Power of Perspective

Key Scripture:  "May our dependably steady and warmly personal God develop maturity in you so that you get along with each other as well as Jesus gets along with us all. Then we'll be  a choir...our lives singing in harmony in a stunning anthem to the God and Father of our Master Jesus."  Romans 15 The Message

Power Point:

     It really is all in how you look at something isn't it?  The other day, my prayer group was meeting, and Julie brought the picture you see of the woman below. What do YOU see when you look at her?  If you look at her one way, you'll see a young woman turning her head to the left.  If you look at her another way, you'll see an old woman with a huge wart on her nose.  It all depends on how you look at it.

     I've always been aware of two things; 1.  God is a superb Teacher, and, 2.  He has a great sense of humor, (which quite frankly He needs when He works with us!). On Tuesday, we looked at some of these pictures with different perspectives. We laughed and helped each other find the "other" perspective.  It was amusing to see that what was so very clear to me, was not at all clear to someone else, and vice versa. 

     Moments later, a situation arose where we had to deal with a genuine problem of perspective.  In the heat of the moment, we were all looking at the situation from a negative. It caused some offense, and some division.  Sitting there together, we were quite sure we were right, and the other person was wrong. We all had the same perspective, you see. 

     Later that night, the Lord began to talk to me about what had happened that day.  I realized as I looked at the situation from His point of view, there were things I had clearly not "seen".  They were there, right in front of my eyes, but I had focused on the "wart".  I know you have heard me say, "You can be right in the wrong way, and when you do that, you are really "wrong" from God's perspective." That's what happened that day.

     We forgot that one of the key principles of the Kingdom of God is loving unity.  That means we are to expect the best in each other and remain a united front for love and unity.  I can't imagine the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit being so strong in their opinions that they argue and put each other down, can you?  No way!  One of the things that the Lord asked me later was, "What can you agree on?"   Of course that changed the direction of my thoughts.  Instead of looking intently at the "wart", I began to see the other person's opinion.  And she had a valid point! When we spoke later, we could begin to see both points of view.  Ultimately, we talked and prayed and got it all worked out.  In retrospect, I love knowing that what Satan meant to use to divide us, God had prepared us for in advance!   I love that about Him!

     Do you remember the game "Red Rover"?  There are two lines of people, each holding each others hands as tightly as they can. One team sends of their members to run as fast as he can to break the grasp of the people holding on to each other. Satan loves that game.  If you're in conflict with someone, be sure to ask God to help you find something you can agree on, which may lead you to a fresh perspective that you both can see, together.

     It really is in how you look  at it, isn't it?

Power Thought:

     "We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses."

Abraham Lincoln.

  

     

Copyright © 2014, Suzanne Roberts, Unpublished Work

    

Power Of Confident Assurance

Key Scripture:  “Faith is confidence.”  Hebrews 11:6

Power Point:

     I have a friend who is the perfect picture of confidence. She just knows that things will work out for her and they usually do.  She does not come timidly through the door of the Throne Room, looking down at the floor, afraid to look God in the eye.  She marches in with all her royal robes flying behind her and knows as she goes, what awaits her.  And what is that, you might ask?  It is the Person who loves her most in all world.  It is the One who died for her so that she might wear those royal robes. It is Perfect Love that eradicates her fears.It is the One who is delighted to see her.  The One who Rewards her boldness.  When I grow up I want to be just like her!

     As I think about my friend, I am reminded that God says, that Faith is Confident Assurance.  Faith doesn't hide itself in a closet waiting for God to find it.  Faith in Him marches boldly into the Throne Room with its royal robes flying, armed with the promises of God.

Sometimes its good to take a look at where our confidence lies isn't it?

Faith is confident assurance that God will REWARD your confident assurance in Him.

Fear is confident assurance that He will not.

Faith is confident assurance that God is good and only does good things for His children.

Fear is confident assurance that His "good" is not good enough for you, or is not meant for you.

Faith is confident assurance that no matter what circumstances you find yourself in, they are "a good thing on the way" because God is faithful to you.

Fear is confident assurance that God won't show up, won't help, and won't honor you.

     The pendulum swings back and forth doesn't it?  Some days we have great faith and some days we have great fear.  It all depends on where you set your mind.

Which side of confident assurance are you on my friend?  At the end of the day, is your heart resting in the goodness of God to reward and bless you no matter what your circumstance may be?  Are you swinging back and forth between fear and faith?  Perhaps today would be a good day to remind yourself that God's will is good, acceptable and perfect;  For you, for them, and for this-and for that. Lean into Him, and He will direct your heart into confident assurance in Him. He loves to show us how really good He is, so that we can be confident in Him.

Power Thought:

God's goodness is His state of mind, His state of being.  It's who He is all the time. You can be sure of that, very, very sure.  

Copyright (c), 2014, Suzanne Roberts, Unpublished Work

Power Of Making Sandwiches

Key Scripture:  "Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things..."   Luke 10:41

Power Point:

     When I was reading this passage recently, I saw something that I had not seen before.  I had always reasoned that Jesus was talking about the current situation with Mary and Martha.  Martha was overwrought because she was concerned that her plans for Jesus, her agenda wasn't going to be completed. Most women understand having an agenda when they plan to entertain. You prepare the grocery list, you pick up the flowers, you decide who you are going to invite.  You clean the house, and make sure that everything is in top shape.  There were a lot of people in Martha's house and I certainly understand her concerns!

     What I noticed as I read these verses today is that Jesus says, "You are worried and troubled about many things."  I  think it may be possible that being "worried and troubled"  was a lifestyle for Martha.  Her life was always full of agendas.  And let's face it, SOMEBODY has to have a plan, don't they?  It's only when OUR plans take precedence over HIS plans that we run into trouble.

    I heard someone say once that Martha was making sandwiches that Jesus hadn't ordered.  Mary, on the other hand, was simply enjoying being with Jesus.  She wasn't listening to Martha, she was listening to Jesus. At some point, I'm sure she got up and went into the kitchen, probably to face a grumpy Martha, (who was worried and troubled about many things).

     God loves to override our plans. He loves doing the totally unexpected thing that makes us stop and take notice of Him.  Do you remember the day of Pentecost?  I would imagine Peter was teaching a Bible Study, and laying out plans for each person's duties so that when the "Power" came-(whatever that meant!) they would be ready and they would be organized. John was hugging someone.  Martha was probably in the kitchen.  Suddenly the Holy Spirit decides its time to interrupt all the perfectly normal, natural, good activities and make His presence known, with a surprising and totally supernatural entrance.

     He changed everything in them, and about them, and the world has never been the same since.  Thank You Holy Spirit!  It was a GREAT plan!

     Perhaps you are like Martha and you tend to be worried and troubled about many things. Jesus encourages you to choose the good part. Many things are good, Beloved, but they may not be God's choice for that moment.  Like Mary, we need to learn that sometimes just stopping and being in His presence is the good part.

     Somehow the sandwiches always get made.

Power Thought:

Many things may be GOOD, but God may have something better.

Which one will you choose?

Copyright © 2014, Suzanne Roberts, Unpublished Work

Power of Abiding

Key Scripture:  "He holds all things together."  Colossians 1:17

Power Point:

    God doesn't expect your relationship with Him to be a "marriage of convenience".  He never intended to live on the periphery of our lives and only drop in for the occasional rescue.  He never thought heaven was the only reason for choosing you.

    God expects us to learn more about Him by day by day, abiding in His counsel, abiding in the presence of His peace and joy,  and abiding in the safe place of His plans for you.

     Your heavenly FATHER, wants you to spend so much time with Him that you know the family relationship of Father and Child/ Bride and Groom.  The joy of abiding begins in the wonderful moments of the ordinary times, the daily times, day after day, building a trust and a companionship, a growing comfort in being together. 

    When Denny and I were first married I thought he was the best thing that ever happened to me and I adored him.  But I didn't know him fully, and frankly I didn't know ME and who I would become because of his influence in my life.

     As the years progressed and we walked through life's circumstances together, we learned more about each other and about ourselves.  There were times of great joy but there were also times when we had to hold each other tightly and simply keep walking.  The thing is, I gradually came to KNOW that he would hold on to me and keep walking. I came to the place where I never doubted that. I guess you could say that we learned to "abide" with each other.

     As I observe my son David, and his wife Kim-they  definitely have learned the value of "abiding". Now, with the wonder of texting, they are in constant communication throughout the day, wherever they are. It may be just a quick check in or something more important but they have become best friends as well as a married couple.  They've walked through some pretty difficult circumstances but in the process they've learned to know that each of them is there for the other no matter what. They hold on and keep walking.

     The glorious beauty of our relationship with Jesus is that He has opened the door to a place of our ability to encounter our Father's presence any moment-any day-any time. In John 15, Jesus pointed out the fact that we are invited and expected to abide in Him. He said that the evidence of abiding is that what HE has said, becomes the basis for how we live our lives.

     His words are there to hold us together with Him.  His promises, and His thoughts are to be the glue that binds us together with our heavenly Father and all that He is for us.  His words are the "studs" that hold up the foundation of our lives.  And unless HE builds the house, WE build it in vain. 

     The progression from knowing about Him, to really knowing Him is firmly established on Jesus's Words and seeing them come to life in our circumstances.   It's taking the time to sort out what we believe about Him from what someone else has said, and  beginning to increase in knowing Him from what Jesus has said, and has demonstrated by His life.  Jesus is the One who holds all things together by the power of His Word. 

     If He is the One who holds everything together, wouldn't it be wise to at least know what He thinks about things?

     When my husband died, there was a huge void in my future.  The things we had planned together, the dreams we had dreamed together were all tied up in our "togetherness'.  Suddenly I had no purpose, no teammate, and no one to hold me together.  That's when my journey into "abiding" in Jesus, began with greater intensity.  Now, twenty years later, I find that He is perfectly capable of holding me and my circumstances together.  I heard Graham Cooke say recently, that 'If you are IN Christ, then all of your circumstances are In HIM too!"  Good point don't you think?

    I don't know where you are abiding today, whether it is in the counsel of a friend, or the latest world news, or the latest self-help book, but I do know this; If you are abiding in Jesus, then your circumstances are lovingly and powerfully in Him too.

Why not ask Him WHO He wants to be for you in your situation right now?  Could He be bigger than you think?

And then, why not ask Him, who He intends for YOU  to become as you abide in Him through this situation? 
Could you be bigger than you think?

The most obvious question is, of course, what are HIS thoughts on the matter?

Wouldn't you like to abide in higher thoughts, wiser thoughts, and victorious thoughts?

It all depends on where you chose to abide today, and who you choose to listen to does't it?

Power Thought:

Jesus never loses or loosens His grip on us.  Hold on tight, and keep walking!

Copyright © 2014, Suzanne Roberts, Unpublished Work