ENDURE (def): To continue in existence; to carry on through.
FOREVER (def): For everlasting time; at all times; without end.
“So I'll ask one thing
Just one thing of you;
Don't ever turn me loose
Even when I turn my back …”*
The mercy of God is a pretty incredible thing. It is unmerited, as in we don’t deserve it. It is free to us, if we surrender to Him. Yet there are times in the non-believers life and even in the believers life unfortunately, that the thing that is right in front of you becomes the thing you feel you MUST have and therefore takes precedence over any mercy that God is offering. When will we ever learn. I haven’t learned my lesson yet. It’s sad really. I fall down more times than I stand up lately and once I get up again still go the wrong way. I know better, but always seem to justify my actions. Being wrong and knowing it is not good enough. An end must come to that which is ungodly. It is a trap. Still I stumble towards that which is wrong. Will I ever learn? I am trusting the Lord that I will, but the decision to walk away from it is mine.
His mercies carry on in existence at all times and are without end. That is comforting. Still, making His grace and mercy a cheap thing is unacceptable. Why do we do it? Sin is fun. Let’s be honest with ourselves. If sin WASN’T fun, then there would be no draw to commit them. It IS fun … for a time. The consequences of that fun can vary from mild to devastating depending on what has been done. Is it worth it? Not usually. As a matter of fact, hardly ever. There is always a price to pay that we are unprepared to dole out.
Thanksgiving is nearly upon us. It is the time when we give THANKS to the Lord for our many blessings. Sadly, it may actually be the only time all year that some folks stop to acknowledge the goodness of God. Based on scripture, we are admonished to give thanks to the Lord at all times … whether in good times or bad. Our feelings toward our God should not be effected by our circumstances, but many times they are. God hasn’t changed, we did. He is the lone constant in our created universe. He never changes. His opinion of us is always the same. He loves us unconditionally and His love knows no end.
So what have we learned today? That God is constant; that He is good; that His mercy continues on at all time without end; and we are to give thanks for all things at all times. How difficult is it to praise and thank God for difficult times? Pretty dang difficult sometimes; but you know what, difficulties are allowed to teach us. They exist to make our faith strong. If we look at our trials in THAT way, we may be able to endure them with a little more patience. One practice I have acquired during my trials is to ask the Lord to reveal what He wishes me to learn from it. We ALL face trials of many types. The duration may vary from believer to believer, but they WILL come. If they don’t you will stagnate. If you don’t move forward, you are losing ground, because others around you are probably not standing still.
When you think about the blessings God has bestowed upon you and your family, you will begin to develop a gratitude that will lead to praise. So go off somewhere quiet and consider where you would be without God. Reflect on your troubles and how they were resolved. There is no such thing as coincidence. There is no such thing as luck. God is at work, 24/7 … He never sleeps. He knows all about it. He is at work on our behalf. Nothing is impossible for Him. There is nothing He cannot do. That is something worth thanking Him for. Look heavenward and praise your Heavenly Father, for He is good; His mercies endure forever.
WALK WITH THE KING TODAY AND BE A BLESSSING!!
* from Sahara by Reliant K off their 2009 album “Forget and Not Slow Down”.
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