4GIVEN

Did you notice the first thing God spoke into existence after His spirit hovered over the waters of this dark formless planet? God said in Genesis 1:3, “Let there be light.” Watch this, in this verse He wasn’t referring to the sun or the moon, rather He was referring to Himself. (Read Gen 1-14) God is light! First John 1:5 declares, “This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all.” God Himself was the light for the first three days of Creation, just as He will be in the new heavens and new earth. Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). Amen!

I am not going complain about soon to be President Trump. It is what it is! Who am I to question anything God allows. God said so, therefore it is so! Right now my job is to continue to pray for the leaders of this country. In 2 Timothy 2:2 Paul charged Timothy to “Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity.” You may say, “Trump ain’t got a morsel of dignity” and my response to you is that God equips the people He calls. If you don’t believe me take a look at the pic below. 
#PrayForTrump

The Bible is not words crafted by man rather was inspired or revealed to man by God. Since the Bible is the only inspired Word of God, it has become the focus of many attacks. The critics of the Bible have tried to discredit it by chipping away at its authority and credibility. In his book, ‘God breathed: The Undeniable Power and Reliability of Scripture: Josh McDowell said, “To declare that the Bible is untrustworthy means we must find another reasonable explanation for its miraculous nature. For example, of the nearly 2,500 prophecies given in the Bible, hundreds or thousands of years beforehand, 2,000 of them have been fulfilled, with the remaining 500+ unfolding with time. The probability of all these prophecies being fulfilled without error is roughly one in 1,020,000. So, to trust that the Bible is not a miraculous book is mathematically inconsistent.” 2 Timothy 3:16 says, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness….”

Your wrap sheet doesn’t describe who you are rather it’s reflects who you use to be. In Christ, you are a new creation and the old is wiped away and the new has come. God doesn’t see you in the former, He sees you in the latter. He sees you whole, sinless, and redeemed. Yes, I know, we all fall short of His glory but in Christ we are permitted to stand tall in the presence of His holiness, sinlessness, and righteousness. So choose to focus your acuity on God’s ability to transform your filthy rags into righteous robes. 
#Rags2Robes

I realize there are also struggling marriages out there and in his sermon series, “How to Improve Your Marriage Without Words” Tim Liston, Pastor of New Hope church said marriages gets better:
1. When we USE OUR STRENGTHS for the other, not against. (1 Peter 3:7)
2. When we CONSIDER OUR SPOUSES NEEDS before our own. (Philippians 2:1-5)
3. When YOU DON’T GIVE THE DEVIL FREE RENT.(Ephesians 4:26-27)

“The time is always right to do what is right.” Martin Luther King, Jr.

No one likes pain. No one likes suffering. No one likes to be uncomfortable in any way. But, all these things are part and parcel of the Christian life. So the real question is does God put more on us than we can handle? Perhaps He does. You see the Lord, in his sovereign purpose, crushes us (Hebrews 12:4-12). He breaks us so that he can remake us. Every seed must first die before it can flourish as a flower, fruit, or vegetation. Every caterpillar must first die before it can thrive as a beautiful butterfly. Think of how Jeremiah cried out in Lamentations because God left his nation, city, and people utterly desolate and decimated. Think of all the psalms in which the psalmists cried out to God for bruising them. Think of our Lord Jesus in whom “it was the LORD’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer” (Isaiah 53:10). So today if life issues are pressing, bearing, or closing in on you, trust that God has provided One to bear our wrath for us: Jesus. In order for God to do something new we first must die to the old.

At times storms, test, and trials will hit you like rushing waves attempting to drown you in doubt, sorrow, misery, and despair. When this happens, you question God and wander, where is Jesus in all this mess? I Peter 5:10, “In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation.” Peter’s apostolic epistle should remind us that although we are not excused from sufferings, through prayer we can ask God that our sufferings be moderate and short, and, after we suffered awhile, that He would restore us to a settled and peaceable condition, and continue to perfect his work in us. So where is Jesus in times of trouble? Psalm 23:4 and Matthew 28:20 reminds us that no matter what, He is always with you!

You can’t beat God given but it sure doesn’t hurt to try! I am not only referring to liquidity. The superlative for giving is time, talent, and treasure. When we give: we honor God, we exhibit His heart, we illustrates salvation, we trusts in God’s provision, and we help to advance the Kingdom. Reflecting the light of Christ by being His hands and feet is never a waste of time. 

Psalm 37:25 reads, “I have been young and now I am old,Yet, I have not seen the righteous (those in right standing with God) abandoned Or his descendants pleading for bread.” Pay attention to the words in the parenthesis; “In right standing.” You ‘can’t get right’ by giving yours tithes, going to church, giving to charities, and trying to be a good person. The only way we can get right with God is by standing in agreement with God through confession and believing in our hearts that Jesus is Lord and Savior. Romans 10:9, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” It’s the only way to receive the promise David is talking about in the above scripture!