2 Peter 3:9 () 9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. #Bible http://j.mp/gQGGsM
It amazes me how beautiful this chapter is. Some of the most amazing poetry resides right in the Bible. I must read the Bible more. I hope that I will be able to write my praise as beautifully as David in Psalm 145.
Posted from WordPress for Android
I have this very non-traditional work schedule. For years I have been looking for a job with the coveted Monday through Friday, 8 am to 5 pm work schedule. I work essentially from 3 pm to 11 pm. It is better ( I think) than my old schedule (11 pm to 7 am) because I have small children and I would like for them to sleep in their own beds every night. It was ok at first. I stay at home with the kids during the day and my husband is there with them at night while I am at work. However, I find that I have basically become a hermit of sorts. I can’t attend any parties because of my schedule (I work weekends as well); and yet when I am off of work no one seems to be available. I used to feel so lonely and cut off from all the people I used to be friends with and all the things I used to do. I thought that maybe I had done something to make everyone not want to be around me. But I can’t help but wonder if it is actually for the best?
I started this post a while ago and I am finally getting around to finishing it. I was having a hard time trying to come up with the right words to describe what I was feeling. I gave it some more thought today, probably because of today’s Girlfriends in God devotional email. It talked about temptation and how we should avoid it at all costs. Mainly because temptation is basically the devil trying to win you over. He sees what you might want, he puts it right in front of you, and waits for you to go for it. I mean this is like entrapment, right? How dirty can you be to tempt someone with something that you know is bad for them???? The devotional said that when you know something is bad for you to stay as far away from it as possible. Run if you have to.
See sometimes my thoughts take me to a bad place. It’s somewhat tempting for me to think negative things. It’s certainly a bad habit; a trait that I have noticed about myself that I don’t like at all. It is actually part of the reason I started this blog. I want to surround myself with as much positivity as possible so I won’t expect the worst in every situation. It’s like I have lost my faith or something and I don’t want it to be that way. I am realizing that perhaps I had to be away from everyone so that I can figure out who I am. I know that every time I read the Bible and every time I write anything I feel closer to God; so perhaps my life’s schedule is for the best. Perhaps this is my soul running away from all the temptation in my life, right to where I needed to be.
I did not know that complaining was sinful. I figured that it was something God did not particularly like but, I guess I did not realize how erroneous an act it really is.
I have been reading the book of Job in my new reading plan on http://youversion.com . I actually found the application on my cell phone replete with numerous versions of the Bible and several reading plans to choose from.
I have to say that reading about Job has been especially painful for me. While reading his diatribe about how bad his life was since he lost everything, I got this feeling that he kinda sounded like me. I mean he goes on and on for chapters and chapters wondering why God is punishing him and feeling sorry for himself. I mean massive ‘woe-is-me-ness’. I wondered ‘is this what I sound like when I complain? I certainly hope not.’ But sadly, it is true. I think we all sound like this when we complain. Now that I think about it more, complaining leaves the door wide open for Satan to live right in your heart. You start off complaining, then you harbor resentment (probably towards God), and the next thing you know you are spewing negativity everywhere you go. This is not a good look for someone who is supposed to be a Christian. A devout follower of God’s word. A believer.
There is one verse in Job 37:23 says “The Almighty is beyond our reach and exalted in power; in his justice and great righteousness, he does not oppress. ” Yet Job was convinced that God was oppressing him. Now don’t get me wrong. I totally understand why Job was depressed. His children were dead, his wife and servants left him, he lost all his riches, and he had some type of skin disease that made most people stay away from him. Put yourself in Job’s shoes. How would you react? I wonder how people are able to go on after so much loss like that? I pray that I never find out.
I have always been one of those people that thinks ahead. I usually end up worrying about things that haven’t happened yet. I always felt like I was just “preparing” for the worst case scenario in any situation. I don’t know how I became so pessimistic. I wonder if it is a lack of faith that causes me to feel like I must prepare for the worst? I don’t like feeling this way. It is such a negative, downtrodden way to look at life in general. Shouldn’t I, as a Christian know that God is available and will provide for my needs? Well it is very easy to say but a little harder to practice.
Today I read Exodus chapter 16. It talks about how the Israelites were hungry and upset at Moses because they seemingly had no food. Moses had already saved them from Pharaoh so they knew that he would help them. They knew that God had performed a miracle through Moses by parting the Red Sea, but they still doubted him and in essence doubted God. They doubted God’s ability and willingness to provide for them. They remembered what God had done for them but it seemed to have no bearing on how they felt in that moment. At that time all they could feel was hunger. I wonder how would we feel in the Israelites’s shoes? I know that I would not be pleased with being hungry. The Israelites’ reaction would have probably been any person’s reaction in that same situation.
I mean I know that you will provide Lord but I am so hungry I just don’t know what to do!
Doubt in any situation is like a knee-jerk reaction to our circumstances. If you take time to process every event in your life surely you will find that it all worked itself out. There are events in my life that didn’t work out the way that I wanted, but they seemed to work out the way I needed. I may not have liked it at the time but it got me to where I am today.
The more I think about it, I truly believe that having doubt keeps you from receiving God’s blessings. If you don’t believe that God will help you then how can he help you? You have to believe first. In Matthew 21:21 Jesus says “If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” So all the Israelites had to do was pray?
