God is good!

"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." Romans 8:28
Reading this word from God is equivalent to a big sigh of relief for a believer. Paul reminds us in this verse that no matter what circumstances we're facing, no matter how hard life is at the moment, ( and let's face it, the hardships of life often surpass what can be expressed in words), that God has our best in mind. Life's troubles are sometimes so great that we find it hard to see God's unending love through the pain. We find ourselves questioning His love and why He would ever allow us to suffer. We must remember that it was never God’s intention for us to suffer. In fact, not only did God not intend for us to suffer, He suffered for us by sending His only Son to die on the cross for our sins. God is madly in love with us, His precious creation with whom He desires nothing but the best for, and that is a relationship with Himself. We can be encouraged and take heart in knowing that regardless of how difficult our circumstances, that God is in control, that He loves us, and that He is going to cause good to come from the bad. It's easy to feel alone and abandoned by God when things are hard, but we know that character is developed in persevering through those times and God's sovereignty, steadfast love and goodness can be our guiding motivation. Be encouraged in knowing that God is for us and that He loves us deeply.

It's all about Him...

"Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and^[a] knowledge of God!
   How unsearchable his judgments,
   and his paths beyond tracing out!
³⁴ “Who has known the mind of the Lord?
   Or who has been his counselor?”^[b]
35 “Who has ever given to God,
   that God should repay them?”^[c]
36 For from him and through him and for him are all things.
  To him be the glory forever! Amen." Romans 11:33-36

Powerful words spoken by Paul and inspired by God, this word from God gives us a clear perspective on our lives. "Who has ever given to God, that God should repay them?" There's nothing on this earth that we have that God has not provided us. As believers we know that the lives we live, the breath in our lungs, our ability to think and feel and love, were all free gifts from God our creator. We owe Him everything, He owes us nothing. There is nothing that we could possibly offer God that He didn't already give us. We were created by Him, through Him and for Him, not by ourselves, through our own doing and for ourselves. In this Doxology, Paul praises God, encouraging fellow believers to glorify God, for He is our reason for being. Who else deserves to be glorified aside from God? Aside from Him being God the Creator, He is our rock in times of trouble, our Salvation, the God of all comfort and the Father of Compassion. He is Alpha and Omega, the Faithful God and the God who hears our voices. He is our deliverer and our fortress. He is love and trust, truth and life. There is none like God and no one more deserving of all the glory and honor and praise. To God be the glory forever!

Following Christ daily...

“Then He said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” Luke 9:23 God’s word reminds us that as believers, we are commissioned to a life that goes against the worldly norm, a life that is about Jesus and not about ourselves. Although society today is dominated by a motto of self indulgence, Jesus tells us that if we are to follow Him, we must first deny ourselves. In saying this, Jesus is speaking to the denial of our human nature. He is reminding us that when we wake up every day, we must decide to follow Him and not give in to our humanly desires. Every day is not about me, it is about Him. Jesus picked up His cross and was crucified for the sins of the world. When He asks us to pick up our cross daily, Jesus is challenging us crucify our sinful nature daily, so that we may walk with Him wherever He goes. The apostle Paul said it well in Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” When we accept Christ into our lives, we make the decision to crucify our sinful nature and no longer live for ourselves, but for Him and by faith in Him.

The free gift of grace...

"Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs." Jonah 2:8
These cutting words spoken by Jonah from the belly of a whale, serve as a reminder of what is lost when we chase after worthless idols such as money and other worldly things. Ephesians 2:8 tells us "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-not by works, so that no one can boast." We have been saved by grace, a free gift from God. Jonah tells us that when we make Gods out of the other things in our lives, we give up that precious gift. Even inside the belly of a whale, Jonah was praising God and proclaiming the wonders of his grace. Let these powerful words be a constant reminder that God is to be the only Lord of our lives, and that by placing anything else before Him (including ourselves), we forfeit the His beautiful gift of grace. Let us cast aside all worthless idols and worship God alone.

This is the day that the Lord has made...

Today is a good day. "This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it."Psalm 118:24.  It is too often that we get so involved in going through the motions of life, that we forget this very important word from God. Every day, whether good or bad, comes from the Lord. Let us rejoice today for God has provided a new day in our lives that are but a breath. With that in mind, we are rejoicing at the Oasis today for another opportunity to serve God through serving our customers. Although there are times when slow business can be discouraging, we press on and trust that God will provide and allow our ministry to continue.  Have a blessed day today and remember to rejoice!