Faithfulness – Page 6

Wise Men

Published on December 16, 2017June 14, 2023 by amylinnea1 Comment

When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. Matthew 2:9-10

Has God ever asked something of you?

And He’s been a little vague, but you know He is leading you in a certain direction?

So you decide to follow the direction He has for you, but it is certainly not fast.

In fact, it’s been a few months or a couple of years and you seem to be going nowhere new.

Are you still trusting Him?

Still believing what He has in store for you?

When God leads you to walk down a certain path, it’s sure easy at the beginning, isn’t it?

You are fresh, full of ideas, and hope spills over in your heart.

Flash forward a couple of years.

You are a bit weary, irritated, and more times then you care to admit, you listen to lies telling you how foolish you are to keep trusting God.

Sound familiar?

Look at the wise men who came from afar, bringing gifts to Jesus.

History shows these important men traveled a very long time to their destination.

Months or years, historians differ in their interpretation of the time.

But here is the point.

They kept going until their journey was complete.

They were faithful.

Are you?

When God leads you down a path, are you faithful to Him?

God’s timetable is not ours.

His plan includes your salvation.

And the salvation of others.

Even when progress seems to be at a standstill, keep walking.

Keep trusting God in the process.

God’s answers for you are waiting.

But only if you keep following Him.

Photos by Inbal Malca, Mariam Soliman & Jamie Templeton on Unsplash

Rewards of Faithfulness

Published on September 17, 2016June 7, 2023 by amylinneaLeave a comment

Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man. Proverbs 3:3-4

Obedience.

Completely obeying what you know in your heart should be done.

Even if it sounds nuts.

If it goes against human logic.

Ever pray about something?

Yes, I know you have.

Your answer comes and shockingly, you don’t like it…

So you pray again, thinking you heard God’s answer incorrectly?

And He answers the same as before?

When this happens, listen to Him.

God really wants to share His plan for you if you’ll choose to listen.

We cannot possibly fathom all that He has for us.

If we choose to listen.

If we choose to obey.

Rewarding faithfulness.

That’s the outcome of our humble submission.

His ways are higher than ours.

Learned that again myself just last week.

Confirmation of His love.

That’s what obeying comes down to.

I pray this for many children everyday:

“May they hear Your voice, listen, & obey so they will know the TRUTH that will set them free.”

May this blessing fall upon you as well as you are faithful to God.

Photo by Karen Ciocca on Unsplash

His Perfect Ways

Published on September 10, 2016June 6, 2023 by amylinneaLeave a comment

Lord, You are my God; I will exhale You and praise Your name, for in perfect faithfulness You have done wonderful things, things planned long ago. Isaiah 25:1

God is a good, good Father.

Love that song.

Except something in the song has always bothered me.

Is He really perfect in all of His ways?

Because when life goes down the toilet, it doesn’t seem so.

I become confused about His perfect ways when I think about what all me and my dear husband have gone through.

How is His way perfect when it involves your spouse leaving after 20 years, because someone must be their true self?

How is His way perfect when your spouse dies?

How is His way perfect when you miscarry?

Like I said, it’s bothered me every time I’ve sang this wonderful song.

But then it came to me.

God is perfect.

His ways are perfect.

When sin entered the world, death followed.

We daily choose between life and death.

Why does He allow brokenness?

Or suffering?

Not for me to say.

It’s on my list when I get to heaven.

But when we trust Him to get us through our broken times, His way is perfect.

He is perfectly able and willing to carry us every day through every little thing.

If we’ll let Him.

His answer of peace amidst the storm is perfect.

And His ever present help in trouble.

Call to Me and I will answer.

So yes, His ways are perfect.

And we are thankful.

Photos by Yoonbae Cho & Judith Prins on Unsplash

Shalom

Published on August 27, 2016June 6, 2023 by amylinneaLeave a comment

The Lord gives strength to His people; the Lord blesses His people with peace. Psalm 29:11

Completeness. Perfectly sound. Intact.

God promises us His peace.

His perfect peace.

His shalom.

When the waters begin to sway your boat, He is there to speak peace over you.

In the stillness of the night, He’s there to cover you, keeping you safe.

How?

It’s a mystery to me, but it’s there.

If you ask for it.

Then after you ask, trust Him.

Trust that He’s got this.

He’s already put His plan into motion.

His perfect plan.

His plan might not look like your plan.

But as long as you seek His face and long to do His will, He’ll be faithful to show up.

To show up and lead the way.

In peace.

So, grab hold of God’s strong hand.

And seek His face.

Don’t ever let go.

Saved From More

Published on January 22, 2016June 6, 2023 by amylinneaLeave a comment

Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other. Isaiah 45:22

Saved, yes, for all of eternity.

From the punishment we richly deserve.

But I think there’s more.

The Hebrew word “saved” means to deliver.

To help.

To gain victory.

When we look unto God for our daily needs…

When we look to Him to free us from ourselves…

When we look to God to be our everything…

We are saved from fear.

We are saved from sin.

Every day.

Every time we look unto God.

We are saved moment by moment, each and every day.

Yes, thank you God, we are saved from an eternity separated from Our Creator.

But we are also saved from worry and fear, here and now.

But only if we look unto God.

Only if we clear away all else and place our trust in God.

For He is God and there is none else.

Photo by Nagesh Badu on Unsplash

Jesus Loves Me

Published on January 3, 2016June 6, 2023 by amylinneaLeave a comment

No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and His love is made complete in us. 1 John 4:12

Jesus loves me this I know

For the Bible tells me so

Little ones to Him belong

They are weak, but He is strong.

Do you know Jesus loves you?

Do you really know?

He does.

With everything He has, He loves you.

How can we be certain?

The Bible tells us so.

We are His children and we belong to Him.

Connected. Joined with Him.

Yes, we are so utterly weak in our own strength, but He is so very strong.

Jesus carries us through life, filling us up with His strength.

Why?

Because we belong to Him.

And because He loves us so.

What a stunning reminder of His faithfulness.

He knows it all.

He’s seen it all.

And He’s not going anywhere.

Because we belong to Him.

Photos by Jamez Picard & Dim Hou on Unsplash

Contentment

Published on August 4, 2014April 30, 2023 by amylinneaLeave a comment

Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4

Waiting on God.

Trusting the process.

Surrendering – and finding peace along the way.

That’s contentment.

Are you content?

Peaceful?

Or are you filled with anxious thoughts?

What if nothing ever changed in your life ever again.

What then.

Would you be miserable all the rest of your born days?

Maybe. Some people are like that.

They hate their life and refuse to do anything about it.

Or they hate their lot in life and unless they wake up in a new body and lifestyle with everything going their way, they will never be content.

So what if God told you this was as good as it was going to get?

Would you be utterly disappointed?

I have to admit I would be.

I have things I’d really love to do.

Living on the beach is at the top of my list!

Don’t laugh, it is, but that in itself would not cause me my greatest disappointment.

But that will be solved in a matter of days when I marry my beloved. !

Psalm 37 reminds us if we trust in God, He will give us the desires of our heart.

When you align yourself with God’s heart, the desires He places in you are His.

But it doesn’t say He gives us the desires of our hearts whenever we demand them.

God will deem the perfect time to reveal His plan for you.

In the mean time, are you content in waiting?

Happy to let God be God?

Or are you griping at every passing unfulfilled moment.

Maybe, just maybe, God is refining you in the process.

Maybe He is teaching you to trust.

Maybe He is testing you.

Pass the test with flying colors.

Then, when you least expect it, God will be there in the midst of your contentment, handing you His plan on a silver platter.

And the timing will be perfect.

Photos by Mark König, José Pinto, & Krists Luhaers on Unsplash

Thankfulness

Published on May 18, 2014April 10, 2023 by amylinnea1 Comment

I will give thanks to you, O Lord, my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify your name forever. Psalm 86:12

It’s easy to thank God when times are good.

When life is smooth, it’s easy to raise our hands to heaven, thanking the One who created all things.

How ’bout when life turns ugly?

When your life hits a speed bump and you are thrown to the ground, what then?

Are we still required to give thanks during those winter months?

Yep.

Seriously?

Uh-huh.

When God places a boulder in your path, thank Him for giving you directions around it.

When God moves you firmly out of one job into another, thank Him for rescuing you.

When God lifts you up and places you down in an entirely different life, thank Him for His protection.

You have no idea what God is protecting you from when He changes your course….your direction.

Thank Him.

He knows all things and is more aware than you realize.

Change your perspective. Begin thanking Him for the storms in your life.

Storms are when God shows up in powerful ways.

Sure, He’s there in times of sunshine as well, it’s just harder to see Him work.

When life is smooth sailing, you don’t need God as much.

When life is hunky dory, dependence on yourself increases. You become less thankful of the good things, because they surround you.

During storms, little pops of glory are obvious, filling our thankful hearts with hope.

Cultivate a heart of thankfulness. Regularly communicate your gratitude during your constant conversation with the One who created all things. The One who orchestrates the music of the universe.

I guarantee your attitude will shift and peace will return to your soul.

God has a plan. And He will reveal it to you in due time.

In the meantime, thank Him. Because we owe Him everything.

Everything.

Photos by Ben White, Vladimir Fedotov, & Zwaddi on Unsplash