Subject: [CCF-Singles] new every morning... :D
To: CCF-Singles@yahoogroups.com
Cc: ralphtupaz@mdci.com.ph
Date: Friday, June 25, 2004, 9:13 AM
New Every Morning…
Hi, guys!
How are you this morning? Is your day starting out right? For all of us, I hope it is. But have you ever had mornings that start out bad and ends up ruining your whole day? Mornings when the cares of yesterday, the problems…the heartache…pain and loneliness that you thought you managed to escape when you slept suddenly creep up and hit you smack in the face as you sip your morning cup of coffee?? I’m sure that most, if not all of us have experienced this and still do. I know I have and I still do form time to time but God is faithful and He has shown me a way to deal with this and I would like to share this with you. It works for me, I pray it works for you too.
Mornings are very important to me. It has always been a time for reflection, a time to plan out the day ahead. A sacred part of the day that belongs to me and my Father alone. I believe this is true for most of us. But what if your morning starts out exactly the way I mentioned it above? Sometimes, this happens long before we even get to our first cup of coffee…long before we even get out of bed. It’s as if suddenly the scrambled eggs you used to love every morning have become too oily…the fried rice too salty…the “tapa” too tough…the coffee too bitter… and no matter how brightly the sun is shining above us…we feel as if there’s a big black cloud hovering "EXCLUSIVELY" over our head. When this happens, chances are the rest of the day will turn out bad as well…maybe even worse! We become more irritable, impatient and tense like a mousetrap ready to spring at the slightest touch. I pity the person who makes the mistake of touching a Christian like me when I'm in my"moustrap mode". We lose the ability to deal with people around us in a Christian manner and worst of all, we lose the desire to spend time with our Father and focus instead on facing the problems set before us head on.
Don’t get me mistaken, I find nothing wrong with facing problems and challenges head on. But one precious lesson I’ve learned over the years is that I am better equipped to respond to them if I focus on God first and rejoice in His faithfulness. Rejoice?? Faithfulness?? If He is faithful then why…why am I about to lose my job?...why did my girlfriend / boyfriend leave me?...why does this person or that person have cancer?...why am I being cast out by my friends and family because of Jesus? How do I rejoice in all of these? Has God run out of grace for me? Tough questions...I've asked them myself... lots of times...I'm sure some of you have too...and maybe still are...
Is there really still something worth rejoicing for when we are faced with problems/questions like the ones i just mentioned? I found the secret to dealing with this in Lamentations 3:19-23 (NASB) it says in v.19 “Remember my affliction and my wandering, the wormwood and the bitterness. V.20 Surely my soul remembers and is bowed down within me.” When I remember my life before I came to know Christ as Lord and Savior and all realize just how much I’ve been forgiven and what I have to look forward to in eternity I begin to sober up a little. Suddenly my problems start to grow a little smaller and my eyes of faith begin to open up as I look heavenward. The passage continues to say in v.21 “This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope.” Why do I have hope? Because it says in v.22 “The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, For his compassions never fail.” It is interesting to note that the verse said lovingkindnesses and compassions (NASB) and not just lovingkindness and compassion. They are both plural, the implication for me is that there is more to come. The lovingkindness and compassion did not stop the moment I received Christ as my Lord and Saviour. It's not a one-time thing. My Father in heaven has more lovingkindness and compassion to shower on me and on you..we just have to ask for it. How do we ask for it? Yep, you guessed it...you don't need to fill out any forms...or wait in long lines...just close your eyes wherever you are...and in the silence of your heart come to your Father in heaven and ask him...it's as simple as that! Isn’t that amazing? The passage goes on to describe this inexhaustible supply of lovingkindness and compassion in v.23, it describes them by saying “They are new every morning; Great is your faithfulness.” My Father will never give me second hand blessings...there's no such thing! Even if we received all the blessings that were assigned for us yesterday. He has a new set of blessings prepared for me TODAY. What an amazing truth!
It’s as if our Father in heaven is telling us “My son / daughter, why do you fret and why are you troubled? Do you not remember how I saved you from your sins and your downhill ride to destruction? Do you not remember the other times when I came and pulled you through? If I can save you from the fires of hell can I not also give you another job? Provide you with the best companion for the rest of your life?...put food on your table?.. cure your cancer or any other sickness you might have? Give you a set of new friends? Bring your family to salvation as well?” Think about it for a minute…The God who saved you and was faithful to you in the past is still the same. He is unchanging. He will continue to be faithful to you for that is His nature. He keeps His promises.
SO THIS MORNING, AND I PRAY THAT EVERY MORNING INSTEAD OF LOOKING DOWN AND FEELING BAD ALL DAY BECAUSE OF THE CARES OF THIS WORLD…LOOK UP MY BROTHER / SISTER!! LOOK UP CHILD OF GOD FOR YOUR FATHER IS JUST WAITING TO SHOWER YOU WITH HIS LOVINGKINDNESSES AND COMPASSIONS THAT ARE “NEW EVERY MORNING”. GREAT IS HIS FAITHFULNESS!! HE IS UNCHANGING…HAVE A BLESSED DAY AHEAD!!!
Yours in Christ,
Ralph
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