March 21, 2018
To hope is to be human. But, real hope is divine.
"Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him, On those who hope for His lovingkindness, To deliver their soul from death And to keep them alive in famine. Our soul waits for the LORD; He is our help and our shield. For our heart rejoices in Him, Because we trust in His holy name. Let Your lovingkindness, O Lord, be upon us, According as we have hoped in You." (Psalm 33.18-22)
The God of hope (Romans 15.13) ever looks after those who place their hope in Him. He "who fashions the heart of them all, He who understands all their works" (Psalm 33.15) is attentive to all who trust in Him.
Hope is as vital to life as air, food, and water. And yet, so many people live by misplaced hope; hope that is merely wishful thinking. The God of hope favors those who look to Him in faith with peace and joy.
May real hope ever be our anchor (Hebrews 6.19) during life's storms, and a constant source of peace and joy.Steve Taylor, 2018
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March 20, 2018
Things are not always as they seem. An ordinary task just might be prelude to something much greater.
A story is recorded in 1 Samuel 9 about a man named Saul dispatched by his father with the task of finding some of his father's lost donkeys (1 Samuel 9.3). After 3 futile days of searching Saul, along with his servant, abandon the search but choose instead to consult with Samuel, a prophet of God, for insight into the lost donkeys. But, there is much more to the story than finding some lost livestock.
"Now a day before Saul's coming, the LORD had revealed this to Samuel saying, 'About this time tomorrow I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him to be prince over My people Israel; and he will deliver My people from the hand of the Philistines. For I have regarded My people, because their cry has come to Me.' " (1 Samuel 9.15-16)
A man on a mission to find lost livestock was actually on a journey to become a king. There was literally a royal purpose behind a routine task. And such as it is with us: the ordinary, mundane tasks of life are really preparatory to our royal positions in the government of Christ. We are being prepared to judge angels (1 Corinthians 6.3) and "be priests of God and of Christ and ... reign with Him for a thousand years." (Revelation 20.6) Ordinary people are being prepared for extraordinary privilege and work!
Serve faithfully, work diligently. There's more to what you do than meets the eye.Steve Taylor, 2018
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https://kingdomdreamer.blogspot.com/
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March 13, 2018
The scene was dark, desperate, and depressing. It appeared to be the final act of a great drama.
"Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord before Eli. And word from the Lord was rare in those days, visions were infrequent. It happened at that time as Eli was lying down in his place (now his eyesight had begun to grow dim and he could not see well), and the lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord where the ark of God was" (1 Samuel 3.1-3)
God's word and voice were rare. The eyesight of the man of God had grown dim. The lamp of God was barely flickering. It appeared to be the end of the era of God's work and word among His people. But, "the LORD called Samuel." (1 Samuel 3.4)
There was a new beginning at the end of an era. God raised up a man to speak His word and be His representative. The people of God would not lack a word from God.
We are His modern day "Samuels." In a world where authentic word from the LORD seems rare, He has enabled and empowered us to learn, know, live, and speak His word. How thankful we are for the great privilege of bringing His lamp and light to a dark world. Steve Taylor, 2018
My other blogs
http://thetruthrevolution.wordpress.com/
https://kingdomdreamer.blogspot.com/
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March 7, 2018
"Wait" might just as well be spelled "weight" for some of us. For those of us who are easily impatient, waiting is a heavy burden. But, good things come to those who wait.
"Wait for the LORD; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the LORD." (Psalm 27.14)
Waiting for the sake of waiting is not necessarily a virtue. Worthwhile waiting is waiting for Yahweh. Waiting for Him, we are promised, results in strength and courage. Thus, our quiet times alone with Him are vitally important. Out of these times comes the strength and courage to take bold and timely action; to do His will instead of our own. Waiting for Him is not inaction, but rather character-building inner action. Much of His will and desire is as much about our inner transformation as the actual work He has for us to do. And that process cannot be rushed.
Wait. The right thing at the wrong time amount to the wrong thing. Let Him build strength and courage into your life as He prepares you for His timely work.Steve Taylor, 2018
My other blogs
http://thetruthrevolution.wordpress.com/
https://kingdomdreamer.blogspot.com/
Amazon ebook
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FQ1Q9GW
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March 6, 2018
I recently read that one of the characteristics of successful people is that they take action. Rather than imagining that good things will happen to them, they see opportunities and seize them.
"a man about to go on a journey ... called his own slaves and entrusted his possessions to them. To one he gave five talents, to another, two, and to another, one, each according to his own ability; and he went on his journey. Immediately the one who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and gained five more talents. In the same manner the one who had received the two talents gained two more. But he who received the one talent went away, and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money." (Matthew 25.14-18)
This parable of Jesus is about the value of investing in the things of the kingdom of God. The King has entrusted each of us, His servants, with certain possessions and talents. We are to seize the opportunities associated with them, and invest wisely for the King and the kingdom.
What has He entrusted to you? What are you doing with them? Will He consider that He received a good return on investment with what you are doing that belongs to Him? These are important questions for us to consider as we seek to live wisely today with an eye on life in the kingdom age to come. There's never a better time to invest in things of eternity than right now. Praying that we each invest wisely today. Steve Taylor, 2018
