Rejoice with those who Rejoice!

Today while at the office, my co-worker came to me and shared that she went with her friend's boyfriend today to pick up her friend's engagement ring. After her telling me this, I went on to ask how she felt, and her response was "I'm excited". Perhaps you're wondering why I asked her how she felt, but the reason I asked her is because she is single like myself, and we both have the desire to be married.

While it's a good thing to be happy for others, there are times that we find it hard to be genuinely happy for others when they've been given the very thing we've been praying for. But, the Bible instructs us to "rejoice with those who rejoice..." (Rom. 12:15). It’s not always easy to rejoice with those who rejoice, but this is a command that it is to be obeyed totally as any of the Ten Commandments are to be obeyed. However, there are those people who pretend to be happy, and are overwhelmed with feelings of anger, jealousy, and discontentment because good things happen to them instead of us. A friend may buy a new car, or a new house, or perhaps find a new job and makes more money...and all of a sudden human nature makes some think, "Why doesn't that happen to me?" A Christian might think, "Why doesn't God bless me like that?" Consider the story of Jacob and Laban in Genesis 31 where Jacob becomes wealthier than Laban, and Laban and his sons get jealous of Jacob's blessings. On one hand, this shouldn't be a surprise; people are inevitably jealous of those who have more than they have...but as believers, we are to run from jealousy for the reason that it is not a characteristic of a Christian. That said, when another person is blessed with something good, the spiritual response is to rejoice with them and be glad for God's blessings on their life. The carnal response is to wish you were in their place.

All I'm saying is, be happy with those who are happy! Whether it's the friend who aced their exams, the one who found out they are cancer-free, the family expecting a new baby, or the neighbour whose child received Christ. Rejoice! Not only that, but the scripture gives us a simple reason why we should rejoice and that is because everyday is a gift from God. Psalms 118:24 says "This is day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it".

Remember, when you're not happy when good things happen to others, you keep those good things from happening to you. "To be happy for others is not just a choice, it's a good choice...and more than that, it's a God choice." ....So, when was the last time you heard someone's good news and felt true joy for them? 

Yield not to temptation!

Today I received a phone call from a social worker to inform me that a client tested positive for illegal substances. Though this client recently tested negative in March, it was today that she tested positive for cocaine. So with that said, it's obvious that she relapsed. 'Relapse' is a word that is used in many different ways in a variety of contexts, but it is defined in the dictionary as "to fall or slip back into a former state, etc." And with that being said, the message God gave me to share with you is from 1 Peter 1:14, "Don't slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires."

It's important to note that this isn't my client first time relapsing, but the last time she did, it was because she visited "friends" and places that were associated with using...or shall I say it was the friends and places she visited that tempted her to use again. Did you know that it is good to keep away from people and places that are filled with temptations and opportunities to fall back into our old ways? Don't get me wrong, we all are tempted, and many will be tempted fall back to their old ways because our flesh will tempt us in so many ways. But my question to you is, what will you do when you are tempted to go back to your old ways? Will you yield to temptation or will you endure the temptations and conquer it? While the Bible give us many examples of those who faced temptations, there were some that YIELDED to the temptation and did what was wrong, while others CONQUERED the temptation and did what was right.

For example, the Lord Jesus Christ was tempted by Satan, and beleive it or not, He was tempted in the same manner as we are today. Lust of the flesh (4:1-4). a. Satan commands Jesus to turn the rocks into bread. b. Satan wanted Jesus to fill His stomach with food. c. Remember, Jesus had not eaten in 40 days; and this would fulfill His desire to eat. However, Jesus CONQUERED temptation by quoting the Bible back to the tempter with authority. Jesus had absolute confidence in the Word of God and knew it perfectly.

As you can see, temptation is something we all face as Christians, but I just want to say, do not graitfy the desires of the flesh!!! "Remember that the temptations that come into your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can't stand up against it. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you will not give in to it." 1Corinthians 10:13

Further, Ephesians 4:22-24, tells us that we are told to lay aside or put off the conduct (behavior patterns) of the old man, and "Put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfil its lusts." Romans 13:14 ...and remember, those who don't yield to temptation will be rewarded! "Blessed is the man that endures temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to them that love him." James 1:12

The Waiting Room!

About two weeks ago, I found myself waiting to be seen by the doctor and as I was waiting, I will say that I waited for a long time that I started to wonder if the doctor forgot me. Have you ever felt that way about God? Maybe He forgot about you? ... It's probably fair to say none of us ever want to wait, but Psalm 27:14 tells us,

“Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.”

We can all agree that waiting can be time-consuming, annoying, and incredibly frustrating, but as I was waiting, the thought came to mind how God puts us in a situation where we have to learn to be still...to wait patiently for Him. Not for somebody else, but for Him. So, what are you waiting for in your life? Perhaps you’re waiting for a child, a job, a house, marriage, a healing, or for a loved one to be saved, or for Jesus’ return... but whatever you are waiting for, you need to wait patiently because there is always a purpose behind waiting, lessons to be learned in waiting, and there is always a blessing when He brings you through it.

Let’s look at some people Bible characters in the Bible who waited on God. Abraham had to wait twenty-five years before God fulfilled his promise to give him a son. David had to wait many years before God fulfilled His promise to make him a king, and Joseph had to wait fourteen years before God fulfilled His promise to rule over his brothers. The people of Israel also had to wait several hundred years before God fulfilled His promise to send them a Saviour. Consider God's promise Abraham and Sarah. Abraham waited nearly 25 years before the birth of his child of promise, and Sarah waited 90 years to have a baby. - Genesis 21:1-2

"Now the LORD was gracious to Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did for Sarah what he had promised.  Sarah became pregnant and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the very time God had promised him."

That being said, we may not have to wait as long for God's promises to be fulfilled as they did, but we do have to endure some periods of waiting. Gratefully, God makes things relatively easy for us by causing His promises to manifest in stages...some immediately, some after a little while, and some after a long time. But If God makes you wait for 20 years, wait. In closing, we're all in a waiting room of some sort but I just want to encourage you especially if you have waited for a long time that God has not forgotten neither forsaken you.

"But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Saviour; my God will hear me." Micah 7:7