When God moves man...

Background: In Israel, kings came and kings went, some were good, some weren't. Samaria lost its land and stand before the Lord, due to their disobedience as they chose to worship gods rather than the One True Living God who had brought them up out of Egypt. They chose death, rather than life. Jerusalem on the other hand, stood strong a little while longer, but soon saw kings who would lead them down the same road, Samaria had taken, into forfeiting their inheritance and land God has promised them. The book of 1st and 2nd Kings, 1st and 2nd Chronicles, give a detailed history of Israel, their acquiring their promised land and then forfeiting it "15 The LORD, the God of their fathers, sent word to them through his messengers again and again, because he had pity on his people and on his dwelling place. 16 But they mocked God's messengers, despised his words and scoffed at his prophets until the wrath of the LORD was aroused against his people and there was no remedy. "

Lessons: While reading of the way Israel had lost its glorious walk with the Lord and its glorious inheritance, I noticed some very important things about how and why God works in our lives

1. Man's heart constantly seeks to do evil, knowingly and unknowingly-God had seen this behaviour in man, from the beginning of creation-Genesis 6:5 "The LORD saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time."-Evil begat evil and it went on.
2. God seeks to move man, to enable them to do the good works He has planned for us-Ephesians 2:10 "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." and also in Philippians 2:13 "for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose." Among all the accounts of kings I read through in 1 st & 2nd Kings and 1st &2nd Chronicles, I found God had seen and known how satan had diluted our minds with evil and God wanted to bring us back to the original image in which we were created, to do good.
3. The choice is with us-Every time, God moved man, He left the choice with man, to either go God's way or go your own selfish way. I call man's own way as selfish because, rarely now does man think of someone else when they are working towards something. I will earn this degree I will get a good job, have a good house, have lots of money, I will take care of my kids. Rarely do we think, I will pay for that man on that road, to go to college, have a good life, it doesn't matter what happens to me!!! I don't and I dont think others do too, unless, their hearts have been moved by God. The choice still remains with us, to be moved and be movers of lives into the Kingdom of God, or just get by life with the minimum we think we can do.

Conclusion-What if Noah, had not listened to God's voice about the flood that day? What if Abraham had not been moved by God's promise of his own land and generations to come? What if you and I heard God's voice regarding our lives and were moved?

Choices!!! for Myself-Do I know to make the right ones?

Life is full of choices. Everyday we meet choices from what we eat to what we do. Everything is a result of some choice we made or chose not to make. I came to pondering today, about what I like and dislike and how well do I know if I am making the right decisions for myself. Is it easy for me to know what I like or dislike? Do I know what I like or dislike even before I reach the point of making a decision to like or dislike? I know what I like...of course with some testing, tasting and the likes ,I can definitely find out whether or not I like something or not. So what about the bigger choices in life, do I know that I've made a right choice or not. Here again, after much evaluation and weighing the pros and cons, and due consideration, also perhaps some inputs from fellow observers (friends and neighbours and parents and relatives) I decide what I choose or make up my mind upon. Some decisions are easy to make because we have made the same decisions before, like do I want to eat asparagus or not. If I feel like it, I will else I wont. So I know now, that alone, I am not fully capable of "knowing" myself, my own choices without testing, tasting or external inputs (who/which may not know whether I would like what I choose for myself or not).Come to think of it, we make decisions based upon a lot of factors-Our upbringing-Our social circumstances -Our motives and there could be more to that list.Our choices then, depend upon what factor is driving it. If the driving force is confident that it can help make a good choice through us then we're in a good direction. If not then I we can only hope that of all the choices there would be a few which the choice maker could be glad about.

I dont know what I would be good at or not unless I go experiment and experience it for myself. Good experiences will lead me to like it, bad experiences will discourage me from trying the same again. How will I fully and confidently know what choices I am making are right or not. Whether they will really make me happy or not? Whether they are good for me or not? Like Paul says "All things are good but not all things are profitable for me".

So I wanted to know where I could get the knowledge of the "profitable for me" and I found someone who could help.

The Bible says in Psalm 103:14 (Whole Chapter) "for he knows how we are formed" and also in Psalm 139:13 (Whole Chapter) David wrote" For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb." So I know someone who has been with me while I was being formed in my mother's womb. He knows every single cell in my body and what goes wrong with it and how it can be repaired. So now someone knows whats good for my body and whats not, so He can help me out with my choices of food and exercise.

Psalm 94:11 (Whole Chapter) The LORD knows the thoughts of man;--So every time I am confused about a decision, my Lord knows it already and can help me out with what to choose or decide.

Matthew 6:8 (Whole Chapter) " for your Father knows what you need before you ask him"- God even knows my needs even before I ask Him. I have been watching a mother who knows her son's need, whether he is thirsty, or sleepy or hungry. The cry is the same but the mother knows exactly what the son is in need of. So also with God.

Now that I know that God knows all my needs and what path I must take that may be the best for me, I think it is a wise thing to follow His guidance because I know that will be the best for me, my needs and my life.Not that I already have done this, but am learning to. Learning to trust God fully with everything about life. Does that mean that I am leaving everything unplanned out of control, chaotic..of course not. Planning, but leaving ample space for God to make adequate changes to do the good works for His glory. It does not mean that I am stuck or tied but I am free, yeah of all worries for I know there is someone who cares for me, Someone who will correct me from making wrong choices, Someone who clearly speaks and lets His children who look up to Him whether their choices are good or bad. God loves me so much that it wasnt enough for Him to have my image carved on the palm of His hand (Isaiah 49:16) but he also sent His one and only Son(John 3:16) to pay the price for me. Therefore, all this now goes back to the one good choice I made to follow Jesus, I get a lot of good things because of that.I trust God's choices for me and enabling me to make the right choices too, more than that to also correct the wrong choices I have made so to make everything good.(Romans 8:28 (Whole Chapter) And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose)

"What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? -Romans 8:31 (Whole Chapter)

A Wrong Choice

Yesterday, I was playing one of the yahoo games and on the verge of making a record score. I had practised very hard on this one, played it for long to get an idea of the questions the game would pose and I was almost at that point where I would feel great about breaking my own record. As I played along, God told me I needed to go to pray but I did not listen and postponed it. The Holy Spirit kept urging me to pray, but I would not move, I wanted to make a high score. Just then my husband came and closed off that game window for no reason whatsoever, I was hurt and upset because I had worked hard at it and all the accumulated points went for a toss, however I went away quietly, knowing that finally he did what I should have done long ago and should have been in prayer.

As I sat down to pray, I realised, all this while God had been planning so many beautiful things for my life, more so, there are many times when He would have worked so hard to make me what I am supposed to be (the best of my purpose of being here) but then I walk away thinking I could do something else much better than what God has on mind. I tell you, that would have hurt God so much, to see and know the best potential in us to become all that we can, and we turning away from it and choosing the 2nd best or not even the good at all.

I believe, the One who knitted me in my mother's womb and Who has predestined and carefully seen, what I can become would know what would be the best for me at any given point in time in my life, "unless" we dont want it to go that way.Its up to us. God loves me and wants ONLY the best for me.

All I want you to know is, let us be careful in our choices and not make mistakes which would rob us of God's best for our lives. For those of us who might have made a mistake, lets let go of the past and get hold of our future and get a firm grasp on that for which our Lord Jesus has laid hold of us.