A few years ago my sister bought me a clock for my birthday. It was black, wrought iron and matched the curtain pole and the light shade in our bedroom. I loved it and wanted it on my bedside cabinet. The trouble was, we already had and still have a clock there, a radio clock with an alarm. This clock is digital and the time shines red in the dark. I like to see the time during the night so I kept it where it was. I then had two clocks on my bedside cabinet.
As I looked at them they emphasised to me life, and the choices of how I fill the time spent in it. One was decorative, cannot be seen in the dark, and had no alarm. The other can be seen shining brightly in the dark and has an alarm that is able to tell all who hear it that the dawn is coming. I have a choice, as a Christian, whether I carry on as a person who knows Jesus as my saviour but does not share the good news of the gospel, or whether I shine that light that has come into my life in this dark world, and contribute to the salvation of others who don't know Him.
As I looked at them they emphasised to me life, and the choices of how I fill the time spent in it. One was decorative, cannot be seen in the dark, and had no alarm. The other can be seen shining brightly in the dark and has an alarm that is able to tell all who hear it that the dawn is coming. I have a choice, as a Christian, whether I carry on as a person who knows Jesus as my saviour but does not share the good news of the gospel, or whether I shine that light that has come into my life in this dark world, and contribute to the salvation of others who don't know Him.
At that time I was attending a writers' circle and a lady at that week's meeting related an incident when a peacock was amongst a group of children. She said that the children gazed in awe when the peacock displayed its beautiful tail. Before that, the peacock had just been another bird to the children.
I have a small peacock ornament in one of my plant pots. I noticed one day that the body had faded but the tail was as beautiful and bright as when I had been given it some years ago. The body of the peacock is synthetic, but the tail is made from real peacock feathers. What was man made had faded, what was created by God had not.
We have all been given gifts, as part of the body of Christ, for building one another up to spiritual maturity, and we must all function with those gifts. Otherwise, the body of Christ on earth will be like my peacock, part man made, part God created. That which is of man fades with time, only that which is of God can remain forever.
The power in the word of God is amazing. It is foolishness to the carnal mind, but to those who are born of God's Spirit it has the power to transform us into the image of our Lord, to draw all mankind to it, (for just like those children gazed in awe at the beautiful tail of the peacock, so too does that word of God have that kind of power over mankind). It has the power to do what man can not do, and has the ability to remove doubt and cause faith to increase.
An example of this to me was when, this morning, I asked the Lord to give me a word of encouragement regarding His promise of healing my body (as my trust in this long, on-going trial was being severely tested over the last few weeks ). After asking Him this I opened my Bible to where I had previously underlined Matthew ch. 21 vs. 21 and 22 which reads :-
'And Jesus answered them Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and never doubt, you will not only do what has been done to this fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, 'Be taken up and cast into the sea,' it will be done. And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.'
We are told in Romans ch. 15 v. 4
'For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.'
I could not have had better encouragement to endure the trial and continue trusting in the Lord for the promise of God (my healing) which is 'Yes' in Jesus.
On the front of my computer there is a picture of a place north of where we live. I have always had a scripture on this picture which is also great encouragement to me every time I turn on my computer.
The power in the word of God is amazing. It is foolishness to the carnal mind, but to those who are born of God's Spirit it has the power to transform us into the image of our Lord, to draw all mankind to it, (for just like those children gazed in awe at the beautiful tail of the peacock, so too does that word of God have that kind of power over mankind). It has the power to do what man can not do, and has the ability to remove doubt and cause faith to increase.
An example of this to me was when, this morning, I asked the Lord to give me a word of encouragement regarding His promise of healing my body (as my trust in this long, on-going trial was being severely tested over the last few weeks ). After asking Him this I opened my Bible to where I had previously underlined Matthew ch. 21 vs. 21 and 22 which reads :-
'And Jesus answered them Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and never doubt, you will not only do what has been done to this fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, 'Be taken up and cast into the sea,' it will be done. And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.'
We are told in Romans ch. 15 v. 4
'For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.'
I could not have had better encouragement to endure the trial and continue trusting in the Lord for the promise of God (my healing) which is 'Yes' in Jesus.
On the front of my computer there is a picture of a place north of where we live. I have always had a scripture on this picture which is also great encouragement to me every time I turn on my computer.
I have been shown many times in that word that there is a time for everything, including healing, and that my times are in God's hands.
All that is necessary for me to receive that promise to me is to continue to 'trust' and 'believe'.
