Tag: Church

“When I decided to give you breath, I had a plan for your life in mind. My plan was for you to affect your world for Jesus. I allowed the events in your life to take place for the single purpose of eventually making you like Him in every way. I knew what it would take to bring you to Jesus, and I know what it is going to take to have you serve Him with all your heart.

“For your information, you representing Him and your fellowship with Me are very important to Me. They are why you have been born. Everything else is secondary. Do you consider Our relationship and your representation the priorities of your life? Do they take precedence over everything else that occurs? Maybe it’s time for you to get completely in step with My plans.”

Esther 4:14 AMP

For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance shall arise for the Jews from elsewhere, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows but that you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this and for this very occasion?

Jer. 29:11 AMP

For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome.

II Cor. 5:20a NIV

We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.

I John 1:3 AMP

What we have seen and [ourselves] heard, we are also telling you, so that you too may realize and enjoy fellowship as partners and partakers with us. And [this] fellowship that we have [which is a distinguishing mark of Christians] is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ (the Messiah).

 

Whether there seem to be few challenges in our lives or whether our lives are full of challenges that seem never-ending and impossible to overcome, you can be absolutely certain that God is with us. He is fulfilling His plan in us.

My place is to get in step with You, Lord,

Jim Corbett

“Do you see the signs? Can you hear the rumbles? Storm clouds are forming. A tempest is brewing. What do you have that will not withstand the imminent peril? What is false shelter in your life? The world is becoming wide-eyed with fear. All the safety nets in their lives are being destroyed. All their secure places are eroding. Their wisdom is proving to be false. The loves of their hearts are fickle at best.

“You, however, have a strong tower. You have a proven ally, an unbeatable advocate. His Name is Jesus! No weapon formed against Him can prosper. He is your place of safety. He is your proven friend. You can be assured that the wind is coming. The storms are on their way. Return to Him now with your whole heart. He is the reliable shelter from the imminent peril.”

Psalm 46:1 AMP

God is our Refuge and Strength [mighty and impenetrable to temptation], a very present and well-proved help in trouble.

Matt. 5:11-12 NIV

11) “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.

12) Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

 

All of mankind has a tendency to run and hide from storms. We find shelter to wait out any inconvenience. The kind of covering that is in Christ, however, is a shield that is designed to face the storm head on. It is a search and rescue power that seeks out the cowering masses and brings them to safety.

There is no question that many changes are taking place around us. Only those who have closed their eyes and ears out of ignorance or fear have missed the signs declaring the imminent peril on the horizon.  By the same token, those who see what is coming and have chosen to hunker down for their own safety are equally as blind to the ways of God.

You and I are called to see and hear, so that we can prepare to put to use all for which we have been trained. When we see a time of peril, we should understand that we are entering into the finest hour of the work of the cross. It is the time when the cross takes on an eternal brilliance, when the character and integrity of Christ become shining examples to those wild with fear.

Those of us who are in Christ must run to Him when we see the storms forming. We must rest in His safety. We must prepare to weather the storm in His power. We must call upon Him for wisdom. We then must go in His Name and rescue those who are cowering in their vulnerable places. It is a time when what we have been taught will be proven to be true. It is a time when who we have been will no longer be seen and Who He is will come forth through us.

Teach me to walk under Your shield through the storm, Lord,

Jim Corbett

“I love you. I know that you have heard that before as one of those trite encouragements; but when I say that I love you, it means more than you could possibly realize. My love is not limited by your understanding. Think about this so that you might grasp a small corner of understanding. I have created your planet so that you might have a place to live while My salvation plan is being worked out. Air is made so that you might be able to survive. That is just the very beginning.

“My thoughts are always toward you. There is never a time when you are not in my heart. There is never a moment when I am not focusing on your needs. My attention is continuously toward you for your good. The kind of love that you can perceive does not resemble the all-encompassing, never tiring devotion that I have for you. If you ever would like to experience what My love really is, just ask Me. I will pour My love toward you in a season that you need it most. You must be ready to receive it or else you would be overcome. I would love to show a little more of My love to you each time you ask for it. Ask Me and you will never be the same.”

Eph. 3:17-21 AMP

17) May Christ through your faith [actually] dwell (settle down, abide, make His permanent home) in your hearts! May you be rooted deep in love and founded securely on love,

18) That you may have the power and be strong to apprehend and grasp with all the saints [God’s devoted people, the experience of that love] what is the breadth and length and height and depth [of it];

19) [That you may really come] to know [practically, through experience for yourselves] the love of Christ, which far surpasses mere knowledge [without experience]; that you may be filled [through all your being] unto all the fullness of God [may have the richest measure of the divine Presence, and become a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself!

20) Now to Him Who, by (in consequence of) the [action of His] power that is at work within us, is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly, far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams]—

21) To Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever. Amen (so be it).

 

So often we are told, “This walk with the Lord is not about us, it’s about Jesus and the plans of God.” That is very true. Every one of us should get our eyes off ourselves and focus on what God is doing. We should not misuse His mercy and grace. He is not a push button God to be used for our every whim. Salvation is about His plans and not ours.

Something wonderful, however, is also true. This life with the Lord is about us. Father God formed us. He breathed His own life into us. His mercy never gives up on us. Jesus embraced agony for us. We are the focus of every Word in the Bible.

You are so valuable to God that everything stated in His Word is about His noticing you and me and our need of Him. Everything we read about has been done and is being done, so that we can have freedom in Him. Everything is about a loving Father releasing Himself to us so that we can prosper.

To understand that we are at the center of His attention is almost too much to comprehend. To grasp that nothing we could ever do could stop Him from loving us with His God kind of love – the kind that never gives up on us, never condemns us, always is for us - is enough to boggle our minds.

During one of those times that I was overwhelmed with this “trying to be good, becoming like Jesus stuff,” He impressed on my mind a small glimpse of His love and mercy. He showed me that in His plans, He goads us to the perfection of Jesus; but it is not our job to even attempt to get there. It is His job to take us there. He desires to do it all. The only thing we can do is submit to His working, and even that is done by His power. In the process, He said that all He wanted is to be with us. Everything that Jesus did was so that we could once again be with Him, available to and capable of receiving His love and attention.

The thought of the Creator of everything noticing us, caring for us, embracing us, having mercy on us, perfecting us; and, above all, loving us forever is quite overwhelming. That love, however, is the very core of the gospel. It is the essence of the character of our God. It is motivation for the cross, and we are the privileged recipients. What an astounding, glorious Lord! What a wonderful freedom!

Needing to remember to bask in His love and embrace His favor along the journey,

Jim Corbett