Friday, August 26, 2016

God's Multiplication

Once upon a time...
...there was a woman who found a 100 dollar bill. She took it to the local police station and asked if anyone had come looking for a missing 100 dollar bill. "Nope, sorry!" the police man said, "If no one comes to claim it in 7 days its yours!" So the woman came back 7 days later to check and see if the missing 100 dollar bill had found its owner. "No one has come to claim it! She is all yours." said the police man. The woman took the 100 dollar bill and said a prayer, "Lord, what would you have me do with this money? Please show me." She then went to the grocery store to get some groceries and up ahead of her in line at the check out counter she noticed a woman who was putting things aside because she didn't have enough money. These items included things like dippers, and home essentials. Quickly the woman pulled out the $100 and gave it to the woman in front of her in line. This woman burst into tears and thanked her over and over again. This is a beautiful example of how God can use us to bring blessings into others lives, but the story isn't over yet. The very next day, the woman found $100 in her purse. She was puzzled. Hadn't she just given $100 to the woman in the grocery store?? "Well Lord," she said, "show me what to do with this $100." That day, God showed her another individual who was desperately in need of money. And can you guess what happened the next morning?? There was another $100 in the woman's purse!! This happened 27 more times! Wow! What a beautiful story of what happens when we place ourselves in God's hands and give our means, talents, and time to Him.

This is a story that my aunt told me, and she heard it from a sermon. I don't know who preached the sermon, and I don't know the woman in the story, so I don't know who to credit for this story. But it hit me in a powerful way and I pray that it did the same for you.

Sunday, August 14, 2016

Believing is Trusting

God has been teaching me so much this summer! One of the biggest lessons I have learned this summer is trust. Simple trust in the Creator who cares for us and WANTS to bless us. Have any of you been stressed lately? I just feel like the world is a place where stress too easily controls our lives. I was dealing with a tremendous amount of stress this summer (two jobs, and studying for boards), and it was such a burden. But God has been showing me that being stressed about my life is showing a lack of trust in Him. Ok, so bear with me here as I try to explain this. So, if someone asks, “Do you believe in God?” We respond with, “Yes! I believe in God.” Now, what if believing, is trusting. If someone asked “Do you trust in God?” Could we as readily answer “Yes! I place my trust in God every day!” In order to trust what someone is saying, you need to believe them right? So if you truly believe someone, then you trust them as well, right? So, in these verses, I will be replacing the word believe with trust. This gives a deeper context to these verses and their application in our lives filled with stress.
-  “And the Lord said unto Moses, How long will this people provoke me? and how long will it be ere they [trust] me, for all the signs which I have showed among them?” - Numbers 14:11 (God has shown us so many examples of what happens when we willingly place our trust in Him, yet it is still a daily struggle).
- “[Trust] in the Lord your God, so shall ye be established” - 2 Chronicles 20:20 (Prosperity comes not from taking things in our own hands, but from trusting that God will take care of us and multiply our labors so that our needs are met).
- “And when He is come, He will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgement: of sin, because they [trust] not on me.” - John 16:8-9 (Not trusting God is actually a sin. Not trusting God separates us from Him and the definition of sin is a separation from God. Therefore, stress (unhealthy stress) is actually sin).
- “Jesus said unto him, If thou canst [trust], all things are possible to him that [trusteth].” - Mark 9:23 

I stress way too much in life, and God has been showing me the deep significance of putting my trust in Him, and not stressing. This is encouraging! Because life is so much better because we have a God that we can trust! The stresses that burden those in this world don’t have to hold on to us! Trusting God. If we haven’t built up the trust in Him now, we won’t stand the test at the end. As school starts for some of us, and as others are looking for jobs, and all of us as we live life day to day, remember to Trust God!  John 14:1 “Let not your heart be troubled: ye [trust] in God....” 

Matt 9:28
Matt 18:6
Mark 11:23-24