A Sip of Humor

During devotions with the children today I asked the question: "Why did God create Mothers?" Our 6 year old Emily sat up straight, flipped her braids and very excitedly stated: "I know! I know!" To which I replied: "Go ahead, tell us why." Her response: "God made Mothers because if there were no Mothers, life would be messed up. You could do anything you wanted to, even steal. God had way too much monkey skin left over so he had to make mothers out of that! That is why God made mothers and your monkey skin is very soft Mommy!" ((LOL)) Needless to say, we had a lesson on creation right after that! Haha

Forsaking All I Trust Him

Forsaking

All

I

Trust

Him

Oh, wow! You may be thinking who in their right mind would do that? Who would give up everything and trust God? I can think of many examples in the Bible of people who have done that and have found that the blessings that come from that kind of trust is amazing! I personally have experienced that kind of faith so I can testify to the fact that when you give it all to Christ, you won't regret it.

One of the examples of faith in the bible that really flows with this particular acronym of faith is the story of the fishermen by the seashore in the book of Matthew Chapter 4. Jesus commanded them: "Follow me and I will make you fishers of men." Can you imagine what must have been going through their minds? That was their only source of income and some stranger walks up to them and says, "Leave your job and come with me! I guarantee you that if you do, you'll win many over to my Kingdom!" What a leap of faith it took for these poor fishermen to leave their way of life and follow Jesus. What great and mighty things they did and saw as a result of their obedience. They got to witness firsthand the miraculous touch of the creator of the universe as he healed the sick, raised the dead, cast out evil spirits etc. They became part of his chosen 12!

Here are are a few facts about these fisherman:

1. They were poor men: if they had had estates, or any considerable stock in trade, fishing would have been their recreation not their occupation. It didn't matter to Jesus that they were poor, when He saw them he saw the potential they had to become great leaders for his Kingdom. He is no respecter of persons. He will choose to use and bless those who are willing to step out in faith! Rich or poor, all it takes is a willingness empty ourselves of self and become a vessel for God to flow through touching the lives of those around us.

2. They were unlearned men, not exposed to books or literature as Moses was. He had the opportunity in Egypt to be taught by the best. He lived in the kings palace! It didn't matter to God that these fishermen were uneducated. He knew that if they had faith, they would trust Him enough to give them the right words to say at the right time through the Holy Spirit. God isn't looking for those who want to impress others with their degree's or successes in life. He desires that no matter if we are uneducated or educated, that we will allow Him to speak through us.

3. They were men of business, who knew their trade inside out and wasn't afraid of hard labour. God isn't looking for lazy people to further his kingdom here on earth, he desires that we be motivated with a goal and a vision. Pressing toward the mark of the high calling of God. After all, we are his hands and feet in this world. It should be our mission to show Christ to everyone you meet.

4. They were men that were accustomed to hardships and hazards. Becoming a fisherman is one of the most laborious and perilous jobs around. Fishermen must be often wet and cold; they must watch, and wait, and toil. They were often in perilous waters constantly being exposed to danger and near death experiences. God is looking for those of us that have learned to bear hardships and be exposed to dangers that bring us courage as we trust in Him. It is those type of people that are prepared for the fellowship and discipleship of Jesus Christ. Good soldiers of Christ must endure hardness. What a lesson we can learn from this story when you begin to reflect on how much faith it took for them to follow Jesus that day.

Lately, I've been reading and studying a lot on faith in my own personal devotions. Hebrews chapter 11 is a great passage of scripture on faith. I quote it often when I want to encourage someone to increase their faith or to reach out in faith for the answers they desire from God. The first verse talks about how "Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Verse 2 goes on to say "For by it the elders obtained a good report." You will notice as you read go on to read the rest of this chapter that a lot of victories came through great faith of many men and woman in the Bible.

The beauty of it is that it doesn't take much faith to move the hand of God. Just the size of a grain of mustard seed! A mustard seed is pretty tiny! I encourage you today to have faith in God! Go where he is leading you. It doesn't necessarily mean you'll be leaving your current job or the area you live like the fishermen in the Bible did. It does mean that your priorities will change as you begin to obey God, putting him first in your life as he leads you into his will. Take that step towards the place he is calling you. Beyond the open door awaits a work that only you can do and with it comes a new and fresh anointing on your life. Be encouraged and have faith. It will move those mountains that stand in your way!

Matthew 17:9

And Jesus said unto them, ...

"If ye have FAITH of a grain of mustard seed

Ye shall say unto this mountain,

Remove hence to yonder place,

And it shall remove and

NOTHING shall be

impossible unto you!"

Just a tiny grain.........

No matter what..... Have Faith!