Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Matthew 5:10-12
“We knew we were taking our lives in our own hands”. That was a comment I heard someone declare on the Today Show recently. I found myself just staring at the television. How could anyone so boldly say that? It made me shutter, just to hear it. These people were recounting a recent shipwreck that they barely survived.
“We knew we were taking our lives in our own hands”. That was a comment I heard someone declare on the Today Show recently. I found myself just staring at the television. How could anyone so boldly say that? It made me shutter, just to hear it. These people were recounting a recent shipwreck that they barely survived.
Why would anyone want to take their life in their own hands, thus taking it out of God’s hands? Not that they would have avoided the shipwreck. Lives placed in the hands of God, still suffer pain and tragedies. Consider Paul in his account of his life in 2 Corinthians 6. He was regarded as an imposter. He was regarded as unknown. He experienced dying, beatings, sorrow, poverty and having nothing – all as His life was placed in the hands of God. Paul suffered the same things that people who “take their lives in their own hands” suffer – probably worse.
But, because Paul’s life was in God’s hands, in spite of those things, he was known by God, lived productively, rejoiced, made many rich with true riches, and possessed all things.
Now that’s kingdom living! Too many of us live, taking our lives in our own hands, thinking we can avoid the struggles. But, sadly, in our attempt to avoid those troubles, we fail to experience the blessings that only those who place their lives in God’s hands experience. All suffering is not due to persecution. Let us not live our lives with the goal to avoid suffering of any kind. Rather, may we live to please the One who longs to hold us in His hand and have His way in us and through us.
Here's a challenge: Be watchful today as you react, as you plan, as you make decisions. In whose hands did you place those reactions, plans and decisions? May it be His.
"By You I have been upheld from birth; You are He who took me out of my mother's womb. My praise shall be continually of You." (Psalm 71:6) A similar verse in Isaiah is followed by this: "Even to your old age, I am He, And even to gray hairs I will carry you! I have made, and I will bear; Even I will carry, and will deliver you." (Isaiah 46:4) How grateful and secure I am that I belong to Him; I am His idea, His creation, His concern, His love from before conception and forever after! Amazing! "Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart fail; But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." Psalm 73:25-26 The song on my heart his morning: "Lord, I'm in Your hands, Lord I'm in Your heart, in Your thoughts, in Your plans...never on my own..." Amen! Praise the LORD! - darla
ReplyDeleteWhen the fear of hell has been removed, we can rejoice and confidently say "Let it be as YOU desire, Lord. Have Your way with me."
ReplyDeleteAmen, and Amen.
My computer is set by default to certain settings unless I go in and purpose to override them with a custom setting. I find that unless I purpose to commit my day into the Lord's hands ,moment by moment, I will default to my own way. He has a custom setting just for me, specifically for today. His setting overrides when in Him I abide :-) "...keep yourselves in the love of God...to God our Savior, Who alone is wise, Be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen." Jude 21 & 25.
ReplyDeleteAmy
What an important challenge this is. What a good reminder this is that the hands that hold our reactions, plans and decisions reveal the hands that hold our life. Whose "fingerprints" are on them?
ReplyDeleteDale
Very important challenge for me. I like to plan and have everything go as planned, which rarely happens. So this was a great reminder to let God hold all my plans in His hands. For His plans are always better than mine.
ReplyDeleteJeremiah 29:11
Praise Him for His grace and plans for our lives. Amen