Pastor Stephen Dedman

Tag: blessings

God Is Up To Something Big

Encouragement, Faith, Trust

“Now when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet, saying to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.””
‭‭John‬ ‭11:32‬

There are great blessings for those who patiently wait on the Lord. Wonderful things happen in His timing and according to His will. Sometimes we just don’t understand why things are happening but we must remember that God is up to something big.

Lazarus had been dead 4 days when Jesus arrives to Bethany and He performs His last public miracle.  Mary and Martha came to Jesus and they were both an emotional wreck.  A messenger had been sent to tell Jesus to come quickly so He could heal their brother but He delayed and Lazarus died.  

As Mary and Martha were mourning the death of their brother, Jesus finally showed up. They were sad, angry and blaming Jesus for not healing their brother.  Little did they know something wonderful was about to happen.  

Jesus walked over to the tomb and cried out with a loud voice for Lazarus to come forth and instantly he came walking out of the tomb. Everyone who witnessed this miracle was amazed and Mary and Martha rejoiced.

Jesus is never too late. He is always right on time. He knows what is happening in your life but the timing is all part of His master plan.  Sometimes we rush the things of the Lord.  We think we know what is best and we don’t wait for the Lord to do His wondrous work. This is when we mess up and take matters into our own hands.  

Abraham made a similar mistake with Sarah’s servant, Hagar, and forced the birth of a son (Ishmael) before having Isaac ?  It caused many years of serious havoc.

Always wait upon the Lord because He is going to show up at the perfect moment and will always prove Himself to be true through His blessings.

Pray

Lord, give me a spiritual mindset to understand Your master plan. Help me to patiently wait for all things to come together in perfect timing.

The Blessing Of Comfort

Encouragement, Trust

Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Matthew 5:4

Life is tough.  Life on this side of eternity has it’s disappointments, discouragements, and defeats.  At some point in time we all suffer emotional discomfort.  

The people we love the most are the ones who hurt us the most.  It’s important that we learn how to endure our greatest disappointments and defeats so that we can be the person God has called us to be.

We can react to our hurt and pain by either mourning or moaning.  Mourning will lead us to comfort but moaning will lead us to complaining. The devil wants us to moan and complain because he wants us to be miserable.  

Jesus desires that we appropriately mourn so that He can comfort us and restore us.  We must learn to properly mourn when we hurt.

Jesus gives nine Beatitudes or Blessings that help us live according to His plan and purpose.  Verse 4 is the blessing of mourning that leads to comfort.  Jesus promises to comfort those who hurt.  

If there is anyone who can understand your hurt and pain,  it is Jesus.  The people who were singing, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord”  were the same people who were shouting, “Crucify Him, Crucify Him!” a few days later.  Jesus suffered more emotional hurt and pain than anyone else.

If you have lost a loved one or suffering the loss of a job, have you mourned? Maybe you have been hurt by a spouse, a friend, or even a church member.  If you are hurting, turn and talk to Jesus about it.  Jesus says, “Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)

Pray

Lord, I’m hurting and need Your love and compassion. Help me to forgive. Give me the power to overcome all things that try to pull me down.

With All Your Heart

Salvation, Trust

With All Your Heart

“Yet even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;”
‭‭Joel‬ ‭2:12‬

 

Worship With All Your Heart

There is somewhat of a mystery to when the prophet Joel lived but most scholars believe he prophesied after the people returned to Jerusalem from the 70-year Babylonian captivity.  Joel speaks of a “locust plague” in Joel 1:4 that results from God’s judgment to the people’s lack of repentance.  Whether this plague was literal or not, Joel tells the people that they need to turn to God in repentance and worship to receive His rewards.

There has always been a history of God’s people straying away during times of prosperity and enjoying their blessings more than worshipping the God who blessed them.  This is still happening today.  We are so blessed as children of God but sometimes we tend to get caught up in seeking pleasure from material things than seeking joy from worshipping and praising God.

People who heed the proclamation of Joel can reverse the judgment of God and experience the character of God as Joel says, “God is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and relents from punishing.” (Joel 2:13)  We must all repent and worship God whole-heartily.  Jo-el means “God is Jehovah”.  There is One God and we serve Him faithfully.

God demands and deserves our full commitment. Serving God half-heartily is unacceptable.  Lukewarm devotion has its devastating consequences as Jesus states in Revelation 3:16.

Even right now, turn to God with all your heart, soul and mind.

Prayer

Pray and ask God to forgive you of any sin that might be keeping you from receiving true joy and fellowship.