Our Source!
Matthew 5:11-12
"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."
I once was speaking with a lady who had been going through a prolonged period of pain and suffering. I asked how she was doing? She replied with a smile that she was doing fine, and that she just had to keep reminding herself that she needed to go to the "Source," instead of worrying about the problem.
We laughed together as she elaborated that sometimes she would spend a few days focusing on the problem, until she had to slap herself into the reality that she needed to depend upon the "Source."
We know that our "Source" is Jesus. We know that He alone is our strength and our salvation, so why do we wait so long before calling out for His help? I guess it is our willful self wanting to do things our own way, even when our own way is what consistently gets us into trouble.
Since the time of the "fall" in the Garden of Eden, men and women have tried to do things their own way, leaving God out of the picture, and have ended up with tragic results. Following Adam and Eve, consider Cain's killing his brother Abel; Jacob's deceiving his brother Esau; Joseph's brothers' terrible act of selling him into slavery; Judas' betrayal of Jesus. There are countless more.
God came to Abram (Abraham) as recorded in Genesis 15:1, and gave him the promise that he would be the father of a multitude, and a land as his own possession. Listen to the assurance of promise that God gave to him in this verse; "After this, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision; 'Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.'"
The Lord desires for us to be assured of His provision today, just as He did Abram in that day. When Jesus spoke the words of the Beatitudes on his Sermon on the Mount, He changed the rules for the believer.
The new covenant tells us that we are to feel blessed as we go through the times of trial and testing. We are blessed because our reward is in heaven! Yes, we may experience some limited satisfaction and joy down here, but our reward is waiting for us in heaven.
With the Lord Jesus Christ as our "Source," we have an instantaneous provision for our every need. That "Source" enables us to turn adversity into ministry, peril into preaching and suffering into solace.
I would like to challenge you to try something daring for the Lord. The very next time (you may be in it right now) you encounter trials and tests of any sort, stop immediately and ask the Lord to take over and bring glory out of the situation. Thank Him that you can be used right where you are. Let me know when you see the miracle God will bring.
Pastor Cecil A. Thompson
Matthew 5:11-12
"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."
I once was speaking with a lady who had been going through a prolonged period of pain and suffering. I asked how she was doing? She replied with a smile that she was doing fine, and that she just had to keep reminding herself that she needed to go to the "Source," instead of worrying about the problem.
We laughed together as she elaborated that sometimes she would spend a few days focusing on the problem, until she had to slap herself into the reality that she needed to depend upon the "Source."
We know that our "Source" is Jesus. We know that He alone is our strength and our salvation, so why do we wait so long before calling out for His help? I guess it is our willful self wanting to do things our own way, even when our own way is what consistently gets us into trouble.
Since the time of the "fall" in the Garden of Eden, men and women have tried to do things their own way, leaving God out of the picture, and have ended up with tragic results. Following Adam and Eve, consider Cain's killing his brother Abel; Jacob's deceiving his brother Esau; Joseph's brothers' terrible act of selling him into slavery; Judas' betrayal of Jesus. There are countless more.
God came to Abram (Abraham) as recorded in Genesis 15:1, and gave him the promise that he would be the father of a multitude, and a land as his own possession. Listen to the assurance of promise that God gave to him in this verse; "After this, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision; 'Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.'"
The Lord desires for us to be assured of His provision today, just as He did Abram in that day. When Jesus spoke the words of the Beatitudes on his Sermon on the Mount, He changed the rules for the believer.
The new covenant tells us that we are to feel blessed as we go through the times of trial and testing. We are blessed because our reward is in heaven! Yes, we may experience some limited satisfaction and joy down here, but our reward is waiting for us in heaven.
With the Lord Jesus Christ as our "Source," we have an instantaneous provision for our every need. That "Source" enables us to turn adversity into ministry, peril into preaching and suffering into solace.
I would like to challenge you to try something daring for the Lord. The very next time (you may be in it right now) you encounter trials and tests of any sort, stop immediately and ask the Lord to take over and bring glory out of the situation. Thank Him that you can be used right where you are. Let me know when you see the miracle God will bring.
Pastor Cecil A. Thompson
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