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Thursday, May 29,
2008
Expect the Best
James 1:17-18 Every good gift and every
perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with
whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. (18) Of his own will
begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits
of his creatures. (KJV)
Why should you expect the best? How about
the fact that you serve the best, someone who always has your best interest
at heart. When mankind was in dire need of a savior God gave us His best in
the form of His Son Jesus Christ to restore the fellowship between us and
Him, and give us the gift of life. When the answer to your prayers manifest
you know it is of God because there is not a shadow of doubt that it came
from Him and was just what you needed; at times above and beyond what you
could have ever thought of or asked for. We have been reborn into a new
realm of the Spirit by the word of truth so that we could tap into the tree
of life and bring forth the fruit of the Spirit, now becoming rooted and
grounded in the love of God which is shed abroad in our hearts. So when you
come before the throne of God and make your requests, do you truly expect
the best or are your prayers like throwing dice, hoping you will get a good
roll?
Romans 11:16-22 For if the firstfruit be
holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root be holy, so are the branches.
(17) And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild
olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root
and fatness of the olive tree; (18) Boast not against the branches. But if
thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee. (19) Thou wilt
say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be graffed in. (20)
Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith.
Be not highminded, but fear: (21) For if God spared not the natural
branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee. (22) Behold therefore the
goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward
thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt
be cut off. (KJV)
You know Church this tree you have been
grafted into is not one of chance or luck, but rather a sure thing to those
that partake of it. Actually you are grafted into the tree of life which is
Christ so that you can now be an active participant in a new life. A branch
can break off a tree because of high winds, or in the case of a believer
winds of doctrine that blow through which causes one to doubt and speak
words that cut them off from the source of life. What is the cause for the
branch being broke off; simple unbelief. What allows you to continue to
partake of the root and fatness of the tree; simple faith. The more one
stays attached to this tree of life the more deeply rooted and grounded
they become in it and bear the fruit of it as well. God is no respecter of
persons and didn’t play favorites with His natural branches which were the
Jews, and He has now allowed any and all that would call upon the name of
the Lord to be saved and partake of this new life in Him. As long as you
continue to remain rooted and grounded in the love of God partaking of this
tree of life you to should be expecting the goodness of God in your life.
Psalms 23:4-6 Yea, though I walk through
the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with
me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. (5) Thou preparest a table
before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil;
my cup runneth over. (6) Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the
days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever. (KJV)
There are times that our carnal minds
wander in the depths of despair, a shadow of death because we have allowed
something to block the light from shining in. As a true believer in Christ
one should be retraining, renewing their mind to think like our Lord,
reminding ourselves that we are the head and should quit acting like the
tail end. So once one is able to get their mind out of the gutter, that
valley or low point in their walk, and recover themselves they are able to
clearly see the answer the Lord has for them in verses 5&6. We have all
experienced heartache and frustration in the past; trying to find peace in
the dead realm of the flesh, exerting so much energy only to end up
frustrated and defeated. Now that we are grafted into this new realm of the
Spirit, a realm of victory, we need to be confident in the fact that
surely, not maybe or possibly, goodness and mercy is now a part of my life
and continues to follow me all, not just some of, the days of my life. God
has prepared a table for you in His heavenly realm and is now seeking those
that wish to be seated with Christ and partake of the meat of His word on a
daily basis. The more you stay seated with Him the less you will be caught
up and entangled with the things of this life, so that like with a branch,
the fellowship won’t be broken again. Quite simply put, now that you are a
part of the tree of life bringing forth the fruit of the Spirit you should
continue to expect the best from our Lord and not expect the results you
used to get from your past.
2 Corinthians 5:17-18 Therefore if any
man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold,
all things are become new. (18) And all things are of God, who hath
reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry
of reconciliation; (KJV)
You are a new creature, a new creation in
Christ, old failures, old results, old excuses are now passed away and your
life should be a totally new experience, one of confidence and peace as
well as a newfound inner strength that you never knew existed before. When
you pray and make your requests to God through Jesus Christ, where there
was once a shadow of doubt there should now be a new expectation of
confidence, boldness, and assurance that your prayers are heard and
answered. What was once a life of a day late and a dollar short is now
replaced by an assurance that in all things we are more than conquerors
through Him that loved us. Instead of being a loser and ending up with the
short end of the stick, I can now expect my cup to be running over with
living waters which flow from the heart and bring new life and shed light
where there was darkness and despair. Are you living in the new today or
are you still holding to the past, stuck in a valley looking for the way
out? Do you really expect the best from God? Then start giving Him your
best effort, because with what measure you give His way will come back your
way. Sometimes the reason we don’t see our way out of a situation is
because we don’t spend enough time seated in the heavenly realm to hear the
message delivered by Christ and we end up stooping to the ways of the
world. You need to spend enough time in the word of God renewing the mind
so that you can take words like ‘I can’t’ or ‘it just isn’t possible’ out
of your vocabulary and replace it with words like ‘I can do all things
through Christ’ or ‘with God all things are possible’, and nothing I mean
nothing is impossible to those that believe. A new creation in Christ means
that what was impossible to man in his fallen realm is now possible and
should be expected by those that are a part of this new realm, a new life
made possible by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Isaiah 42:8-9 I am the LORD: that is my
name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven
images. (9) Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I
declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them. (KJV)
You know when you read the news of the
world it is not really news or anything new, but rather the same negative
things resulting from a fallen world. People fighting and warring trying to
find peace in a realm the Lord said was dead and there is no life. When one
partakes of the word of God they are able to partake of a totally new
realm, actually a realm where the victory is guaranteed before hand, with a
promise of goodness and mercy all the days of our lives. If you give God
your best then you can expect the best in return, letting His word be your
one true source of life. Expect the best, because after all you serve the
best.
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