Inspiration and Hope -

Don’t pick the fruit, it’s still green

Habbakuk 2_3

Have you prayed and prayed for something, yet there was no manifestation? How often did you not wait for the fruit to ripen, often insisting on picking it while it was still green? Of course, you have. The demand for instant results has permeated our society.

As an example, you have a meltdown while waiting on the phone listening to an automated message. In your frustration, you scream at your phone and proceed to hit the “0” button repeatedly until a live person answers. In 2003, the Journal of the American Medical Association linked impatience to increased risk of hypertension among adults.

Or perhaps you have grown impatient while waiting in lines. Recently, while I was standing in a long checkout line at the grocery store, the checkout process seemed to take too long, so I switched to another line. Ironically, I picked the wrong line. The person who took my place in the line that I had just left, checked out before me.

Surely, these are harmless examples, but what if you hastened the end-result, and adversely changed the intended outcome? One such example in the Bible was of Abraham and Sarah; they did not wait for God to give them the son that He had promised (Genesis 16:1-2).

“God moves in His timing, not yours. He is never late, but He is usually not early either. He is often the God of the midnight hour. He sometimes waits until the last second before He gives you what you need. Before He intervenes on your behalf, He has to be sure you are not going to take matters into your own hands and do something out of His perfect timing. You must learn to trust God’s timing. But first, your self-will and your spirit of independence must be broken so that God is free to work His will in your life and circumstances. If you are waiting for something, set aside your own timetable tonight. Trust God and believe that while you are waiting for your breakthrough, He is doing a good work in you for His purpose.“[1]

Charles Henry Parkhurst enumerates below the many benefits of waiting patiently.
“Patience eliminates worry. The Lord said He would come, and His promise is equal to his presence.
Patience eliminates weeping. Why feel sad and discouraged? He knows your needs better than you do, and His purpose in waiting is to receive more glory through it.
Patience eliminates self-works. “The work of God is this: to believe in the One He has sent” (John 6:29) and once you believe, you may know all is well.
Patience eliminates want. Perhaps your desire to get what you want is stronger than your desire for the will of God to be fulfilled.
Patience eliminates weakness. Instead of thinking of waiting being wasted time, realize that God is preparing His resources and strengthening you.
Patience eliminates wobbling. “He touched me and raised me to my feet” (Daniel 8:18). God’s foundations are steady, and when we have His patience within, we are steady while we wait. Patience yields worship. Sometimes the best part of waiting is ‘experiencing great endurance and patience…JOYFULLY.’ (Colossians 1:11).

In Jeremiah 29:11-14 it says that God knows the plans he has for you, plans for well-being and not calamity, plans to give you a future filled with hope. And when you call upon Him, it says that he will listen to you. And if you seek Him with all of your heart, it says that you will find him.

Wait patiently, therefore, for it surely will take place. Wait patiently for God’s promises because he will not disappoint those who seek him with all their heart. “It won’t be a lie. If it’s delayed, wait for it. It will certainly happen. It won’t be late.” (Habakkuk 2:3, GOD’S WORD Translation).

JOIN INSPIRATION AND HOPE ON FACEBOOK BY CLICKING HERE

FOOTNOTE

[1] http://www.centralbaptistsaltpoint.org/2013/06/todays-scripture.html

Due to a lack of patience, tomorrow is cancelled

When has your tomorrow become today because you just couldn’t wait? Stress can do that to you. Stress makes you believe that everything has to happen right now.

As an example, there is nothing wrong with companies selling more and faster, but often mistakes are made when they do not weigh the risks of a faster turnaround against releasing a product on schedule. I recall a time when my company couldn’t wait for tomorrow and nearly cost our customer hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost sales due to a reckless and hasty decision. It was as the cliché goes – “egg on your face”.

I was the Quality Assurance Manager of that small software company. I was always thorough in testing a product for release, but sometimes there was the pressure to make a product release sooner than the planned release date. Best case scenario was that we would just have to work longer hours and weekends to get the job done, but it would be at least tested. The worst case scenario case was that we would release a product that was not thoroughly tested, and that could bring the customer’s systems to a crashing halt, as in the following case.

Worst case scenario – I received an urgent call from our customer when I came into work one morning. Unbeknownst to me, a software enhancement request had been fast-tracked “out the door” for a minor bug fix, sooner than the next planned release date. I was not kept in the loop, and as it was prematurely released without my knowledge of or testing of it, I was in a quandary as to why their computer systems were down.

Stress levels, as you can imagine, were very high, so I logged on remotely to the customer’s database to diagnose the reason for the system crash. My mind was whirling. Was it my fault that their systems were down? It had also crossed my mind that it may not have been my fault, which perhaps the customer had not provided me with a complete set of test data for running successful tests in-house. In either case, we would have to work overtime until the problem was fixed.

After testing remotely, I could not reproduce the reported problem. “What release are you running?” I asked. They replied, “product release 51”. “No, that cannot be correct. Please check again”. The customer checked again, and repeated, “Release 51”. Again I thought, that could not be correct. “Your last product release was 50”.

Because of the dire emergency of their systems being down, I now had to escalate the problem and involve our Vice President. Seemingly embarrassed, he said, “Oh, I released the product to them last night. I didn’t think that a simple bug fix would be a problem. ”

Fortunately, we were able to back out the bad release and restore the last good release so that the customer’s system was back up and running.

Whatever the negatives of not having a new product release over having an emergency release, a risk assessment should have been made to decide if the risk of releasing it sooner outweighed the risk of having it later.

“What good has impatience ever brought? It has only served as the mother of mistakes and the father of irritation.” ― Steve Maraboli

Similarly, when we are tossed and perplexed with doubts about what God is doing in our lives, we must watch against the temptation to be impatient. When we have poured out our requests to God over and over, stop to listen to his word and spirit about what he should say to us, for much trouble in life is because we don’t wait upon God to answer our hurry up prayers. In turn, we fail to receive God’s blessing because we are not moving forward with Him.

Don’t try to control destiny by making tomorrow happen today. “If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently, for it will surely take place.” (Habakkuk 2:3, NLT).

JOIN INSPIRATION AND HOPE ON FACEBOOK BY CLICKING HERE

Only in the darkness can you see the stars

“Only in the darkness can you see the stars”. – Martin Luther King Jr.

From experience, I know that we all experience struggles and challenges in life, and at times we may feel like giving up, that all hope is lost. Yet, all we have to do is look up and see the stars through the darkness.

“Jesus Christ is the light that keeps shining in the darkness. True light and life comes only through faith in Him. Expect to receive from God more than you ask or imagine as the Holy Spirit gives you understanding and brings light into your life.”[1]

Lord, the Light of Your Love is shining,
In the midst of the darkness shining,
Jesus, Light of the World, shine upon us,
Set us free by the truth You now bring us,
Shine on me. Shine on me.

Shine, Jesus shine,
Fill this land with the Father’s glory.
Blaze, Spirit blaze,
Set our hearts on fire.
Flow, river flow,
Flood the nations with grace and mercy.
Send forth Your word,
Lord and let there be light.

Lord I come to Your awesome presence,
From the shadows into Your radiance.
By the blood I may enter Your brightness,
Search me, try me, consume all my darkness.
Shine on me. Shine on me.

As we gaze on Your kindly brightness.
So our faces display Your likeness.
Ever changing from glory to glory,
Mirrored here may our lives tell Your story.
Shine on me. Shine on me.

– Song lyrics “Shine Jesus Shine”, Cliff Richard

JOIN INSPIRATION AND HOPE ON FACEBOOK BY CLICKING HERE

FOOTNOTE

[1] BSF Lesson 1 Notes on Book of John

To Be, We Must, We Will — WE ARE!

We are the wheat[1]; we are the wheat-harvest[2]. There will never be an unripe time for us to serve God and all of our humanity, and there was never a more ripe time such as now.

If we survey the troubled waters that have engulfed our world, it is all too apparent that we have lost who we are. Our humanity lies in shambles before us, but we can give it life again.

To do this, we must simply come back to God and return to who we were originally created to be: the mirror image of God Himself. It is only in Him and through Him that we will find everything we need, everything we seek, and everything we were meant to be.

May God bless you abundantly.

Inspiration by Dahlia Grgic, 2018
email: fromeverlasting823@gmail.com

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dahlia Grgic is an emerging public speaker who simply enjoys interacting with humans more than computers. Although she has a degree in Computer Science and currently works in Information Technology, her vision and true passion are to restore our humanity by serving, teaching, and healing.

The drive behind her motives? God, and a compassion, love, and charity for all people.

FOOTNOTE

Excerpt from www.biblemeanings.info/Words/Plant/Wheat.htm

[1] Biblical meaning of wheat = love and charity

[2] Biblical meaning of wheat-harvest = is an advancing state of love and charity. The reason why a wheat-harvest signifies an advancing state of love and charity, is that a field signifies the church, and thus the things of the church; and the seeds sown in the field signify the things of good and truth; and the plants born from them, such as wheat, barley, and other grains, signify the things of love and charity, and also of faith. The states of the church in regard to these things are therefore compared to seedtime and harvest.

Going to the Mat

Do you know what it means to go to the mat? It means to struggle or fight until either victorious or defeated. Paul said in Philippians 3:13-14,“But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize …”.

Many of you are watching on TV the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. These athletes trained hard to get there. In fact, these athletes have trained for years, persevering and enduring both physical and mental hardship in order to be able to win a medal.

Marlene Moncho, Pastor of Spiritual Development & Family at Zarephath Christian Church, drew a parallel between athletes in training and the Christian’s spiritual fight. “Spiritual growth comes through going to the mat, resistance training, foot work and punching the bag, beating against the flesh, exercising our faith, as most of our growth does not come from Easy-Street or Broad Street, but it comes from the Narrow-Street as we walk with the Lord.”

Whether you are trying to hold a marriage together, or you are facing financial struggles, or you are facing insurmountable problems at work, or you are suffering physically in your body, this is the training ground where you go to the mat and learn to be strong.

So when you are tempted to give up and succumb to your deepest worries and afflictions, press on toward the goal of winning your challenges by fervently (serious in intention, purpose, or effort; sincerely zealous) praying, reading the Word, praising God, and putting on the whole armor of God that you might be able to stand against the schemes of the devil (Ephesians 6:11).

“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize” (I Corinthians 9:24). In this verse, the believer’s life is defined in terms of athletic metaphors. Paul compares himself to runners who competed in the Isthmian games. These games were held every two years in Greece near Corinth. Unlike today’s Olympic Games where the winner is awarded gold, silver and bronze for first, second and third place, respectively, in the Isthmian games there was only one winner. Vince Lombardi, legendary coach of the Green Bay Packers, impressed this winning attitude in his football players when he said, “Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing”. Lombardi, however, was misquoted according to James A. Michener. What he intended to say was “Winning isn’t everything. The will to win is the only thing.” In other words, make every effort to win, “straining toward what is ahead” (Philippians 3:4, NIV). GOD’s Word translation says “Brothers and sisters, I can’t consider myself a winner yet. This is what I do: I don’t look back, I lengthen my stride, and I run straight toward the goal to win the prize that God’s heavenly call offers in Christ Jesus”.

In the Isthmian games, those who won the race were awarded a crown of dried celery as their prize, a prize that Paul described as “one that will not last” (verse 25). But for the believer, he focuses their attention towards heaven with the goal of receiving an imperishable crown”. There is the greatest encouragement, therefore —

Train hard,

Persevere with all your strength, and

Never give up.

I recently read a post by Marlene Moncho that inspires and encourages us to grow stronger regardless of our circumstances by keeping our eyes heavenward. Were it not for her struggles, she said, her deeper growth in Christ would not have been possible. “Recently, I had gone through a window of not feeling well, and went through a series of hospital scans. Having a history of cancer, of course that concerns ….” (CONTINUE READING GETTING STRONG NOW) by Marlene Moncho.

JOIN INSPIRATION AND HOPE ON FACEBOOK BY CLICKING HERE

America Out of Gas – A Lesson On Patience

In 1973, AMERICA WAS OUT OF GAS! This gas station in Potlach, Washington turned their gas station into a religious meeting hall. The caption might have read, “People do not live by ~~bread~~ gas alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God”.

In 1973, I drove a forest green ‘68 Volkswagen Beetle. It wasn’t luxurious, nor comfortable, or have air conditioning, but I still loved my car! It didn’t take much to fill it up either, nor was it expensive (relatively speaking). With gas prices at 25 cents to 31 cents a gallon, who cared if your car got less than 13 miles a gallon anyway.

But what good was it if you couldn’t get gas? In October of 1973, an oil embargo crisis caused by the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries, tested people’s patience to no end. All oil exports to America were halted, and gas prices shot up, on average, to 38.5 cents a gallon. Odd-even rationing was mandated, meaning if the last digit of your license plate was even you could only get gas on even-numbered days.

If you had to wait at the pumps to fill up your tank, you hoped that they did not run out of gas before it was your turn at the pump. Some gas stations posted flags where green meant they had gas, and red meant that they were out of gas.

Tempers ran hot. Fights broke out with customers who tried cutting in the line. And it was common for thieves to siphon your gas tank if they couldn’t get any at the pump.

In 1973, the mobile phone was invented, but most people would not have owned one, and would not have had the distraction of talking on the phone or texting to pass the time. So maybe you brought a good book to read. Or if you were in college, like me, you might have used the time to study. As I was a music major in college, it was impractical for me to practice my flute in the car, so I brought my drum sticks. If you just so happened to be in line with me, you might have observed me practicing rudimentary flams, drags, and paradiddles (Right-Left-Right-Right, Left-Right-Left-Left) on the dashboard of my car. Banging on the dashboard (same cathartic effect that screaming into a pillow had) also tended to relieve my stress of having to wait in around-the-block lines with waits of 1 to 2 hours, especially when you were soooooooo on the brink of losing it. Streaking was a fad that was also quite cathartic, although I don’t recall seeing anyone do it at the gas pumps.

Oh, and that long trip to Vermont you were planning? Well, fuhgeddaboudit! Instead, you now worried about running out of gas and getting stranded.

So the next time you find yourself being impatient, try to get ahold of yourself and know that “The only way genuine patience can be acquired is by enduring the very trials that seem so unbearable today” (F.B. Meyer).

“Rejoice in hope; be patient in affliction; be persistent in prayer. (Romans 12:12, HCSB)

JOIN INSPIRATION AND HOPE ON FACEBOOK BY CLICKING HERE

Be still and know that I am God

Be-still-and-know-that-I-am-God-inspirationandhope

If you are observant, you would probably find that when there were significant life changing events in your life, God-incidences may likely have accompanied them. It was God’s perfect timing and means of communicating with you, and of reassuring you that everything would be okay; perhaps in just a whisper, a subtle wink from God that witnessed to your spirit. So then, when you opened your Bible, and a verse just jumped off the page at you that spoke directly to your situation, that was not just a coincidence.

Excerpt from My Journal, July 6, 2016

Today, I randomly opened to a page in my daily devotional that spoke pointedly to me in my despair. God had reserved it for me when I most needed to hear it — “Be still and know that I am God”.

Sometimes I have difficulty sharing my personal feelings, concerns and fears, although I know that I am human and life has a way of getting us down. This is one of those times. But I share this with the hope that you will be encouraged by it when you are challenged.

A recent life event, and without getting too detailed, had brought me to a low point in my life. Oh, sure, I am supposed to be strong and courageous, but right now, I am tempted to despair and succumb to my deepest worries and afflictions.

“O God, it still hurts”. Some days I am fine, other days I am sad. This was one of those sad days when I just didn’t want to get out of bed. Life just doesn’t prepare you for ……

It was now 7:45 a.m., and I had been lying awake since 6:15 a.m. I had no energy to start the day. “Oh well, I better get up and make some coffee. Maybe that will help”.

After making my coffee, I sat down to read and pray. Today’s daily devotion from Streams in the Desert, May 10^th, was timely and deeply personal. After reading it, I thought to myself, God should have personalized this one to me by prefacing it with “Dear Bill”.

“Oh, how great the temptation is to despair at times! Our soul becomes depressed and disheartened, and our faith staggers under the severe trials and testing that come into our lives, especially during times of bereavement and suffering. We may come to the place where we say, ‘I cannot bear this any longer. I am close to despair under these circumstances God has allowed. He tells me not to despair, but what am I supposed to do when I am at this point?’

What have you done in the past when you felt weak physically? You could not do anything. You ceased from doing. In your weakness, you leaned on the shoulder of a strong loved one …

Once you have come close to the point of despair, God’s message is not, ‘Be strong and courageous’ (Joshua 1:6), for he knows that your strength and courage have run away. Instead, he says sweetly, ‘Be still, and know that I am God’ (Psalm 46:10) …..

That is all God asks of you as his dear child. When you become weak through the fierce fires of afflictions, do not try to be strong. Just be still, and know that [he is] God. And know that he will sustain you and bring you through the fire.

God reserves his best medicine for our times of deepest despair.”[1]

“Be still and know that [He is] God” is sometimes all that I (we) can do to trust Him when we are suffering and weak. Then I rest in His arms and I am reminded that weeping is only for a short time, that rejoicing will come again.

FOOTNOTE

[1] Reimann, Jim; Cowman, L.B.E., Streams in the Desert: 366 Daily Devotional Readings, May 10
[2] Photograph, “Dory” by Charles Steinhacker

JOIN INSPIRATION AND HOPE ON FACEBOOK BY CLICKING HERE

God’s Love Endures

Composed by Bill Hutzel and John D’Elia

Although today’s society sends mixed messages regarding the meaning of love, there is a universally accepted goal for perfect love, and that is— Love is unconditional. God’s love is an enduring love that is demonstrated even when we are unfaithful, unpredictable, unbelieving, and rebellious.

“Love Endures” is based on I Corinthians 13. It is often referred to as the Love Chapter. Human love is supernatural when the union of our spirits is joined with His. This kind of love is only possible by the grace of God who is perfect, for I am imperfect.

JOIN INSPIRATION AND HOPE ON FACEBOOK BY CLICKING HERE

We Cry Of / In Quiet Faithfulness

Composed by Bill Hutzel

By D’ELIA and HUTZEL

Arranged, produced, mixed, and recorded by John D’Elia
Such Clay Productions

Video produced by Bill Hutzel

Performed by
Bill Hutzel, vocals, keyboards, and flute
John D’Elia, acoustic, electric and bass guitars, and drum machine

THIS IS MY TESTIMONY IN SONG

WE CRY OF

Here today and gone tomorrow, what does life all mean? “It is the great standing perennial problem to which human reason is as far from an answer as ever.” And if life is meaningless, is not then death meaningless also?

And of troubled thoughts and lonely hearts “A troubled heart can be found in anyone, even the Christian. There are many reasons for one’s heart to be troubled — separation from or death of a loved one, unfaithfulness of a friend, a feeling of insecurity, a lack of understanding, personal problems, sin, etc. What is one to do when his heart becomes troubled? He must look to Jesus and the comfort He can give”¹.

But “In my trouble, I cried to the Lord, and HE ANSWERED ME” (Psalm 120:1).

BRIDGE BETWEEN WE CRY OF AND IN QUIET FAITHFULNESS

Took wings and went to heaven
Got saved, came back to earth

Although we really don’t take wings and go to heaven, and get saved and come back to earth, it is merely a figure of speech that shows one’s need to transcend our worldly life to a higher spiritual realm in which we meet Christ as our savior and lover. It is one’s faith in Christ that saves us from controlling our own destiny and prepares us to live In Quiet Faithfulness.

IN QUIET FAITHFULNESS

In this song segment, God has become my refuge safe and sure, my staff and rod in trouble, need, and stress. I am content, and in patience, I endure.

I therefore thank my God and love and serve Him still.

LYRICS

We Cry Of

Death and loneliness are
Terrible thoughts we cry of

Some say hell is here and
some may say it’s fire

Troubled thoughts and lonely hearts
creep upon us daily

Same old drag day by day
just passing away the hours

Here today and gone tomorrow
What does life all mean?
Bridge
Took wings and went to heaven
Got saved, came back to earth

Rescue me O Lord
Oh won’t you please please rescue me

Rescue me O Lord
Oh won’t you please please mend my heart

In Quiet Faithfulness

In quiet faithfulness I love and serve my God
In trouble, need, and stress, He is my Staff and Rod.
In God I am content, In patience I endure
In Him my house and I find refuge safe and sure.

Foes envy, hate, indeed, from those are never far
Who with their lot and God, content and happy are.
Still, there where envy’s flame with rage surpassing fumes,
It fain must come to pass that rage itself consumes.

I therefore thank my God and love and serve Him still;
What happens in this world must ever be God’s will.

In quiet faithfulness I love and serve my God
In trouble, need, and stress, He is my Staff and Rod
In God I am content, In patience I endure
In Him my house and I find refuge safe and sure.

I therefore thank my God and love and serve Him still;
What happens in this world must ever be God’s will.
I place in child-like trust my life into His care;
In God I am content, whate’er my sphere or share.

(Instrumental)

JOIN INSPIRATION AND HOPE ON FACEBOOK BY CLICKING HERE

I would have despaired unless I believed

Psalm 27-13

I would have despaired, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord, be strong and let your heart take courage. (Psalm 27:13-14)

The psalmist David is easy to identify with. In Psalm 27 he wrote “I really would have given up had I not believed that God is good”. Isn’t it true that most of us would despair also were it not for God who comes to our rescue? Look at the faintheartedness of David: wicked people, enemies, war, trouble, loneliness, and being forsaken, false accusations, and cruelty. I am sure that all of us at times have experienced some of these, and probably can add a few more to the list. A focus such as David’s can also keep us from going to pieces!

Yet, how many of us actually hold on to our troubles and do not wait on the Lord? We allow our worries to stew within us, to go around and around in our heads until we feel choked and strangled by them, yet repeatedly, the Bible tells us not to despair, worry or be anxious. You say, “Well I’m just a worrier. It is in my DNA makeup”. You even worry about nothing at times.

A psychologist, speaking to an audience, used an interesting analogy using a glass of water to make a point about managing stress and worry. Everyone was probably thinking “Oh no, not the half empty, half full glass analogy again”. But as she raised the glass, she asked, “How heavy is this glass of water?” The weight really didn’t matter. “It depends on how long you hold it”, she said. If you hold it for an hour, the glass will appear heavier, and your arm will start to ache. If you hold on to it for a day, you will begin to feel numb and paralyzed in your arm. In each case, the weight of the glass doesn’t change, but the longer you hold on to it, the heavier it becomes. The stresses of life are kind of like the glass of water. The longer you hold on to your negative thoughts and worries, the more fainthearted we get. After a while we can even become paralyzed, and incapable of functioning.

Surmounting opposition and negativity, and not to despair, is difficult at times. I am constantly reminded to “be anxious for nothing, and to fear not”. Still, allowing my mind to be captive to negative thoughts causes me to go around and around again in my head, and I worry. Sometimes I am incapable of hearing God, hearing only the noise in my head that says “if this were someone else, they’d sure be worried, so you should be also. Or if I don’t make ends meet this month, I am not going to be able to pay my bills. Then what? … What if I don’t have this or that? How could I ever be happy again?”

But if we are to ever surmount our faintheartedness and worries, we need to discipline ourselves to earnestly seek God, and practice waiting on Him. Those are times when I must go to God and just say “I give it up to you, Father. I am helpless to know what to do. Take this situation from me and make it yours”. “Turn your burdens over to the LORD, and he will take care of you (Psalm 55:22, GOD’S WORD translation).

“Once we have made up our minds that God’s goodness is in operation, we will have far less difficulty in coping with the events of everyday life. Since He is in control, and since He is a good God, we can relax in His care. The Prophet Isaiah said, ‘Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee, because he trusteth in Thee’ (Isa. 26:3). The way to become convinced of God’s goodness is to spend time with Him. ‘Wait on the Lord . . . and He shall strengthen thine heart.’ Get alone with God, and you’ll get over your fainting spell!” [1].

WAIT FOR THE LORD

FOOTNOTE

[1] Walk with the King, Daily e-Devotional, April 14