Suffering

On October 30, 2015   /   Character, Christian Basics, Strengthing, Suffering, Victory  

Things Above Thought
TAT #57
Suffering #1

Fact #30 Trials can come into my life that are for God’s purposes (Job 1:7).

Why do I have to suffer?
Why is there so much suffering in the world?
Why does the Bible sometimes make suffering sound like a good thing?

Suffering is greatly misunderstood. Some say: “If there is a God why does He allow suffering?” I think what many are actually saying is: “If there is a God and He is in control why is He allowing me to suffer?” Some preachers say God wants you to be continually happy and prosperous but  Job, Jeremiah, John the Baptist, James, and Paul disagree. While there is a peace that passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7) and a joy that is from the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22) there is also a call to suffering:

“For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake,” (Philippians 1:29)

There are times that God wants us to suffer!

Enjoy struggling with that thought and wait for the next TAT ☺.

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God’s Plan & my plans

On October 30, 2015   /   Christian Basics, Faith, God's Will, God's Will for Me, Suffering, Trials  

Things Above Thought
TAT #56
God’s Plan and my plans

God wants me to be happy, prosperous, and satisfied so — is that how I should make my plans?
Well maybe, but first consider these:

“Afterward Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth.” (Job 3:1)
“He sent and had John beheaded in the prison.” (Matthew 14:10)
“And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised,” (Hebrews 11:39).
“But first He (Christ) must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.” (Luke 17:25)
“Although He was a Son, (Christ) He learned obedience from the things which He suffered.” (Hebrews. 5:8)

“for I will show him (Paul) how much he must suffer for My name’s sake.” (Acts 9:16)
“For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps.” (1 Peter 2:21)

“fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews12:2)
“More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, (Philippians 3:8)

Just make sure that what you consider to be happy and prosperous, and also satisfies you, are the same “things” which Christ considers to be joyous and prosperous and satisfies Him.

Fact # 33: “I am here to serve God and carry out His plan, not to have God serve me and carry out my plans.” (Job 38; Isaiah 43:7).

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My Plans

On October 30, 2015   /   Character, Christian Basics, God's Will for Me  

Things Above Thought
TAT #55
So what about my plans?

I understand that God has a universal plan for me but since He has not yet revealed a specific plan for me can I make my own plans for my life? Absolutely! But be careful not to be like the people in Numbers 14:40–45 who made their own plans and then called them the will of God. When they tried to carry them out they were struck down by the enemy. Be like David in 1 Chronicles 22:7–9 who made plans to build a house for the Lord and called them his plans. Even though the Lord did not allow David to build the temple, He honored David’s plan by letting him provide most of the building materials for the temple.

The Lord loves the truth and He loves it when you think like Him! Therefore, make your plans to glorify Him and speak truly about them. Glorify God with your godly motives and thinking and when you make your own plans –  call them yours. AND, never forget His primary plan for your life is to glorify Him by learning the Bible and living by its rules—God’s universal plan for us all.

Glorify God by imitating God and taking responsibility for your plans and actions –  just like David did (Ephesians 5:1; Job 2:3).

Fact # 33: “I am here to serve God and carry out His plan, not to have God serve me and carry out my plans.” (Job 38; Isaiah 43:7).

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God’s Specific Plan For You

On October 30, 2015   /   Christian Basics, God's Will, God's Will for Me  

Things Above Thought
TAT #54
God’s Specific Plan For You

God has called you to be His and you feel very special—you should. Now you are wondering what is God’s will (plan) for your life? After reading the last TAT you feel very comfortable that you are trying to live God’s universal will for your life but you still wonder: “Does God have a specific will for me and how do I find it?

God had a specific will for Adam, Noah, Abram, Jonah, David, Isaiah, John the Baptist, Jesus Christ, Paul and many others. But, they did nothing special to find it! In fact Jonah, John the Baptist, and Paul were not even living according to God’s universal will when He revealed His specific will for their lives!

As one of God’s chosen all you have to do is to be concerned with living His universal will—learn the Bible and live by its rules. If God has a specific will for your life He will reveal it to you when He is ready. It is His will for your life, it is not your will for your life. Therefore it is His responsibility to reveal it to you when He is ready. All you have to do is to focus on living His universal will–learn the Bible and live by its rules.

And remember, God does not have a specific will for everyone! God’s universal will is more than enough for any of us and all of us. Don’t be so desirous for Him to reveal His specific will that you ignore His universal will—learn the Bible and live by its rules.

Fact # 33 I am here to serve God and carry out His plan, not to have God serve me and carry out my plans (Job 38; Isaiah 43:7).

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God’s Universal Plan

On October 30, 2015   /   Christian Basics, Faith, God's Will, Victory  

Things Above Thought
TAT #53
God’s Universal Plan

God has a plan for all who want to follow Him, a universal plan. This plan applied to Adam and Eve and to every person who wanted or now wants to follow Him. God’s plan is this – don’t make up your own rules for your good life, learn God’s rules and follow them.

Eve tried to make up her own rules for her good life, it didn’t work then and it doesn’t work now (Genesis 3:5–6; John 3:36). When we do not obey the LORD’s rules we set ourselves up as a god and make up our own rules (Genesis 3:5; Isaiah 14:13–14; Joshua 24:15).

So just where do we find the rules of God’s universal plan for our life? The Bible! See 2 Timothy 3:16–17 with special attention given to verse 17. But be aware that a simple single reading will not completely reveal God’s entire universal plan all at once. He did not design it to work that way and there’s too much information to grasp in one reading! Relax and keep reading it over and over and take time to enjoy each little bit of new information you find and understand.

God’s universal plan for our lives should be universal in our lives.

Fact # 33: “I am here to serve God and carry out His plan, not to have God serve me and carry out my plans.” (Job 38; Isaiah 43:7).

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God’s Plan

On October 30, 2015   /   Christian Basics, God, God's Will  

Things Above Thought
TAT #52
God’s Plan — TWO!

Fact # 33: “I am here to serve God and carry out His plan, not to have God serve me and carry out my plans.” (Job 38; Isaiah 43:7).

Some say His plan for their life is to serve the poor. Some say His plan for them is to carry out the “Great Commission.” Some say His plan is for them to lead a quiet life, work with their own hands, and eat their own bread. But for some those “plans” end in failure because they were not actually God’s plan for their life. So how does one find God’s plan for their life?

First we must realize that God can have two plans for one person. The first plan is universal, it includes all of God’s chosen. God has a single plan which is for all His chosen, no matter who they are, where they live, or when they lived. This plan applied to all the saints of old, the apostles, and now applies to us. It is universal for all time. But sometimes God has a specific plan for certain individuals. This means that some of God’s chosen can actually have two plans for their lives! To understand that God can have two plans is a huge step. Therefore the next few TATs will examine these tow plans.

Two plans, who would have thunk it.

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God’s Law

On October 30, 2015   /   Bible, Christian Basics, Darkness & Light, Endurance, Strengthing, Trials  

Things Above Thought
TAT #50
God’s Law

America takes another step into the darkness. A single law now stands against God’s law. God’s Chosen stand in disbelief, shocked and dazed. What do we do now? Maybe there’s someone we can ask. I know, let’s ask some of God’s Chosen in China, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Canada. Maybe someone there knows how to stand firm against governments that write ungodly laws.

But wait there is someone we can ask. Some of us may even know of him. He has lived under one of the darkest governments of all time, a government that actually hunted and killed God’s Chosen. Yet we know that he stood firm for many years until the government finally tracked him down and killed him. Some say he made notes on how he did it. Surely those notes would help us. If we can find them, reprint, and distribute them, maybe we can learn how to stand firm in our faith in the encroaching darkness.

Does anybody know where we can find a New Testament?

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Direction

On October 30, 2015   /   Character, Christian Basics, Christian Values, Darkness & Light, Endurance, Faith, Trials, Victory  

Things Above Thought
TAT #49
Direction

Well it seems many now have concerns about the direction of the USA.
As most of you know I love to confuse an issue with another question. So let me ask that other question. What is the direction of your life?

So grab your Bibles and let me “clarify” the above question with the following questions.

Who is your God, the government or Jesus Christ?
Do you love with a godly love or with the love that Adam loved Eve in Genesis 3:6? (Cross reference that with 3:17.)
If you were unable to communicate by words, in any way, and your only witness was your life, what would God think about your witness/life?
Which country do you love the most USA or your Hebrews 11:13 & 16 country?

Part of the activity of Things Above Ministries is to encourage and strengthen the remnant from the god of this world who appears to be rapidly constructing his single world government. And as he spreads this government the world gets darker. Therefore let each one of us “stand firm” on and in God’s light. But not just with words but with our entire being.

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Spiritual Minded

On October 30, 2015   /   Character, Christian Basics, Endurance, Faith, Victory  

Things Above Thought
TAT #47
Spiritual Minded

Colossians 3:1–2 says to set your mind on things above? Does that mean we are to spend our days thinking about all the objects and beings in heaven? No, it means we are to be spiritually, or godly, minded. “So how do we maintain a godly mind throughout the day?”

The best way I know of is by the rule found in Deuteronomy 6:7:

You shall teach them (the Scriptures) diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.

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Value

On October 30, 2015   /   Christian Basics, Christian Values, Eternal, Victory  

Things Above Thought
TAT #46
Value

My life is important and valuable, I need to get the most out of it that I can. After all I don’t know when I’m going to die. If Christ came to show me how to have a wonderful, abundant life He was a poor example. He suffered a lot, was poor, and only lived to be about 33 years old and now He’s been dead for 2,000 years! Even if I live for over a hundred years that’s a short time compared to how long I’m going to be dead. How can I get the most value out of my life – NOW!?

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; (Mat. 6:19–20)

I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? (Matt. 6:25)

Live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.
(1 Pet. 4:2)

Why do I value my present death and find Life so worthless?

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