There Are No Accidents

 After being without the internet for a week, I am glad to have it back and be able to make a new entry on this blog!

Acts 18:2 And he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome.

Aquila and Priscilla had been through a lot of turmoil when the Apostle Paul met them.  

They had been uprooted from their home and their livelihood in Rome for no reason except that they were Jews.

They had to travel to find a new safe place to live, which ended up being in Corinth.  

 It had to have been a traumatic and emotionally challenging experience for Aquila and Priscilla.

But it was no accident that Claudius commanded all the Jews to leave Rome at this very time in history.

It was no accident that Aquila and Priscilla chose to settle in Corinth when forced to leave Italy. 

It was no accident that Paul’s travels brought him to Corinth after Aquila and Priscilla had settled there. 

It was no accident that they and Paul had the same trade so that Paul could not only stay with them but also work with them to support himself while he shared the gospel with the people of Corinth.

It was no accident that the Apostle Paul was able to establish a church there in Corinth that met, where else, but in the house of Aquila.  

There are no accidents with God.

Even the Emperor of Rome himself, a hater of the Jews, was part of God's "no accident" plans for Paul, Aquila and Priscilla, and the newly formed church in Corinth. 

"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good ..." (Romans 8:28). 

Paul knew this from his personal experience, and we can trust that word for ourselves as well, because there are no accidents with God. He plans and uses even what seems bad to turn our situations into good outcomes if we are loving Him and living for Him.

I don't know about you, but I need that reminder regularly.

There are no accidents with God in control of my life.

Will Sin Follow Me to Heaven?

 

Matthew 13:41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law breakers.

 I am thankful that I have had very little problem with unbelief or doubts in my years as a child of God.  

I know that some people struggle with doubts all their lives, but I have not.  

One thing, however, that has troubled me in recent years on a regular basis was the fear that the temptation to sin might follow us to heaven.   

After all, Satan was an angel in heaven when he sinned.  He and other angels were all cast out of heaven because of that sin.

So, if those angels had sin creep in while they were in heaven, in God's presence, then how much more easily might that happen to mankind? Even though I, as a believer in Jesus as my Savior, am assured of my place in heaven, I am still just a "sinner saved by grace" and I still can sin. I would hate to think that I must spend all of eternity with that potential.

That doubt has nagged at me in times of weakness, but this verse jumped out at me today.  

Jesus is telling His disciples that in the end of this earth, His angels will remove not only all unrepentant sinners but also all CAUSES of sin, so those causes of sin cannot enter the kingdom of heaven. 

And there goes my nagging doubt!!

Where Are the Construction Workers?

                                                    

I am now reading the book of Nehemiah, the story of a man who took a leave of absence from his duties of service in  King Artaxerxes in the Persian Empire to lead the rebuilding of the city of Jerusalem back in Israel.

In the account of the rebuilding of the city walls and gates as well as repairing of houses, the list of those who participated in the rebuilding carries with it a good lesson for my own life and experience.

Who did the rebuilding in Jerusalem?

   Religious leaders (priests and Levites)

   Goldsmiths and perfumers - business and professional men

   Government officials - rulers of districts of the city

   Citizens

Did you notice who is missing from the list? 

     Construction workers! Not the first construction worker is named in that list of re-builders.

God did not need a single construction worker to accomplish the task He had directed Nehemiah to plan and direct.

That missing group tells me that as an "ordinary person" I can do a specialized job if God is helping me.

Experience and training are valuable assets, but there are times when God might be asking me to do something that I think I cannot do well enough to participate.

No job is impossible if God is leading you to do it. 

He will help me do whatever His will ordains for me to do.

All Mine

The past couple of days I have been reading another challenging book of prophecy in the Old Testament, the book of the prophet Zechariah.

I am encouraged by the pictures of what God does for His children that we find throughout Zechariah chapter ten.

Ask rain from the Lord in the season of the spring rain, from the Lord who makes the storm clouds, and he will give them showers of rain, to everyone the vegetation in the field. ~ Zechariah 10:1

As a follower of Jesus, I have spiritual restoration.

The Lord of hosts cares for his flock, the house of Judah, and will make them like his majestic steed in battle. ~  Zechariah 10:3

 As a follower of Christ, I have strength.

They shall be like mighty men in battle, trampling the foe in the mud of the streets; they shall fight because the Lord is with them ... ~ Zechariah 10:5

As God's child, I have courage.

Their hearts shall be glad as with wine. ~ Zechariah 10:7

As a follower of Jesus, I have joy.

He shall pass through the sea of troubles and strike down the waves of the sea. ~ Zechariah 10:11

As a follower of Christ, I have confidence.

I will make them strong in the Lord, and they shall walk in his name,” declares the Lord. ~ Zechariah 10:12

As God's child, I have security.

Redemption and restoration, courage and strength, confidence and security - all mine because I am cared for by the Lord of hosts.

Faith-filled confidence

Today, in my chronological reading through the Bible, I have started another challenging book of prophecy - the book the the prophet Daniel.  And once again, I have seen how much I can glean for my own personal, 21st century life.

As I read through the events of Daniel’s life in the first three chapters of the book, one characteristic of Daniel and his three friends stands out to me – 

       their CONFIDENCE.

As a new captive/recruit in chapter one, Daniel was CONFIDENT of the results the chief of the eunuchs would see in the young men if they ate only vegetables. 

And he was proven correct. 

Then, in chapter two, Daniel was CONFIDENT of his ability to learn the king’s dream and its interpretation. 

And he was proven correct. 

In chapter three, Daniel’s three friends were CONFIDENT of God’s ability to save their lives if thrown into the fiery furnace. They were confident in their faith in God. 

And they were proven correct. 

True faith breeds confidence that is above the norm. 

I want that kind of confidence for facing the challenges in my own life. 

Faith-filled confidence.