There are times in every person’s life that can be compared to Job’s life. An example is:

A family member dies, then a close friend has a major medical issue, you lose your job, and this list can go on and on, one right after the other. It just seems that nothing can go smoothly.

Then when you reach the other side, and you look back, you can see all the blessings you received during your time of trial. They can be little blessings such as you get closer to that friend and because of that medical issue your friend’s life is saved, God led you to a better job, and as the list of problems can go on so can the list of blessings.

Many times, in our busy life we fail to recognize the blessings that God gives us. We need to remember that when God allows Satan to test us that there is a blessing on the other side.

We look back on the ministry of Jesus and we see that Jesus faced some hard places in His earthly life. In John 15:20 (KJV) Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.  In this verse, Jesus, Himself tells us that we will have troubles as long as we follow Him.

It would be nice if our troubles were few and our blessings were plentiful. However, it matters not how many troubles you have, what matters is that you stay faithful to God so that you can reap your blessings.

There is an old children’s song that I sang over sixty years ago that goes like this:

“Count your blessings, name them one by one. Count your many blessings, see what God has done.”

Have you counted your blessings lately?

Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.   Exodus 20:12 (KJV)

And he that smiteth his father, or his mother, shall be surely put to death.   Exodus 21:15 (KJV)

And he that curseth his father, or his mother, shall surely be put to death.   Exodus 21:17 (KJV)

Here are three verses that let us know how important God thinks mothers are. We are to honor them so that our days may be long, and not hurt them physically or verbally since that can cause our life to be shorter.

People may say that those verses come from the Old Testament and I am under the New Testament. Therefore, we will look at some examples of what the New Testament says.

For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death.   Matthew 15:4 (KJV)

But Simon’s wife’s mother lay sick of a fever, and anon they tell him of her. And he came and took her by the hand, and lifted her up; and immediately the fever left her, and she ministered unto them. Mark 1:31(KJV)

Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and much people of the city was with her. Luke 7:12 (KJV)

Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? Mine hour is not yet come. His mother saith unto the servants, whatsoever he saith unto you, do it. Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And the filled them up to the brim. And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it. John 2:4-8 (KJV)

In these four selections of the New Testament we find that Jesus quoted from the Old Testament about honoring our mother. Then healing a friend’s mother in law. Then there is the selection in John 2 that shows us that even when Jesus no longer lived with his mother, he still obeyed her.

The example of Jesus seeing a mother who had lost her son to death, a women that is not named, one that the Bible does not even say that Jesus knew her. He still honored a mother by raising her son from the dead.

C.I. Wilson

Heavenly Father, thank you for giving us mothers that raise their children to honor Your Son, Jesus Christ. I ask that You grant those who read this a love for their mothers on this day that has been set aside for them. A love that will last her lifetime. Amen.

O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy;  

Psalms 107:1-2

Do we give praise unto the Lord for all that He does for us? Most likely not.

We have been given life, air to breathe, water to drink, food to eat, friends, and loved ones. Several questions come to my mind.

1. Did you praise God for letting you wake up this morning?
2. Did you praise God for your parents?
3. Did you praise God for being willing for His son to die on the cross for you?
4. Have you thanked god for all the many things that He has given you, saved you from, and making a way for you to go to Heaven and be with Him?

As I said we have not given God all the praise that we should. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 states we are to pray without ceasing. We still would not be able to praise God for all that He has done for us.

Let us start thanking God for the little things as will as the big things in our life. When the traffic light turns green just before I get there, I thank God for that. If the light turns red and I have to stop, I try to thank God for that as well.

Let us decide to start thanking/praising God for the thinks that we face on a daily basis, and we will become a happier person. However, if we hunt for things to complain about, then we will become unhappy and miserable.

C.I. Wilson

Lord, I think You for each person who reads this and chooses to start praising You more and looking for the good in this world. Amen.

In recent years there have been books about praying, there was even a movie that showed how prayer changes things. How many of us read books or watched the movie and continued in our old way of praying. There used to be talk of prayer warriors in our churches. I have not heard much about them lately.

In the last week I have talked with a person who has commented on how he wanted his healing and that he prays every day for it, even to the point of letting the Holy Ghost take over and pray for him.

Then there was the conversation that I had with another person who asked for the name of a doctor that specialized in a certain area of medicine and ended with a request for prayer.

Then there are those that say a little prayer and go their way.

At this point, I recall how Jesus prayed in the garden. He agonized, not for just a few minutes, but for hours until the answer came and then our Lord was able to meet the situation with peace in His heart until the very end.

The important question is, how important is your need? Is it important enough for you to pray for a minute, an hour, a day, or until the answer comes. You say you cannot pray all day because you work or have a family to care for. If your burden is on your heart all day even while you work and take care of your family; you can pray about it all day even while you work and take care of your family.

The thought just came to me about how Pharoah had a frog problem, and it was so bad that he called for Moses to come and remove it. Moses asked him, when do you want me to ask God to stop the frogs? Pharoah replied: About this time tomorrow.

So many people have Pharoah’s approach to their problems. However, there are people who have the approach that Jesus showed us in the garden. To pray until the answer comes.

C.I. Wilson

Heavenly Father, thank you for answering our prayers in the many ways that you answer them. It may be the way we want them answered, although most of the time the answer is different, since you, Heavenly Father, knows the best way to answer our needs. Help us to reach out to You with our problems until we have the peace of knowing that You have sent the answer. Amen.

Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.

Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

Philippians 2:4-5 KJV

I was reading the other day and Philippians 2:4 was quoted, and it didn’t sound right. However, it was correct in my translation of the Bible. So, I read it again.

I have heard several times recently about the Great Commission. When Paul wrote Philippians he brought up several more commissions that Jesus told the disciples of which this passage is one of them.

We can go into all the world and spread the Bible and talk to people about the condition of their souls, however, if we walk all over everyone we meet, appear to be selfish, stingy, and unfriendly it will do no good. We can not have the mind set that you must be like me, or Jesus will not forgive your sins. That is not how Jesus acted / lived. He went out of His way to reach mankind at their level.

Jesus went to the rich and the poor to offer them a way to enter Heaven. We are to follow His example, therefore we must look beyond our family, friends, and our comfort zones to spread the Gospel.

C.I. Wilson

Heavenly Father, thank you for this reminder of how we are to act if we want to do Your will. Show us the ways that we can carry out this commission set forth for us in Philippians. Amen.