Seeing double

God blesses us all the time. But, beware. That path that seems so clear can fork into two directions. One requiring integrity, courage, and faith. The other with temptation, uncertainty, and fear. I wonder if God does this to check our hearts along the way. Sometimes, both paths seem similar enough that you could flip a coin and go either way. However, if you pray on it, sleep on it, and ask for wisdom from others, the right path eventually becomes clear. 

I've been keeping my eye on a specific path for quite a while now. Today, another path presented itself that is tempting but I'm not sure it would be the best of the two choices or not. Time to think, pray and seek insight. Perhaps the second road is more easily traveled in the short term for financial gain but doesn't necessarily achieve peace and fulfillment. Hmmm... You're probably saying to yourself that my decision is pretty obvious. Yeah, I'm thinking that too.

--Gods Best

Read between the vines

Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. (John 15:4 NLT)

We can work, toil, strive and pursue but get no where fast and bear no fruit without God. If we live our days for God, he will bring fruit into our lives whether it is in the form of love, life, peace, joy, or happiness. He may even give us more earthly treasure to help advance his kingdom.

Live your life for God and he will give you a life you could never imagine.

--God's Best

The student becomes the teacher

Over the last five weeks, I have been teaching my first class at a local university. Little did I know that I would be learning even more than the students would. I prepared and prepared as best I could with very little training. From the very start, my students began to teach me about attention to detail. As much time as we spend and think we have things covered, we can still fall short.

John 1:8 (NLT): Watch out that you do not lose what we have worked so hard to achieve. Be diligent so that you receive your full reward.

We can sometimes take shortcuts and hope for the best when we know deep in our hearts that we didn’t truly prepare for the trials of life. By doing this, we risk losing everything we have worked for and have achieved. Our reputations can be damaged and trust will have to be earned again. Spending more time is an investment in ourselves. The more time you spend, the more valuable you will become to others.

--God’s best

The fishing trip

During one of our journey groups last weekend, a friend was telling us about a fishing trip he went on with a couple of his friends. The plan was to spend the weekend together in fellowship along with doing bible study along the way. So, they packed up and went to a remote cabin on the water.
They got up early, excited at the prospect of spending the day out on the water with food, friends, and their bibles. Six hours later, they sat in the boat without a single fish. They passed the time reading passages and talking them through. At lunch time, they decided to pack up and head home to get a bite to eat.

When they got home, one of the friends had a sudden revelation. He said, “hey, this is just like the story of Simon. He fished and fished all day and caught nothing. He obeyed God when he told him to put down his nets for another catch. God provided for him fully. So much so that their boats began to sink under the weight of the fish”. After being reminded of this story, the friends stayed home, opened their bibles again and spent the rest of the weekend in bible study.

Clearly, God was guiding these gentlemen toward him and reminding them that they needed to spend more time in the word and in fellowship with each other. We don’t always catch on when God is clearly trying to communicate with us. But, when we spend time with each other, we amplify our prayers and studies to be able to hear God’s word more clearly. Perhaps God is speaking to you right now and you didn’t even realize it. Continue to get into the word, spend time with others to share your experiences with them and so they can share theirs with you.

-God’s Best