NOW

A short word on myself. I've been away. Sometimes I didn't come back because I didn't want to face myself. Sometimes I didn't come back because I felt doing so would only be fooling myself that someone else could find anything helpful from my text.

Always I've failed to come back because I've been afraid to get right with God and because I've feared my calling and have continued to run from it. I still fear it. Please pray for me should you read this now, or years from now.

I haven't slept tonight, I've been caught up in thought. Somewhere along my thoughts God granted the blessing (yet again as he is faithful in always doing) of his presence in my thoughts.

I need to strengthen my faith and had intended to search his word to help me do so. Sometimes what we want isn't what we need most. Sometimes though we need one thing, he grants us it by giving us what we really needed even more.


James 1:5-7. First take a moment before reading any other scripture, to read this passage.
The KJV is only hard to understand if we neglect to ask for understanding. I'll give you this one portion, but you must read it all to understand this "and it shall be given him"


My search on faith led me first to Romans 10:13
For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

The word faith wasn't used there, but you can be assured that the whole verse deals directly with faith.

This led me to Romans 10:15
And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!

Whoa, scary. I am NOT worthy, I am NOT a picture of God's salvation. Time to get that way in no uncertain terms.

"And how shall they preach, except they be sent?"
Kinda boomerangs on me there. There have been places and times I should have gone and shared God's word on my heart. This isn't the only meaning to be taken here, and I STRONGLY recommend reading the WHOLE passage of Romans chapter 10.

"How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace," My feet are NOT beautiful. I can't picture anything about me personally (other than God in my life). I can't see me being a beautiful creature through God's will. I do know it is possible. I do know it is his will. I do know I can be what he wants me to be or he'd never called me.

This isn't all there is to take from this and let's NOT miss what comes after "preach". It's not just that I've been avoiding my calling, I've also only now looked at what I already know to be true. To preach the gospel of peace. I have always known that the gospel is peace. I have always known that God's will for us all is peace. I have never read this passage before as it is shown me now. I want peace Love and joy for all. I truly do and this isn't something that I've just starting wanting, but it is just now that I realize that in running from my calling, I'm not just failing God in not sharing his word. I've been failing God in not sharing HIM.... not sharing peace.... not sharing Love.... not sharing joy.... not sharing God!

"and bring glad tidings of good things!" Wow. Where to start............
Heaven isn't the joyful gift Jesus has brought us through his sacrifice. We can and should know joy on earth as we can and should life in the joy of God. We should all know the joy of sharing God in our lives with others, both lost AND saved, and we should know this joy all the days of our lives!


Next I find Mark 11:22
And Jesus answering saith unto them, "Have faith in God."

I have to have faith that God's gonna prepare me and make me as he wills me. I have to let go and let God work in me. This is by FAR not all that we get here.

Back to my initial search on strengthening my faith. "Have faith in God."
Pretty cut and dried! Need faith? Have faith! Need stronger faith. Have faith! Need it? It's yours!


Next we find Mark 11:23
For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.

FAITH!!!! It's not a parable, it's a fact, read it as one. Read it again. Take account of the simple fact that God's word is true and is fact. Now read it again.

"and shall not doubt in his heart"
Ever had the faith that you could do it? Whatever it is, just had the faith that it could and would happen if you did it?............. And then at the final second, at the moment of putting it in action, allowed your faith to falter? Same here my friend, same here. Now let's not read it in context of "what if", but rather read it more as a guide, that we not doubt in our hearts.

Read it now with me please for the simple standalone fact it presents. "And SHALL NOT DOUBT IN HIS HEART"! Not only do we see that we can do great things in faith, but we see that we NEED to do great things in faith. We need GREAT FAITH!


Now I find Daniel 12:24
But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.

Please, take the time to read Daniel, chapter 12. It's a short passage. You may wish to read a little ahead of it and perhaps a little beyond it. But please. asking God for understanding and believing he can and will grant it, read it. I have much more to gain from this scripture.

Today IS a wonderful day. God has given it to us and therefor it IS beautiful. Let us see the beauty. Let us live this day in commune with God. Prayer doesn't have to stop because we need to talk on a phone or any other task of the day. Prayer can continue though all events of our day and we'd do ourselves well to do so.

Thank you for sharing this with me and as always, please share all you will. Comments are open and you are not only welcome to post, but I ask that you please share all you will.

Thank you,
Frank