The Lord is my shepherd I shall not be in want.… The Lord is our shepherd… the joy available to all who place the weight of life on our heavenly father is beyond what we can hope for or imagine. That being said, most of us have had seasons that seem to lead us to believe otherwise.
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The upside of living in a beautiful country…
…like Canada or the USA is we want for very little. The downside of living in Canada or the USA is we want for very little. The power of God is often missed, written off as part of our everyday lives. It is difficult to see God as active in our lives unless we make an effort to look for Him in action. In countries less fortunate than ours, every day is a day to discover the depth of God’s love for His children. God is seen, felt and heard in the activities of the day and His provision and protection are obvious to those who call Him their Heavenly Father.
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The single most paralyzing thought doubles as the single most effective weapon for Satan. While the thought may be identical, the attempts to neutralize the sting of this reality vary widely. Telling yourself the truth is always a great place to start addressing the realities of life even when the realities seem too painful to confront. The problem for most of us isn’t the truth but instead what masquerades as truth when we are faced with the harsh reality that each one of us is not good enough.
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“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matthew 6:28-34 (NIV)
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To be challenged is accept the opportunity to be corrected. If we are challenged, most of us believe that our failure is implicit in the challenge. If one is asked to do more, often one believes they are failing to do enough. If one is asked to do something different, often one believes that what they are currently doing is wrong. If one is shown a faster or a simpler way, often one assumes they are incompetent because they had employed another way. As we look at our lives and our church it will be easy for us to wonder if any change we are asked to make masks an underlying statement that we are not good enough. For many the biggest battle is not the change but rather the hurt that is taken on when someone suggests we need to change. It can become even more devastating when the call to change points out that we have fallen short thereby displeasing God.
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I am concerned. I would even say I am worried but I know as followers of Christ we are often chastised when one says, “I am afraid” or “anxious” or “worried” so in an attempt to avoid the unacceptable, out of context, reality denying unbiblical response to the fear those that struggle in the face of what appears to be unsurmountable situations feel, I will stick with I am concerned. What am I concerned about? I am concerned that as a follower of Christ I will be forced to serve those who are foreign to my faith in a land that I no longer can call my own.
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