Prodigal: Yes, but I heard people say that the bible is not reliable.
Me: Maybe this can help.
This is from the book The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel
World-class scholar Bruce Metzger said that compared with other ancient documents, there is an unprecedented number of New Testament manuscripts and that they can be dated extremely close to the original writings. The modern New Testament is 99.5 percent free of textual discrepancies, with no major Christian doctrines in doubt. The criteria used by the early church to determine which books should be considered authoritative have ensured that we possess the best records about Jesus.
But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.
This is from the book God’s Generals by Roberts Liardon
Be careful of the person, whether they’re a member of your family, whether you work with them, whether they are an employee, be careful of a person who can’t say , “I am sorry.” You will find that person very self-centered.
“That is the reason you have heard me say ten thousand times that the only person Jesus can’t help, the only person for whom there is no forgiveness of sins is the person who will not say, “I’m sorry for my sins, ” ….Such a self centered person usually draws disease to themselves like a magnet.”
Limit your time with toxic people. They have not developed a relationship with Christ and the relationship cannot have growth and they can not work on moving forward.
Me: I think you need to have wisdom in where you walk Prodigal.
Prodigal: I know that is a warning and I should follow it.
Me: Yes, we should listen to warnings.
This is from the book Spiritual Leadership by J. Oswald Sanders
If knowledge is the accumulation of facts, and intelligence the development of reason, wisdom is heavenly discernment. It is insight into the heart of things. Wisdom involves knowing God and the subtleties of the human heart. More than knowledge, it is the right application of knowledge in moral and spiritual matters, in handling dilemmas, in negotiating complex relationships. “Wisdom is nine-tenths a matter of being wise in time,” said Theodore Roosevelt. Most of us are “too often wise after the event.”
Don’t regret afterward, but following wisdom before hand. Take some quiet time and make sure that this is from God. In the quiet time He will give you a peace and stillness and then you know that this is from Him. In all ways seek His path and He will direct you!
Then Peter said unto them, Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
How was I going to do it? That was the question. I was not going to know the answer till the day was over. This day was crammed with appointments, and no availability for breaks. I knew looking at my calendar that God was going to have to give me the energy to get through the week, and still be able to administer to all the people He placed in front of me.
I knew God, and I knew He would show up. How many times have I cried out to the Lord for Him to give me strength, and wisdom for the next hour. How many times had He provided. It was something that I valued a lot about our relationship. How He would be there constantly to make sure His people were taking care of. It also showed just how much He loved His people.
Just the day before I was engaged with a non christian therapist discussing how they were feeling burned out. They have only been a therapist for a year. The therapist was already feeling over whelmed. I was concerned seeing the signs that many face. The face of being affected by so much, and yet unable to handle the burdens. If all of this continues and is not resolved, I knew that I was looking at another therapist who would run from the field, and not look back.
At the same time I was looking at my schedule and knew my schedule had 25 percent more people than they did. The big difference was I could rely on Christ, and they could not because they did not believe in Christ. They could not understand that believing in Christ is not just a religion but an invitation for support from a loving God.
I knew some how God would provide for me this week. I just did not know how. I am writing this now, because the Lord did show up. This is a testimony of how He did. Here I am with a break that was provided by Him. I had 3 appointments reschedule so that I could have a long period of stillness. I got some work done, and even had time to slow down.
Does God care about how fatigued you feel? Does God care about the demands you have placed on you? Does God care about how your calendar being overbooked. Yes, He does! Often in church we are told to always be busy, but this is not biblical. He provided rest with no work at times. A great example is in Kings 17.
Elijah Fed by Ravens
2 Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah: 3 “Leave here, turn eastward and hide in the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan. 4 You will drink from the brook, and I have directed the ravens to supply you with food there.”
5 So he did what the Lord had told him. He went to the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan, and stayed there. 6 The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook.
Elijah for a period of time was given a stillness by God. The stillness did not mean He was punished. The stillness did not mean He did not love God, and was not a good servant.
During this stillness, He was to be less active. He was not to say yes to everyone. He was also not to even worry about food. He separated Elijah and during the time of separation He provided for Elijah. Not all down times are bad. Not all down times mean that we have gotten off course. God can use those times to grow us, and also provide for us. God made sure that Elijah would have food and He did not have to provide it. He had a plan for others to work it out.
On this day God has a plan to handle your stress. He knows how to figure out all those demands. He would like us to ask Him, and then wait for His answer.
The answer may be a separation, but He will provide during the separation, and it will give you a chance to see how God may be there for you!
1 Corinthians 15:56-57
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Prodigal: Yes, and I loved the time we spent together.
Me: Let’s encourage each other now.
This comes from the book Paul: A Man of Grace and Grit by Charles Swindoll
Rather than racing into the limelight, we need to accept our role in the shadows. I’m serious here. Don’t promote yourself. Don’t push yourself to the front. Don’t drop hints. Let someone else do that. Better yet, let God do that.
If you’re great, trust me, the word will get out. You’ll be found…in God’s time. If you’re necessary for the plan, God will put you in the right place just the precise time. God’s work is not about us; it’s His production, start to finish. So back off. Let Him pull the curtains and turn on the stage lights. He’ll lay hold of an Ananias or Barnabas, who’ll come and find you at your most vulnerable point and lift you over the wall. Or He may choose you to be one of the nameless, lesser-known individuals who make the difference for someone else. Your part, pure and simple: Humble yourself.
And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but perceivest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
Prodigal: Do you have a rubber band that I can use?
Me: No, but I can talk about a rubber band.
This is from the book Believe and Rejoice by James P. Gills, M.D.
Let’s look at a rubber band. It is either at ease or stretched. And if it is stretched too tightly, it can break. We frequently are like a stretched rubber band. We are at the breaking point because we are busy trying to do things by our own power. And when we are trying to be in control, basically we are caught up in the sin of selfishness. At that point we are stretched and tense like an over-extended rubber band. We are not a peace, and we do not have the joy that comes from a relationship with God. We are acting like three year olds who want to do it all by themselves. And just as parents often do, God will let us fall to teach us that we need His help.
We have set ourselves on the things of this world. It starts small but then it brings us to a place where we are miserable and fighting all the time. We feel stressed and we start verbally being aggressive with others. We look everywhere and go to everyone. They do not help. We need to look up, we need to return to the Lord. We need to let go of our control. Only then will God enter into the picture and help us out.
And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years.
This is from the book of Job: A Man of Heroic Endurance by Charles R. Swindoll
This is a summary of what he suffered:
-Inflamed, ulcerous sores Job 2:7
-Persistent itching Job 2:8
-Degenerative changes in facial skin,
disfiguration Job 2:12
-Loss of appetite Job 3:24
-Fears and depression Job 3:25
-Purulent sores that burst open,
scab over, crack, and ooze with pus Job 7:5
-Worms that form in the sores
themselves Job 7:5
-Difficulty in breathing Job 9:18
-A darkening of the eyelid Job 16:16
-Foul breath Job 19:17
-Lose of weight Job 19:20; 33:21
-Excruciating, continual pain Job 30:27
-High fever with chills and discoloring
of skin as well as anxiety and diarrhea Job 30:30
In addition, Job endured delirium, sleeplessness, and the rejection of friends (Job 7:3; 29:2). All of which lasted for months. In short, Job became the personification of misery.
Job did not understand at the time and he did not know if it would ever get better. He just endured.
Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.
