Don’t covet!

‘…I saw…the spoils…I coveted them and took them…’ Joshua 7:21

Have you ever looked at a glossy home-decorating magazine and found that the home you were thankful for an hour ago, now seems junky? Or watched a slick TV ad for a new automobile, and suddenly the car in your driveway seems like a wreck? God expects you to have goals and to provide for your family, but be careful about coveting things so much that you become obsessed with how to get them. When Israel went to war with Jericho, God said everything in the city was to be destroyed; that His anger was going to fall on the Canaanites because of their sin. But later when Israel stormed the small town of Ai, the inhabitants defeated them. Joshua asked God why they’d lost the battle, and God said it was because there was sin in the Israelite camp. When Joshua investigated, Achan, one of his soldiers, confessed, ‘When I saw…the spoils…I coveted them and took them.’ When he tried to conceal his sin by burying the stolen goods under his tent, it cost him his life and the lives of his family. When you covet, you question God’s willingness and His ability to provide for you. Instead, when you find yourself wanting something, pray about it and trust God to give it to you – if it’s His will! In the meantime be grateful for the blessings He’s already given you. Watchman Nee wrote, ‘I have never met a soul who has set out to satisfy the Lord, and has not been satisfied himself.’ The Bible says: ‘God can pour on the blessings in astonishing ways so that you’re ready for anything and everything, more than just ready to do what needs to be done…’ (2 Corinthians 9:8 TM). So, don’t covet!
http://www.ucb.co.uk/word_for_today

so if you were thinking about that plot of land, or was it that job, or even that tender…look closely and evaluate your intentions and determine what you’ll do about it,
till next time,
easy does it

Control your anger (2)

‘Refrain from anger and turn from wrath…’ Psalm 37:8 A bad temper is not something to be proud of, but prayed over. When you blow your top, you just reveal your contents. And which of us hasn’t done that, and regretted it? The Bible says losing your temper ‘…leads to harm’ (NLT), because God knew we’d be dealing with:
1) Stress: By cramming too much into too little time, you set yourself up! Like violin strings that are pulled too tight, you end up snapping, then feeling guilty because you’re not ’spiritual’ enough. ‘…have a sane estimate of your capabilities…’ (Romans 12:3-4 Phillips). In life ‘it’s always something,’ so anticipate and allow time for the unexpected. 2) Frustration: Defined as ’someone or something that upsets you all the time.’ A recent news story told of a guy who went hunting on his mountain bike. When it broke down he shot it to pieces. Crazy! It makes no sense, but as Robert Green Ingersoll said, ‘Anger is like wind that blows out the lamp of the mind.’
3) Perceived violations of our rights: When you walk around feeling angry it clouds your judgment, because when the only tool you have is a hammer every problem looks like a nail. The bottom line is, it’s not always about you! This is especially true in marriage. Jesus said that in order to receive, you must first learn to give (Mark 9:35).
4) Things that challenge your values: Sometimes ‘enough is enough’ and you need to speak up. When Jesus got angry in the temple it was because of dishonest practices and people being mistreated. In this case, ‘…In fact, if you know the right thing to do and don’t do it, that, for you, is evil’ (James 4:17 TM). http://www.ucb.co.uk/index.cfm?itemid=88&testdate=17%20Jan%202009

till next time,
keep the lids on,
breathe,
easy does it