November 2013 - Page 3 of 5 - Daily Thoughts about God

“By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them....” Exodus 13:21

A man was sizing up God by asking, “God, how long is a million years to you?” God said, “A million years is like a second.” Then the man asked, “How much is a million dollars to you?” God said, “A million dollars is like a penny.” The man smiled and said, “Could you spare a penny?” God smiled back and said, “Sure, just wait a second.”

How are you at waiting on God? How do you determine if God is giving you the green light to move forward? Many believers make the mistake of adding up all the pluses and then concluding that God has given them the green light.

I am a lousy waiter. I don’t like to stand in line at a bank even if they are giving away free money. I want the in-box on my desk to be empty at the end of each day. I tend to be obsessive-compulsive and often shoot from the hip before evaluating all the facts. God has really been working on that and I have too.

I realized that God needs to be involved in every decision of my life, not just the spiritual ones, but everyone. And, life needs to be lived on His timetable, not mine. You may ask what goes into making a decision from the Lord.

There are several factors. It is important to do three things before you make a decision on a matter.

First, you should gather facts. Fact gathering allows you to determine all the realities of a given situation. However, this does not ultimately drive your decision, but it can put a stop to it.

Second, is the Holy Spirit guiding you in your decision? “If the Lord delights in a man’s way, He makes his steps firm” (Psalms 37:23). George Mueller cites that the steps are also “by the Lord.” God puts hedges around us, but many times we bull our way through the hedges under the guise of tenacity and perseverance. This too is unrighteousness.

Third, has your decision been confirmed? God has placed others around us to be used as instruments in our lives to confirm decisions and keep us from the deceit of our own heart. “Every matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses”
(2 Corinthians 13:1b).

This is God’s way of keeping us within the hedge of His protection. Write your plans in pencil and give God the eraser.

You can comment on this devotional online at:
https://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2013/11/14/jg_waiting-on-god/

John Grant is a former Florida State Senator and is a practicing attorney

by Roy Lessin

“According to the glorious gospel of the blessed God which was committed to my trust.” 1 Timothy 1:11 (NKJV)

God, who is the author and giver of every blessing, is called the blessed God. Blessedness is a state of happiness. When we read that God is the blessed God, it means that He is a happy God and He wants to bring His happiness to us.

Why is God called the “happy God”? He is happy because He is holy. The joys we draw from the wells of salvation come to us from a pure fountain. If the Scriptures said, “God is unholy” then He would be without happiness, for there is no happiness to be found in darkness, in evil, or in sin.

Some people have painted a false image of holiness. They portray holiness as something associated with gloom, legalism, and grimness. They think of the fruits of holiness as unhappiness, meanness, and a sour disposition. However, it is important for us to remember that heaven, the holiest place of all, is also the happiest place of all.

It is also possible to have a wrong image of happiness. Happiness is not defined by someone who has a great sense of humor, is fun-loving, or has a bubbly personality. Happiness is a state of someone’s heart and sense of wellbeing, not a characteristic of someone’s temperament or a certain personality trait.

Who are the happiest people on earth? The Scriptures tell us, “Blessed (happy, enviably fortunate, and spiritually prosperous—possessing the happiness produced by the experience of God’s favor and especially conditioned by the revelation of His grace, regardless of their outward conditions) are the pure in heart, for they shall see God!” Matthew 5:8 AMP. (Note that this happiness of heart is true even in the midst of hardships and difficulties.)

True happiness comes to us as a fruit of our relationship with God through Christ. The blood of Jesus that cleanses us from all sin, not only removes our guilt and condemnation, but opens the doorway for our happiness (blessedness) by bringing us into a right relationship with God and allowing us to be partakers of His holiness (Hebrews 12:10).

I love the words spoken long ago by a new believer in Christ while giving his testimony of salvation during a church service, “Sometin’ in me got released for good. I swallowed sunshine! He has given me a mighty faith that has made me feel clean inside.”

How good it is to belong to a happy (blessed) God who brings happiness (blessedness) to His children.

You can comment on this devotional online at:
https://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2013/11/12/rl_blessedness/
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