Christian | TFRC | The Faith Resource Community

6/07/23 Unconscious Advance

Often we forget that God is continually at work on our behalf and for the good of those we love. He has called us to the position of husband and father. He will equip us for the task if we seek Him for His power. He promises to never leave us or forsake us. He will continually advance His plan for our lives and the lives of those we love. There are no “off days” with respect to His hand on us accomplishing what He desires.

When the obligations of my offices overwhelm me, and my failures seem to far outnumber any semblance of success, I remember a comment made by a dear pastor who is now enjoying the Lord's company face-to-face. He used to say, "There has never been an emergency meeting of the Trinity." If we could only remember that every moment, maybe we could stop setting those meetings up down here because we see no evidence of change in us or our circumstances.

Is God trustworthy and all-powerful or not? Of course He is! I guess that puts the ball back in our court. "Lord, give us eyes to see, ears to hear, and a heart that has the ability to trust You completely!"

Let’s talk more!

Jim Corbett

6/06/23 It’s Up to You

“Do you realize how wonderfully you’ve been made, how vastly different you are? Once you were darkness; your whole being was given over to the dark. Now you are light, not just cleaned up, but the opposite of dark. You are no longer part of any darkness. In the eternal future, you will function within light. There will be no need for any additional light other than Jesus, so you will function within Him. Your flowing together will bring His presence everywhere you go.

"I have a surprise for some of you. It is that way now. Whether you understand it or not, you bring Jesus with you everywhere you go in your world. How much He is revealed to that world is up to you. If you choose not to accept the wonder that has been done for you on the cross, that is to your detriment. I will allow you to remain there as long as you desire. If, however, you choose to function in the realm of light, I will be delighted to equip you fully. You are light. Why would you continue to function in darkness? You no longer belong there.”

John 8:42-47 NIV

42) Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and now am here. I have not come on my own; but he sent me.

43) Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say.

44) You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

45) Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me!

46) Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe me?

47) He who belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.”

Rev.21:22-27 NIV

22) I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.

23) The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp.

24) The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it.

25) On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there.

26) The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it.

27) Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

I keep forgetting the very essence of why I’m thankful this and every other day. As wonderful as all of the other reasons might be, I am so very grateful for what Jesus has done for me and to me.

Because He came, cared, conquered, and went home, my eternal future is very bright. Because He changed me, I can hear and communicate with His Father - my Father - any time I need to do so. What an astounding privilege!

So often, when I step back into the darkness and am buffeted beyond reason, it reminds me of a very basic fact. I no longer belong there. I don’t fit anymore.

Because of the work of the cross, you and I now belong in sweet fellowship with the One who is Light. We belong there forever; not because we are doing good, but because we have been recreated to be there.

Thank You, thank You, my Father. I am (we are) eternally grateful,

Jim Corbett

6/06/23 Our Privilege

Have you ever thought about the privileges we have as husbands and fathers? Though there are many, one of the most wonderful is the ability to hold those we love before the Father for His blessing upon them. Not only do we observe their days; we also have the honor of laboring in prayer for them as we see their needs.

Think of it. God has chosen us to be a valued asset in the lives of those we love, to lend a hand for their best interests, to undergird them in their times of need or challenge by presenting them before our mighty God for His faithful intervention. That’s some pretty powerful stuff!

The apostle Paul talked about being in pain as if in childbirth until Christ was formed in his circle of influence. He considered it his task to hold them before the One Who can do something about their real need. We can do the same for those we love. It’s our job, our moment-by-moment assignment! It’s our calling and privilege!

Let’s talk more!

Jim Corbett

6/05/23 Perspective Adjustment

“You ask Me to provide for the means to pad your comfort areas. I am willing to do that. You present petitions for Me to prosper you and then you will not even move from your comfort areas to provide for those who are doing My work if I do. I am still willing to answer your requests in the hope that someday you will wake up and realize that I have prospered you so that they can have what is needed. You ask Me to understand that you have reasons to hate someone who has wronged you or cheated you. I am patient with you until you change. You have difficulty forgiving those who have been unjust to you or spoken behind your back.

"I am patient while you come to repentance. There is something you must know. In My world, I am receiving your petitions at the same time that petitions are coming from those in prison cells who request mercy for the jailers who beat them every day. I am being asked for forgiveness for someone who has destroyed the petitioner’s life and family. Cries for the souls of those who are about to kill the petitioner are often received at the same time that you are asking Me to come against your fellow worker because he or she gossiped about you. Maybe your perspective is in need of adjustment!”

Proverbs 29:21 AMP

He who pampers his servant from childhood will have him expecting the rights of a son afterward.

Matthew 5:13 AMP

You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste (its strength, its quality) how can its saltness be restored? It is not good for anything any longer but to be thrown out and trodden under foot by men.

Jesus left a royal position in heaven to be ridiculed, spat upon, and crucified. He gave up all His wealth, His rights, and His will, so that the will of His Father would be done. He owned nothing and gave everything, so that those who cursed Him and crucified Him might be forgiven for their sins against Him.

Giants of the faith throughout the centuries lived for the best interests of others. Testimony after testimony of fallen people of real faith reveal the same heart of Jesus as they laid their lives down so that others might prosper and the Lord might be glorified, even in the most horrific situations. To deny the heart of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the slightest way was unthinkable to those who lived only for the glory of their Lord. Faced with torture, unbelievable conditions, and unthinkable forms of slow death, they lived and died so that the life of their Savior might be made visible to observers who needed His mercy.

The Proverbs verse above shows an attitude of one who is owned by a master but has forgotten his position because of the master’s grace and mercy toward him. He has become proud in his position, rather than grateful for it; very much like those of us who have come to the mistaken belief that we really own what we have been given and demand more when we have the slightest need. We have become a church that is proud of our magnanimous heart when we toss crumbs to others from our positions of safety and comfort.

Take me from selfish to selfless, Lord,

Jim Corbett

6/05/23 Seize the Moment

Being a man who’s lost one of his children, I’m often reminded of the many wasted moments, wrong decisions, and times when other things appeared more important than devoting time to her. I look back and wish I had seized every opportunity to enjoy her, instead of placing other supposedly more important things ahead of her.

As husbands and fathers, we are truly blessed. We each have the honor of witnessing the lives of those God has given us. As we observe their days, it’s our privilege to share in the delights they experience and grieve with them when they’re in need of a shoulder to cry on. All investments in them add to the wonder of participating in the life God has given them.

At certain points in the din of everyday life, most of us lose the importance of time spent with those standing close to us. Instead of grasping every instant to appreciate those precious moments, challenges, decisions, needs, and schedules cloud the wonder of family life, sometimes to the point of being too late. How I wish I had redeemed the time! How I wish I had seized every opportunity I had to participate in my first daughter’s life! Today I determine in my heart to not make the same mistake with those who remain.

Let’s talk more!

Jim Corbett

1 2 3 … 331 332 333 334 335 336 337 … 667 668 669

Posts navigation