I AM ...You are

"I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you. I said, 'You are my servant'; I have chosen you and have not rejected you. So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:9,10 (NIV)

I went to great lengths for you. It took great effort. I did this because of My burning passion and unquenchable desire for you. I have decreed and proclaimed that you are Mine. I give you life, meaning and purpose. It is  in relation to Me that you have your true self - for I AM and you are. You are My servant - responsible and accountable to Me. You are to serve others by putting them first, their needs ahead of yours. 

I took you, called you and chose you for Myself. I did not reject you. I did not leave you behind or overlook you. I have kept you in mind; you are not out of My thoughts. I have not forgotten you. Do not allow anxiety or fear or worry to prevent you from fulfilling My plan and purpose for you. Don't be discouraged, don't give up!

Remember who I AM. I AM your God. All that I AM is available to be experienced on your behalf. I AM all-powerful. My power is available to work on your behalf, strengthening you. I will empower you and enable you to do those things I have called you to do. I will come alongside you. All that I do is right, just and good. My favour will be upon you as you rely on my strength and power.

Pondering "Philippians" - IV

Philippians 2: 3-8

"Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn't think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all." Philippians 2:5,6 (MSG)

The only way that we can even begin to think of ourselves the way Jesus thought of himself is by knowing and believing who we are in Christ. Jesus never put Himself down through disparaging remarks, but instead He was fully confident of His position in being One with the Father. So too we can be confident and have a proper perspective of our position in being united with Christ. We are only able to serve others and consider them better than ourselves when we know and believe all that Jesus has done for us in dying in our place. When we are aware of the depth of our sins and the great sacrifice that it cost Jesus in giving His life in our place we will be in a better position to take on the role of a servant.

Pondering "Philippians" - III

Philippians 2: 1,2

"If you have any encouragement ..., any comfort ..., any fellowship ..., any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose." Phil. 2: 1,2 (NIV)

It is easy to gloss over verse one and read it as if we need to have these qualities in ourselves; something that we somehow attain through our own efforts. When we stop and take a closer look at verse one we see the source and means of obtaining these qualities. When we know our position in Christ, that we are united with Him, we can partake of the "comfort from his love ... tenderness and compassion". It is only as we receive God's love for us that we can then share that love with others. When we are secure in our position as a child of God we will be united with others who are also secure in their relationship with God. The Holy Spirit is the uniting force and not our own efforts. It is His mind, love, spirit and purpose that we want to have in common with other believers.

Pondering "Philippians" - II

Philippians 1: 7-11

"And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ - to the glory and praise of God."(Phil. 1: 9-11 NIV)

Agape love is not something we can work up. It is not a "feel good" type of love that is dependent on the one receiving the love, or the one expressing the love. Agape love is a fruit of the Spirit, which can only be expressed when we are abiding in Jesus. When we spend time with God in prayer - both speaking and listening - we are able to tap into the source of this love. We gain insight and understanding in how to better serve one another. We desire to serve others for God's glory and not our own. This agape love is overflowing and we need to share it with others. We cannot contain it, we want to give it away. When we are secure in Christ we don't need to worry about others' reactions, for God is the One who will reward us.

Pondering "Philippians" - I

Philippians 1: 1-6

"And I am sure that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on that day when Christ Jesus comes back again." (Phil. 1:6 NLT)

Sometimes it is easy to become discouraged and think that nothing is happening; that God has given up on us. Not that He would forsake us, but that we have blown it and now He will no longer use us. Philippians 1:6 gives us the assurance that God will continue the work that He has begun in us. The fact that we cry out to Him and seek to obey Him is evidence of His work. The ability to continue on, doing the things that God has called us to do - reading His Word; praying; fellowshipping with other believers; dying to self; loving others- are a result of God's Spirit working in us. God gives us the desire to obey Him in these areas and He gives us the ability to follow through.

"For God is working in you, giving you the desire to obey him and the power to do what pleases him." (Phil. 2: 13 NLT)

Father,
Thank you that You do not give up on me. Thank you for Your Word which gives me confidence to continue.
In Jesus' name.

Every Idle Word

argos - inactive, ie. unemployed; (by implication) lazy, useless: - barren, idle, slow
(Abingdon's Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of The Bible)

Everyday we use words. There is not a day that goes by that we don't utter at least one or two words; even if it is only to say,"I'm sick". We have a storehouse of words from which we draw upon. Sometimes we are lazy and grab the first word that comes to mind without considering the ramifications; we want to get our point across. There might be a time pressure in that we have to respond quickly. Sometimes we don't really care about the matter before us so we answer in a way that doesn't bring life to the hearer. In doing this we have robbed not only our hearers, but ourselves of a blessing. When we choose our words with care they will not be "barren".

"From the fruit of his lips a man enjoys good things, but the unfaithful have a craving for violence. He who guards his lips guards his life; but he who speaks rashly will come to ruin."(Proverbs 13: 2, 3 NIV)

"From the fruit of his mouth a man's stomach is filled; with the harvest from his lips he is satisfied. The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit." (Proverbs 18: 20, 21 NIV)