So much seems to be going wrong in the world lately, and there are a lot of stressful things going on in our own lives.
Reading the Bible and praying can help to relieve some of the stress.
I was reading in Matthew 8 today, and I thought the part about the disciples being in a boat with water pouring over could so relate to how many of us can feel...especially myself. They were afraid as most of us are when we think we might drown. They too had weak faith. I have found myself singing lately, ♫"It never rains, but what it pours," ♫ when it seems the trials are piling up. Jesus' response to His disciples was an encouraging reminder for me to trust God (though it is also seems a bit of a necessary rebuke).
I often do pray that I will trust God and love Him more. The Bible's reminders are better than my own reminders to myself. Reminding myself is good, but reading the source of Scripture is even more powerful. Jesus showed Himself trustworthy and caring of suffering people while on earth. Yes, I realize I'm one of those who has little faith, and I have also been reminded by Scripture that I can't add a cubit to my lifespan by worrying. That was the encouragement I received a different day. God provides our needs. He always has. He created the universe, the winds and the seas obey Him, and He even cares about me... a rebellious Christian who is so frustrated at being so sinful and wonders how God can keep forgiving. It seems He often works it out for reminders to be there at the right times in my life...either directly from His Word or by hearing second hand reminders based on the truth there.
I was watching MacArthur last night online, and he was talking about reading the Bible being how you begin to understand it. I think that many Christians don't read the Bible much if at all, and they lose out on so much. They are easy prey for false teaching and out of context Scripture twisting. They also lose out on the encouragement that they might have had. It's so easy to be lazy, but you really do get more from drinking from the fountain itself than a bowl of stale water that someone else gives you (which may be contaminated by the filter of another person's mind). I was going through my things that I might share with blog readers today, and I found this rendition of an old hymn that was so peaceful.
Reading the Bible and praying can help to relieve some of the stress.
I was reading in Matthew 8 today, and I thought the part about the disciples being in a boat with water pouring over could so relate to how many of us can feel...especially myself. They were afraid as most of us are when we think we might drown. They too had weak faith. I have found myself singing lately, ♫"It never rains, but what it pours," ♫ when it seems the trials are piling up. Jesus' response to His disciples was an encouraging reminder for me to trust God (though it is also seems a bit of a necessary rebuke).
I often do pray that I will trust God and love Him more. The Bible's reminders are better than my own reminders to myself. Reminding myself is good, but reading the source of Scripture is even more powerful. Jesus showed Himself trustworthy and caring of suffering people while on earth. Yes, I realize I'm one of those who has little faith, and I have also been reminded by Scripture that I can't add a cubit to my lifespan by worrying. That was the encouragement I received a different day. God provides our needs. He always has. He created the universe, the winds and the seas obey Him, and He even cares about me... a rebellious Christian who is so frustrated at being so sinful and wonders how God can keep forgiving. It seems He often works it out for reminders to be there at the right times in my life...either directly from His Word or by hearing second hand reminders based on the truth there.
I was watching MacArthur last night online, and he was talking about reading the Bible being how you begin to understand it. I think that many Christians don't read the Bible much if at all, and they lose out on so much. They are easy prey for false teaching and out of context Scripture twisting. They also lose out on the encouragement that they might have had. It's so easy to be lazy, but you really do get more from drinking from the fountain itself than a bowl of stale water that someone else gives you (which may be contaminated by the filter of another person's mind). I was going through my things that I might share with blog readers today, and I found this rendition of an old hymn that was so peaceful.
No comments:
Post a Comment