming His promises by faith, living out His precepts, and following His will--this is the essence of worship. We need have no fears with God because everything is small to Him--everything is small--neither is anything too trivial for His loving attention. If we don't want to learn things the easy way of focusing on the Word of God, we may have to learn our lessons via the school of hard knocks and find out what it's like to be without the hedge of protection, knowing it's a frame of mind and state of grace, not a geographical place.
We must never forget who God is nor who we are in Christ. God is no respecter of persons and there are no bullies nor giants to Him, so we are safe in His loving care. Yes, His grace is sufficient for us (cf. 2 Cor. 12:9)! The issue is whether we see blessings in difficulties or difficulties in blessings. In other words, do you tend to see the evil and say "Why?" or the good and say "Why not?" Don't question God's wisdom in trouble, as Job found out: God is too kind to be cruel, too wise to make a mistake, and too deep to explain Himself!
However, some believers never experience life to the full known as the more abundant life, even though they will be ushered into eternity with Jesus upon death. We are meant to eat the fat of the land in the here and now and to live in a land flowing with milk and honey as it were, but if we don't attain this, or sacrifice it for the kingdom's sake, there's a greater reward to go above and beyond the call of duty, such as martyrdom or missionary work. We are all poised to enter our promised land and be blessed by God in all our endeavors as we find His will for our lives and how he has gifted us--we can be like David who fulfilled all God's purpose for him. We can also conquer our personal demons and the archenemy, the devil, and take control of his territory with the armor of Christ, and we are more than conquerors (cf. Rom. 8:37) with Jesus and cannot lose--we are in a win-win situation. Don't waste your life wandering in the wilderness--claim the promised land!
What it takes is to take God at His word and at face value, and to claim His promises, none of which have failed (cf. Josh 23:14). We may seem like grasshoppers compared to the bullies of the world, but God is on our side and will fight for us. Just like Canaan was a land filled with giants, life is full of difficulties and obstacles, but we must keep our eyes on Jesus and He will see us through the flame and it won't overwhelm us (cf. Is. 43:2; 1 Pet. 1:7). We all have our personal giants and bullies to overcome. We can do all things through Christ, who strengthens us (cf. Phil. 4:13). With God, nothing is impossible (cf. Luke 1:37; Matt. 19:26) and nothing is too difficult for God (cf. Gen. 18:14; Jer. 32:17, 27)!
We honor God by observing His Word and claiming His promises by faith, living out His precepts, and following His will--this is the essence of worship. We need have no fears with God because everything is small to Him--everything is small--neither is anything too trivial for His loving attention. If we don't want to learn things the easy way of focusing on the Word of God, we may have to learn our lessons via the school of hard knocks and find out what it's like to be without the hedge of protection, knowing it's a frame of mind and state of grace, not a geographical place.
We must never forget who God is nor who we are in Christ. God is no respecter of persons and there are no bullies nor giants to Him, so we are safe in His loving care. Yes, His grace is sufficient for us (cf. 2 Cor. 12:9)! The issue is whether we see blessings in difficulties or difficulties in blessings. In other words, do you tend to see the evil and say "Why?" or the good and say "Why not?" Don't question God's wisdom in trouble, as Job found out: God is too kind to be cruel, too wise to make a mistake, and too deep to explain Himself!
We don't have to enjoy trials, but they do bring wonderful opportunities to glorifying God in our deliverance. Problems provide wonderful chances--they're tests. We must never forget that God is bigger than any problem we may encounter and with God nothing is impossible. When we connect and resonate with God's will our life will be in harmony and blessed to the full in doing God's will (cf. 2 Cor. 9:8).
The challenging question is whether we are getting what we want out of life and are we being used by God as vessels of honor? The divine order is emptying before filling, before using. Caveat: Christians must never forget it is God who blesses them and whatever they achieve is to His glory by His power (cf. Deut. 8:18): "Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the LORD" (cf. Zech. 4:6). God gets all the credit and glory, but He desires to share it with us (cf. Ps. 84:11; 1 Pet. 5:10), and to give us a taste of His glory, even on this side of eternity. Indeed, we have seen the coming of the glory of the Lord. Paul ventured to boast of nothing but of what Christ had accomplished through him (cf. Rom. 15:18). Isaiah said that all he had done was through Him (cf. Isa. 26:12).
Never forget God is in control and His sovereignty is not limited by our freedom, while He freely orchestrates history to His glory, as He does all events and circumstances (cf. Eph. 1:11). Our job is to spread the Word of God's glory revealed in Christ and that He has won the ancient war with the devil and our victory is sure with Him on our side. We are not fighting for victory, but from victory--Christ won and is sharing the booty with us!
We all must be tested and pass the trials for "through many tribulations, we enter the kingdom of God" (cf. Acts 14:22). "Experience is not so much what happens to you, but in you--i.e., what you do with what happens to you," according to Aldous Huxley--you either become bitter or better. The same sun melts the butter but hardens the clay! It really matters what you do with your experience and whether you learn by it, even if it's the school of hard knocks--however, blessed is he who is taught by the wisdom of God's Word (cf. Ps. 94:12). In short, God owes no one an explanation; He's not accountable to us, but we to Him.
But we demonstrate our faith by our works which is the evidence of its reality. Bogus faith without works doesn't save but is dead faith (cf. James 2:26). As the Reformers' formula said, "We are saved by faith alone, but not a faith that is alone." Works validate our faith! But, before we can take what's ours in the promised land, we must believe God's promise and that faith must be tested by fire, for it's more precious than gold or silver. Faith is abstract and must be seen to be real, we show our faith by our works (cf. James 2:18), and are rewarded according to our works (cf. Rom. 2:6). When God sees Himself in us we are purified, because the goal of our life in Christ is Christlikeness as the icons of God. In the meantime, we're all works in progress and God isn't finished with us yet! Soli Deo Gloria!
The challenging question is whether we are getting what we want out of life and are we being used by God as vessels of honor? The divine order is emptying before filling, before using. Caveat: Christians must never forget it is God who blesses them and whatever they achieve is to His glory by His power (cf. Deut. 8:18): "Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the LORD" (cf. Zech. 4:6). God gets all the credit and glory, but He desires to share it with us (cf. Ps. 84:11; 1 Pet. 5:10), and to give us a taste of His glory, even on this side of eternity. Indeed, we have seen the coming of the glory of the Lord. Paul ventured to boast of nothing but of what Christ had accomplished through him (cf. Rom. 15:18). Isaiah said that all he had done was through Him (cf. Isa. 26:12).
Never forget God is in control and His sovereignty is not limited by our freedom, while He freely orchestrates history to His glory, as He does all events and circumstances (cf. Eph. 1:11). Our job is to spread the Word of God's glory revealed in Christ and that He has won the ancient war with the devil and our victory is sure with Him on our side. We are not fighting for victory, but from victory--Christ won and is sharing the booty with us!
We all must be tested and pass the trials for "through many tribulations, we enter the kingdom of God" (cf. Acts 14:22). "Experience is not so much what happens to you, but in you--i.e., what you do with what happens to you," according to Aldous Huxley--you either become bitter or better. The same sun melts the butter but hardens the clay! It really matters what you do with your experience and whether you learn by it, even if it's the school of hard knocks--however, blessed is he who is taught by the wisdom of God's Word (cf. Ps. 94:12). In short, God owes no one an explanation; He's not accountable to us, but we to Him.
But we demonstrate our faith by our works which is the evidence of its reality. Bogus faith without works doesn't save but is dead faith (cf. James 2:26). As the Reformers' formula said, "We are saved by faith alone, but not a faith that is alone." Works validate our faith! But, before we can take what's ours in the promised land, we must believe God's promise and that faith must be tested by fire, for it's more precious than gold or silver. Faith is abstract and must be seen to be real, we show our faith by our works (cf. James 2:18), and are rewarded according to our works (cf. Rom. 2:6). When God sees Himself in us we are purified, because the goal of our life in Christ is Christlikeness as the icons of God. In the meantime, we're all works in progress and God isn't finished with us yet! Soli Deo Gloria!
God bless you
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