Tag: blessings

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‘It is all God’s fault’

'It is all God's fault'

‘It’s all Gods fault’It’s amazing how quickly even Christians blame God when things go wrong in our lives, even the question ‘Why me God’ points an accusing finger at our Father in heaven.

It’s been part of our old nature since Adam turned on God and blamed him for ‘the woman he gave him’ as being the one who caused the problem of sin. Eve learned the ‘blame game’ all too quickly and pointed to the serpent the real perpetrator.

At least Eve got it right, the only troublemaker; the one who always blames God, the one who is the accuser of the brethren is that old serpent Satan.

                    So being part of Adams race I too would have to blame God”¦

Its Gods fault that I am saved for he give me ‘the faith to believe in the grace that saved me’ Ephesians 2:8

Its Gods fault that I am ‘blessed with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places’ Ephesians 1:3 instead of being cursed with a curse

Its Gods fault that I am healed for ‘Jesus himself took my infirmities and carried my sicknesses and by his stripes I am already healed’ Matthew 8:17 1st Peter 2:24

Its Gods fault that I am righteous for ‘Jesus himself became sin with my sin so that I would be the righteousness of God in him’ 2 Corinthians 5:21

God’s to blame for if he had left me alone I could have been in hell instead of heading for heaven

God’s to blame for giving me’ life more abundant’ John 10:10

God’s to blame for giving me ‘joy unspeakable and full of glory’ 1st Peter 1:8

God’s to blame for giving me ‘peace that passes all understanding’ Philippians 4:7

Its Gods fault that I am forgiven for he has promised that if I ‘confess my sin he is faithful and just to forgive me and to cleanse me from all unrighteousness’ 1st John 1:9

Its Gods fault that’ I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me’ Philippians 4:13

Its Gods fault that I am ‘delivered from the power of darkness and have been translated into the kingdom of his dear Son’ Colossians 1:13

It’s God’s fault that I ‘have redemption through his blood even the forgiveness of sins’ Colossians 1:14

God’s to blame for ‘blotting out the handwriting of laws that was against me, which was contrary to me and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross’ Colossians 2:14

God’s to blame for ‘baptising me in the Holy Ghost and power’  Acts 1:8

God’s to blame for ‘sending his Son who came into the world to save sinners of whom I am chief’ 1st Timothy 1:15

God’s to blame for ‘every good and every precious gift that comes down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variableness neither shadow of turning’ James 1:17

Its Gods fault that I have ‘all things pertaining to life and to godliness according to his divine power’ 2Peter 1:3

Its Gods fault that I have been ‘given exceeding great and precious promises; that by these I might be a partaker of the divine nature’ 2Peter 1:4

Its Gods fault that I am prospering and am in perfect soundness of health even as my soul prospers’ 3rd John 2

Its Gods fault that I am not poor for in Christ, ‘the wealth of the sinner is laid up for me’ Proverbs 13:22 because ‘he became poor that I might be rich’ 2 Corinthians 8:9

God’s to blame for ‘he daily loads me with benefits’ Psalm 68:19

God’s to blame for he ‘has made me a little lower than the angels, and has given me dominion over the works of his hands; he has put all things under my feet’ Psalm 8:4-6

God’s to blame that I am not condemned for in Christ ‘there is now therefore no condemnation to those who walk after the spirit and not after the flesh’ Romans 8:1

God’s to blame that I am not fearful for ‘God did not give me a spirit of fear but of power, love and a sound mind’ 2 Timothy 1:7

Its Gods fault that I am free for ‘he that the Son sets free is free indeed’ John 8:36

Its Gods fault that all my needs are met, for he has ‘provided all my need according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus’ Philippians 4:19

Its Gods fault that I do not suffer from afflictions for ‘the Lord has delivered me out of them all’ Psalm 34:19

Its Gods fault that I am not stuck in ‘a horrible pit in miry clay for he brought me up and set my feet upon a rock and established my ways’ Psalm 40:2

Its Gods fault that I am not poor for in Christ, ‘the wealth of the sinner is laid up for me’ Proverbs 13:22 because ‘he became poor that I might be rich’ 2 Corinthians 8:9

God’s to blame that I am not lost for Christ ‘came to seek and to save me when I was lost’ Luke 19:10 ‘he is ‘my Good Shepherd who gave his life for me’ John 10:11

God’s to blame that I am not orphaned because in Christ, ‘I am adopted whereby I can call God my Abba, Daddy, Father’ Romans 8:15

Gods to blame that I am not depressed for my ‘God has given me the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness (depression)’ Isaiah 61:3‘

Gods to blame that I am not weak for ‘through Christ I can do all things for he strengthens me’ Philippians 4:13

Its Gods fault that I am not guilty before God for in Christ I live ‘justified by faith’ Romans 3:28, ‘justified by his grace’

Its Gods fault that I am not afraid of dying for Christ is my resurrection and my life’ John 11:25

Its Gods fault that I am not fearful of judgement for the Lord he is ‘my righteous judge’ 2 Timothy 4:8 the’ judge of the living and the dead’ Acts 10:42

Its Gods fault that I have eternal life and this life is n his Son’ 1st John 5:11

I may be of Adams seed; I may well have his desire to blame God and others when things go wrong but because I am born again of incorruptible seed in Christ 1st Peter 1:23 I now find it impossible to truly blame God for bad things because he is a good God.

When we turn and blame God or others for our dilemmas, can it be that our speech comes with the hissing sound of a serpent? ‘The accuser of the brethren who has been cast down’ Revelation 12:10

What spirit then would drive us to accuse God of sending evil things such as sickness and disease or poverty? ‘God cannot be tempted with evil neither does he tempt any man’ James 1:13

‘Do not err, my beloved brethren.  Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. James 1:16-17

Jesus himself set the record straight when he said; ‘If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? Matthew 7:11

God hasn’t changed; he is still a good God who only gives good gifts and does good things for his children.

So by all means accuse God but at least accuse him of good things for which he truly is to blame”¦

Ps I am sure as you read the scriptures you will find a thousand reasons to blame God, search well and when you find them give him thanks for his goodness; it will change your life”¦

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Blessings from God or Just Luck

This is the first of a two part blog series on the topic of ‘Blessings’. How do we view blessings? Do we see them as coming from God, or are they just luck?  

This first series focuses on my testimonial of blessings and whether we see blessings as just ‘luck’.

My Testimonial of Blessings

I want to start my first ‘proper’ blog by discussing something positive. ‘Blessings’.

I personally feel truly blessed in my life. Now I’m not saying this to boast or to show off. People who know me know that I’m not that kind of person. All I want to do is to just show you the wonderful things that God has done for me and can do for you too.

Now, I have the privilege of working and running my own business from home. I feel that I have now been blessed with this way of life which I have wanted for a big part of my adult life, and all my life as a parent. I can now spend time at home with my young children; I can take them to school, pick them up, help them with their homework, bathe them and put them to bed and make warm nutritious meals for my family. These are all the blessings that I am truly thankful to God for and don’t take them for granted even though I do sometimes moan about all the work I have to do.

As I said before, having a business is something that I have wanted for a long time. I have worked hard on business ideas which have just not come to fruition. And I believe that those times were not God’s times for me to start those businesses, and possibly were not the businesses that God wanted me to get involved in.

Now, some of you reading may ask, but didn’t you work hard to get to where you are now with your business? The answer is yes. I do have to work hard on my business now that I have it, but to be honest, my current business came about without me trying hard at all, and actually came about at a time when I had given up on business completely.

The reason that I got back into the business world was after I had read a report on something Pope Francis had said at World Youth Day in Krakow in 2016:

“Jesus can give you true passion for life.  Jesus can inspire us not to settle for less, but to give the very best of ourselves.Jesus challenges us, spurs us on and helps us keep trying whenever we are tempted to give up. Jesus pushes us to keep our sights high and to dream of great things”¦”¦”¦”¦..In life there is a dangerous kind of paralysis. It is not easy to put our finger on it. I like to describe it as the paralysis that comes from confusing happiness with a sofa. In other words, to think that in order to be happy all we need is a good sofa. A sofa that makes us feel comfortable, calm, safe”¦..A sofa that keeps us safe from any kind of pain and fear. A sofa that allows us to stay home without needing to work at, or worry about anything. ‘Sofa happiness’! That is probably the most harmful and insidious form of paralysis, which can cause the greatest harm to young people. And why does this happen?… Because little by little, without even realizing it, we start to nod off, grow drowsy and dull”¦”¦

We didn’t come into this world to “vegetate”, to take it easy, to make our lives a comfortable sofa to fall asleep on. No, we came”¦”¦ To leave a mark”¦”¦ But when we opt for ease and convenience, for confusing happiness with consumption, then we end up paying a high price indeed: we lose our freedom”¦”¦. Jesus is the Lord of risk, he is the Lord of “eternal” more. Jesus is not the Lord of comfort, security and ease. Following Jesus demands a good dose of courage, a readiness to trade in the sofa for a pair of walking shoes and to set out on new and unchartered paths. To blaze trails that open up new horizons capable of spreading joy, the joy that is born of God’s love and wells up in your hearts with every act of mercy”¦”¦ God expects something from you”¦.. God hopes in you. God comes to break down all our fences. He comes to open the doors of our lives, our dreams, our ways of seeing things. God comes to break open everything that keeps you closed in. He is encouraging you to dream. He wants to make you see that, with you, the world can be different”¦”¦ Unless you offer the best of yourselves, the world will never be different. This is the challenge.”

Not to go off the point too much, I have added this lengthy quote not only to show you how this moved me to do something more meaningful with my life, but also that it may motivate any of you out there who feel like you’re stuck with no direction to go and not worthy of doing much with your life. Just know that God wants you to work hard on your goals and make something great of yourselves which you are proud of.

So back to the point about blessings, by coming across this report from the Pope which was handed out in church, I feel completely blessed, as it got me out of my comfy sofa state to start my business. And as I said before, I am truly grateful.

So yes, I do believe that these blessings are from God. Of course, I do have to work hard to keep my business going, but I would always look to God to give me the motivation and diligence to continue to grow my business.

It’s Luck And the Choices that we Make NOT Blessings from God!

Yes, some people who have good things come their way say that it is good luck, and I guess when you don’t believe in God, then it is good luck. But if God is in your life, then you should believe that it is coming from God.

Some people may say that it’s about the choices that we make in our lives; the person they chose to marry; the school they chose to send their kids to; the area they chose to live in; the education they chose; how hard they chose to work; the medications they chose to take and so on”¦.

But if you believe in God, then you should understand that God puts these things, these ‘blessings’ in your life. God puts a good spouse before you, God puts a good school in your reach and so on”¦”¦

We then all have free will and are able to then decide whether to follow what God wants from us. Do we go for the good guy that God has put before us, or go for the bad guy who already has two girlfriends because he’s exciting to be with?

One example that I will give you is the choice of Primary school for my daughter. We had several ‘outstanding’ rated non faith schools in the area that we lived, and a ‘good’ rated catholic school. The focus of the outstanding schools were children excelling in different subjects and really pushing them to do well academically which is of course highly commendable.

In the Catholic school which myself and my husband chose for our daughter, their mission statement is “We love to learn in Jesus. In Jesus, we learn to love”. To me, that shows a Jesus centred school. And although we too want our children to excel academically, we always believe in putting God first, and trust that God will bless our children with the best education for them. So, I believe that our children will be blessed in whichever way God chooses because we their parents have put God first in their lives.

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Poem: The Unravelling of a Christian Marriage

Marry the wrong person, everyday is Martyrs Day.
Marry a lazy person, everyday is Labour Day.
Marry a rich person everyday is New Year’s Day.
Marry an immature person, everyday would seem like Children’s Day.
Marry a cheater or liar, everyday will become April Fool’s Day.
And if you don’t get married, everyday is Independence Day!

Marriage is the only school where you get a certificate before you start.
It’s also a school where you will never graduate.
It’s a school without a break or a free period.
It’s a school where no one is allowed to drop out.
It’s a school you will have to attend everyday of your life.
It’s a school where there is no sick leave or holidays.
It’s a school founded by God on the foundation of love.
The walls are made out of trust.
The door made out of acceptance.
The windows made out of understanding
The furniture made out of blessings
The roof made out of faith.

Be reminded that God is the only Principal and you are a student,
Even in times of storms, don’t be unwise and run outside.
Keep in mind that, this school is the safest place to be.
Never go to sleep before completing your assignments for the day.
Never forget  to communicate with your classmate and with the Principal.
If you find out something about your classmate (spouse) that you do not appreciate.
Remember your classmate is also just a student, not a graduate.
God is not finished with him/her yet.
So take it as a challenge and work on it together.
Do not forget to study the Holy Book (the main textbook of this school).
Start each day with a sacred assembly and end it the same way.

Sometimes you will feel like not attending classes, yet you have to.
When tempted to quit find courage and continue.
Some tests and exams may be tough but remember,
the Principal knows how much you can bear and yet it’s a school better than any other.

It’s one of the best schools on earth;
joy, peace and happiness accompany each lesson of the day.

Different subjects are offered in this school, yet love is the major subject.
After all the years of theorising about it, now you have a chance to practice it.

To be loved is a good thing, but to love is the greatest privilege of them all.
Marriage is a place of love, so love your spouse.

Whether you’re married, engaged, or still single, we hope that you have found wisdom and encouragement in this poem about marriage.  

 

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