http://youtu.be/bjmpbl2OUMU - In a Blink of an Eye - MercyMe
Does God have a purpose for my life? Does He really have a plan that includes me? Am I living for today, for
this earthly life that is "like a vapor - here today and gone tomorrow"? Am I focused on this world, or do I keep
my eyes on the Eternity?
It's so easy to get caught up in the things of this world. Too many times I'm distracted to the point that I forget
what really matters.
Why am I here?
I'm here bring glory to God. I'm here to shine for Jesus! It's a lot easier to "shine" when life is great, and I have no problems. Pretty much anyone can be joyful when life is good. But difficult circumstances that God allows in my life can be a platform for me to testify to God's faithfulness. He has promised to give me everything I need to face any challenge. I may not be able to do it on my own but I can do all things through the Strength that Christ gives me. He is my Strength. When I face trials and struggles with the confidence that Christ will not leave nor forsake me, others can see His Light
shining through me. The light people see in me when I choose to make the most of every situation is far brighter than the light they see in me when everything is going my way.
Joseph faced incredibly difficult situations in his life. Yet he chose to look to God. Joseph chose to make the best of every circumstance, and people took notice. God blessed him, and gave him favor with those around him. Joseph chose to shine for God.
If you have the time, read Genesis 37, 39-41. This is the story of Joseph's life. He was betrayed by his brothers. He was sold into slavery by them. He was taken away from his parents when he was still a young man. He was accused unjustly for sexual assault of Potiphar's wife and thrown into prison, where Joseph was a model prisoner. He was made assistant to the prison guard and was in charge of all the prisoners - while he was imprisoned for years. He made the best of the situation. He was forgotten by the cup bearer who had promised to tell Pharaoh of Joseph's plight. Yet Joseph continued to make the most of his circumstances. In the end, God used Joseph to save not only his family, but all of Egypt.
When his brothers came to him for help, they didn't know that the man they stood before begging for food, the man who was second in command over all Egypt, that same man was their little brother whom they had sold into slavery.
The brothers were afraid when Joseph revealed himself to them. But Joseph had nothing by love and forgiveness. He knew that God had used his circumstances to save so many people.
When Jacob (Israel) died, the brothers were scared to death. With their father no longer there to influence his beloved son to care for his family, they just knew that Joseph would have them put to death. But Joseph didn't focus on the past. He knew God had used every situation for a good purpose.
Genesis 50:19-21 NIV
But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. 21 So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children.” And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them.
What circumstance in my life could God be using for His purpose and glory? Will I fight and pout and fret about my hard luck, my sickness, my financial ruin, my broken relationships? Or will I rise above, like Joseph, and make the most of the opportunity to shine for Jesus?
Here's another prayer from "A Treasury of Praise" by Ruth Myers with Warren Myers.
Thank you, my gracious and sovereign God, that You have been with me and carried me from the day of my birth until today...that You have known my whole life, from beginning to end, since before I was born...and that You wrote in Your book all the days that You ordained for me before one of them came to be.
Thank You that in Your gracious plan to bless and use me, You've allowed me to go through hard times, through trials that many people go through in this fallen world. How glad I am that You're so good at reaching down and making something beautiful out of even the worst situations! How encouraged I am when I think how You did this for Joseph...how his brothers hated and abused and betrayed him, and how You worked these things out for blessing, both for Joseph and his family and for countless other people.
I'm so grateful that all my past circumstances were permitted by You to make me see my need of You and prepare my heart for Your Word... to draw me to Yourself and to work out Your good purposes for my life. I rejoice that You are the Blessed Controller of all things -- You are no, You will be throughout the future, and You always were. All my days had Your touch of love and wisdom whether or not I can as yet fully see it.
And Lord, I choose to look beyond my past and present troubles in this life - this temporary life - and fix my eyes on the unseen things that will last forever. I praise You for the eternal glory these things are piling up for me as I choose to trust You.
Isaiah 46:3, 9-10
“Listen to me, descendants of Jacob, all you who remain in Israel.
I have cared for you since you were born. Yes, I carried you before you were born.
Remember the things I have done in the past. For I alone am God!
I am God, and there is none like me. 10 Only I can tell you the future
before it even happens. Everything I plan will come to pass,
for I do whatever I wish.
Psalm 139:16 NLT
You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.
Hebrews 10:34 NLT
You suffered along with those who were thrown into jail, and when all you owned was taken from you,
you accepted it with joy. You knew there were better things waiting for you that will last forever.
1 Peter 5:9 NLT
Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your Christian brothers and
sisters all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are.
Deuteronomy 8:3 NLT
Yes, he humbled you by letting you go hungry and then feeding you with manna, a food previously unknown to you and your ancestors. He did it to teach you that people do not live by bread alone; rather, we live by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.
Psalm 66:6-12 NLT
He made a dry path through the Red Sea, and his people went across on foot.
There we rejoiced in him.
7 For by his great power he rules forever. He watches every movement of the nations;
let no rebel rise in defiance.
2 Corinthians 4:17-18 NLT
For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! 18 So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.
http://youtu.be/J4xm2mtDj2c - This Life by MercyMe
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