Think on these things : Embracing the Mess

“Where there are no oxen, the manger is empty, but from the strength of an ox comes an abundant harvest.” Proverbs 14:4

I used to walk through a new home subdivision. Often I would see the street filled with red clay from the land as bulldozers clear it to lay a foundation. The job site is littered with lumber, all sorts of trash from workers, and is generally a mess. The house looks ugly; it has all its insides exposed as it is being pieced together, yet this process is necessary to get to the finished product. When completed, the home is beautiful. The landscaping looks like it came out of a home-design magazine. Everything is clean and perfect in order for the new homeowner to move in.

Our walk with God is much the same process. Often we must go through a messy period of our lives in which all aspects of it are in disarray. It is in these times that God builds a new structure. He might remove some structural timbers in our lives and replace them with new ones. He might even add on another room. And unless this process takes place, we will never see the end product. The goal is more Christlikeness. In order to achieve this in us, He requires a period of removing all that is not of Him. It can be a painful process.

It would be impossible to keep oxen in a barn without having to clean up the mess from time to time. It just comes with the territory, but the result of the oxen is an abundant harvest. God may be allowing a mess in order to ensure a fruitful harvest in your life. Learn from Him so that you might experience the fulfillment of His purposes for you in these times.

 

Today God Is First (TGIF) devotional message, Copyright by Os Hillman, Marketplace Leaders.

Gospel Bite with Poetess Denise Fyffe: God is Doing A New Thing

On Gospel Bite with Poetess Denise Fyffe; today Denise talks about how ‘God is Doing A New Thing’. I hope you are one of those who is experiencing a new dimension in God.

Copyright © 2017 · All Rights Reserved · Denise N. Fyffe

Gospel Bite with Poetess Denise Fyffe: I Pray You Will Have Answered Prayers

On Gospel Bite with Poetess Denise Fyffe; today Denise talks about being mindful of others, on the road as we make our way to work in the mornings.

Copyright © 2017 · All Rights Reserved · Denise N. Fyffe

Think on these things : Being a Vessel to Bless Others

“One man gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.” Proverbs 11:24-25

One of the reasons God entrusts money to us is to bless other Christians by meeting their needs. God uses the transfer of money within the Body of Christ to build unity among Christians. Sometimes we withhold money that God has designated for someone else. He wants to bless through us, but His will cannot be accomplished through us if we are disobedient.

This was the case for a business owner who tells of the time when God told him to forego a company bonus one year. God directed him to share his year-end bonus with an employee to show his appreciation for him. He wrestled with God for three full days before obeying the Lord on the matter. When he finally met with the employee to give him his check, the man said he had been praying about a financial need he had three days earlier. He had decided to borrow the money to meet his need. The amount of money he borrowed was the exact amount the business owner gave him.

God had already planned to provide for the employee through the business owner, but because he was hesitant, he almost missed the opportunity to be an instrument of God in this man’s life. Even so, he could have prevented the man from having to borrow money. It was an important lesson for the business owner.

How many people do we let down because we feel the “harvest” God provides is all ours? In America, the pressure is always on to move up the ladder of material accumulation. Jesus warned us about this. If our focus is on accumulation, we will not look for opportunities to be God’s vessels of financial blessing to others. Ask the Lord if you have an open hand when it comes to finances.

Today God Is First (TGIF) devotional message, Copyright by Os Hillman, Marketplace Leaders.

Gospel Bite with Poetess Denise Fyffe: Mothers, Thank You For Your Sacrifice

On Gospel Bite with Poetess Denise Fyffe; today in celebration of our Mothers, Denise talks about their sacrifice and how they are an example and gift of God’s unconditional love.

Copyright © 2017 · All Rights Reserved · Denise N. Fyffe

Gospel Bite with Poetess Denise Fyffe: Think About His Love

On Gospel Bite with Poetess Denise Fyffe; today Denise talks about the changes that God has in store.

Copyright © 2017 · All Rights Reserved · Denise N. Fyffe

Gospel Bite with Poetess Denise Fyffe: Count Your Blessings

On Gospel Bite with Poetess Denise Fyffe; today Denise talks about the importance of counting your blessings and naming them one by one. The bible says we must come to God with thanksgiving in all our prayers. Be grateful. Be blessed.

Copyright © 2017 · All Rights Reserved · Denise N. Fyffe

Think on these Things : The Door of Full Surrender

“But He knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I will come forth as gold.” Job 23:10

I was recently sitting with the leader of a workplace organization as he described a question he poses to workplace believers. “What if there were two doors to choose from; behind one door was the complete will of God for your life and behind the other door was how life could be according to your own preference. Which door would you choose?” The struggle for most lies in the desire to follow God completely and the fear of what might be behind the door of full surrender. Most of us desire to follow God, but few of us will do it at any cost. We do not really believe that God loves us to the degree that we are willing to give Him complete permission to do as He wills in us.

If we desire to fully walk with Christ, there is a cost. We may give intellectual assent and go along with His principles and do fine; however, if we are fully given over to Him and His will for our life, it will be a life that will have adversity.

The Bible is clear that humans do not achieve greatness without having their sinful will broken. This process is designed to create a nature change in each of us, not just a habit change. The Bible calls it circumcision. Circumcision is painful, bloody, and personal.

If God has plans to greatly use you in the lives of others, you can expect your trials to be even greater than those of others. Why? Because, like Joseph who went through greater trials than most patriarchs, your calling may have such responsibility that God cannot afford to entrust it to you without ensuring your complete faithfulness to the call. He has much invested in you on behalf of others. He may want to speak through your life to a greater degree than through another. The events of your life would become the frame for the message He wants to speak through you.

Do not fear the path that God may lead you on. Embrace it. For God may bring you down a path in your life to ensure the reward of your inheritance. “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all” (2 Cor. 4:17)

Today God Is First (TGIF) devotional message, Copyright by Os Hillman, Marketplace Leaders.