HELP!

 Happy Sunday!

"If you will only let me HELP you, if you will only obey, then I will make you rich! But if you keep on turning your backs and refusing to listen to me, you will be killed by your enemies; I, the Lord, have spoken."(Isaiah 1:19-20 Living Bible).

Do you need help?  Wait a minute!  Don't just blurt out a quick answer. Think it over. We are often so quick to say we don't need anything from anyone. And all the while the real ONE is ready and willing to help us!  The Apostle James wrote, "If you don’t know what you’re doing, pray to the Father. He loves to HELP. You’ll get his HELP, and won’t be condescended to when you ask for it."(James 1:5 Message).  Don't miss this!  We have our pride(that's sin you know).  We don't want anyone talking down to us(that's trust issues). That's why Google is a blessing and a curse.  We don't personally have to interact with others, we can just Google our question.  The laptop won't judge us. Our cell phone won't snicker when we look up a word.

God is our Heavenly Father.  A good father wants the best for his children.  God wants the best for us.  So why don't I have the Best?  Great question!  I'm so glad you asked.  A wise man once sang, "It's so good loving somebody and somebody loves you back."  God doesn't force us to love Him, or trust Him.  He allows us to choose.  Deuteronomy 30:19 says, "Today I am giving you a choice of two ways. And I ask heaven and earth to be witnesses of your choice. You can choose life or death. The first choice will bring a blessing. The other choice will bring a curse. So choose life! Then you and your children will live."(Easy-to-Read Version).  We can choose the life we want. 

Over and over again in the Bible there are examples of humans and their choices.  There are good people and bad people making choices.  We can follow their good godly examples, but many times we do the opposite.  Jesus told the parable of a man with two sons. The younger son didn't want to wait for his father to pass away, he wanted his inheritance now!  The father didn't argue with him, and wasn't critical of his decision.  He gave both sons their inheritance.  Luke 15:13-16 says, “A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and took a trip to a distant land, and there wasted all his money on parties and prostitutes. About the time his money was gone a great famine swept over the land, and he began to starve. He persuaded a local farmer to hire him to feed his pigs. The boy became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the swine looked good to him. And no one gave him anything."(Living Bible).

"So he had this moment of self-reflection: “What am I doing here? Back home, my father’s hired servants have plenty of food. Why am I here starving to death? I’ll get up and return to my father, and I’ll say, ‘Father, I have done wrong—wrong against God and against you.  I have forfeited any right to be treated like your son, but I’m wondering if you’d treat me as one of your hired servants?’ So he got up and returned to his father."(Luke 15:17-20 Voice).  The Dake Annotated Reference Bible says of these scriptures, "This is true repentance - confession of sin, genuine sorrow, and humility because of sin. Making a decision to repent is not enough.  One must truly repent - being genuine in acts, words, and deeds - to be honored of God or man."

He humbled himself, returned home and was welcomed lavishly by his father.  James 4:6 says, "God sets Himself against the proud and haughty, but gives grace [continually] to the lowly (those who are humble enough to receive it)."

Love and prayers, Cynthia