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9/08/21 Corrections of Love

As God continues to reveal your shortcomings, be of good cheer! God is doing the wonderful work in you that He promised so you can fulfill your roles as husband and father. A while back, you didn't even know those things were part of you, did you?

I used to see everything I wasn't as a totally negative experience - probably my pride as much as anything else. Now, as the Lord gives me continual reminders of just exactly who I am and how far I have to go to be like Jesus, I am more able to give myself over to Him, knowing only He can change me and that He wholeheartedly desires to do so. My appreciation of Him has increased as He also builds the faith in me to believe that He really is Who He says He is.

What chance would my family have if I chose not to respond to the changes the Holy Spirit is always ready to do in me? Where would we be if God never exposed me for who I really am? Probably sitting comfortably in some church pew with no clue as to the rude awakening in store for me down the road. Have you seen any shortcomings lately?

Let’s talk more!

Jim Corbett

9/07/21 Do You Resemble Jesus?

“Are your days significant in My eyes? Personally, you are of great significance to Me because of Jesus. However, how close is your life to the most significant life that ever lived? How much do you resemble Jesus in your daily priorities and activities? You say that you are a follower of His life. In what ways are you doing that? Do you love others as He does? Do you commune with Me in the way He showed you? Do you care only about My will being done everywhere and in every way? In what way do you really resemble Him? Who are you really following while still calling yourself by His Name?”

I John 2:6 AMP

Whoever says he abides in Him ought [as a personal debt] to walk and conduct himself in the same way in which He walked and conducted Himself.

What does it really mean to be a follower of Jesus according to God? Could it be that every one of us has bought the lie to some degree that we can call ourselves by His Name and still go about our business, little resembling Who He really is?

If someone would take your name, claim your identity, and travel as your ambassador, but acted contrary to your wishes and beliefs, how would you feel? What if he cared little about what you stood for, spoke his own words, and gave his personal opinions to others - opinions that little resembled yours? If he cared little about protecting your reputation, defending your good name, or maintaining your integrity, how long would you desire that he continue to represent you?

Is that not what we do to Jesus every day? We say that we abide in Him but walk and conduct ourselves in a way that little resembles the way in which He walked and conducted Himself.

Forgive me for being so insensitive to You and Your Word, Lord,

Jim Corbett

9/07/21 Action Reaction

Men, in general, function on an action-reaction basis. If you hit a nail with a hammer - action, the nail will be driven into the wood - reaction. Sometimes it’s hard for us to understand God’s action-reaction principles. Let’s take prayer for instance.

If we take the time to pray - especially about something specific - we wonder why we don’t immediately see the results of our prayers. We forget that the simple act of praying - turning our need over to God instead of just handling it ourselves - glorifies God. That act in itself is the right thing to do, especially when we put aside something we deem important to do it. We honor God by praying and recognizing that He is the source of our answer. (In His great love, He even provides answers throughout our lives for things that aren’t even on our radar screen, just because He chooses to bless us.)

Those seeming delays to our prayer requests accomplish far more than we can imagine. Only God can see the whole picture. While we’re waiting, He’s refining heart motives, orchestrating circumstances, clearing a path, developing patience … and maybe even preparing our hearts to receive the answer to our prayers. This may take some time. In terms of action-reaction time, it could become days, months, even years! As husbands and fathers, we need to put aside the concept of immediate answers and trust in the principles of the kingdom of God.

If you are seeking God for a specific need, don’t give up if He hasn’t chosen to work on your timetable. He started swinging the hammer at the time of your prayer, maybe even before. The nail will be impacted in God’s proper timing.

Let’s talk more!

Jim Corbett

9/06/21 Greatness in Your Future

“Where is your heart? To whom are you listening? What kind of plans are you making and why am I not at the center of them? Be encouraged. I am so pleased at the progress most of you are making toward absolute surrender to My will.

"I know that it seems as if nothing is changing in you, that you are never going to be who I want you to be. I also know and see much more than you can from your limited perspective. I see your surrendering heart. I see your desire to sometimes become all that I want you to be. I also see your frustration when you see how little you seem to have changed when you leave Me out of your plans. What little you see happening in you is not truth as I see it.

"Most of you, who are on the threshold of greatness in My eyes, have never been really, really good at anything. You have walked through your lives with average gifts and talents, excelling in possibly one or two areas. Perfection in anything, however, seems to have eluded you. Again, be encouraged. Even though you can only see your lukewarm heart, your distracted goals, and your self-focus, I see your perfection through the work of the cross. I also see greatness in your future. I have the ability to look past who you are at present, to see who you are becoming, and also see who you will forever be.

"At present, through Jesus, you are perfect to Me. Soon you will function in greatness and excel at loving Me. Then you will become holy. I will have your whole heart. Your thoughts will be My thoughts. I will be the center of your very being.”

Hebrews 10:14 NIV

because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.

Hebrews 12:2 NIV

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith…

I love the prospect of excelling at loving Him. The thought of never being really, really good at anything has haunted me most of my life. The possibility of being on the threshold of greatness in the eyes of my Lord is beyond my comprehension. The promise of holiness encourages me beyond belief.

Think of it. At present, we are perfect in God’s eyes because of the wonder of the cross and its work. Because we have embraced that sacrifice, we have entered into the covenant promise of being made holy. The process has begun and is being completed this very moment whether we feel it or not. Jesus is completing us. Boy! That takes a ton of weight off my back.

In these days, because of the times and seasons and the awareness of who I am not, I have found myself striving to do what Jesus is already doing in me. Somehow, I have attempted to do what is not my job to do. My job is to simply surrender to the process and have faith that the work is being done in me. I have the freedom to know that in my Father’s eyes, I am perfect right now. I am fully accepted by Him. I can also be confident that He has the ability to make me what He wants me to be. In fact, because He has begun the process, anything that I do to try to stop it will be nullified. He will overcome my stupidity with His love.

Thank You, Jesus,

Jim Corbett

9/06/21 Credentials

The two reasons you or I would never have access to dinner with the Queen of England are: first, we haven’t been invited; and second, we don’t have the credentials. Only those who have fulfilled the requirements it takes to qualify will ever partake of a meal with the Queen.

Our flesh will never be able to gain an audience with God. Flesh simply doesn’t have the credentials to do so. Adam and Eve were removed from His presence as soon as their fleshly nature controlled their decisions. Their reasoning ability separated them from the purpose for human creation - to be in a position where God is our God, and we are His devoted, dependent people.

Men, pride is the most distinguishable cause of why we don’t want to submit to God’s requirements, although ignorance and a myriad of other reasons also stop us from going there. Fact is, we simply want to be in control of our lives and are unwilling to give that up, even if it means that we may never have the answers we need to become the husband and father our Lord intends; or worse yet, will never enjoy the true presence of our Creator God. How foolish!

Let’s talk more!

Jim Corbett

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