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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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