50: 50 Days of 3:16

As we conclude this 50 Dyas of 3:16 we see that many of these verses all lead us to the same thing. That God loves us and desires to know us more.

 

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.

1 John 3:16

 

The words teach us how to live as believers.

 

Keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behaviour in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.

1 Peter 3:16

Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.

Colossians 3:16

Only let us live up to what we have already attained.

Philippians 3:16

These words teach us how to be bold in our faith.

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter.”

Daniel 3:16

 

It reminds us that sometimes we must wait on the Lord but that he will speak to us.

After seven days the Lord gave me a message. Ezekiel 3:16

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness

2 Timothy 3:16

Remember that God is always with you seeing what is happening and waiting for the right moment, our ways are not his ways.

“Now go and call together all the elders of Israel. Tell them, ‘Yahweh, the God of your ancestors—the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—has appeared to me. He told me, “I have been watching closely, and I see how the Egyptians are treating you.“

Exodus 3:16

 

Take some time to study your bible. Grab hold of a scripture and ask the Holy Spirit to connect you to God through it. You will find that he can speak to you through his word. There is truth in the scriptures that will help you manoeuvre through this life and become effective in reaching the lost.

 

Father use us to be a people who want to hear from you. Holy Spirit gives us boldness to step out of our comfort zones and share our faith with others. Bind our fears and help us to be great witnesses and fishers of men. Use me. Amen.

 

Thank you for following with me through his 50 days. I will be back in September with a new series.

 

 

 

 

 

49: 50 Days of 3:16

 Our journey through the 3:16’s of the bible is drawing to a close. It has been a busy summer for me and I apologize for the inconsistency of my blog postings. On a personal note, my wife’s grandfather returned home to be with Jesus at the age of 91. It was not unexpected, but we are thankful that he in just in recent years he had given his life over to Jesus. We will see him again, there is that hope. So, in writing this today I want to remind you that there is hope for those around you. God doesn’t count people out. We hear all the time of those who we would not expect to be forgiven choosing life in Jesus. John 3:16 continues to remind us of hope that is available to our loved ones, neighbours, enemies and strangers.

 

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. NIV

This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. MSG

For God so [greatly] loved and dearly prized the world, that He[even] gave His [One and] ^[a]only begotten Son, so that whoever believes and trusts in Him [as Savior] shall not perish, but have eternal life. AMP

For this is how much God loved the world—he gave his one and only, unique Son as a gift.^[a] So now everyone who believes in him^[b] will never perish but experience everlasting life. TPT

For God expressed His love for the world in this way: He gave His only Son so that whoever believes in Him will not face everlasting destruction, but will have everlasting life. VOICE

 

I have given these different translations to remind you that not everyone you meet is the same. How we reach out to those around us needs to be driven in such a way that we understand that the cookie cutter methods does not always work. We can pick up books upon books or watch a multitude of videos on how to reach the lost. These are a good starting point, but they cannot be the only way we evangelise. The Holy Spirit is available as your mentor and friend to help you each and every time you step out in faith to love someone and share with them the truth about Jesus.

It all comes down to believers actually doing something. We cannot be lazy in our faith, we must make a stand and be bold in sharing what we have found. To find a treasure and not share it is to live a lonely life. Why if we are living in joy and freedom would we not want to share this with everyone we meet? Why have we accepted the lie that people are just not interested in what we have to say? The enemy has convinced us that the truth is okay for us but would not be accepted by others and that they might even resent us for sharing it. We need to be bold, break this lie in our mindsets and push the enemy out of our lives. Trust the Holy Spirit to defend you from the lies that the enemy throws at us, remember greater is he who lives in us then he that is in the world. The devil is defeated and is working a last-ditch effort to drag as many as he can down with him. If he can convince you not to share what you know then his plan is working. Will you tell the world that God loves them?

 

Father forgive us for believing the lie of the enemy. The people around us matter to you, none are discounted or discarded. We are called to reach them and tell them of your love. Holy Spirit gives us boldness and encouragement to step out of our fear and into the light of sharing our story and the truth. Give us daily opportunities to be a witness of your love and help us to open our mouths with the love you have for them. Provide us wisdom in that we can meet those who need you right where they are. Use us. Amen.

48: 50 Days of 3:16

The church has come to a place where they need to decide where they stand in the world. Many have split and split again each time becoming something that suits the needs of the people. Inherently this leads to unbiblical foundations sneaking there way in and undermining the faith. The traditions and rules become the way of living and attendance almost feels more important than the relationship with God.

So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.

Revelations 3:16

 

Our relationship with God needs to be the driving force in our lives. We see here in today’s verse one statement that has been used by many ministers to hopefully motivate the congregation to action. The sermon preached and the all to action accepted but the follow-up is lacking. If we want to see the church come alive we cannot expect it to happen without follow-up. Expecting Sunday services week after week to grow a church might happen but there are a few key things that need to happen;

1. Believers must spend time in prayer and read their bibles,
2. Connecting with fellow believers in fellowship, accountability, and study, and
3. Putting faith into action and taking the love of Jesus to the world around them.

 

Lukewarm tends to be comfortable. We were never called to live comfortable lives. Jesus promised us a comforter, he sent a comforter because our life in Christ isn’t meant to be comfortable. If we are living a comfortable life it may be time to asking ourselves where we stand in our relationship with God. A fire engulfs and consumes things around it. It is unafraid to share itself with others. We sing many songs that ask God or the Holy Spirit to send the fire, why? Because we need to have a life that is willing to be shared with others. Our faith needs to consume us and positively influence those who need to experience the love of Jesus. We are called to be the light, light gives off heat. Cold is the absence of heat. There is heat in life, God is calling us to live a life full of the light.

 

Father, set me on fire, help me to move past an apathetic kind of faith. I want to be more then an attendee and experience what you have for me. Let me be willing to share my faith with those around me. Give me boldness to step up in my faith, not being comfortable in where I am now. Use me. Amen

46: 50 Days of 3:16

Peter in writing his letters did not water down the faith and what each and every believer was responsible to do. This made it frustrating for those who wanted the express version of faith. They didn’t want to take the time to study his letters and see how they should apply it, they wanted the three easy steps. They would twist his words to satisfy their own version of Christianity.

 

He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.

2 Peter 3:16

 

The bible is clear about not twisting the words to satisfy our own version of Christianity. Yet even today there are people doing just that. It can be confusing to a new believer or someone exploring faith to run into two men telling them that they are Christians, yet their beliefs are not based on the teachings of Jesus. In truth, Jesus isn’t even close to the centre of their faith. I wish I could say all those who have done this are outside the Christian faith, but there are those inside who are teaching things that contradict the bible. The prosperity gospel is one message that is out there that many believers get caught up in. Yes, God will bless you and takes care of you, but we were never called to work towards being rich. If this was so would have not Judas been a more prominent disciple as his desire was riches? Jesus downplayed money and its importance in the life of a believer. He promoted character building over material wealth.

 

As followers of Christ, I encourage you to take hold of what you hear and read from others in the faith. Challenge what you are inputting into your life against the Holy Scriptures. Is what you are listening to following the truths that the Apostles wrote about, does it align with what Jesus taught? If we take the time to examine the sermon of the Sunday past during the week it will help cement the teaching and confirm what they were teaching is the truth. We tend to treat Sunday sermons like fast food, eat it and think nothing else of it. But if we think of it as fine dining, which we truly enjoy we would be talking about it for days about how good it was. How many of you can remember what was talked about last Sunday at your church?

Take some time and study scripture, it is okay if some things are hard to understand. Ask God to reveal what it means through the Holy Spirit. He is there to be the wisdom you need. Find someone in the faith who will guide you in your questions. We do not have to go through the Christian walk along, nor should we.

 

Father, thank you for the Scriptures. We thank you for the faithfulness of those who wrote them. Reveal to us the wisdom and knowledge we need to strengthen our lives and walk in faith. Give us boldness to go out into our world and share this with others. We want to be a light in the darkness. Amen

 

45: 50 Days of 3:16

We have an ingrained sense of what is right and wrong. Our upbringing will shape that to some extent allowing us to mould our moral compass. Our original programmed moral code is given to us by the creator. We tend to self-program ourselves to agree with some things because it makes sense to us. A little lie cannot hurt. Stealing from them shouldn’t matter, do you know what they have done and who they are stealing from, they have lots of money and no one will notice. God created the human form so why shouldn’t I be able to gaze at it in all its beauty whenever I want however I want in the privacy of my own home. Blurring the lines of what is right and wrong sets us up for all kinds of trouble.

 

Keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behaviour in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.

1 Peter 3:16

 

We are living in a society where the moral compass of right and wrong might as well be broken. Some of the foundational facts are inherently followed, you ask anyone if murder is acceptable they will quickly correct you and tell you, of course, it is wrong. Then ask them their thoughts on abortion and you may hear them tell a different story. Or ask them their thoughts on those who prey on children or vulnerable woman. Some quickly change their tune and condone the destruction of these people.

 

As believers in Christ, we need to be better at following the moral compass that God has provided us. We do not need to be programmed robots, but we need to know right from wrong. How we live our lives outside of church needs to reflect our lives as a believer. We cannot be seen as one who speaks out of both sides of their mouth, saying they believe one thing but acting out another. What we do in secret will not always remain a secret. We will be tempted to do things, that is inevitable, we may even step into the temptation, but as a believer, we see our mistake, take a step back ask for forgiveness and walk away from it. When we choose to stay in the temptation that will lead us into all sorts of trouble.

 

Is your life focused on doing good things for God? Works do not get us to heaven and we do not need to do good works to be accepted into heaven. Jesus paid the cost for that and when we accept what he has done that is all the payment needed to be welcomed into heaven. We are to do good works because of what he has done for us. We have been called to share this faith with others. If we keep ourselves doing good work, other then being lazy, we will keep ourselves from doing things that lead us into sin. Idle hands tend to wander into places that tempt us to do things we shouldn’t. We see this in the children/teenage years, those kids who have activities to do tend, for the most part, keep busy and get into less mischief. Keep busy doing God’s work, not just to keep busy but to grow the kingdom of God.

 

Father, what in my life is keeping me distracted from doing the work you have called to do? Forgive me for the distractions I have allowed, the temptations I have dipped my hand in. I want to follow you with everything so forgive me for my weak ways. Strengthen me to withstand the temptations that are sent my way, Holy Spirit show me ways out and guard my heart from evil. Let those who wish to slander me realize that their words are not true and that the God I follow is the God who is calling out to them. Use me to reach the world around me. Give me boldness to be effective in all I do. Amen

43: 50 Days of 3:16

In our Christian circles there are a group of believers who have the perception that once you have accepted Jesus, they are free to live life however they see fit. They give their life to God in a moment and in the next take it back trusting in themselves over what God has planned for them. Even when God removes them from a life that was full of pain and suffering they look back seeing the good in the bad, not looking forward to the hope that God has promised for those who wait just a little longer. Just like the people Moses freed from slavery and oppression, even at the first obstacle of the Red Seas they were prepared to go back and accept their old life.

 

Who were they who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt?

Hebrews 3:16

 

Those who accept Christ yet choose to focus on how they used to live are going to keep stumbling in their faith. The Israelites who kept looking back at Egypt with false fantasies never stopped. Even after God split the Red Sea, allowing them to walk through and wipe out their oppressors. Even then after walking for many years they asked to go back, food was lacking, yet God provided food. They kept dwelling on the old ways and their old life. God continued to provide for the stubborn people, bringing them to the promised land. Sending spies to scout it out the people refused to take the risk in their own strength to go into the promised land. This rebellion or refusal to go where God had called them kept that generation from experience God’s promise.

 

As believers in Christ, we need to keep our focus on what God has for us. When we run after our own desires without seeking God we tend to revert back to our sinful ways. Like a leaf in the wind, we go where ever the winds take us, which can lead us into trouble. If you have been in any church setting long enough you will have seen believers walk away from the faith, maybe you have as well. It doesn’t seem to take much for one who once lived a vibrant life to set aside the life God has given. They face some opposition or oppression and focus on the moment just like the Israelites, only seeing the problem not the plan of God. The moments in life that hurt us or take a loved one away from us, are moments where we need to grow in our faith, trust God is in control and move forward. Many see these as a judgemental God taking things away from us. No hero in history ever was able to become the hero they were called to be without adversity.  They have to choose to push through the pain and overcome it to become who they were destined to be. We are the same as believers when the hard times come who we overcome and trust God in those moments will define who were are, as we go forward.

 

Those who reject this and become bitter and hardened take it out on the very one who is offering to help them. Instead of embracing the help they push them away and for lack of a better term become enemies to the one who wants to bring them through it into a better life. This opposition does not need to be permeant. This is what makes God so much defend than any other god that the world has to offer. Other gods might forgive you, if you do all the right things and make all the right sacrifices, he may look at you in favour and forgive you, but you might never know if it was acceptable. The God we serve, the Alpha and Omega, is waiting like a Father to embrace you once again. All we need to do is ask for forgiveness, no need to do anything else. He accepts us as we are, where we are, whatever may be and welcomes us back. Together after restoration, He will work with you to bring you out of the life you were living into a life more abundantly. Come back to God, He loves you. He wants to have a restored relationship.

 

Father, many of your children have walked away. I pray that even today they will come back to you. It does not have to be a traumatic event to bring them back, but a revelation that you love them. Whatever the situation they are going through use your people to remind them that you love them. I ask that you will use us to reach the world around us, boldness to share our faith. Help us to continually trust in you, especially when things get tough and it doesn’t seem like you are there. Remind us that you are and that you have a plan, give us the strength to endure the storm knowing that what’s on the other side will be worth the rocky moments. We will trust your plan. Amen

41: 50 Days of 3:16

 

This week I was once again bombarded like many of you with pride images and posts. One headline I read stated something in the lines of ‘The reason we still need pride parades is because people keep asking why we need pride parades’. We are bringing our children up in a world where they will have a hard time understanding what it means to be men and woman. But despite this God is still in control and Jesus is still working to bring mankind into a relationship with him. He can still transform lives no matter what they have done to pervert it.

 

I feel that John 3:16 fits so perfectly before today’s verse and 1 John 3:16 right after;

For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

John 3:16

Without question, this is the great mystery of our faith:

Christ was revealed in a human body
and vindicated by the Spirit.
He was seen by angels
and announced to the nations.
He was believed in throughout the world
and taken to heaven in glory.

1 Timothy 3:16

 We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters.

1 John 3:16

 

Sin has had free reign in our world ever since the dawn of man. Adam and Eve only had one limitation in the garden, one rule to follow, yet human curiosity and the need to think only of ourselves lead to the breaking of that one command. Talk about a butterfly effect that changed the course of history. God at that moment could have wiped mankind from the earth and started over with some other form, he could have destroyed everything and just moved on. Yet God had made us in his image and was not done with us. God wanted to have a relationship with us, not that he needed us for anything. He is God, self-sufficient all powerful, needing nothing. For some reason, we can never fully understand He wants us to have a relationship with him.

 

We as humans have this desire for a relationship as well. We want people to love us to want us. The enemy knows this and has perfected a way to cause us much grief when it comes to relationships. What God has made for good, the enemy perverts and works hard to confuse and manipulate. God created man and woman to be in a relationship, so they could reproduce and fill the earth, love one another and glorify him in this. Yet the enemy has convinced many that they can be fulfilled by being in an unnatural relationship. People can decide to up and change who God made them to be based on feelings which change like the wind. Parents now have the power to set their children on a path of confusion by not officially calling a boy a boy or girl a girl from birth. Our laws do not allow a child under 16 to drive, under 21 to drink, under 18 to vote, under 12 to look after themselves yet we expect them to be able to choose if they are a boy or girl.

 

Believers we need to wake up, this world needs Jesus now more than ever. God sent His Son into this world to free people from the perversion sin causes. We can no longer sit back and let sin steamroll over society. I am not condoning bashing or hatred but invoking love, we need to work at loving people who need to meet Jesus. We cannot be afraid to call sin a sin. Jesus called a spade a spade and still loved people. He knew what they needed was a relationship with him. They keep filling their lives with other things when they are longing for a relationship with God. It is not going to be easy, they will resist because they are so entrenched in the life they are living, they will find it hard to let go. But they need to let go and let God transform them into the men and woman they are called to be. The church we need to pray, we need to love, we need to go into the world and be active.

 

Father, this is a hard message for me to write today. I expect some feedback, I pray that you give me the wisdom to say the right things in love. I pray that anyone brave or bold enough to share this post will have opportunities to share your love with others. Bless those who are seeking you and looking to love those entrenched in sin no matter what the cost. We need to be your light to this world, sharing your love with everyone. Use me and anyone reading this to change the world. Amen.

 

God loves you. God wants you. God created you with a purpose. God wants a relationship with you. What is holding you back? God isn’t waiting for you to clean up your life before accepting you. He accepts you as you are, he loves you as you are. Jesus died so that you can live in a relationship with God. I would love to chat and help you make a fresh beginning.

38: 50 Days of 3:16

We all have our physical limits. As someone who has no hardship when it comes to running, I also know that I have limits. The more I run the higher that limit becomes as I am training my body to respond to that kind of distance or speed. To try to run the 100-yard dash at speeds beyond my capabilities would tear at my body and cause me pain. Running a marathon without any training would be unobtainable. If my mind was set on these tasks yet I was unprepared I may be devastated by my results. Paul likened the Christian faith to a race, and he knew we must strive to the finish line, yet he also was quite aware that we all are moving at different paces.

 

Only let us live up to what we have already attained.

Philippians 3:16

 

We train spiritual very similar to how we would train for anything else. Sure, I would love to walk out my door and run as fast as Usain Bolt or Andre De Grasse, but I can’t and to obtain their speed I would need years of training. I know that I can run around 5 km without any trouble, that is what I can attain. We tend to walk out our doors and set unattainable goals for our lives. This sets us up for failure. For me to walk outside and plan a 10 km run when the best I have done in the past is 5 km will set me up for failure. Once I have hit my 5 km I start to see the goal as a far way off, I may push an extra 1 km out, but I start to slow down and lose sight of the goal. I may just quit, why bother.

 

We do this in our faith as well. Maybe your prayer life is lacking and the sermon on Sunday invigorated you to spend more time in prayer. That is awesome we all need to be motivated. But we set unrealistic goals that truly are unattainable in our current state. We walk out saying we will spend 1-2 hours a day in prayer focused on God when just the day before we were lucky to have spent 5 min. This jump from min to hours will drag on a believer and make them feel like they just don’t have what it takes. Instead, they need to gradually work their way up. Adding more time each day or adding smaller sessions to break it up. God isn’t looking at the act of prayer but the heart behind it, I can pray for an hour but if my heart is elsewhere then was it worth the hour? Same as reading the Bible, many will jump in and start reading many chapters in a day but that too will fade if they are not used to it, they will miss a day and feel defeated. Joining a plan on a bible app or buying a plan at the store can help focus your thoughts and provide the training to increase.

 

I do not believe Paul is telling us to settle for where we are at in our faith. As we read in just a few verses earlier he reminds us to ‘press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus “ 14. What I believe he is trying to tell us is we need to prepare ourselves to do what is next. One cannot expect to become a believer one day and preaching to a congregation the next. Even Paul took time alone with God, two years or more, preparing himself to go where God called him. How is God preparing you in your race? What is he calling you to do? Are you preparing yourself? Have you been comparing yourself to others in the faith only to fall over and over again? Look and see how God is using you, how your race is different than any other and that you are growing. Use your training to reach others with God’s love. Using what you know will propel you to grow even more.

 

Father, many times we try to outrun what we know and are prepared for. I pray today that you will show us how to reach people with what we know. We are not all at the same level in our faith but what we know about Jesus love and grace is enough to change the world. For those discouraged, I pray that they will see that you love them where they are at and that you don’t play favourites with your children. Propel them forward in their faith, help them to grow at a pace that will starch them but not break them. Let us take what we know about you and reach those around us that need to experience your love. Amen

27: 50 Days of 3:16

When we think of fear we might think straight to that scary fear. I always had a fear of horror movies, never tempting myself by watching them because I had a fear they would give me nightmares. I never watched Jaws for this reason and compared to what is out there today that movie is pretty tame. But fear can control us. There have been whole studies on phobias and how they control lives. They keep us from moving forward. So why then in the Bible does it continually talk about fearing the Lord?

 

Then those who feared the Lord spoke with each other, and the Lord listened to what they said. In his presence, a scroll of remembrance was written to record the names of those who feared him and always thought about the honor of his name.

Malachi 3:16

 

This fear that the bible talks about is not the same as the fear that scares us. Well, maybe it is. But it is all in the perspective I guess. Many attributes this fear to reverence and that could be the case. What we have come to understand is that those who have accepted Jesus’s forgiveness now understand the judgement that is coming to all of those who choose not to accept. This fear of the Lord is attributed to one’s knowledge of what could happen walking outside of His grace. In this mindset, we can then work towards sharing our faith as we know what we have been freed from and others should be afraid of what is to come for those who don’t choose life in Christ. This fear reminds us that what we still have a freedom to walk away into the life we lived before but now we know what is there waiting for us. It hopefully keeps us from choosing our fear over life with Christ.

 

We see here in the last book of the Old Testament that the Lord listen to them. This is a promise that the Lord listens to His children when they talk to Him. We see here that they kept a record to preserve who feared God. This reminds us that we need to build each other up. Encouraging one another in the faith and before God. It is not a solo faith.

 

As those who fear the Lord, we also fear for our loved ones who are not walking with God. We pray for them and encourage them to come to church and accept Christ. It breaks our hearts when they reject our offers and ignore us because, in essence, they are rejecting the salvation that was freely given for them. We fear that it will be too late for them to choose life. I loved when I heard in the last couple weeks that a church in Ontario, lead by a former pastor of mine had created a book at the church recording those who needed to know Jesus. I had initiated something similar at the church I am at, a wall of those who needed to know Jesus. I titled mine ‘They matter to God, so they should matter to us.” In both examples, people would write down names some just first names of people that needed to accept Jesus forgiveness. These are ways that the church can work together to build one another up as they pray for family, friends and coworkers to meet Jesus.  I would encourage you if you haven’t already make a list of people who God can use you to impact with his love and keep praying for them. Use the fear of the Lord to empower you to reach others.

 

Father, we thank you so much for what you have rescued us from. When we look back at what we used to live like it is almost unimaginable that you would choose to forgive us, yet you did. Help us as believers to share this with our family, friends and co-worker. We have been called on this mission to spread the love of Christ and if we don’t we are being disobedient. Give us wisdom and knowledge to do this, Holy Spirit guide us daily to someone who needs to hear about Jesus. Use us. Amen

25: 50 Days of 3:16

We often wonder if God actually hears us. I know in my life it feels like the cries of my heart never make it past the ceiling. It takes much faith to pray to a God we cannot physically see, but we can see Him all around us in the creation. Like I mentioned already this week, we are created in God’s image. For us to say we cannot see God may be further from the truth as God’s image is all around us.

 

I heard and my heart pounded,
my lips quivered at the sound;
decay crept into my bones,
and my legs trembled.
Yet I will wait patiently for the day of calamity
to come on the nation invading us.

Habakkuk 3:16

 

The prophet Habakkuk was a prophet of God. The people were tired of being bullied by other nations and just wanted some peace and to restore their home. Habakkuk took the complaints to God in prayer. Not just once but twice. The Lord answered Habakkuk’s prayers both times, each time being very clear that He is God and knows what He is doing. We often believe that God’s ways are roundabout and do not always make sense. But the problem is we here in the situations of life, do not see the bigger picture. For those in the situation, the problem looks unachievable, desperate and all hope is lost. But God knows the full plan and the results in every scenario that may happen. What we choose to do in each situation impacts the big picture as well. God sends the Holy Spirit to prompt us to make the right choices for the best results, that will glorify His name and strengthen your faith.

 

After the Lord had spoken to Habakkuk twice he ensured that he took time to pray and worship the Lord for revealing some of the big picture plans to him. His words here in 3:16 speak of an excitement for God to do mighty things against their enemies. He sang out his prayer for the nation to hear and rejoice with him.

 

Jesus came and turned this thought of praying to God asking for vengeance from oppression on its head. Jesus taught that we need to love our enemies and go the extra mile to turn the other cheek. Instead of asking God to destroy your enemies, Jesus taught us to ask Him for blessings on them. And not just ask for blessings but to bless them ourselves, focus on loving them despite the fact they may not deserve our love. This radical change in how we treat people who persecute, hate and oppress us is so foreign to this world we live in who is bent on revenge when we are hurt.

 

Like Habakkuk, we can still bring our complaints of oppression to God. But we cannot expect him to respond as He did here. He will bring us back to Jesus and his teachings, asking what we are doing to love our enemies? How can we work to bless them in their struggles? He will remind you that they need to recognize Jesus is the answer to what they need and that He sent you to be the one to tell them! We already have a promise from God that all who reject him will be dealt with, but as believers, we need to show the same love that Jesus did on the cross and share it, so they do not have to receive that punishment. Pray not that God will punish those who oppress you but that the will become your friends and believers in Christ.

 

Father, we thank you for what you are doing in our lives. Many times, we pray that you will deal with those who oppress us in hopes that you will smite them with a lightning bolt or something to that effect. We pray for forgiveness for ideas like this. We pray that you will use us to teach them that Jesus died for them and wants to have a relationship with them. Holy Spirit give us wisdom and words to speak that will reveal to them your love. Help us to love our enemies even when they do not deserve it Help us to forgive them for what they have done seeing them not as we do but as You do, a lost child. Use me even today. Amen