Ephesians 6:10 – Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
1 Peter 5:7 – Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.
Matthew 11:28-30 – “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
A famous quote from Helen Keller is “I cried because I had not shoes until I met a man who had no feet.”
“When life gives you lemons, make lemonade” is a famous quote from Elbert Hubbard.
I remember getting choked up when I heard Rocky Balboa say the following to his son “Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s a very mean and nasty place, and I don’t care how tough you are, it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard you hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward; how much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done! Now if you know what you’re worth, then go out and get what you’re worth, but you gotta be willing to take the hits, and not pointing fingers saying you ain’t where you wanna be because of him, or her, or anybody. Cowards do that and that ain’t you. You’re better than that! I’m always gonna love you, no matter what. No matter what happens. You’re my son and you’re my blood. You’re the best thing in my life. But until you start believing in yourself, you ain’t gonna have a life.”
These quotes are all fine and inspirational quotes that have inspired people. Helen Keller’s quote tells us to be thankful for what we have. If God is who we are thanking it is a truly wonderful quote. Family, think about what could make our lives worse. No matter where our lives are at, think about what could make it worse. If we get a little list of all the things that could make our lives worse (not too long!) then stop and let’s use that list as a list of blessings. Thank God that these have not befallen you.
Don’t be angry with God. It serves no purpose, only harm. You will hear from a lot of people that we are “only human” and so it is okay to be angry at God and yell anger to God. Oh this, and a lot of other things are what Jesus died for, but that is by no means a reason to do them (Romans 6:1). Family, it is true, we are only human. It is true that yelling at God does come from our human nature. But it is not true that giving into our fallen nature is a good thing. Nor is it an acceptable thing, It is something that comes from our human nature. Is our fallen, human nature, that God describes as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6), really what we want to control our lives. Family, God described Job as “…My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil.” Yet, even when Job, after having been beaten down by the devil, began to question God as to why He was going through what He was doing, God quickly, and strongly corrected Him. In response Job quickly repented of his sin of questioning, or accusing, God of wrong (Job 38-42). In V42:5-6 Job confessed to God “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, But now my eye sees You. 6 Therefore I abhor myself, And repent in dust and ashes.”
Anyone who tells us that it is okay to yell at God in anger is just wrong. It is never right and it is always a sin. Instead, we should call out to God for help. We should call out to God for strength. We should call out to God for deliverance. All these things are acceptable to God. We see that behind all these things are a reliance on Him. A reliance on Him is a confession of our inability to save ourselves and that only He is our Savior. Family, fully consider that self-reliance is putting ourselves on a throne that only God belongs in. God blesses those who trust in Him and not in self (Proverbs 3:5-6, Psalm 34:22, Psalm 118:8, Nahum 1:7, Jeremiah 17:7).
The quotes from Elbert Hubbard and Rocky Balboa are, like Helen Keller’s quote, wonderful if they lead us to God. If they lead us to confidence and trust in self, then they lead us to a very fallible, unstable and unsafe place.
Family, we are safest when our confidence is in the power of the Lord and not in our feeble and limited power. It is better to trust in the unlimited power and sure goodness of God. Trusting in self is filled with worries, but trusting in God brings us to peace. Jesus has asked us to bring all that worries us, all that wears us down, and to give these circumstances and thoughts to Him. He wants us to leave them with Him during the day and to not sneak back at night to take them back. We may be trying to “help” God. God does not need help. We only hurt ourselves. Let’s give all of our worries and concerns to God. Let’s not live natural lives based on our fallen human nature, but rather live lives that are based on His supernatural Word and Omnipotent self. We want God solving our problems. So let us give our problems and concerns to Him and leave them there. Believing in Him and having done that, so shall our minds be at peace. God is good all the time and He loves that. Let that knowledge be inviolable in our minds and hearts let us then have peace and calm in our hearts. Praise our God! Praise God!
Psalm 150:6 – Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
Micah 7:7 – But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.
Micah 6:8 – He has shown You, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of You but to do justly, to love mercy, And to walk humbly with Your God.