The Oasis Church of Rawlins
Menu
Grace Blog:
This life we live is not always easy. At times it can be downright hard to keep our head above the water. It’s like we are in a boat and we get so many other things in the boat with us that the edge of the boat is just above the water. So then when a storm comes and the waves start splashing against the boat, it doesn’t take much to start filling the boat and it begins to sink.
Often it seems like when we get one thing under control, then something else spins out of control. Things at work can be going along fairly smooth, and then somebody in a cushy office somewhere decides to make some improvements and now everything is upside down. Our relationships with people may be going good and then somebody moves away or a new person comes to town and our boat starts rocking. Water starts pouring over the edge. Things with our family and friends is going along fine and then one little comment is made that presses on a sore spot, and now there’s hurt feelings or rejection or bitterness that builds up. You find yourself feeling kind of crummy after spending time with them, having to hold back who you really are because of a fear of rejection or criticism. The ongoing maintenance of our interpersonal relationships is a huge part of our lives. And, it really can take up a majority of our time, our emotions and our effort. When you are a Christian, then you have your relationship with God that you know deep down inside should be your highest priority, yet He seems to get the back burner of the stove most of time. Your friendship with Him is there, but He’s just simmering in the background while you spend most of your time stirring the pots that are about to scorch to the bottom of the pan or boil over if you don’t address them. Balancing life and your relationships can be hard, especially when you try to keep your relationship with God and your relationship with others separate. You constantly have to change who you are depending on who you are spending time with. Being a Christian and developing your walk with God at that point can become a burden. You “have to” go to church, and you “have to” read your Bible. You have to shine up and put on your fake smile for your churchy acquaintances, yet on the inside you know it is just an act. On the inside you are a mess. On the inside you know where you are sitting financially. On the inside you know what keeps your mind stirred up at night so you can’t sleep. On the inside, you are hurting or worried or have some doubts, but for the moment you will try to convince the people around you that everything is ok. Life can be hard. But, I have some good news for you today. Jesus said, Matthew 11:28 (KJV) “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Jesus says, “Come to me. Be with me and where I am at, and I will give you rest.” The writer of Hebrews describes the place of rest we enter into as the place in life when we are not relying on our own works and efforts and solutions, but trusting in our Almighty God. Hebrews 4:9-11 (KJV) “There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. 10 For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. 11 Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.” There is rest and peace for the righteous children of God. For the righteous children of God, there is an anointing of favor from God that encompasses round about you. You have stop thinking that bad things are coming at you all the time and start believing the truth, that God is pouring favor and blessing upon you. Psalm 5:12 (KJV) “For thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield.” With this shield of favor around you, everything that comes your way has to pass through that shield to get to you. It is the way that God truly does make all things work together for good to them that love God. Your part is simply to trust in Him, delight yourself in Him, commit your ways unto Him and rest in Him knowing and believing that your faith in the completed works of Jesus Christ is all He is requiring of you. Psalm 37:3-5 (KJV) “Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. 4 Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. 5 Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.” Trust in God and do what you know in your heart is the right thing to do and He will make sure you are taken care of. Delight yourself in Him. That word “delight” means to “be soft and pliable.” It implies letting Him shape you into who He wants you to be. When you yield yourself to God then your desires line up with His and He is more than willing to accommodate you and give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37 says, Psalm 37:7 (KJV) “Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him…” To rest in Him does not mean you will sit and do nothing. It means that whatever you do, do it in faith believing that He is bringing His plan to fruition. We want peace and calm waters in our life so we have to believe and trust in God’s ability to bring things to pass in our life. Psalm 37:11 (KJV) “But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.” To be “meek” in this sense is “to bring yourself low.” It means to humble yourself under the mighty hand of God so that He may exalt you in due time. It means that as you give up control over your situation, that He can move mightily on your behalf. Trusting and depending on Him is where your greatest peace will be found. Psalm 37:39 (KJV) “But the salvation of the righteous is of the LORD: he is their strength in the time of trouble.” “Salvation” in this verse means “freedom.” The freedom of the righteous comes from the Lord. You can’t get things in order enough to bring about the kind of freedom and peace the Lord offers and gives to His righteous. Psalm 31:19 (KJV) “Oh how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men!” His goodness, His favor, His blessing, His freedom and His peace is set aside for you. Just talk to Him. Ask Him to reveal His goodness to you. Humble yourself and ask Him to have His way in your life. God is listening to you and your prayers. He loves you and cares for you and wants to bless you. He hears you and sends the answer right away. Have faith in knowing who you are as a righteous child of God and knowing who God is listening to. Psalm 34:15-17 (KJV) “The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry. 16 The face of the LORD is against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth. 17 The righteous cry, and the LORD heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles.” Proverbs 15:29 (KJV) “The LORD is far from the wicked: but he heareth the prayer of the righteous.” 1 Peter 3:12 (KJV) “For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.” God just wants you to trust in Him and turn your life over to Him. He will sustain you. In the Hebrew that word “sustain” means “to gather for measuring and holding together in one place.” Psalm 55:22 (KJV) “Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.” When you cast your care upon the Lord you are promised that He will hold you together. You will not fall apart. Your boat will not sink. You will be sustained. Listen to this promise of God to you: Psalm 92:12-13 (KJV) “The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. 13 Those that be planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God.” God blesses the righteous. He gives them peace and holds them together. If you have been born again today, you are the righteous. These promises and this inheritance is yours. You are in a special place with God, not because of your good works or lack thereof, but because God made you righteous and then He determined that these things are for the righteous. Think about the scriptures and how they refer to Abraham as our father. Abraham is known as the “father of faith” simply because he was made righteous or “right with God” because he believed and trusted God. Speaking about the faith of Abraham the Bible says, Genesis 15:6 (KJV) “And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.” He simply believed in and trusted in God and His plan. Like you have 5 presents and you count them out to who they go to. These two go to Jeff, and these two go to Nancy and this last one is “counted” to Emyle. Righteousness was counted to Abraham, just because He believed in God’s plan. You also are justified and made righteous and right with God by faith. Galatians 3:6-9 (KJV) “Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. 7 Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. 8 And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed. 9 So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.” Galatians 3:26 (KJV) “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.” You are not trying to work out your righteousness. Your righteousness already came upon you, or was counted to you when you believed on the completed works of the Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 10:4 (KJV) “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.” You are made righteous by your faith in Christ, not in your works and labors and keeping of your made up list of do’s and don’ts. Romans 3:20-23 (KJV) “Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. 21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; 22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: 23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” Nobody was able to uphold the law perfectly except Jesus Christ. All of mankind fell into one single category and that was “the lost.” That means that there is only one way to heaven, one way to salvation, one way to be righteous before God and that is through faith in Jesus Christ. Those who strive and struggle to earn their way to heaven or live their life trying to pay off a debt they owe to God will not make it. Romans 4:1-5 (KJV) “What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? 2 For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. 3 For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. 4 Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. 5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.” Because of your faith in Christ, you are no longer in debt to God. Your sin debt has been paid with your faith. I heard it said by a preacher one time that “faith is the currency of the kingdom of God.” Faith is how you paid your debt, so if you are still trying to pay off that debt with your works, then you have not paid it with your faith. Romans 5:17 (KJV) “For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)” Your righteousness is a free gift from God. Romans 5:19 (KJV) “For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.” Romans 10:9-10 (KJV) “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” You have been brought together with God and made righteous by a plan and act of God through Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:19-21 (KJV) “To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. 20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. 21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” The rest, calm waters and peace comes when you realize that it is not you that calms the storms. It is not you that prevents the waves from crashing over the side of your boat. It comes when you humble yourself and admit your dependence on God. Jesus makes the storms calm. Jesus speaks to the winds and the waves and they become smooth as glass. Matthew 8:23-26 (KJV) “And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him. 24 And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep. 25 And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish. 26 And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.” Notice that the disciples of Christ made sure they were where Jesus was. His disciples simply followed Him into the ship. When the storms came up they knew who to go to. They turned to Jesus. They cried out to Jesus and He heard their cry. They cast their care upon Him because they knew that He cared for them. Jesus reminded them to not be afraid, but to maintain their faith in the power of God. When your boat is full and the storms and stresses of life come, cast your care upon the Lord. Trust in Him. His ears are open to you as the righteous. He will give you the desires of your heart. You are His precious, righteous child.
0 Comments
|
AuthorGary Gilbert has been serving in the ministry of Christ since 1995 and is the author of "The Narrow Road- What it takes (and doesn't take) to go to Heaven" and "The Covenant of Grace.". He is currently a loving husband, father of 2 wonderful sons and a full time Pastor. Archives
December 2018
Categories |
Contact Us:
Services:Sunday 10:30am
Wednesday 7:00pm |
TelephoneOffice:
(307) 328-5500 Pastor Gary Cell: (307) 321-0475 |
EmailOasischurchofrawlins@gmail.com
Like Us On Facebook |