by Suellen | Successful Living
We woke up early today. Mickey has a men’s breakfast meeting in a nearby town, then church, and finally he will be speaking at an area Thanksgiving service. Whew! Busy day.
As I brewed my cup of coffee, I glanced out of the kitchen window, and was awed by what I saw. It was the same view I had admired often, but this time it was different. This time it seemed to speak to me.
I love sunrises – even more than sunsets. It’s, of course, the beauty of the swath of color, but it’s more than that. It’s announcing something – a new day. A new chance. A new breath. New. New. New. I love the message.
Maybe it’s because I never live up to my own expectations, but I’ve always loved new beginnings. Yesterday is gone, and you get to get up and go again. You don’t know exactly what the day will bring, the people you may meet, the opportunities and challenges you will face, but you are ready to “do it again.”
It’s as if God planned our lives in segments – segments we could handle. He wants us to value each segment and live it wisely. That’s all we get, really. One day at a time. Whether we are doing big things or little, we do them one day at a time. When we master that concept, we master many others.
Today is important. Today is someone’s birthday and another’s funeral. Today people will come to know Jesus. Today people will get engaged or married. Today new babies will come into the earth.
Today is also the day we need to diet, if we are going to. Or exercise, if we are going to. Or read the Bible and pray, if we are going to. Or forgive that person, if we are going to. Or stop drinking, if we are going to. Today is important.
When we “get this” concept, our lives change. It’s so easy to think that tomorrow we will accomplish what we dream about, but today doesn’t matter. But it does. That’s all we have – one day at a time.
As I look at the beauty of the dawn, something else comes to mind. Lamentations says that God’s love is “new every morning.” God’s faithfulness to us is symbolized in the fact that He never misses giving us a new day – not until the time we go to our next life. One more chance – and I’m going to take it.
Oops, I’d better get going. I need to face the day.
Psalm 90:12 So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.
by Suellen | Successful Living
There are many people who say that they believe in God. They try to live clean, righteous lives. But are they God’s friend? Not all of them. What about you? Are you His friend?
So why would someone who said they believed in God and lived a good life not be God’s friend? Well, let’s look at two men who lived long ago – probably within the same century.
One of these men ended up becoming the patriarch of the Jews, he was in the lineage of Jesus, and is often called the “Father of Faith.” He had such a close walk with God, that Jehoshaphat referred to him as “God’s friend.”(II Chron 20:7)
The other is known for his patience (James 5:11), but that’s about it. He wasn’t in the lineage of Jesus, he wasn’t ever referred to as God’s friend – and his descendants were never mentioned as followers of God.
I’m sure you know these two men I’m talking about: Abraham and Job.
So what’s the difference? There are several.
Abraham was humble in his relationship with God. As you read his story in Genesis 12-25, you never see anything but a humble man. Because of that humility, Abraham always looked to God’s grace – and not his own goodness. Thus he had great faith. On the other hand, Job was very proud. In the start of Job’s story he was a blessed man, but he depended on his own goodness to keep his blessings. Instead of humbly trusting in God, he was always performing sacrifices to God just in case his children had done something wrong.
Humility caused Abraham to have great faith, because his focus was on God. Pride caused Job to have great fear, because his focus was on his own goodness.
The bottom line was that God cut a covenant with Abraham. This was a freewill thing. Abraham was willing to leave his family and friends and go into a land he knew nothing about – just because God told him to do it. In fact, when he got to the new land, there was a famine there, and Abraham had to go to Egypt for awhile. But he stayed faithful.
Then when God promised him a son, Abraham believed God, even though he was well advanced in years. Many years transpired before the fulfillment of this promise, and Abraham made many mistakes during that time. But his faith was not in his own goodness; it was in God’s goodness. Genesis 15:6 says that “Abraham believed God, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.”
One of the keys to being in covenant with God is that we believe in God’s greatness, and not in our own. We realize that however good we get, God is still better. However smart we think we are, God is smarter. Trust in Him grows out of that attitude.
And out of that humility, faith, and trust, grows obedience. When we see in God’s word direction which may seem strange, we are willing to follow it anyway. We know Him, we trust Him, and we obey Him. For instance, when the Word says to “forgive,” even though we have been treated injustly, we humbly obey. (Pride will try to justify our unforgivenenss).
God is looking for a people who will have this kind of “friendship” with Him. People who will be humble enough to want to know Him better and want to be in covenant with Him.
Are you one of those people? Think about it. Only you can answer that question.
Forever Upward!
Suellen Estes
PS In case you are wondering why I show so many eagles in my posts. First, I believe that they are wonderful symbols of the Christian walk which causes us to soar with God. Secondly, my husband is a photographer and his specialty is eagles.
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by Suellen | Successful Living, The Church Awakening
In the days to come, I am going to be talking about our covenant with God through Jesus. That is something that many people either push aside or don’t understand. As Christians, we are in a “spiritual agreement” with God which opens up doors for us to live above many negative circumstances which come our way.
This covenant has been compared to a will which might have been left for us. If you are a beneficiary of a will, you don’t receive the inheritance until the will is probated. If you don’t know the will is available, you might go through your life without receiving your inheritance.
Our inheritance from Jesus is much the same. If we don’t even know that we have this covenant with Him, we may go through life without ever receiving all that He paid for. So what is in our covenant? Many things, and I will be talking about these in the next posts.
To give a picture of this inheritance, I want to bring attention to a study done by a man named Richard Dugdale in 1877. His study addressed the lineage that goes with righteous heritage. There has been much discussion about the details of the study, but there are enough undisputed facts that it seems that definite conclusions can be drawn.
The first man was Jonathan Edwards, who was born October 5, 1703. At age 13, he entered Yale University and graduated with honors. Entering the ministry, Edwards was largely responsible for the Great Awakening that swept across America, uniting the colonies prior to the Revolution. His famous sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” was sent across the land, bringing repentance to many. Later, Edwards became President of Princeton College.
Jonathan Edwards married Sarah Pierrepont, and according to A Study in Education and Heredity by A.E. Winship (1900), their descendants were incredible. They included:
1 U.S. Vice-President
3 U.S. Senators
3 governors
3 mayors
13 college presidents
65 professors
30 judges
80 public office holders
100 lawyers
100 missionaries.
This same study examined a family known as “Jukes.” In 1877, while visiting New York’s prisons, Richard Dugdale found inmates with 42 different last names all descending from one man, called “Max Jukes.” Born around 1720 of Dutch stock, Max was a hard drinker, idle, irreverent, and uneducated. He would spend many days not working, but drinking and fighting. Dugdale considered this man an atheist.
His descendants included
310 paupers
50 prostitutes
40 “physically wrecked by indulgent living”
7 murderers
60 thieves
130 other convicts.
The “Jukes” descendants cost the state more than $1,250,000.
Now some people will look at this and conclude that education, hard work, and good morals contributed to the stark contrast in the two families. I agree that those things contributed, but I see the source of those attributes coming from God Himself. When people honor God and His word, they will be hard working, educated, moral, – and blessed.
Now am I saying that when your family has problems you are not being blessed? Absolutely not! Everyone has problems, but as we continue in our covenant with God, we will be able to overcome the problems. And we will see God’s hand on our children and grandchildren.
It’s something to think about, isn’t it?
Forever Upward
Suellen Estes
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by Suellen | Young Intellectuals
David has to be one of the most remarkable personalities of the Bible. We know him as the great king of Israel during some of it’s most glorious days. Yet he didn’t start out as an heir to the throne. In fact he started as a most unlikely candidate.
The full story surrounding David’s early years and his choice as king may be found in I Samuel 16. In the first verse we see God speaking to Samuel, the prophet, who is mourning over the fact that Saul had sinned and was rejected by God for continuing his kingship. God prods to Samuel to stop mourning and get on with His next choice – to go to Bethlehem and anoint “one of Jesse’s sons” to be the next king.
We would probably be just like Samuel if we were called to this mission. We judge by our senses – by what our eyes see and ears hear. So when Samuel arrived at the city, with anointing oil in hand, he called for Jesse and his sons to come to the sacrifice he was performing. As the oldest son arrived, Samuel was certain that this was the one God had chosen. He was tall, handsome, and looked very kingly. However, God spoke a stunning word, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
After all of the sons have been rejected by God, Samuel asks Jesse, “Are all the young men here?” And Jesse replies, “There remains yet the youngest, and there he is, keeping the sheep.” Samuel then sent for David, and the Lord said, “Arise, anoint him; for this is the one.”
Now think about this scenario. Think of all of the rich, intelligent, good-looking, well dressed guys God could have chosen to be king of Israel. Surely that’s who He would choose! But He didn’t, and as always, God had great purpose in his choice. He chose a young shepherd boy, who was handsome and intelligent, but so unlikely for the job that when Jesse was supposed to bring all of his sons, he didn’t even think about bringing David. He was just a boy who stayed with the sheep. Nobody thought about him, but God. God seems to love going to the unlikely candidates who nobody notices.
The search, however, wasn’t just for someone whom no one noticed. God saw David’s heart. While he was alone out in the field, with no one even paying attention to him, David was worshiping His Creator. He was playing praise songs on his harp, and saturating himself with the beauty of nature which surrounded him. The young boy also was very diligent in fulfilling his duty to protect the sheep. Later in Samuel, we discover that at different times, a lion and a bear had attacked the sheep. Yet David had been able to chase the predators, kill them, and deliver his flock. His bravery had come from his trust in God’s strength and protection.
Now, centuries later, God is still looking for the David-type heart. The David-type heart is one that, first of all, praises God and trusts in Him. If you want to get a clearer picture check out the Psalms. Most of those were written by David – and many of them speak of the beauty of creation, the greatness of our God, and the trust David has for God’s protection, deliverance,and provision. Then the David-type heart is one that is diligent. He perseveres in his duty, faithful to fulfill his mission – even if it seems small and insignificant. Thirdly, the David-type heart is brave, not cowardly. When obstacles presented themselves, he plowed through the barriers with faith that God was on his side – and God was on his side. Again and again he had the victory.
So you may think that you are insignificant and that no one is noticing you. Well, I promise you that God is noticing. He knows your thoughts, your desires, and your attitudes. He wants to show Himself strong on your behalf, if your heart is right. If you have David’s heart, you have a promising future. Just keep praising God, maintain your diligence, and be brave in the causes He brings your way. In time, you will see God’s plan for you unfolding. There is no greater joy than that which comes from being in God’s perfect will.
II Chronicles 16:9 For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to His.
You can be a recipient of this benefit. As you pray, ask God to help you have a heart toward Him – loyal, full of praise, and brave. You won’t be disappointed.
Forever Upward!
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by Suellen | Prayer, The Church Awakening
We often talk about faith, because “without faith it’s impossible to please God.” (Hebrews 11:6) We know that we receive all that he has for us by faith. (“Through faith and patience we inherit the promises”). (Hebrews 6:12). It pleases our Father to bless us with His presence and all that He has provided. But this is not all that there is to faith.
When we are walking with God, we will begin to feel His heartbeat and His purpose will grow within us. The purpose in His heart is not just for us to have a blessed life. His purpose includes eternity and all that implies. The first implication of eternity is who is going to be there. Are you? Of course you are. But what about your neighbors? Are they?
I want to challenge you to do something. Purchase a notebook and write down a list of people who come to mind who are not walking with God. Your family members, neighbors, co-workers (yes, even that mean one), and friends. Then pray over that list everyday. Lay your hand upon the page and pray for these people to have their eyes opened to the truth. Ask God to show you if there is anything you need to say to them. Do you need to share about your relationship with your Savior?
Every situation is different, so you need to listen closely to God’s direction. Many of those you know have been hurt by those who proclaim to be Christians. Perhaps legalism has crushed or frightened them. Perhaps the hypocrisy of leaders has disillusioned them. And of course, many lies have been perpetrated to confuse and discourage those who might be seeking the true God.
One thing is for certain – these people do not have the faith that they need to walk with God. They do not have faith that their prayers will be answered. They certainly do not know that God loves them and has a good plan for them.
So that’s where you come in. These people need your faith. They need your prayers. While you couldn’t save yourself from your sin, Jesus did that for you. Now you will extend His ministry by doing for others what they cannot do for themselves.
Ask God to open your eyes to this ministry of intercession. You will pray for those who can’t pray for themselves, asking God to show His mercy to those around you. He wants His grace to be available to all. When those around you don’t know how to pray for themselves, your prayers on their behalf are crucial to His plan.
Yet there is more. After you pray, you may need to share your faith or encourage those for whom you have prayed.Tell them of God’s love for them as individuals. Answer questions, pray with them, and be the ambassador of heaven you were called to be.
There are so many in our society today who really want to know the truth, but have never had it represented in a credible way. You can be that person they need to hear. They need your word, they need your prayers, and they need your faith. Will you be one who represents your Lord in the earth?
That’s the greatest purpose of your faith.
Forever Upward,
Suellen Estes
We woke up early today. Mickey has a men’s breakfast meeting in a nearby town, then church, and finally he will be speaking at an area Thanksgiving service. Whew! Busy day.
