Belief Ingredient

Luke: ³⁴ Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?”

³⁵ And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. ³⁶ Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. ³⁷ For with God nothing will be impossible.”

³⁸ Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

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After playing with my trucks I returned to the kitchen. “Here… pour this teaspoon into the batter” were my instructions. I did and after a couple of hours the cake was done. “I baked a cake!” I boasted.

• Sometimes I think it is my actions that cause things to happen.
• Sometimes I think I have to add something in order to make life go right.
• Sometimes I think I have to try harder because if I don’t GOD will not grant me my wishes.

Instant belief was the only ingredient Mary had in this recipe of eternal salvation for mankind. She did not question if were possible, but what part she had in this miracle. “I do not know a man?” was probably a call to say, “What, am I supposed to stop being a virgin and have a baby? What would you like me to do?” GOD had everything planned out.

• GOD is the ONE who saved me before I sinned.
• GOD is the ONE who created me, knowing all my sins, even before I was born.
• GOD is the ONE who has a plan for me and has already seen it executed so HE can always keep the promise HE has for me.

When GOD puts a plan into action for me, HE has everything taken care of. HE knows I may forget something or mess up the plan by adding fear to it so HE does it all for me.

The problem is sometimes I don’t believe HE has taken care of everything, so I jump in with my spoon full of doubt and try to add that into HIS delicious cake of life. GOD has taken care of everything! All HE wants from me is instant belief.

• Do you doubt GOD?
• Do you think you need to work harder because you feel HE doesn’t love you the way you want to be loved?
• Will you stop trying so hard to gain the love HE already has for you?
• Will you simply believe in HIS 100% plan today?

First Thought

Matthew 15: ²⁹ Jesus left there and went along the Sea of Galilee. Then he went up on a mountainside and sat down. ³⁰ Great crowds came to him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others, and laid them at his feet; and he healed them. ³¹ The people were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled made well, the lame walking and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel.

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From a distance I could see the trouble coming so I made plans. When my plans started to disintegrate I made mitigation plans. When they failed, I cried out to GOD! “LORD, What?!”

• Sometimes I try to handle things on my own.
• Sometimes I try to fix problems using my wits.
• Sometimes I try to jump in and modify the situation.

I was amazed when GOD stepped in and answered my prayers, even ones I hadn’t asked. Amazed and shocked, I walked away delighted. This lasted until the next problem came up. I could see the trouble coming. “Wait, I have been through this before. What should I do?” was my thought.

• GOD says to me “I AM the first and the last, the Alpha and Omega.”
• GOD says to me “Seek ME first and you will be blessed.”
• GOD says to me “I AM the way, the truth and the life.”

Great crowds brought their hurting, broken and ailing friends and relatives to JESUS, maybe as a last ditch effort. They were amazed that this even worked!

I have noticed a difference in trouble patterns when I add CHRIST first. When I see the trouble coming from a distance, GOD wants me to cry out to HIM first, even if it is a false alarm. HE wants me to cry out with tiny issues and large. During the storm, GOD wants me to praise HIM!

• What is your first thought when trouble hits?
• When you see the slightest sign of trouble, can you turn to GOD?
• Will you seek GOD first today instead of following your own plans?

Throwing Monkey Wrenches

Psalm 14: ¹ The fool says in his heart,
    “There is no God.”
They are corrupt, their deeds are vile;
    there is no one who does good.

² The Lord looks down from heaven
    on all mankind
to see if there are any who understand,
    any who seek God.
³ All have turned away, all have become corrupt;
    there is no one who does good,
    not even one.

⁴ Do all these evildoers know nothing?

They devour my people as though eating bread;
    they never call on the Lord.
⁵ But there they are, overwhelmed with dread,
    for God is present in the company of the righteous.
⁶ You evildoers frustrate the plans of the poor,
    but the Lord is their refuge.

⁷ Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!
    When the Lord restores his people,
    let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad!

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“That pastor didn’t preach right” were the words that came from my lips as I sat in the audience critiquing the sermon. I mean at least I was in church and I was paying attention and I was dressed in this jamming new suit! I quickly wrote that church off as “not holy enough” and stopped going. I wonder what other church I could go to that meets my criteria?

• Sometimes my attitude is the barrier.
• Sometimes the way I think is the cause of a broken plan.
• Sometimes my judgmental actions cause me to not help.

I heard before that if I am not “part of the solution I am part of the problem” and not I see that to be true. When even the slightest complaint crosses my lips about another person or group I am part of the problem. My righteousness quickly turns into soiled diapers or used tampons (sorry for the graphic but that’s what the writer meant). GOD expects me to act different.

• GOD wants me to help the poor rather than creating more hurdles for them.
• GOD wants me to point people to HIM as a refuge rather than believing in themselves.
• GOD wants me to let people know the HE and only HE can restore them to their full glory, not humans.

In order to be part of the solution I must drop any superior thinking and join in. I may not understand what the plan is or even how to solve the problem, but my dependence on GOD will always bring fruit.

• Are you frustrating someone’s plans with your complaints?
• Do you think your complaints about that person or those people are acceptable to GOD?
• Can you become part of the solution by dropping your judgment?