Make Yourself Available!

It's not about fighting with God for the answers. You don't need to fight with God for anything.

It's really about fighting with yourself, isn't it? Convincing yourself to yield to God's will for your life. When you do, then you will receive what you really need and will receive the happiness and the peace that you've been longing for. It's coming into agreement as to what is truly best for you. Letting the best answers come that are part of the big picture, the overall plan of life, your life, and the lives of those around you. It's making yourself available to what's already been done. God is good, God is love and God has already made provision for you.

'"Make yourself available to that which is already there."   Rev. Alan Jones, Dean, Grace Cathedral.

RCL Aug. 26

Nutshell:

What I get from this week's reading is that God is looking for those with the right attitude towards Him. He watches over them to protect them and bless them. What God is looking for are those who are humble, repentant of hurtful ways and are willing to learn.         

Psalm 34: 15- 22

The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right; His ears are open to their cries for help. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; He rescues those who are crushed in spirit.

Some scriptures from a chain reference study:  ( from the Imperial Analytical Study Edition )

Psalm 145: 18

The Lord is close to all who call on Him in truth.

John 4: 24

God is looking for those who worship Him in spirit and in truth.

Psalm 51: 17

A broken and repentant heart is the sacrifice that God wants.

Isaiah 57: 15

The Lord lives with those whose spirits are contrite and humble. He refreshes the humble and gives new courage to those with repentant hearts. ( If you feel too guilty or "bad" to go to God- just ask God to come, He will forgive you and give you the courage and strength you need in whatever situation you are facing!)

Isaiah 66: 2

God will bless those who have humble and contrite hearts.

Isaiah 61: 1

The Lord will comfort and set free those who are repentant in heart.

contrite: feeling or expressing remorse or penitence, affected by guilt, filled with the desire for atonement.

Suggested songs:
Everlasting God, Only You, Be Thou My Vision, All The Heavens, Here I Am To Worship, I Adore You ( Jesus Culture), Arms Of Love, Holy Spirit Come, Hosanna. 

Photo of Dream Circus performing at Buskerfest 2012, St. Lawrence Market, Toronto.

RCL Aug. 19
The beginning of wisdom...

Nut Shell
Know the heart of Christ on all issues and understand what His will is for you. If you have Christ, you have God, because He is all that God is. The true wisdom is from God. To receive it you must accept Chist as your saviour and ask for the Holy Spirit to fill you. Christ's blood cleanses us from sin and makes us holy so we can enter God's presence and receive the Holy Spirit who leads us into all truth. The Holy Spirit reveals Jesus Christ to us.

The problem comes when we have interpreted the sciptures by the concepts and judgements of the society we grew up in and won't accept what God is saying to us through the Holy spirit. We need to know God to gain understanding of life, of what God means to us, how we fit into the big picture. Some think that if we read the Bible, we will know God, but we tend to read half the story with those preconceived ideas and then come to our own conclusions based on our understanding from society's influence. It's better to get to know Jesus, the man and that way get to know God. Jesus is everything that God is, so we can look at His life and what He said to get to really know God.

The scripture readings:

Proverbs 9: 1-6
Learn how to be wise and begin to live! Teach the wise and they will be wiser! (Because they will listen and learn.) Knowledge of the Holy One results in understanding. ( What does Jesus think about it?) If you become wise, you will be the one to benefit.

Psalm 111
Everything God does reveals His glory and majesty. ( Is it mercifull, is it just, is it loving and kind? If it is God's work or God's word, it will be all those things.) God is not a judge without mercy and He is not unwise or unreasonable. God will always be just and have reasons for what He does, always considering the wellbeing of all who are affected.
All God does is just and good and all His commandments are trustworthy. They are forever true, to be obeyed faithfully and with integrity. ( How can you do that if you are not interpreting the Bible correctly?) Reverence for the Lord is the foundation of true wisdom. ( You are not being reverent if you are using God's word wrongly.)

Ephesians 5: 15-20
So be careful how you live, not as fools, but as those who are wise. Don't act thoughtlessly, but try to understand what the Lord wants you to do. Let the Holy Spirit fill and control you.

Suggested songs:
Today, Everlasting God, Everlasting, Only You, How Great Is Our God, Arms Of Love, Undivided Heart, We Bow Down, Hope Of The nations, Carry Your Love.

From the RCL, August 12/12

Nutshell: In the midst of tragedy and failure, God still provides for those who are obedient and He continues to bring His plans to fruition, even if people continue to resist them.

1 Kings 19: 4-8

Even though the people rejected Elijah, killed the prophets of God and destroyed the altars, God still followed through on His plans. God watched over Elijah throughout this time. When he was fleeing Jezebel, God made provision for him, strengthened him for the journey and brought him to a safe place at Mount Sinai. There, God spoke to Elijah and sent him back to continue the plans he was called to do. God sent Elijah back to anoint two kings and to anoint Elisha to be God's next prophet.

Psalm 34: 1-8

Be encouraged! Take heart!! For God will take away all your fears and will take away all shame. God hears all who call for help and rescues them!

Also from this week's lectionary:
Ephesians 5: 1-14
Live a life filled with love for others, following the example of Christ. The light within you produces only what is good, right and true. Find out what is pleasing to the Lord Jesus, what is on His heart, what He desires. 

Songs:
Today, Everlasting, Everlasting God, How Great Is Our God, Speak To Me, Lord You Have My Heart, My All In All, Hope Of The Nations

The Bread of Life

In a nutshell, the message for me this week is:
God is providing for us everyday and always throughout our lives, but, we must take the time to pray to Him, ask for help and listen to what is on His heart, so we know His will and don't get distracted by our own plans. Just sitting quietly is part of it, waiting for the Holy Spirit to strengthen us and bring the wisdom that we need to live our lives.

From the Revised Common Lectionary, August 5/12:
 Exodus 16: 2-4, 9-15
The Lord always provides. In the wilderness God gave them manna to eat until they had crops to feed themselves in the promised land. God provides what you need now, and will make provision for the future if needed as He did in the wilderness. There was always double manna on the sixth day to provide for the sabbath, when they were to rest and no manna was given to gather. Also everyone was able to collect enough for their household so no one was without.
John 6:35
Jesus is the bread of life. He is our provision. In Him we have all that is promised here now on Earth and in eternity.
In reading further, I see in verse 45 Jesus says that all will be taught by God. The reference is Isaiah 54:13.
That chapter foretells of a time when God will teach the people and care for them. God will build them a city of rubies, sapphires and precious stones! He is more than extravagant in His provision. I think that God is trying to tell us that nothing is too hard for him to provide for us here on Earth, if it is so incredible in Heaven. We can believe that, no matter how impossible it looks here, we will be provided for.

From Joyce Myer's telecast August 2/12
Luke 22:39
Jesus went somewhere to be alone to pray habitually. That's how He gained wisdom and strength to do all that God told Him to do. He always made the time for it so He knew the Father's will. In the Garden, before His arrest, He pleaded with the disciples to pray so they would not give in to temptation. To take that time with God was the only way Jesus could follow through with God's plan and not back away out of fear. He was afraid, but was strengthened by God to do it.
Isaiah 40: 31 tells us that those who wait upon the Lord find new strength, they will fly like eagles, they shall run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint.

How much time have you given towards your relationship with Jesus? Is it enough for you to know the way for YOU?

Songs: Everlasting ( Doerksen & Matt), Lord I Lift Your Name On High, Everlasting God(Brenton Brown), Only You, You Are Everything ( Brian Doerksen), Just To Be With You ( Paup Baloche), We Bow Down, Hosanna( Baloche & Brown)
Some songs on You Tube!

Check out Treasures in your trials, click here!