I imagine the Lord has been laying this topic on my heart for some time.
Since we've moved here to North Carolina, my heart has been full with the many blessings that had been layed before me by my wonderful Father. My house, my car, my healthy children, my amazing husband. My new found church family. Each blessing I counted all joy. And they brought me joy....
One morning I was driving in my car, running some errands and the popular song by ADELE came on. "Rolling in the Deep".... I'd heard the song a million times before. But this time a line stuck out to me. It was like I had never heard it before! HA!
"COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS TO FIND WHAT YOU LOOK FOR"
What do you look for when you count your blessings? Do you consider yourself blessed because you have a good life? Do you consider yourself blessed when everything around you is going well?
I was speaking with a friend the other day who is going through a real hard time right now. In the midst of her telling me about her troubles she said, "I know how blessed I am..... so I shouldn't complain...I mean, God has given me so much and this really isn't that big of a deal compared to all the good things I have..." and then she gave her list of "GOOD" things in her life. The generic list that we all give.
I dont want to discredit these gifts. I dont want to sound as though these precious blessings are not blessings at all. Because they are! But it definitely shows what we look for when we count our blessings.
James 1:2 My bretheren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.
COUNT it all JOY when you fall into different trials. Rarely do I hear anyone ever thank the Lord for their trials. Rarely do I hear anyone say, "I am so blessed. The Lord has given me a trial!" Why? Because trials take us out of our comfort zone. Trials are painful. Trials are tiring. But trials are God's way, as it says here in James, that our faith is tested. Trials are the way our patience is produced. And patience produces a PERFECT WORK...that we will be complete, lacking NOTHING.
Without these trials, we can not grow closer to the Lord. Without these trials our faith cannot grow. Without these trials, we have no reason to rely on the Lord.
Paul says in 2nd Corinthians 12:7-10
And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations (meaning, so he doesn't get too prideful in the wisdom he's received), a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure (we dont know what the "thorn" was. It could be a physical ailment, or just some other kind of trial). Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly will I will rather boast in my infirmities (his weaknesses, his trials) that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirimites, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
Do we take PLEASURE in our weaknesses and trials? God didn't remove Pauls trials and ailments because they were the very thing that kept Paul looking to Christ. Paul says here he BOASTS in his trials SO THAT the power of Christ may rest upon him. Paul's DESIRE is for God's strength to overwhelm Him. Because THAT is what makes Paul strong. Do we desire God MORE when we face trials? Do we consider them joy?
Sometimes when we are faced with a consistent trial, we cry out and get bitter when its not removed. Or when God doesn't change our circumstances we are angry, resentful, adopt a "why bother" attitude because things are not being changed the way we desire them to. We are out of our comfort zone. We forget that God's word says that trials are meant for our growth.
In Romans chapter 5, Paul begins by telling us of the good things we have from being justified by faith in Christ. We have Peace with God, we have access by faith into grace in which we stand. and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. BUT NOT ONLY THAT! (another translation reads "more than that.")
We also glory in tribulations (says vs 3), knowing that tribulation produces perseverance (cheerful or hopeful constancy! patience, waiting), and perserverance produces character (trustiness, experience), and character produces hope (Pleasure, expectation, confidence, faith). Now HOPE does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
Without these precious trials, we are left incomplete. We are left without endurace and character, which here says produces Hope.
When we face trials of various kind, like a hurting marriage, a disease, and broken family, financial hardship, whatever your trial may be, do we approach the Lord in gratitude? Do we know that these trials are from the Lord, our blessings to produce a perfect work in us? Do we give up and divorce because our marriage isn't changing for the better? Do we grow depressed and drown ourselves in alcohol or drugs because we can't stand being uncomfortable? Or do we praise the Lord who gives us exactly what we need to make us perfect, Christ like, and bring Glory to Him? Determined to stand in the faith given to us by Christ. Do we look to the Lord to be our grace and comfort in the time of trial?
Back to James:
We've read in James that God gives us these trials so that we will be perfect and complete. Lacking nothing. In the midst of these trials are we seeking to handle these trials in a way that is pleasing to God? Do we have this type of wisdom that is of the Lord?
James says in 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double minded man, unstable in all his ways.
The word "Faith" here in the greek is pistis. It can be defined: persuasion, credence, moral conviction, especially reliance upon Christ for salvation. And the word doubt here in the greek is diakrino; which is to seperate thoroughly, to withdraw from or oppose. Stagger, waver.
This verse shows the contrast between faith and doubt. When we go to God for wisdom, do we approach Him with the faith that stands strong? That relies COMPLETELY on Him? Or do we waiver? Do we stagger? When a storm comes and the waves get crazy do they knock you down? Do you give up and do everything you can to get out of the discomfort? Or do you look to Jesus and allow Him to keep your feet on the ground? I think its important to point out that the doubting man does not receive anything from the Lord. The one that does not trust in God should not walk around assuming he will receive any benefits from God. He must not suppose that he will grow in the way intended if he does not look to Jesus.
Let us count our blessings. ALL of them. Especially the ones that are most important. The ones that change us. The ones that leave us with no other option but to get before our God in faith. Let us rejoice in our sufferings Knowing that its a perfect GIFT from the Father who loves His own. And let us examine ourselves. Are we the waivering man in our trials? Tossed to and fro by every movement of the sea. Or are we steadfast knowing that Jesus is our strength? In our weakness do we look to Him because we know HE is the one that makes us strong?
"Count your blessings to find what you look for"
1st Corinthians chapter 7 used to bother me deeply. I felt Paul was kind of putting down something I held very dear to me. My marriage. When I would read this chapter I would get angry and say, "Yeah Paul. We get it. You're not married so no one else should be either." And while Paul does express the blessings of being unmarried, that's not his point at all.
I'm mainly going to stick with vs 32-35
But I want you to be without care. He who is unmarried cares for the things of this world- how he may please his wife. There is a difference between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman cares about the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit. But she who is married cares about the thing of this world- how she may please her husband. And I say this for your own profit, not that I may put a leash on you, but for what is proper, that you may serve the Lord without distraction.
Paul makes a very clear point here. Those who are married care about the other. Their focus is their marriage. How they can please each other. The wife is focused on make her husband happy. The husband focused on making the wife happy.
In the beginning of my marriage and up to the point of God opening my eyes to this chapter, my focus was on Sean. He was at the forefront of my mind at most times. Which, to most, including me, isn't a bad thing. Its not bad to want to please your husband. But Paul's point here is that my focus on pleasing my husband takes away from my focus of pleasing the Lord. He calls it a distraction from pleasing the Lord.
The married couple's focus is on each other, rather than on the Lord.
Paul's point here is that an unmarried woman needs to worry about NOTHING other than her Jesus. Her focus is on how she may please Him. How her life may be dedicated to serving Him. She focuses on keeping herself pure and holy before the Lord. Then when she gets married, her focus shifts and she becomes more concerned with pleasing her husband. When our focus is on anything but the Lord, we have trouble.
Paul writes in vs 28: But even if you do marry, you have not sinned, and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. Nevertheless, Such will have trouble in the flesh, but I would spare you.
To marry is not a sin....but you will have trouble. Because when you marry, your focus shifts to that of the world (the spouse) rather than the focus being on Christ.
Then Paul says something very interesting in vs 29. This was the verse that always made me angry. I couldn't understand what in the world Paul was saying. He says
But this I say brethren, the time is short, so that from now on even, those who have wives should be as though they had none.
Is Paul really telling my husband, and even me, that we should act as though we did not have a wife? Yes. But not in the way I originally thought.
Paul was clear that unmarried people have a blessings. He calls it a GIFT to remain single forever. Paul worries only about the way he can please the Lord. The unmarried man and woman only care about the ways they can please God. Their focus is on Him. When we get married, our focus, usually willingly, switches to being on our spouse and pleasing them. Paul is telling us that once we are married, we should STILL focus on the Lord as we did before we were married. We should still aim to please God as we would if we had no wife or husband.
Ladies, no marriage can be fulfilling if you're focusing on that sinner of a husband you have. And your husbands life cannot be fulfilling if he is focusing on the sinner of a wife that you are. Our focus must be on God.
But some might ask, "If I don't make time and focus on our marriage, then it will fail" and I would say you're missing the big picture.
Jesus says in Matthew 6:33, "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added to you.' If our focus is on God and how we can please HIM, everything else will be taken care of. I have huge reason (both from experience and observation) that the vast majority of why marriages fail is for no other reason besides the focus not being on the Lord. If both spouses are focused on each other, its never a pretty picture. But if our focus is on the Lord, all we can see is His beauty and we rest in the fullness of joy that comes through seeking after Him. All we are left with is the satisfaction He brings in any circumstance.
Marriage is a beautiful thing given to us by God. And not everyone can be as Paul and remain single forever. But we can strive to focus on the Lord.
Is your marriage hurting? Turn your eyes to Jesus. Is your marriage about to fail? Turn your eyes to Jesus. He is where our focus should be.
Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.
God, the past couple days has been teaching me the severity and the heaviness of what was done on Calvary. The weight that was carried was far greater than I had ever given thought to. Recently, it had me in tears.
1st Corinthians chapter 6: A chapter of sexual immorality. A chapter that Paul writes to the church in Corinth reminding them that such sinners a themselves, do NOT inherit the Kingdom of God. Such sinners as ME... But Paul tells them they were washed, and sanctified, and justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of Our God (verse 11).
Such sinners as me.... To think back and remember what the Lord saved me from is enough to bring me to my knees in praise. But then to think of my Jesus bearing the burden of MY shame, knowing that when He was making His way to the hill on Calvary, being beaten, scourged, spit on, yelled at, all the while carrying that heavy cross, and then nailed to that cross, all this done with MY name in mind... makes me weep. A love like that is impossible to find. He did it for such a sinner as me. He did it for such sinners who believe on His Name.
And because of that love, I am washed clean. And because of that love I am made new. Because of that love I am to walk in newness of life! Because of that love, I should want to give everything back to Him!
Paul says in vs 12: All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.
In short, you are "allowed" to DO whatever you want. But whats the cost? How do your choices affect you? Are they pleasing to the Lord? Are you under the power of the choices you make? Do I use my free will to glorify my flesh or my Lord who paid for my freedom?
Paul says in 15:
Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? CERTAINLY NOT!
Do I use my body to glorify God? Do I use it to glorify sin?
Verse 17: But he who is joined to the lord is one Spirit with Him
If you are a believer, if you have been purchased by Jesus Christ, you are joined together with God. You are one spirit.
In this chapter, Paul is referring to sexual immorality. He says that to be sexually immoral is to sin against your body. And if we are joined together in one spirit with God we are sinning against God's temple. If you think that just because you may not be in sexual sin that this doesn't apply to you, I would say you're wrong. To present my members to any sort of sin becomes a direct violation of the One dwelling within me.
in Vs. 19:
Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you, whom you have from God, and YOU ARE NOT YOUR OWN?
You are not your own. If you have been PURCHASED BY CHRIST...you belong to HIM. Your body is the dwelling place for the Holy Spirit.
Vs. 20: For you were BOUGHT at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.
You were BOUGHT AT A PRICE: That price was Christ bearing the weight of the sins of those who believe on Him. That price was Him crucified. He viewed His children valuable enough to carry our shame and DIE for them. You were not bought at some cheap second hand store price. You were purchased by the blood of the ONLY Living God's ONLY Son...Jesus Christ. How do you present your body? What do you do with the house that the Holy Spirit dwells in? What do you allow into it?
My prayer before I sat down with the Lord this morning was that He would put a fire in me to desire Him. I prayed that I would be cleansed of anything that was not pleasing to Him. To be rid of anything that kept me from serving Him the way He calls me to. I prayed that I would burn with desire for only Him. And this was the chapter I read this morning.
To be purchased by the Lord. To know that He views me so valuable to BUY me at such a hefty price brings me to my knees. To know how valuable I am to HIM that He was willing to die for me is amazing. Because I am SUCH A SINNER as them. What will I do with that gift?
Glorify God in your body and in your spirit, Which are Gods.....
