Merlin Carothers: Love
God
Blessed and happy is the Christian who learns to not be controlled by what other people say or do. God is in control! He permits certain people to come into our lives! He selects them! The people we need, do to us what we need, in order to force us into the position where we can learn God’s will. If that sounds strange to you, remember Joseph. He needed to be in Egypt to do the work God called him to do. Therefore God used his evil hearted brothers to sell him into slavery.
Does God work as intimately with all His children? He says He knows the number of hairs on our head! He knows when a sparrow falls. He knows every thought we have. Oh yes, He is involved in every detail. When we understand that, we are free! Whatever any man or woman does to us, it will work for our good if we love God (see Romans 8:28).
Some readers of this book have been carrying an ache in their hearts, over something someone else has done to them. They may have been hurting for years. Now is their opportunity to be free!
Believe God permitted that person to do that thing to you, that you might now learn how to submit your heart to God. If we allow other people to trouble our hearts, we are in direct disobedience to His will! Why not enjoy obedience!
Let us examine our ways and test them…Let us lift up our hearts and hands to God in heaven…For His compassions never fail, they are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness (Lamentations 3:22-23, 40-41 NIV).
Merlin’s Comment
The
Apostle Paul lived in horrible circumstances, but he refused to be defeated, or
even be discouraged. Because he trusted
God and had learned to be content regardless of his situation, Paul was able to
rejoice in the Lord and be at peace.
Happiness
on this earth does not depend on our circumstances. If it did, many of us would be in trouble.
There
is a big difference in the way unhappy and happy persons treat their
circumstances. One person suffers under
them – the other stands on top and shouts, “I’ve won!”
Why is
this? Stronger will power? Better health? More advantages? More talent? Better
looking? No! The difference is that
some folks have learned the secret – others haven’t.
Paul
was one of those who had learned! He
decided that God was on His side? What a partner? And since GOD was on His
side, it didn’t matter to Paul, who or what, was against Him (see Romans 8:31).
Paul
decided that since God had already sacrificed His own Son for our benefit, He
wouldn’t fail to supply everything else we need (Verse 32).
Paul
believed
in God’s love, therefore, to him everything that happened was a blessing from
God. So, whatever occurred, Paul climbed
up on top and shouted, “Victory!”
Paul
attracted trouble. The majority of the
unsaved didn’t like what he said - or how he said it. His former associates wanted him dead. His new Christian friends often turned their
heads whenever he was in trouble.
Paul’s
reaction to all of this? He knew that
Jesus was at God’s right hand. What did
he see Jesus doing? Paul said, “He’s praying for me?” (Verse 34). And since he knew that, he mocked troubles,
Persecution, famine, nakedness, peril or even a sword could do only one thing –
help him! (Verse 28).
But
notice in verse 37 that Paul wasn’t just a conqueror. He was more that - far more. Why? He knew how much Jesus loved him! This is the difference between people who
live under
the circumstances and those who live on top of them.
Paul
was so exuberant in his faith that he claimed victory over: angels,
principalities, powers, the future, big problems, little problems and even
including, “Anything ever created!” (Verse 39).
Paul
refused to be separated from God’s love, no matter who did what or when (Verse
37). He would not accept any event as
misfortune or hard luck.
That’s
the secret, dear troubled friend. Our confidence in God’s love decides our
reaction to every experience in life. If
we believe God loves us, and pays close attention to everything that happens to
us, we shout, “Victory” at every turn of events.
No
one can do this for us. Each of us must
take off the blindfold, open our eyes and go to it. I can help you a little by telling you my own
experiences. The problem is this: If you have been living under your circumstances,
you may resent any interference in the way you run your life.
The
writer of the above letter classified many things that were wrong in his life
as,” their fault or “God’s fault.” He – and any of us who are like him – must
take our attention off anything that might prevent us from understanding God’s love
for us.
We must learn to love God.
This is a proven way to understand
God’s love for us! Do this by:
1. Telling Him the reasons you love
Him. This isn’t for His benefit! It’s
for yours.
2. Finding dozens of occasions daily to
tell God how much you love Him. Sing about it.
3. Taking your attention off anything
that separates you from God. Turn off
television, movies, radio, records, novels, magazines, etc. that are not
produced by men or women who love God.
Otherwise your mind will be polluted by those who will (without you
realizing it) separate you from God.
4. Concentrating your attention on God’s
Word. Many have learned to love God by
knowing what he has said and done. Learn
to hear God speak. That’s not easy, and
it requires your full attention. No time
to be wasted!
5. Finding people who love God and are
learning about His love for them. They
will assist you along your way.
6. Don’t give up. Your goal is too important.
Since I began learning about God’s
love for me, so many good things have happened.
My health improved. God gave me
better and more loving friends. My
opportunities to help people have increased.
My joy keeps increasing. Every time Satan slips in some evil device to
threaten me, and I stand on top of it, my joy takes a new leap upward. I want to help all men to mount
up on wings like an eagle (Isaiah 40:31).
7. The more I believe in God’s love for
me, the greater joy I experience. He
loves me not because of who I am, but because of who He is.
Over the past 2,000 years, Paul has
had more influence in the world than any other follower of Christ. Whenever God finds a man or woman who relies
on His love, He uses that person.
8. Believe in, trust in, and rely on
God’s love for you. The more we do this,
the more blessed and favored we will feel and be!
9. May they…know that you sent me and
have loved them even as You have loved Me (John 17:23 NIV).
Taken from Praise Works! By Merlin
Carothers, pages 211-217
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