Getting Ahead of God

This last week Dr.Charles Stanley had a sermon titled "Getting Ahead of God" where he talked about Genesis 16:2-5. Abram had been in the land of Canaan for ten years and they didn't have any children, so Sarai decided to give Hagar to Abram as his wife. Dr.Stanley talked about in his message about how we can also get ahead of God. People do this for a variety of reasons. Some of the reasons mentioned were afriad of failure, afraid they are missing out on something, impatient, deceived by appearances, listening to others and not God, unbelief.

I've had this happen in my own life where I didn't pray as much or as often as I should and just did what I thought best without asking God what he wanted.
This is exactly what happened to Joshua when the Gibeonites came to see them in Joshua 9. It says, "They did not ask for the counsel of the Lord." Joshua 9:14. And this led to a huge problem for them from that point on because they made a covenant with a people they had no business making agreements with. This is here to show us their mistakes so we will learn from them

This is in scripture for a lesson to us. If your facing some decision then ask God for his counsel. Ask him to make it clear to you. Don't just do whatever you want. Make prayer a habit on a daily basis so your use to His voice and know HIs ways. Get into God's word and read and study it. 2 Timothy 3:16 says, "All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work."

The Crown of Life

     There is a place that I pass when I am driving to work where road crews have planted sunflowers in the median.  A few weeks ago, these flowers were all in bloom.  After a few weeks, they began to wilt and now they have been plowed over for a new planting to occur.  James tells us in James 1:9-11, that the rich man is like those flowers.  They might look glorious for a period of time, but they quickly fade away (1 Cor 7:31).

      Rather than seeking to become rich, which leads to many problems (1 Timothy 6:9), the believer should seek the crown of life.  The crown of life is the reward that God has promised to those who love him and persevere in the midst of trials (James 1:12).  The word perseveres is the word hypomeno which means to remain, to endure.  This idea began back in verses 2-5 when James said that the one who endures under trial builds endurance and character.  This is a theme that runs throughout scripture that there is a purpose behind the trials of the believer.  That God is doing something great and building character and the fruit of his spirit in the life of the believer when they resist the devil and personal lusts.

      James wants to make it clear to the reader that God is not the source of the temptation.  He clearly states, "God cannot be tempted by evil and He Himself does not tempt anyone." verse 13.  Rather, it is the lust of the person that leads to sin and sin leads to death.  Jesus said this in Matthew 15:19-20 that it is out of the heart that sins such as murder, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness and slanders occur.  Not a popular message today, but a true one.  It doesn't make us feel good perhaps, but we need to understand where these tendencies come from.

     Rather, God is the source of all good things.  James said it this way, 'Every good thing bestowed and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, whith whome there is no variation, or shifting shadow." James 1:17  By calling God the Father of lights he is mentioning God's purity and holiness.  This is the same thing that John said in 1 John 1:5 "And this is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all."  This means that God not only knows how to give good gifts, but all the good gifts we have are from Him.  It also means that I can trust Him because he won't mislead me and isn't capable of giving me gifts that aren't good for me.  This is a God that I can trust in because he is pure, holy and good.

What does it mean to you that God is light and there is no variation or shifting shadow in HIm? James 1:17
Why is it important to consider that the rich man will fade away like a flower?  Where does that tell us our priorities should be?
Why is it important to remember that when we are tempted that God is not the one doing the tempting?  Is it comforting to know that God cannot be tempted by evil?