When the fire becomes too much…….

 

“SO, SINCE Christ suffered in the flesh for us, for you, arm yourselves with the same thought and purpose [patiently to suffer rather than fail to please God]. For whoever has suffered in the flesh [having the mind of Christ] is done with [intentional] sin [has stopped pleasing himself and the world, and pleases God],”
‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭4:1‬ ‭AMP‬‬

Jesus was on a mission here on earth. He was here to fulfill

the call of God on His life. Was it easy??

Far from it. He encountered some really hard times. The

Pharisees constantly opposed Him. People left Him because

they didn’t understand Him. His disciples didn’t believe He

was who He said He was. There was constant doubt, fear, and

who knows what else. Why am I sharing this?

 

I am am sharing this because in life we walk through the fire.

But as we walk through it we need to remember what Christ

went through. There will be times the fire becomes too much

and in those times we NEED to remember Christ. We need to

patiently suffer the things we are facing. Why? That is what Christ

did. He could of given up or commanded an army of angels to

come and take out the people who were trying to kill Him but

He patiently endured the suffering.

 

As Austraila is around the corner I have been in a fire. It’s totally

unrelated to my trip but involves something very close to my heart.

It doesn’t even make sense. I am literally in a fire and it feels like it’s

too much. I wanted to give up. I wanted to throw in the towel.

Then there were days when I thought I could shrink back.

Crazy right. But then I read the scripture I shared in the

beginning of this post and a few things were revealed to me.

In the fire I need to hold on. In the fire I got to keep the main

thing the main thing. There is a purpose in the fire. God is testing

me.

 

“Beloved, do not be amazed and bewildered at the fiery ordeal which is taking place to test your quality, as though something strange (unusual and alien to you and your position) were befalling you. But insofar as you are sharing Christ’s sufferings, rejoice, so that when His glory [full of radiance and splendor] is revealed, you may also rejoice with triumph [exultantly].”
‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭4:12-13‬ ‭AMP‬‬

 

I read this and was like what????

Firstly, I must not be amazed in the fire. There is a purpose in the

fire. The next thing the word tells me is to rejoice!! If I am sharing

Christ’s sufferings then I should rejoice! If I endure there will

be a glory that will be revealed and that is why I am to rejoice.

I will triumph, I will win says the word. The fire won’t consume

me. Even when the fire seems too much, even when it seems

too strong for me I must rejoice. There is a glory that will be

revealed if I hold on.

Are you in a fire right now? Are you on the verge of giving up?

My word to you is hold on. Jesus has a plan in the fire.

He will bring you out of it. The fire is meant to make us stronger,

not so we can go through it alone but stronger in our faith in

God. Christ knows exactly what we are facing. We are not in it

alone. Be encouraged…….

 

photo credit: google images

 

Rolain

 

 

 

 

 

They threw down their crowns……!

And the four living creatures, individually having six wings, were full of eyes all over and within [underneath their wings]; and day and night they never stop saying, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty (Omnipotent), Who was and Who is and Who is to come.                                                                                                               

And whenever the living creatures offer glory and honor and thanksgiving to Him Who sits on the throne, Who lives forever and ever (through the eternities of the eternities),                                                     

The twenty-four elders (the members of the heavenly Sanhedrin) fall prostrate before Him Who is sitting on the throne, and they worship Him Who lives forever and ever; and they throw down their crowns before the throne, crying out,          

Worthy are You, our Lord and God, to receive the glory and the honor and dominion, for You created all things; by Your will they were [brought into being] and were created.        Revelation 4:8-11

 

This passage of scripture intrigues me. It intrigues me and fascinates me so much. I envy the four living creatures. They get to be in God’s presence all the time. They get to see Him face to face……I know God has a purpose for me on this earth but I can’t wait for the day when I will see Him face to face. To be in His presence for eternity!!!!                                                                                                 What an honor it must be for the four living creatures! What has the presence of God done to them? How do they see? How do they speak? What do they think of God?

As I was meditating on the passage of scripture a thought came to me. The word says,

“Day and night they never stop saying, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty (Omnipotent), Who was and Who is and Who is to come.”

If I had to say Holy, holy, holy for a whole month non-stop I think I would get bored. I am just trying to be honest. So how did they do it? Before the earth was created and for eternity they will be crying, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord so how is that possible? Maybe I am being crazy for trying to reason it out with my mind but it’s a thought I had. Don’t shoot me down just yet.   J

Then the answer came to me:

“He then went and took the scroll from the right hand of Him Who sat on the throne. And when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders [of the heavenly Sanhedrin] prostrated themselves before the Lamb.” Revelation 5:7, 8

Is it possible they have been able to cry Holy, holy, holy from the beginning of time because God revealed a new aspect of Himself to them???

Is it possible their praise has been a reaction to what God has shown them that they have never seen before??

In other words every time the four living creatures cry Holy, holy, holy it is because God showed them something new about Himself that they didn’t know and they will continue for eternity because God is so big that no one can ever say they know God fully!!! We can never get to a place where we can say we have seen ALL of God!

I want to be like the four living creatures where I see God working all the time. I don’t praise God enough not because He is not working but because I am distracted! I want to be able to see more of God at work in my life and in people’s lives and respond in praise to Him! Why wait till I get to heaven to start crying Holy, holy, holy! I can start now by being more sensitive to what God is doing, because He is working all the time!

The last thing I want to touch on is the twenty four elders. The word says,

The twenty-four elders (the members of the heavenly Sanhedrin) fall prostrate before Him Who is sitting on the throne, and they worship Him Who lives forever and ever, and they throw down their crowns before the throne, crying out, Revelation 4:10

They threw down their crowns. I think those crowns were significant. They meant something. They had meaning and they were precious. They were a gift from the Master but the twenty four elders were so overcome by God that nothing was more precious and important than God!! Yes, the crowns are important but for eternity they will throw them to the ground as a sign and declaration that God is the only One who is important!!  In worship, it’s not what we have that is important but the God we serve and the twenty four elders understood this. Nothing and I mean nothing came close to God no matter how precious it was. Can we be like them? The word says they “threw” down their crowns! They didn’t carefully place them down but threw the crowns!! May we get an understanding of how awesome our God is!

 

This post is different because I am rambling. I have been thinking about this passage for most of the day and this is what I have been coming with. I am going to leave it like this and hope you get the message behind the post. I am still trying to understand what it means for me. All I know right now is, I want to be more aware of what God is doing in my life and respond, like the four living creatures I want to cry out Holy, holy, holy day and night because I saw something about God I had never seen before; I want to be like the twenty four elders who threw their most precious gifts at God’s feet! Everything paled in comparison to God! Such passion, such devotion!!!!God is worthy of all our praise and may we see more of Him at work in our lives and respond!!!

Rolain

Why were the shepherds chosen???

And in that vicinity there were shepherds living [out under the open sky] in the field, watching [in shifts] over their flock by night. Matthew 2:8

Have you ever wondered why God chose the shepherds to proclaim the good news on that historical day? Wise men, I can understand.Wise men had been trained. These men were taught and taught by the best. They were wealthy and influential. So I can understand why they would be used but shepherds??? They were just commoners. They were not considered special people. I don’t think they were rich and influential. I could say they were ordinary men providing for their family and trying to make a living. But these are the men that were chosen. And as I read that I get excited because there is hope. That is one of the miracles of Christmas. It is not about how popular you are or the type of car you drive or the kind of house you live in. You are chosen because God in His grace chose you. Why He chose the shepherds we will never know but we know this, we have been chosen as well.

17 And when they saw it, they made known what had been told them concerning this Child,

18 And all who heard it were astounded and marveled at what the shepherds told them.

The shepherds went out and told people what had been told to them and people believed them. God will use anyone and that’s the truth. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Christmas time marks the start of something new. You will never be the same because of what Christ did for you. When He was born everything changed never to be the same….Like the shepherds He can use you…..The question is, do you believe that????

Rolain

What Does Godly Character Look Like??

Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place under these circumstances: When His mother Mary had been promised in marriage to Joesph, before they came together, she was found to be pregnant [through the power] of the Holy Spirit. 
And her [promised] husband Joesph, being a just and upright man and not willing to expose her publicly and to shame and disgrace her, decided to repudiate and dismiss (divorce) her quietly and secretly.  Matt 1:18,19

As a man this passage really speaks to me  and I will show you why. This post is directed towards  single men but if you are married or if you are a single woman please feel free and read through as well. If you have any points you would like to add please feel free to share…….  🙂

The first thing to understand is,
– Mary under law was supposed to be stoned. Joesph was her promised husband but they were not married yet. She had not been with him yet. So the fact that she was pregnant meant she was unfaithful (we know what really happened) which meant death.
– Joesph did not know she was pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit so he could of lashed out at her because he was hurt. He could of embarrassed her and shamed her as payback. That is what any other man would of done in the same situation but he didn’t.

As young men preparing for marriage we can learn from Joesph. He was a man of character. He protected Mary even though it looked like she did him wrong.
We as men are called to protect. Don’t wait till marriage to learn, start now in your friendships with the opposite sex. Are you protecting the women in your life? You do that by your actions. Are you watching how you speak to them or are you watching your thoughts towards them? Are you encouraging them in the way of the Lord? These are some of the ways we can protect the women in our lives. I would just like to clarify something. The job of protection falls on the dad. You as a friend can protect her to some extent but it’s her family’s role. Let’s carry on….

– He was a man of integrity and character. In this time of singleness you need to build your character. Without character you cannot accomplish anything great. Allow God to build godly character in you.

– Joesph was a humble man. He didn’t allow pride to dictate how he responded to Mary.

-In the verse 20 we read how the angel of the Lord spoke to him about Mary. God was involved and that showed me that God is interested in who we are to marry. He is not just sitting and watching from afar, no. He is involved. Allow Him to come and take control of that area of your life. He wants to be involved!!!!

That is what I have to share for you men. I pray God will open your eyes to see the heart of Joesph as He did to me. I want to be like Joesph. A man who is humble and who protects and who trusts God.
I pray the same for you.

Rolain