Come now, you who say,
"Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town
and spend a year there and trade and make a profit"—
yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring.
What is your life?
For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.
Instead you ought to say,
"If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that."
As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.
So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.
[James 4:13-16]
=======
i've been struggling with the temptation of worrying. the last several months have brought about an abundance of changes and the next several months will have a bunch as well. new & different circumstances arise, triggering an emotional freakout inside. my initial response is to question. i get that unsettling feeling of anxiety. i always want to know what lies ahead, i want to be able to have a say, i want to lead, i want to know that everything will just be okay.
==========
doubt & fear are the opposites of faith & trust
==========
a couple of weeks ago, pastor ed presented a sermon entitled "Knowing God's Will is Worth the Wait". in a society that's based on instant gratification, we (too) often lose patience and become frustrated when we do not see immediate results. then we try to take matters into our own hands, assuming that we have it under control as if our way is the better way. but as pastor ed explained in his sermon, our failure to wait upon the Lord "can bring about disastrous consequences". our distrust and impulsive decisions hinder God's ability to bless us in the path that He has established. in the end, we cause more harm than help in a situation that was already under control. but of course, pastor ed reminded us that waiting patiently does not imply that we idly sit around and twiddle our thumbs. instead, we need to have the mindset of resting in the Lord and listening for God's guidance because im sure
His plans surpass anything that we could ever do on our own.
==========
"while we stand still, God is moving and active"
-pastor ed
==========
i don't know what will happen in the future.
i don't know how He'll change & grow my heart.
i don't know how God will work in my life.
but i do know (and trust) that God has a plan to work out all things for good (Romans 8:28). i know that God will never abandon us even at seemingly hopeless moments (Deuteronomy 31:8). i know i need to listen, understand and pray more. i know i need to be more patient and more trusting during all these changes. i know God is strengthening my faith in Him through these new&different experiences. i know that the God who's responsible for creating this wonderful and ginormous world also takes time to care for individuals.
and i know it will all be okay
because i know that God is good.
PTL indeed.
"Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town
and spend a year there and trade and make a profit"—
yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring.
What is your life?
For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.
Instead you ought to say,
"If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that."
As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.
So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.
[James 4:13-16]
=======
i've been struggling with the temptation of worrying. the last several months have brought about an abundance of changes and the next several months will have a bunch as well. new & different circumstances arise, triggering an emotional freakout inside. my initial response is to question. i get that unsettling feeling of anxiety. i always want to know what lies ahead, i want to be able to have a say, i want to lead, i want to know that everything will just be okay.
==========
doubt & fear are the opposites of faith & trust
==========
a couple of weeks ago, pastor ed presented a sermon entitled "Knowing God's Will is Worth the Wait". in a society that's based on instant gratification, we (too) often lose patience and become frustrated when we do not see immediate results. then we try to take matters into our own hands, assuming that we have it under control as if our way is the better way. but as pastor ed explained in his sermon, our failure to wait upon the Lord "can bring about disastrous consequences". our distrust and impulsive decisions hinder God's ability to bless us in the path that He has established. in the end, we cause more harm than help in a situation that was already under control. but of course, pastor ed reminded us that waiting patiently does not imply that we idly sit around and twiddle our thumbs. instead, we need to have the mindset of resting in the Lord and listening for God's guidance because im sure
His plans surpass anything that we could ever do on our own.
==========
"while we stand still, God is moving and active"
-pastor ed
==========
i don't know what will happen in the future.
i don't know how He'll change & grow my heart.
i don't know how God will work in my life.
but i do know (and trust) that God has a plan to work out all things for good (Romans 8:28). i know that God will never abandon us even at seemingly hopeless moments (Deuteronomy 31:8). i know i need to listen, understand and pray more. i know i need to be more patient and more trusting during all these changes. i know God is strengthening my faith in Him through these new&different experiences. i know that the God who's responsible for creating this wonderful and ginormous world also takes time to care for individuals.
and i know it will all be okay
because i know that God is good.
PTL indeed.
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