Jeremiah 17:7 NLT
“But blessed are those who trust in the LORD and have made the LORD their hope and confidence.
What do you think of when you think of the word blessed?
By definition, blessed means to be “made holy” or “consecrated.”
“Consecrated” means “having been made or declared sacred.”
“Sacred” means “connected to God.”
It is vital to study the Word of God to dive deep into the meaning of the words that we read.
It is too easy to read over the words in the Bible and check them off our list, but this is superficial and doesn’t provide the nourishment we need to cause the change in behavior that we seek.
What does it mean to “trust in the Lord?” And what do we trust Him for?
I have been thinking about this a lot; lately, it has given me a deeper appreciation for God the more I think about it.
Start right where you are, if you are reading this, God has given you the ability to understand words with a brain that think and reason. We didn’t create this; God did.
The complexity of our bodies, several systems, delicately put together to make us in the image of God, with the ability to reason, to create, to think, and to love.
Psalm 139:13-16 NLT
You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.
Each of us with unique abilities to serve those around us.
1 Corinthians 12:7-11 NLT
A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice; to another the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge. The same Spirit gives great faith to another, and to someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing. He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages, while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said. It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have.
The earth is just the right distance from the sun to sustain life. A planet with soil to produce vegetation feed the people and the animals that inhabit the earth.
The more you break this down, the more appreciation we should have for the One who created us.
But where is our focus most of the time? What do we think of most of the time?
Is it about the wonder of what God has provided us to work with, or is it on those little things that we feel could be better?
It’s almost like what Adam and Eve faced in the Garden of Eden. God provided them a perfect setting to live in, but the focus was on the one thing He asked them not to do. And it was planted in the mind of Eve with a thought from Satan.
It all comes down to where we allow our thoughts to go.
Colossians 3:2 NLT
Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth.
Philippians 4:8 NLT
And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.
When we make it a habit in our lives to focus on what God wants us to, our trust in Him starts to increase, and we develop a faith in the one thing that will never change, and that is God.
Hebrews 13:8 NLT
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
Matthew 7:24-27 NLT
“Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.”
What about other people in our lives? What is their responsibility?
Those around us will give an accounting just like we will. Our job is to forgive, to love, and to serve. Doing this does not mean that we stay in any situation where abuse exists but in everyday situations: forgive, love, and serve.
John 21:18-22 NLT
“I tell you the truth, when you were young, you were able to do as you liked; you dressed yourself and went wherever you wanted to go. But when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and others will dress you and take you where you don’t want to go.” Jesus said this to let him know by what kind of death he would glorify God. Then Jesus told him, “Follow me.” Peter turned around and saw behind them the disciple Jesus loved—the one who had leaned over to Jesus during supper and asked, “Lord, who will betray you?” Peter asked Jesus, “What about him, Lord?” Jesus replied, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? As for you, follow me.”
Our lives are in the hand of Jesus Christ; our focus needs to be on what He has called to do, not on the others around us. I love this conversation with Peter; Peter was told that he would die for living for Jesus, but Peter’s focus went to John, and he said, “What about him. Lord?” And Jesus replied, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? As for you, follow me.”
We can all use that advice, “As for you, follow me.”
When we focus on others and what they are doing or not doing, we take away from our effectiveness for God.
Heavenly Father, please help me keep my focus on You.
Help me look for ways to focus my efforts on forgiving, loving and serving those around me.
I know that when I put my trust in You and focus my efforts on serving others, You will provide everything I need.
Please give me the strength and courage to live my life to the fullest for You in every way.
In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray, Amen!! 🙏❤️
