Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Greener on the Other Side!

It is amazing how many people actually look at the lives of others and covet what they have.  Is it human nature to always want more?  Can people ever be satisfied with what they have?  No matter how much God bless us with, we can always find something else to ask for just from looking at the lives of friends, family, and strangers.  For some reason the grass always appear greener on the other side. 

My mother recently decided she wants a new house.  She had a list of things that was wrong with her house.  She went from it being old to the house having bad memories in it.  She couldn’t bring herself to find the good things nor any of blessings that are stored in this house.  From her perspective everyone else has a new house, so she deserved one too!  What I failed to tell you is that her home is paid for free and clear.  This means no mortgage payment!  So, to her the grass looks greener on the other side, but to me, it looks greener on her side.  Most families are working hard everyday to pay off a mortgage in order to provide a nice safe environment to raise their kids, in which my mother already has.  I just wanted to use her as example of how we are quick to lose sight of our own blessings, while coveting others. 

As the Bible states in Ecclesiastes 1:9, “... there is nothing new under the sun.”  Just like the Children of Israel we are never satisfied.  These were God’s chosen people and they had everything they could ever need.  But, they still found ways to be unfaithful to God, by chasing after other gods to worship, all the time believing they could find something better. The Children of Israel believed that the grass was always greener on the other side. 

The grass is always going to be greener on the other side, especially if we are worshipping the wrong person, place, or thing!  If a friend appears to have a stronger marriage, fancier car, or bigger house, praise God for them and what he is doing in their life.  Then, praise God for your marriage, house, or car that God has blessed you with! Because you can always go up, but you don’t want to come down! Someone, is always going to have more than you, but that doesn’t make you any less blessed! God will give you gifts according to his will, whether it is spiritually or physically.  Who are we to reject or be dissatified with God’s blessings? 

How can we be humble with the gifts we already have?  Why does the grass look greener on the other side?  Does it go away with our maturity in Christ? 

Monday, July 18, 2011

Enlarge My Territory

"Jabez prayed, Oh Lord that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain! So God granted what He requested." 1 Chronicles 4:10

This prayer that Jabez prayed allows us to see how simple our prayers can be.  We do not have to use BIG words or pray some long drawn out prayer to get results.  Too many times we think prayers have to be fancy and wordy in order to reach God!

Jabez simply addressed God, made his petitions known, and let God show up and do the rest.  I do believe it was his HEART that God saw, which made God grant his request.  Notice Jabez ask to stay away from wickedness, so he would not cause pain to others.  This allows us to see that Jabez cared about the way he treated others, so it wasn't just a selfish prayer!

The Prayer of Jabez is a simple prayer and it really works.  I prayed it last month and got blessed immediately! It is my advice for you to pray it everyday and just adapt it to your situation.  More importantly pray from your heart, just as Jabez displayed in this prayer.  What is on your heart?  Have you hurt someone because of your sin? What do you need help with today? Ask God for help and continue to pray this simple prayer.

Is there a prayer or scripture on your heart that has helped you with your day to day life? Please feel free to share.