29 July 2020

We all want the best. The best for ourselves, for our families, for our world. We all have hopes and dreams in these areas and often work, yes work all of our lives, to attain these hopes and dreams.

I read a quote the other day from T.D.Jakes, an American preacher that stopped me in my tracks.

“You cannot unlock what God has in store for you if you won’t pursue Him.”

What a TRUTH to be realised.

The logic works out.

If God created us. He’s the maker, the manufacturer, the designer surely then He knows how we are made up. He knows what our gifts and abilities are. He knows what He desired us to achieve in this world, what He put us on this planet for. As many authors have stated- What our purpose is.

We often pursue all of our lives for that thing we are good at. That thing that pushes all of our buttons and gives us a sense of achievement. And none of this is wrong.

But we could change tact and pursue to know God and so then find out from Him what He designed. What He wants for our life. What He put us on this earth for.

He has the ability to open and close doors for us. To set up circumstances, places, times, people for the bettering of ourselves and others.

Many years ago I was working part-time in two jobs. Trying to help supplement the families income so we, Bruce and I, could educate and house and feed our five children.

I had worked for one of the employers for sixteen years. He rang to say he was retiring, and the new owners did not need me to work there anymore. Twenty four hours later another phone call from the other job I worked in told me the same story. I no longer had a job the business had been sold.

The stress that I felt in those oncoming days was immense. I needed to get another job or jobs to continue to help with the finances.

I won’t describe all of the miracles here but God worked overtime!

Bruce and I decided to try and buy a small business. One of the problems was that the business we were looking at was difficult to financially assess due to the retiring/selling owner would not give you the accounting books unless he liked you. So I went to have a conversation with him to try and get those accounting books.

It was nothing that I did. Nothing that I presented that made the old owner hand over the books.

God had set it all up. Years before.

The old owner Ron wanted to know what my work history was. Who I had worked for. I mentioned the gentleman Brian from such and such a business that I had worked for for 16 years. I did not have to continue because Ron interrupted me. “What a small world. Brian was best man at my wedding and I was best man at his….. If you have worked for him for 16 years then I will give you the books….”

God had set this up years before for me and my family.

We bought that business. And God blessed it immensely and it helped us not only in bringing up our family but also the future ministry we would do. (Text continues below.)

When you have this knowledge and have seen the working of God in your life your Faith grows. When you have this KNOWING of God, His ways, His desires for us, it paints a way better picture of my Life than if it was just me doing Life by myself.

We are not loved any less by Him if we don’t know Him but if we don’t know Him then we don’t know what He has planned for us. We don’t know of this great Love.

We don’t know of what He has in store for us.

Instead of being bound and living with no hope, no existence after this one, we are given freedom and eternal life by Jesus Christ.

Instead of being a slave to society, a slave to my peers, we are free to live our life.

I am free from fear, free from death and have a freedom to be holy, a freedom to serve God, a freedom to live and have life to the full. A freedom to live forever.

The kind of life we should lead, is described in the Pslams

“Who is the man who desires life. And loves many days, that he may see good?……Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit, Turn away from evil and do good. Seek peace and pursue it.”

Psalm 34:12-22

God has no favourites but can shine His favour on people.

Verse 15 states

“The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous. And His ears are open to their cry…. When the righteous cry for help the Lord hears….. When the righteous cry for help the Lord hears and rescues them. From all their distress and troubles. The Lord is near to the heartbroken.

And he saves those who are crushed in spirit (contrite in heart, truly sorry for their sins)

This gives me hope, that when I stray, when I sin, all I need to be is contrite in heart and I’m back baby! The Lord is once again near to me.

This freedom of Life continues throughout our entire life and even during hardships and troubles.

Verse 19

“Many hardships and perplexing circumstances confront the righteous, But the Lord rescues him from them all…. The Lord redeems the soul of His servants, And none of those who take refuge in Him will be condemned.”

Sometimes we get so entangled in our pain, in our troubles and difficulties that we forget that only through God will we find Peace.

Remember when Jesus was born the angels sang and announced his birth by stating

“Peace to His people on earth……

And then after the resurrection Jesus appeared to his disciples and said “Peace I give to you and Peace I leave with you. “

Jesus, when with us, brings us peace.

Are we pursuing Him?  Are you even just checking Him out? Are we allowing God (for He needs our permission) to work in our lives? Do we have Him the giver of peace in our life?

I want to encourage you from my own human experience, Chase after Him. You will never look back and your life will be simply amazing!

May these jottings from my journal inspire you to believe in and fall in love with Christ- the hope of the world, as stated in Jeremiah 17:7, ‘Blessed is the man who believes and trusts in and relies on the Lord and whose hope and confident expectation is the Lord!’

Love

Rosemary

Every week groups of ladies meet together to chat about the things I raise in my weekly blog post and to chat about life in general. We call these ‘Heart Connect’ groups. If you would like more information please click HERE.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

Are you pursuing God?  Are you just checking God out?

Are you allowing God to work in your life?

Do you have peace in your life from God, the giver of peace?