Tag Archives: Jeremiah 29:11-13

Nothing is impossible with God

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You’ve heard it so many times before:

 

If God is for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31)

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:13)

We are more than conquerors. (Romans 8:37)

Nothing is impossible with God. (Luke 1:37)

 

These are all promises of God but how are we to apply them?  Because we believe in God and put our faith in him, are we assured that all our prayers will be answered according to our desires? That everything we want to achieve will be accomplished according to our plans?

 

Not our plans.

God’s plans.

 

The message of Luke 1 is that “Nothing is impossible with God.” Elizabeth was barren and she and Zechariah were quite old. But an angel of the Lord appeared and promised they would have a son who was to be dedicated to God. And it happened exactly as it was foretold. The angel Gabriel appeared to Mary, foretelling that even though she was a virgin, she would bear a son through the power of the Holy Spirit, and that her son’s kingdom would never end. And it happened exactly as it was foretold. Both births were humanly impossible, yet nothing is impossible with God.

 

Nothing is impossible with God because his plans are invincible. He is Almighty God who made everything from nothing. He is the author of wisdom and understanding, the creator of life itself. He knit you together in your mother’s womb. He knew you before you were born. His power and love know no limits. He speaks and light appears. His son Jesus, The Light of the World, shines into the darkness of our troubles and illumines our path so we know how to walk in the path of peace, the very way to live our lives. He redeems our broken, lost, and hopeless lives with his great mercy and amazing grace. You can bear up under your difficulties because he will strengthen you with his strength and grace. Nothing is impossible with him!

 

Is this the God to whom you pray? When we pray the will of God for ourselves and others, we pray with the confidence that nothing is impossible for God when it comes to carrying out his good and perfect plan which far exceeds our own.

 

God has a good and perfect plan for you, better than you can imagine. Though circumstances look to be hopeless through your eyes, nothing can impede God’s perfect plan for those who seek him with their whole heart and trust him fully. (Jeremiah 29:11-13) It may not be the plan you foresee or even think you desire. The things we desire seem great to us, but sometimes they are like making mud pies in the street when God intends for us something immeasurably more grand. Nothing is impossible with God who loves you. You can turn over your daily to-do list and your very life ambitions to the God of all possibilities who loves you and will complete his perfect plan for you, if you let him.

 

Let your focus today be on the God for whom nothing is impossible.

 

Who’s your daddy?

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In the movie, Master of Disguise, Dana Carvey plays a wimpy guy who becomes amazingly strong and talented when he assumes roles using various disguises. In one scene he successfully intimidates a larger, stronger opponent by repeating the line, “Who’s your daddy?!” Carvey’s character’s success comes from knowing who he is in relationship to his daddy. Do you remember this taunt as a kid: “MY dad can beat YOUR dad!” Our courage was based on whose kid we were – on the basis of our dad’s ability.

 

Have you ever thought about how things might have gone differently in the garden with Adam and Eve with the whole scene with the serpent’s lies? WHAT IF Adam had intervened, as he well should have, and said to the lying beast, “Wait just a minute! Let me check with my Dad about this.” That solitary act could have saved everyone a lot of grief because Adam’s Dad would have set things straight. There wouldn’t have been any conniving, confusion, or convoluting of the truth. Adam would have been victor of the day!

 

And so, let me respectfully ask, “Who’s your Daddy?”  Is He the King of Kings, the Creator of all you see and know? Is He the strong tower in whom you find safe refuge? Is He the firm foundation on which you build your life, one that cannot be shaken? Is He the always faithful one?

 

I ask this, because if He is, then that tells me who you are:

 

Holy and righteous in His sight (Ephesians 1:4)

 

Redeemed and forgiven (Ephesians 1:7)

 

Able to find rest at any time (Matthew 11:28)

 

Filled with hope (Jeremiah 29:11-13)

 

Filled with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness and so much more (Galatians 5:22-25)

 

Guided by wisdom (Psalm 48:14)

 

Secure forever (1 John 5:11-13)

 

You don’t need to be a master of disguise. Knowing who you are and who your Daddy is – that’s all you need to have power over the day before you.

 

“Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” John 1:12

 

 

 

Resolutions That Work!

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A certain wife made a resolution for her overweight husband that he would eat more healthy foods. No more cheeseburgers and fries; no more donuts and cakes. Being a loving husband he obliged her. Several years later they both died in a car accident. Once in heaven they were confronted by rows and rows of banquet tables as far as the eye could see. Each table was loaded with fried foods, chocolates, cakes, donuts, and pies. The husband looked at his wife and said, “Honey, if it weren’t for you I could have been here ten years ago!”

Do you make New Year’s Resolutions?

I remember making yearly lists of things I wanted to do differently: eat better, eat less, exercise more, learn a skill, finish any number of endless projects… But of course, along with a well-intentioned multitudes of others, I often let my resolutions go unmet as I went back to life-as-it-has-always-been. The tyranny of the daily schedule and personal desires trumped my desire to change.

Maybe it is the fact that cancer has a way of getting hold of one’s attention in a fresh and unique way. Or more so that it has a way of us letting GOD get our attention. It leaves me thinking about resolutions that are actually worth pursuing. Resolutions that speak to our heart are ones that actually work.

One key to making resolutions work is seeing in your mind’s eye the benefit of sticking with it and the negative consequence of giving up. Imagine how your life (and the world around you) would be forever impacted by intentionally looking for ways to appreciate, value, and encourage others every day. How might your life (and others) be changed for the better if you decided not to say anything bad about anyone else, ever? What if you gave up negative sarcasm and interacted with others as Jesus did? What if you determined to use transition times (those interlude moments between tasks or appointments) to thanking God for your many blessings? Developing an attitude of gratitude may increase your years and your joy even more than a diet plan.

Listen to your heart. Better yet, listen to God’s heart as he desires to bless you with his presence. Instead of always striving to do more, make this the year you determined to BE more…be more in tune with God’s best for you!

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”
Jeremiah 29:11-13

Tough Self Interview Questions

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Yesterday’s post on twitter litter gave me pause for self-reflection. How much of my life is really lived with value, passion and purpose and how much is like so much litter? If you were interviewing YOU for a job, such questions of value and purpose would inevitably come up. So here are ten tough questions for a self interview:

1. How deep or shallow is my life? Is it preoccupied with sports and hobbies and meaningless internet communication? Or does it honor my life passions about my God, my family, and causes that being light into a dark world?

2. Would others describe me more as gentle, tender, and caring or tough and driven?

3. Am I more trusting or guarded?

4. When I walk in a room, how often do joy and love come with me?

5. What reasons do others have to trust and respect my sense of integrity?

6. Are my conversations more focused on me or others?

7. What will others miss when I am gone?

8. (How) have I resolved the most profound question in life: who is Jesus Christ? Do my life actions, including time, activities, passions, and checkbook reflect this?

9. If Christianity were a crime how much evidence would there be to ‘convict’ me?

10. How do the “fires” of life define me? Do they consume me like fire destroys straw and hay? Do they scorch and torment me even as I barely survive the flames? Or do they refine me like fire refines precious gold?

Living a life of purpose and passion requires us to take a detour off our path of meaningless habits to discover what God has prepared for us.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:11-13