Devotion: Dealing With the "What if's" (part 1)

Dealing With the "What If's" (part 1)
By Marsha Iddings


Hebrews 13:5-6 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.


Have you ever lived with the "what if's"? When you let your mind get carried away thinking about all the "what if's" of your situation it leads to fear, discouragement and discontentment. It's not a good place to be.

This happened to me the other night. I went to bed and my mind began working on all of the possible scenarios that could happen as a result of the tendonitis I have in my arms. What if my arms don't heal? What if I have to have injections in them and there are complications? What if the injections don't work out? What if I have to have surgery? What if there are complications with that? How will my family manage without me?....and it went on and on. It didn't make for a very peaceful night.

God knows what we need however, and in the morning He comforted me through the reading of His Word. I naturally came to the passage in Hebrews quoted above as I am reading through the New Testament now. I realized in letting myself get stirred up, I was beginning to covet those whose arms are fine. I was becoming discontented in my circumstances and I wasn't appreciative of the fact that God has promised to never leave me nor forsake me. He is my helper and I have no need to fear the future with God Himself beside me!

I am reminded of a quote I read recently in Homeschool Enrichment Magazine. Kari Lewis was writing about Isaiah 26:3 which says, "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee." She said,

"...when we truly realize the fact that God is in perfect and complete control of our entire situation, and that He has a loving purpose and plan for absolutely everything He does, and everything He allows to happen, and we keep our minds stayed on that fact, we will experience His peace. If we're saved, we're trusting God with our eternal souls, surely we can trust Him with our daily lives, too!"

We can leave the "what if's" of life in the hands of God. He is our helper and we don't need to fear them. He is in perfect control of what enters our lives be it good or bad from our perspective and we can have confidence that He has a special plan and purpose for each thing that comes our way.

Books by Marshahttp://www.lulu.com/Marsha-Iddings

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Devotion:All Things

All Things

By Marsha Iddings

 

Ephesians 1:11 In him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of his glory.

 

 As I was reading this verse in my morning devotions, I was struck by the phrase "...him who works all things according to the counsel of his will...".  This verse says that God works all things according to the counsel of his will, not just some things.  This verse goes along with Romans 8:28, which says, "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."  Again in this verse, we have the phrase "all things".  I don't know about you, but I find it easier to see how God uses the good things that happen in my life for my good and his glory.  When bad things happen it is more difficult to see how there can be any good in it. 

When I got tendonitis in my arms, I couldn't see how this could be good.  All I could see was the inconvenience that it was going to be for me.  As days have turned into weeks and I have spent many hours at physical therapy and sitting with my arms on heat and ice at home, there have been times when I have succumbed to the temptation to complain and grumble.  God has been teaching me to look for the good in even the bad things that he allows into my life.  So, what good has come out of my having tendonitis?  It has afforded me a regular time to sit down to read my Bible and pray each day.  It has given me lots of time to catch up on my other reading.  I am learning how to be a better parent by learning how to delegate responsibilities to my children.  These are just a few of the good things that are coming out of this difficulty.  Who knows what other good things will come out of this?

My morning devotions have reminded me that nothing happens to me that hasn't first passed by God, be it good or bad, because all things are according to the counsel of his will.  If God has okayed some difficulty to enter my life then it is because he has some good for it to accomplish either in my life or the life of someone else.  If you are in the middle of a difficulty, don't lose heart, God is at work.

 

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Books by Marsha
http://www.lulu.com/Marsha-Iddings

 

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Devotion:God's Purposes for Affliction

God's Purposes for Affliction

By Marsha Iddings

Psalm 119:67 Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word.
Psalm 119:71 It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes.
Psalm 119:75 I know, O LORD, that thy judgments are right, and that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me.

I have been reading through Psalm 119 and have noticed several verses that address the problem of afflictions. These have stood out to me as I have been dealing with tendonitis in my arms. It makes life difficult and complicated when almost everything I do aggravates the situation. Yes, I have been very discouraged at times, but I am also encouraged as I have had more time to read and meditate on God's Word while my arms have been on heat and ice each day.

Yes, it has been good that I am afflicted. It is easy to get busy with day to day activities and chores and forget to sit down and spend time with God, reading His Word and communing with Him. I often went astray. In Bible lands when a shepherd had a lamb that continually wondered off, the shepherd would break its leg. Then he would carry it until the fracture healed. The lamb would bond with the shepherd during this time learned to stay close to him once he could walk again. Now, I am learning to stay close to and obey the Shepherd.

Hebrews tells us why God brings hardship on His own. Hebrews 12:10-11 says,

For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.

Through this affliction, God is showing me where I need to improve as a parent in teaching my kids to take more responsibility and to be accountable for getting their work done and doing it well.

What God does is always right. I struggled to understand how affliction could possibly have anything to do with God being faithful to me when it was so painful. Now I understand it better. He faithfully afflicts me that I might learn as a child learns from a parent's discipline. He faithfully afflicts me that I might learn:

1. not to go astray (Psalm 119:67)
2. to keep (obey) His Word (Psalm 119:67)
3. that I might learn His statutes (commandments) (Psalm 119:71)
4. that I might learn to parent my own children better (Hebrews 12:10-11)

Are you going through difficult times? Take heart. God is faithful. He never wastes anything on His children. Let these times cause you to run to Him Who is faithful.

Books by Marsha
http://www.lulu.com/Marsha-Iddings

Christian Memorials - uplifting tribute Web sites

Devotion:Prayer for Relief of Affliction

Prayer for Relief of Affliction

By Marsha Iddings

Psalm 119:153 Consider mine affliction, and deliver me: for I do not forget thy law.

Psalm 119:107 I am afflicted very much: quicken me, O LORD, according unto thy word.

There comes a time when we cry out to God to take away our affliction. It's when we are tired and discouraged, feeling that we can't take any more. David was hounded by his enemies and he often felt this way. In God's mercy He inspired David and the other Psalmists to pen their deepest feelings of despair and prayers for deliverance so that we can see we are not the only ones who have felt this way.

The Psalmist cries out to the Lord to "quicken him according unto thy word". The word quicken in the Hebrew means to make alive, to revive or to save. He is asking God to keep His promises when he cries out for Him to quicken him according unto His word. God always keeps His promises. Sometimes it seems like He doesn't, but it's a matter of our perspective. There are some of us who will have to endure hardship and afflictions throughout our life here on this earth. The Apostle Paul was one. He says,

And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. (2 Corinthians 12:7-9)

God doesn't promise to always take our afflictions away in this life. Sometimes He chooses to give us the grace to endure them instead. But we can all look forward to the day when each one of us will be healed of our afflictions.

Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. (1 Corinthians 15:51-54)

What a day that will be!

And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.( Revelation 21:4)

Quicken me, O LORD, according unto thy word. We can pray this prayer with confidence that God will keep His promises and if He chooses not to relieve us of our afflictions here on earth, we can be confident that He will in eternity. It's a matter of perspective.

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This is a weekly devotional. Feel free to forward this to your friends.

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Books by Marsha
http://www.lulu.com/Marsha-Iddings
Christian Memorials - uplifting tribute Web sites

Devotion:My Comfort in Affliction

My Comfort in Affliction

By Marsha Iddings

Psalm 119:50 This is my comfort in my affliction: for thy word hath quickened me.

Psalm 119:92 Unless thy law had been my delights, I should then have perished in mine affliction.

Have you ever been so down and discouraged that you just wanted to give up? I had a few days like that not all that long ago when I had a major flare up of my tendonitis. I thought I was starting to improve and then it all took a turn for the worse. I was in the depths of despair.

As I turned to God and His Word I found much encouragement there. Were it not for the encouragement I found there, I am not sure I could have picked myself back up and continued on. Time and time again, I find this to be true. It is God's strength that gets me through the tough times. It is so important that we be daily digging into His Word. Without it we can't draw on the strength and grace that God so generously offers.

Are you discouraged? Is life handing you lemons? Dig into the Bible and I know you will find the encouragement you need to keep going forward so you can turn those lemons into lemonade!

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--Christian Memorials - uplifting tribute Web sites

This is a weekly devotional. Feel free to forward this to your friends.

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Frugal Friday

It's Frugal Friday!

If you would like some frugal tips click on the icon above. It will take you to a website dedicated to Frugal Tips.

Here's a place that will help you with a budget. You can set up a budget for free and keep it at this website! It's a great little tool to help you see where you are through the month or year with your money. I've tried alot of them lately and this one suits me the best. http://www.budget5000.com/ This is the first step to saving money! What a great way to start the New Year on the right foot.