In difficult times, when itโs hard to see our blessings through the smokescreen of trouble, we must remember that โEvery good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.โ
By His grace we have jobs and strength to work it. By His grace, He blesses our hands to put food on the table. For His glory we have family and friends to lift us up and bring joy to our days. Whatever little bit of good you see, thank God for it, knowing that God blesses us as we acknowledge our need of Him and recognize every good He gives, with gratefulness to Him for it.
God desires our good โAnd we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.โ Our calling is to grow strong in our ability to recognize and trust the good that comes from Him, and to trust Him in the wait as He works good in the midst of trouble. So find every good today and give thanks to The Giver of Light to see by. ๐๐ค๐๐ผ
โNow these are the heads of the mighty men whom David had, who gave him strong support in his kingdom, together with all Israel, to make him king, according to the word of the Lord concerning Israel.โ 1 Chronicles 11:10 NASB
Second Samuel 23 and 1 Chronicles 11 tell of 30 mighty men who supported King David. It also tells of the three who topped the list. These were obviously closer in relationship to the King.
King Jesus had 12 of His closest disciples, and three of them topped the list of those He called upon as travel companions in this life.
Weโre not meant to walk alone. We all need our three, mighty warriors. We need close relationships with people who will love us unconditionally and pray with us, going to battle on our behalf. These are ones we can tell anything to and know they will keep it between us. These are ones we can call on anytime of day or night and they are there for us, doing battle on bent knees, encouraging righteousness in us, being real together with us.
I have at least 12, and three closest of them. Have you found yours. Like with marriage, these need to be equally yoked partners, having the same love for God and desire to please Him. They should be given to seeking God and growing in Him. If we desire godliness and godly counsel, these must be people who seek to keep God of uppermost importance in life, for He is our first most vital, need and necessity.
Thank God for your three today, and pray for them as one of their three. If you donโt have your three, seek God to raise them up before you.
โWhen He broke the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, โCome.โ And another, a red horse, went out; and to him who sat on it, it was granted to take peace from the earth, and that men would slay one another; and a great sword was given to him.โ โญโญRevelationโฌ โญ6:3-4โฌ โญNASB
As Christians, our peace is in Christ, the fruit born out of His Spirit, active and effective in us. Peace comes from trust in God and it umpires our lives, directing us through the mire of life. It is not dependent on circumstance or happenstance, but is totally relient on God, a biproduct of relationship with Him.
Trust in the Lord, believing Him; enter His rest and walk in the peace that passes understanding and overcomes the goings on in this world. As this world goes mad, we donโt have to, for greater is He who is in us than he who is in the world.
So when they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, โSimon, son of John, do you love (agapaล) Me more than these?โ He said to Him, โYes, Lord; You know that I love (phileล) You.โ He said to him, โTend My lambs.โ He said to him again a second time, โSimon, son of John, do you love (agapaล) Me?โ He said to Him, โYes, Lord; You know that I love (phileล) You.โ He said to him, โShepherd My sheep.โ He said to him the third time, โSimon, son of John, do you love (phileล) Me?โ Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, โDo you love (phileล) Me?โ And he said to Him, โLord, You know all things; You know that I love (phileล) You.โ Jesus said to him, โTend My sheep. โ John 21:15-17
โWhat is the meaning of Agapรฉ love? Agapรฉ, and its verb form agapaล, is one of the several Greek words for love. The Bible also mentions phileo (brotherly love), and refers to eros (erotic/sensual love). The Greeks also spoke of storge, which is a love between family members. Agapรฉ love is a little different. It is not a feeling; it’s a motivation for action that we are free to choose or reject.โ (From Compellingtruth.org)
Agapรฉ is used of Godโs love for us. It is a love that is given by His choice to do so, and is not dependent on our earning it. It is the love that makes the truth spoken by John, โGod is love (Agapรฉ).โ God delights in, esteems, and gives goodwill to us because He desires us and wants the best for us. Agapรฉ flows out of oneโs who: what we want, desire, and choose to be and do toward the object of our delight.
Phileล is friendship love, often based on emotion and how we feel at the time. It is often earned by good and trusting relationship, and can be lost through insult, disagreement, or even distance.
Jesus graciously comes down to Peterโs level of love, but His desire from us is agapaล. He is asking Peter, โDo you delight in Me enough to care for those I delight in, just as I delight in them, even though they behave as undesirable sheep?โ
We are called to love as God loves us. That love is an unconditional choice to delight in God enough to take delight in and give goodwill to all He delights in. It is a gift given out of our who in Christ, by the power of His Spirit, undeterred by their do. And it flows from love (Agapรฉ) for God first. Because we love God who first loved us, we love others in kind, seeking to minister to each other out of desire to please God. Because love is first for God with desire for Him and His pleasure, we love others even when they may fail to love us.
โMost people have never heard their name and God’s mentioned in a prayer. You may be surprised how willing a friend will be to accept your offer to pray for them.โ From a NeedHim.org devotional
This is so hard for me to fathom, being from the Bible Belt and having many praying friends and acquaintances, but the fact is, though many have a belief that there is a God, few truly know Him or understand that He is ONE. And fewer still think of Him daily, much less constantly. We often donโt think to pray for ourselves, and may find it hard to believe that anyone cares enough to pray for us.
My prayer for each one today is that we know Him who is God, that we seek Him for ourselves, and that we each have at least one person we know we can call on with any need and they will be faithful to pray.
I often leave the blessing of Numbers 6:24-27, praying it over people even though I donโt know if they believe. It doesnโt matter if the one prayed for believes. Itโs the faithfulness of God to keep His Word and the faith of the one praying that moves the heart of God. So be faithful to pray, and please know you can call on me anytime. I count it a privilege to pray for you by name. ๐๐ค๐๐ผ
Seeking Holy Habitation, seated at God's feet (Exodus 15:13).
Darlene's Ponderings 