CONSIDER……How important it is to consider right thoughts. The highest is to consider the greatness of our God! The problem arises when I consider the greatness of negative circumstances instead of worshiping the God of my circumstances. Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God,” Matthew 5:8. God rewards heart purity with the peace of His presence. On the other hand, if I “kick against the pricks”, judge or blame God for my situation instead of “seeing Him in all things”, then I am in rebellion. No good thing comes out of that. Unless I humble myself and repent, I will suffer the consequences of a hard heart: deaf ears to the word of God and blind eyes, unable to see God in my situation.
Ezekiel 12:2 describes a rebellious house, “….you dwell in the midst of a rebellious house, which have eyes to see and see not, they have ears to hear and hear not, for they are a rebellious house.” This house holds no appeal for a peaceable life in Christ and yet, our choices can take us there.
Consider this simple statement:
KNOW GOD, KNOW PEACE.
NO GOD, NO PEACE.
When God created man, He gave him the power of choice. Choice governs. My wrong choices can limit the Unlimited One, Almighty God. Psalm 78:41 speaking of the waywardness of the children of Israel in the wilderness states: “They turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel.” Their constant murmuring (grumbling) kept them from entering the Promised Land. Selah!
After all the amazing miracles they had witnessed, the children of Israel, in their rebellion questioned, “..Can God furnish a table in the wilderness?”, Psalm 78:19. You can’t “can God.” When you throw a “pity party”, the only guests are yourself and the devil! On the other hand, our Father’s House always holds a welcome home party for returning prodigals, (Luke 15). The prodigal son had to humble himself and make a choice to return home. Choice governs.
God has given us the power of choice to choose life or death in the power of the tongue. If I allow the Son of God to rule in my heart, I will speak words of life. If my heart is unruly and complaining, it will produce words of death. Words are powerful, they create life or death. The word of God encourages us each day to choose life! When I eat from the “Tree of Life” I partake of the life of the Indwelling Christ and He is released through me. When I eat from the other tree, the knowledge of good and evil, (which God forbids me to eat of, Genesis 2:17), distress, distraction, dismay, disappointment and depression result.
When we choose God, make right choices in faith, He will release His unlimited supply of grace. When I recognise my biggest need is more of Jesus, all my other needs are met in Him and His finished work of Calvary. His grace supplies my every need. The finished work of Calvary makes available divine health, healing and wholeness for my every need to be supplied from His abundant life, that I may now live my life for God’s glory and purposes. Can I say with conviction,”It is no longer I that lives, but Christ who lives in me”? I am not my own any more,to live just as I please. I am bought with a price, the precious blood of Christ Jesus, that I might use this precious gift of life, to live for God’s glory.
The Divine Gardener comes to inspect His fruit in our lives. He prunes where necessary, to bring forth more fruit, not to destroy. Pruning has purpose. He inspects any fallow ground and sees the potential for His glory there. There He often finds “stones” of hardness where His word cannot grow. As we surrender to His guidance, He removes the stones and sows the seed of His word there. Surrender to His will is a daily choice that fertilises the seed, life comes out of death. As we choose to allow the word of God to grow in the garden of our hearts, we will see our lives changed. Nothing is impossible…..for His glory!
