In step

[RiverOL]

Better Get Used to Mystery

. . . my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts—Isaiah 55:9

We men go through lengthy stretches of our lives with an “I’ve got this” posture. We convince ourselves we know what’s best in any particular situation or what’s right against any particular problem. We convince ourselves that we “get it.” We maintain this belief . . . until we can’t anymore . . . until we find we don’t actually know all that we think we know. We maintain it until we finally face the reality that God is God and we are not.

“I am the Lord, who made all things,
who alone stretched out the heavens,
who spread out the earth by myself,
who frustrates the signs of liars
and makes fools of diviners,
who turns wise men back
and makes their knowledge foolish” (Isaiah 44:24-25).

Never can we have God’s knowledge or wisdom. Because of who he is, because of who we are, there’ll always be a tremendous amount of mystery in the relationship. We must be willing to accept and embrace it—and not let it become an impediment. We may “need” to know why something is the way it is or why something happened the way it did, but most times we simply cannot—and still we must believe, and still we must obey. To be in right relation to God we must instead adopt a posture of “I don’t know . . . and I’ll do what he asks nonetheless.”



Fill in the following blanks, brother, according to your story:

I don’t know why ____________ happened, but I’ll trust God nonetheless. I don’t know why I had to experience ____________, but I’ll love him nonetheless. I don’t know why I am experiencing ____________ right now, but I’ll follow him nonetheless. I don’t know why he is pushing me out of what’s comfortable by ____________, but I’ll go nonetheless.

 

[RiverOL]

Training for Reigning
Morning Encounter:
READ
“And they sang a new song, saying, ‘Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God and they shall reign on the earth.’"
Revelation 5:9-11. English Standard Version Anglicised (ESVUK)

REFLECT
God is a creator. And he has created us with the ability to create as well. In this sense we are co-creators with him. This is one way to understand the teaching that we will 'reign on the earth' with God. The life we are living right now is not a waiting room for the next life but a time of 'training for reigning' as Dallas Willard put it.

RESPOND
Lord God - would you enrol me on your training course for reigning with you in eternity? Show me what this means and teach me how to reflect your character as a creator in my work and my relationships.

Midday Meditation:
As you walk through your day today, what moments of 'reigning', or influence, do you have? A conversation with a colleague or family member, a work decision, even driving your car. How can you exercise choices and creativity in the way you navigate life, rather than being the slave of those around you?

Evening Reflection:
'What will you be doing in 100,000 years from now?' was a question onced posed by Dallas Willard. Revelation 5 (that we read this morning), suggests our eternal destiny with God is to 'reign on earth' with people from every ethnic and people group. Turn this mind blowing idea around in your head as you go to sleep tonight.

 

[RiverOL]

"Lies have short legs"
Luke 12
"There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known." (v.2)

Both the universe and ourselves are made for truth and honesty, and both the universe and ourselves are alien to untruth and dishonesty. The universe is made for the same thing as we are -- namely righteousness. Not only the face of the Lord, but the face of the universe is set against those who live below its standards.

I know that this may sound somewhat hollow in an age which appears to thrive on dishonesty and corruption, but I stand by it nevertheless. The universe is not built for the success of dishonesty and corruption. A lie breaks itself upon the moral universe, perhaps not today, not tomorrow -- but certainly at some point in the future. The Tamils of South India have a saying: "The life of the cleverest lie is only eight days." The Germans have a saying: "Lies have short legs."

During the Second World War, they adapted that saying to, "Lies have one leg." That was because Goebbels, the Propaganda Minister, had one short leg. A passionate antagonist of Communism is reported to have said: "In our fight against Communism we are handicapped by our decency and honesty." Since when was honesty and decency a handicap? It is indecency and dishonesty that are handicaps; they bring us into bondage -- inwardly and outwardly. Governments, organizations and institutions which practice dishonesty will be broken from within. History has proved that. The Roman Empire collapsed, not from without but from within -- broken upon the rock of its own corruption. Believe me, no one gets away with anything in a moral universe. No one.

Prayer
Gracious Father, I don't want my moral joints to creak with dishonesty, so dwell deeply within me by Your Spirit and lubricate them with the oil of Your honesty. In Jesus' Name I ask it. Amen.

 

[RiverOL]

But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. —John 17:13-14 NKJV

How do you react when your worth as a man or woman is assaulted? What will you do when you are being falsely accused at work or in school? Will you retaliate when someone speaks unkind words about you?

What will you do when your husband or wife says or does something cruel? Will you defend yourself? Will you give someone a piece of your mind? Will you hurt them before they hurt you? What will your response be to injustice?
Remember what Jesus said about His adversaries when He hung on the Cross? He asked the Father to forgive them. What will you do with this powerful example of love? Rather than retaliate against those who hurt you, allow the power of God’s love and His grace transform you. You are what His Word says you are! Redeemed and forgiven!

 

[RiverOL]

Kingdom Life
Morning Encounter:
READ
“Do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap ... and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow ... But if God so clothes the grass of the field ... will he not much more clothe you? ... Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat or ... drink or ... wear?’ ... your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."
Matthew 6: 25-33 (edited). English Standard Version Anglicised (ESVUK)

REFLECT
God is seeking to turn us into to people who can easily live out the life in the kingdom of God described and lived by Jesus. This may seem impossible now, but progress can be made as we allow God to train us through the events of life and by practices we adopt - all under the supervision of the Holy Spirit.

RESPOND
Dear Lord, always near us, please use the events of my life, good or bad, to build my character into the character of Jesus. Then I will be able to live more easily the life that Jesus taught and lived himself. Amen.

Midday Meditation:
Our workplace, as with every area of our lives, is a primary way that God is shaping us. Even periods of stress can become profound times for growing in grace over things like anger, worry or judgement (2 Peter 3: 18). As you think of your situation right now, in what ways is God working to shape and change you?

Evening Reflection:
Many people expect God to act dramatically to change them, and sometimes he does. But the normal path of growth in Christlikeness is training through the circumstances and seasons of life. That's the course we're on. As you go to sleep, reflect on how God has been doing this in your own journey. And thank him.

 

[RiverOL]

Doomed to drudgery
Acts 5
"... 'How could you agree to test the Spirit of the Lord?' ..." (v.9)

The seventh fruit of the Spirit -- faithfulness -- is often sadly lacking in God's children. There are professing Christians who seem to think that things like tax evasion or making telephone calls from their office without permission are issues that have no direct bearing on their Christian life.

A minister watched a woman make a long-distance call from an airport pay-phone. Afterwards she told him: "I made a person-to-person call to myself at home and of course was told I was not there. This let my family know that I had arrived safely and there was no need to pay for the call, as I didn't get through to myself." She thought she was clever but she was just a clever fool, for calling herself up in this way just started a series of calls to herself on the inside of herself -- calls that would lead to even more serious moral violations. She sold herself -- cheap.

In Madras in India they tell the story of a farmer who, when selling milk to his customers, had to drive his cow and its calf from door to door. Why did he have to trudge in the hot sun day after day? There was a simple reason -- he could not be trusted. The housewives knew that he would water down the milk and so they made him milk the cow in front of their eyes. His dishonesty doomed him to drudgery. Dishonesty always does this. It may not bring drudgery on the outside but it most certainly brings drudgery on the inside. The worst thing about dishonesty is to be the person who is dishonest.

Prayer
Father, thank You for reminding me that no dishonesty is worth the price I will have to pay for it -- inner conflict and unhappiness. Help me to be honest with You and also with myself. Amen.

 

[RiverOL]

You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. —Matthew 5:13 ESV

God’s Word says that His glorious Church is to be a bride. No church building existed until 265 AD, yet the greatest revival of all time shook the world as it had never been shaken. When did this dynamic move stop? It came to a halt in the third century when Constantine legalized Christianity and made it a state religion.
People also began to look at the structure—in this day, that would be the musical instruments, praise team, air conditioning, sound system, and preacher. Sadly, they took their eyes off Jesus, the true Source.

Today, God wants to make the Church glorious again. The Church is to be salt, able to preserve. You are the salt of the earth. God is saying: “Be my bride. Salt this world that is decaying and bring it back to me.” But you won’t build a church or develop maturity through advertising or marketing techniques.
If you want God to birth His Church, you have to say, “God, help me to apply these New Testament principals until I become salt and light.”

 

[RiverOL]

Soul Friends & Mentors
Morning Encounter:
READ
“Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, ‘Sit here, while I go over there and pray.’ And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, ‘My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.’”
Matthew 26: 36-38. English Standard Version Anglicised (ESVUK)

REFLECT
At the moment of greatest pressure Jesus asked his closest companions to be with him. They were a source of support and comfort when things got tough, but he had nurtured his relationship with them over the previous three years. We need these soul friends too. To laugh and cry with us and to help us in our training to become more like Jesus and enter a deeper life with God.

RESPOND
Loving Lord, help me to identify the two or three people who I can form an enduring relationship with in training to become more like Jesus. Show me the ones that I can trust and can meet with easily, and who will walk with me in this shared pursuit. Amen.

Midday Meditation:
Now think about someone who has done more training than you in becoming more like Jesus. Who would be good at 'encouragement always, challenge once in a long while, and judgement - never'? Ask God to show you how you could talk to them about being a mentor to you, starting with an agreed trial period.

Evening Reflection:
Soul friends and mentors have a proven value in spiritual formation. They need to be chosen carefully in the context of a local church, and who will "watch with me". Look for wise people you respect and who are good listeners rather than big talkers. Think too about who you could be an encouragement to yourself.

 

[RiverOL]

The cement of society
Matthew 5:13-20
"You are the salt of the earth ..." (v.13)

One thing is becoming crystal clear as we continue meditating on faithfulness and fidelity -- nobody gets away with anything in a moral universe if that "anything" is dishonest and untrue. The whole history of humanity is a commentary on this. Remember the first lie uttered by Satan -- "You shall not surely die"? He keeps on repeating that well-worn but discredited lie to every member of Adam's race. Something dies in us the moment we are dishonest -- not the least, our self-respect. Death eats away at our hearts the moment dishonesty is let in. We are not so much punished for sin as by sin. I came across a statement in a book in which the writer said: "There are two major principles for getting and keeping political power: (1) let nothing, least of all truth and honor, interfere with success; (2) be honest and trustworthy in the little things, but boldly dishonest in the large ones." What would be the result of someone getting political power by following those two principles? I will tell you. Like blind Samson, they would pull down the pillars of society around their heads and the heads of others also.

It is the ten righteous men who spare the Sodoms of this world. Fidelity is the cement that holds society together; take it away and it destroys itself. I may be stretching imagination too far by saying this, but in my opinion the Christian presence, especially as it represents fidelity, holds the world on its course. Civilization would have disintegrated long ago were it not for the moral and Christian character that flows out of the Church into the world.

Prayer:
Father, help me to be one who holds the world together by my character. And let the hallmark of my character be fidelity to truth and righteousness. In Jesus' Name I ask it. Amen.

 

[RiverOL]

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. —Hebrews 11:1 KJV

In Acts 10, we see the incredible story of Cornelius. He went through an experience similar to many ethnic minorities—discrimination.
Cornelius was a Gentile. Many of those in the great revival didn’t believe that the Gospel was for the Gentiles. They were pagans and simply not good enough!
So what did Cornelius do? Protest? Give them a piece of his mind? No! Do you know what he did? Acts 10:30 says he prayed and fasted. He didn’t complain that he had gotten a raw deal. He sought God.

Cornelius didn’t allow bitterness to take root in his heart. After he had fasted and prayed, by faith, an angel appeared to him and said: “Cornelius, your prayer has been heard. As a matter of fact, Peter at this time is having a vision. Send someone to bring him to your house.” The result was revival in the house of Cornelius and rejoicing when the Church council in Jerusalem heard the news.
Faith wrought miracles in the life of Cornelius. Your attitude, not your aptitude, determines your altitude. Our attitude does not move the hand of God—faith does.

 

[RiverOL]

Schools of Love
Morning Encounter:
READ
"And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved."
Acts 2: 42-47. English Standard Version Anglicised (ESVUK]

REFLECT
Martin Luther King knew how hard it would be to live out the new commandment that Jesus gave 'to love one another' (John 13: 34/35). In a letter shortly before he was assassinated in 1965 he wrote about training. 'We were not unmindful of the difficulties involved. So we decided to go through a process of self-purification'. You might call these schools of love.

RESPOND
Martin Luther King continued 'we started having workshops on non-violence and repeatedly asked ourselves... 'are you able to accept blows without retaliation?' 'Are you able to endure the ordeals of jail?' What can we learn from this?

Midday Meditation:
Schools of love teach us to draw on ever deeper supplies of grace. Our vision is to be 'incendiary communities of love' learning how to love each other and ourselves in the way that Jesus did. One advertisement for Blue Bell ice-cream in the US put it like this - 'we eat all we can and sell the rest'. Pray for an opportunity to do this and see what happens.

Evening Reflection:
Gracious God - help me to join the early church and enter your school of love. Like Martin Luther King, train me to love people better, to seek justice, to lend and not expect to get it back, and to turn the other cheek. Show me how I can work with others to 'love-bomb' the world. Amen.

 

[RiverOL]

The eight points of testing
2 Corinthians 2:12
"... thanks be to God who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ ..." (v.14)

Some of the characteristics of faithfulness are honesty, reliability and a deep concern for truth. Another characteristic is the quality of carrying through on all God's commands to us -- keeping faith to the end.
To help us come through the times of testing everyone has to face at some time, the Holy Spirit builds into us the ability to see things through to the end. One writer has listed the eight fiercest tests a Christian faces in this world in this order: (1) Humiliation -- a savage and plausible attack on our reputation. (2) Suffering -- physical, mental or spiritual. (3) Bereavement -- especially in relation to a loved one whose death was "untimely." (4) Estrangement or treachery from one's family and friends. (5) Doubt -- deep, dark and awful. (6) Failure -- the breaking up of one's life work. (7) Dereliction -- the sense of being forsaken by God. (8) A slow, painful and unillumined death.

Not all of us have all of them to meet, but meeting any one of them can be a strong and severe test. How does a Christian triumph in the midst of such fierce testings as are listed above? Any triumph we experience at such times is the triumph of the Holy Spirit. He dwells in us, not just for the pleasure of inhabiting our beings, but to lead us to victory over all our problems. Perhaps you are being called to face one or more of these eight points of testing this very moment. Then take courage -- the Holy Spirit is with you and in you to take you through the fire and bring you out triumphant.

Prayer: Father, I am grateful that Your Spirit dwells within me to lead me through to victory. Even in my darkest trials You are there, inspiring me and causing me to triumph in all things. Thank You, Father. Amen.

 

[RiverOL]

For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil: which some reaching after have been led astray from the faith, and have pierced themselves through with many sorrows. —1 Timothy 6:10 ASV

Money itself is not evil. But it will bring a snare if it is loved. Money is necessary for daily needs. Prosperity is the result of divine love working on your behalf for the finances you need to carry out your hopes and dreams.
If you give money the #1 place in your life, it is like trying to harvest corn before the kernels are planted in the soil. Meet the needs of others, and money follows as the rainbow follows the rain.

Satan is aware that the Believer will give from the abundance of the heart. He knows that when finances are given to the cause of Christ by prosperous saints, then the work of God moves quickly. He also recognizes that if money is withheld from godly endeavors, the Lord’s work moves slowly.
When money is given its proper place, all else will follow. Psalm 1:3 says, “And whatever he does shall prosper." (NKJV). God believes in prosperity. Do you?

 

[RiverOL]

Hear My Words, Do Them
Morning Encounter:
READ
“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.
Matthew 7: 24-25. English Standard Version Anglicised (ESVUK]

REFLECT
Training in doing what Jesus did is God's great invitation to us. The Bible is the primary resource for this formation into Christlikeness. We don't just need to hear the Bible speak, we need to hear God speak, through the Bible. Developing a musical ear for the 'word of the Lord' is something that can be developed. It comes with training and with experience.

RESPOND
How can we learn to be wise? By taking time out to be with Him right now, or over a weekend or for an afternoon. By reading a passage of Scripture slowly and prayerfully several times. By trying to see your work situation as God sees it. And much more.

Midday Meditation:
People have come to be wise through the power of reason, the Bible, and the church. But a fourth way is often overlooked - experience. The best way to learn about God is by testing out the other three in everyday life. It's been called the ultimate wager on the existence of God.

Evening Reflection:
This week has been about training for an abundant life. Through failure, soul friends, watching Jesus, and our own experience, we can become more like him. It's the safest, most fruitful, and most exhilarating life we can possibly know. With Jesus as our coach.

 

[RiverOL]

Faithfulness and perseverance
For reading & meditation -- Luke 8:4-15
"... those ... who hear the word ... and by perseverance produce a crop." (v.15)


Our text for today in Moffatt's translation reads: "As for the seed in the good soil, that means those who hear and hold fast the word in a good, sound heart, and so bear fruit steadfastly." Note -- "so bear fruit steadfastly" -- only the steadfast are finally fruitful.The minister of a large church, when asked what was the outstanding need of his congregation, said: "Faithfulness. Fifty per cent of church members are hangers-on, getting a free ride, contributing nothing from purse or person; twenty-five per cent promise to do something and then, after a few stabs at it, drop out. They lack fidelity.

The life of this church is carried on by the remaining twenty-five per cent." D. L. Moody, the great American preacher, said: "If we could get people who put their hand to the plow and never draw back no matter what the wind or weather, we would have a growing and powerful church."How many of us, I wonder, have loose ends, broken promises, half-fulfilled tasks cluttering up our lives? Whose fault is it? It cannot be the fault of the Holy Spirit, for He dwells in us to provide the power to see things through -- if we let Him. Success in this area of the Christian life, as in all areas, is letting go and letting God -- letting go of self-effort and surrendering to the power of the Spirit who is resident in us. As someone once put it -- the Christian life is not my responsibility, but my response to His ability. I tell you, never does the Holy Spirit appear more wonderful than when He appears in the fruit of faithfulness.

Prayer:
Father, I recognize yet again that the fruit of the Spirit can only develop in me to the extent that I am surrendered. Help me go more deeply into You, this day and every day. In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen.

 

[RiverOL]

God Speaks . . . to You

I am the good shepherd . . .
My sheep hear My voice—John 10:11, 27

God’s had direct, personal, reciprocally communicative relationships with a lot of men . . . Abraham, Moses, Gideon, David, Paul. What about you and me, though?

Many of us men—to the extent we think about it at all—assume those guys were special, different from us. And so, we decide God probably wants with us a different type of relationship—more indirect, impersonal, and non-reciprocal—go to church, read the Bible a bit, get on with our lives. That would mean, though, that God’s purpose in bringing us stories of these men was to simply demonstrate something unattainable—a divine taunt, of sorts. It would reveal a desire to impress upon us how special were his Biblical supermen, so we'd gaze upon them and wonder why he created us so . . . un-super.

Should we believe that? Or, could he have, through these stories, been showing us his heart, his father’s heart? Could it be that he wanted direct, personal, reciprocal relationships with Abraham, Moses, and an incalculable number of men since, and that he wants that kind of relationship with you and me too, right now?

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened” (Matthew 7:7-8)

Sure sounds direct . . . personal . . . reciprocal.



Begin to open your mind, brother. God wants to speak to you—directly to you. In Scripture, he spoke with his own audible voice; through dreams and visions; through intermediaries, such as angels and other human beings; and directly into thoughts, using his “still, small voice.” While the others are admittedly rare, using people as his intermediaries and using his still, small voice are actually quite common.

 

[RiverOL]

Experiencing Grace
Morning Encounter:
Introduction
Our theme this week is grace: the freely given and undeserved love of God. It’s tempting to talk about grace as though it were some mysterious theological substance; just as uranium somehow makes nuclear reactors work, so grace somehow makes salvation happen. But grace is far more commonplace and everyday than this. Grace is what keeps the stars shining and the world spinning; it’s what gives us life and breath and another day on this earth; it’s the foundation of our relationships with one another and with God; and it’s what transforms us into the likeness of Jesus a little more every day.

Read
You are the one who put me together inside my mother’s body,
and I praise you because of the wonderful way you created me.
Everything you do is marvellous!
Of this I have no doubt.
Nothing about me is hidden from you!
I was secretly woven together deep in the earth below,
but with your own eyes you saw my body being formed.
Even before I was born, you had written in your book everything I would do.
(Psalm 139. 13-16)

Reflect
To wake up in the morning is to experience grace: every moment of our life is a gift from God. Grace isn’t only the foundation of our spiritual life, but of our whole existence. And you are a gift of grace too. Not one single day of your life is of your own making: it is all given to you, freely, without you having to earn as much as a single second. Today is God’s gift to you - and you are God’s gift to today!

Respond
Two or three times today, stop what you’re doing and look around. Be aware of everything and everyone surrounding you. If all this - in all its business and messiness - is really God’s grace, God’s gift, how would you choose to respond to it?

Midday Meditation:
“As we rejoice in the gift of this new day,
so may the light of your presence, O God,
set our hearts on fire with love for you.”
(Common Worship)

Evening Reflection:
Think back over the events of the day. What were you able to receive as a gift from God? Where did you experience grace - even if you didn’t realise it at the time?
“For all that has been: Thank you. To all that shall be: Yes!”

 

[RiverOL]

"A virtue not greatly praised"
Matthew 11:20-30
"Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart ..." (v.29, NKJV)

We come now to the eighth fruit of the Spirit -- meekness or gentleness. The original Greek word, prautes, is translated in various ways in different translations of the New Testament. One version uses the word "tolerance," another "forbearance" and another "adaptability."The original Greek word has no exact synonym in English and after examining the various words used in the different translations of Galatians 5:22, my personal opinion is that the Good News Bible gets closest to it when it uses the word "humility." The words humility" and "meekness" are often seen together in the New Testament, as for example, in our text for today: "I am meek and lowly in heart." (Other examples are Eph. 4:2 and Col. 3:12.)

The Christian in whom the Spirit dwells is a person who is meek, gentle and humble. It has been said that apart from love, nothing is more characteristic of a Christian, and nothing more caricatured and misunderstood than humility. The world has never had much time for humility. "Throughout time," says one writer, "it is a virtue that has not been greatly praised -- except by a few."To understand humility calls for a piercing spiritual perception which is given only to those who know God. A lady came up to me at the end of a Bible study I had given on humility and said: "I do love to hear a preacher expound on the subject of humility. You see, it is one of the greatest qualities, and I want to know as much as I can about it." I felt that somehow, in seeking to walk the path of humility, she had lost her way.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus Christ, my Savior and my Redeemer, I long so much to be like You -- meek, gentle and humble. And as I seek to walk the path of humility, help me not to lose my way. In Your dear Name I ask it. Amen.

 

[RiverOL]

n the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. —John 16:33 NKJV

Difficult people and situations will teach you diplomacy, to respond with wisdom, and how to make sharp decisions. You really learn the most when dealing with a difficult problem. You discover your own weaknesses and strong points in a problematic situation. The pressure from difficult people will only define you if you let it.
When you look for the best in everyone and in every situation, you will find it. You see that for which you are looking. You receive what you expect. The Bible tells us not to be surprised or alarmed when trouble comes (James 1:2–3). Use it to give glory to God.

Expect to be delivered from tribulation or hindrances. Tribulation means you are locked in and there is no way out. God always finds a way out for those who will believe. The greater the hindrance, the greater is the deliverance. The bigger the battle, the bigger is the opportunity for great success.

 

[RiverOL]

Generous Grace
Morning Encounter:
Read
Sun and moon, and all of you bright stars,
come and offer praise.
Highest heavens, and the water above the highest heavens,
come and offer praise.

Let all things praise the name of the Lord,
because they were created at his command.
He made them to last forever,
and nothing can change what he has done.
(Psalm 148. 3-6)

Reflect
If you want to know the extent of God’s grace, go outside on a clear night and look up. When God wanted to create a dwelling place for us, a guest house where people could flourish, he stretched out a canvas 46 billion lights years across and filled it with every wonder imaginable: galaxies and gnats, soaring mountains and silent deserts, zebras and sunsets and snow. God’s creativity is only outstripped by his generosity. Standing in the middle of all this wonder we begin to get an inkling of the enormity of God’s ever-giving love.

Respond
Stop and smell the roses today. Or watch clouds in the sky. Notice the way dust swirls in the wind, look at the stars, or watch steam rising from a cup of hot coffee. Be attentive to the scale and complexity of creation - all of it a gift.

Midday Meditation:
“I give a cry of wonder, and I’m flooded with emotion, as I think of all things in creation - how is it possible? They’ve allowed me to live, they’ve sustained my life … the heavens, sun, moon, stars, the elements; the fruits, birds, fish, and animals - they have all been there for me!”
(Ignatius of Loyola)

Evening Reflection:
May you be praised, my Lord, with all your creatures,
especially brother sun.
Be praised, my Lord, for sister moon and the stars.
Be praised, my Lord, for brother wind.
Be praised, my Lord, for sister water.
Be praised, my Lord, for brother fire.
Be praised, my Lord, for our sister, mother earth.