And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings.God is good all the time and all the time God is good.
Even in the most uncertain times.
Paul says in Romans 8:28, "we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose."
It's not that "all things are good", but rather that "all things work together for good".
We preach no prosperity gospel.
The good message we have been given is that which was carried by Paul: from his brethren the Jews five times receiving 39 lashings, three times beaten with rods, once stoned and three times shipwrecked. Journeying often he faced perils of water, robbers, and the enmity of countrymen, his fellow Jews, and gentiles alike. Perils while in cities, wilderness and sea. He faced false brethren pretending to know Christ. For the gospel he was wearied, toiled and went without sleep often, at times naked and cold. [2 Corinthians 11:24-27]
It was the gospel carried by John whom Jesus loved, the beloved disciple, when exiled to the island of Patmos as an old man.
Ours is the gospel proclaimed by those 11 disciples who had to face the death of their Christ and with it their hope, only from it to grow beyond despair and find an even greater as they came face to face with their savior once again, having risen from the dead.
When we exercise we push our bodies to the limits so that they grow stronger and the load which can be managed before hitting our limit increases.
Sometimes God puts us through the hard times and experiences, allows us to experience our limits, so that our faith will grow stronger through a greater dependency on him.
It's easy to depend on God when our world is crashing down around us; but when everything is right as rain? When the sun is shining and the birds are singing and it's the perfect day to go lay in the hammock and take a nap?
Those days are a blessing from God, but it can be so easy to lose sight of him in the midst of them.
Although preaching to unbelievers we are assured by Paul's words that, regardless of circumstances, God hasn't been taken by surprise at what is happening. He pre-appointed the good times AND the bad; the boundaries of our dwelling whether a large house or a small apartment, even if we have no place to lay our heads [Luke 9:58], has been known by God and decided upon before time began.
I will set aside a half hour tonight to pray about things to come after I return home, mainly about my living arrangements and finding a job, but also wherever the Lord leads in prayer; that He would keep reminding me everything falls within his plans and that nothing catches him by surprise. Wherever I end up, I will be in the Lord's hands.
Written April 25, 2012
- - -
As a praise report, I have since gotten a job working part time with my friend's dad and think the circumstances for getting the job, as well as the time I spent searching for a job, all fell together rather . . . 'divinely'; but you know, maybe that's just me. With flexible hours I'm able to help out at church as much as I like while still spending some time with my family, and even though I'm not making a ton of money with the hours I work, but should have enough saved to meet my first school payments and cover initial (and I mean very initial) living expenses come September.
On that note . . . if you would, please pray for me to find a place to stay and work, or more accurately the right sort of place to stay and the right sort of work, while attending the School of Worship at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa. The first semester starts the beginning of September and I am submitting my application tomorrow (or mailing it off anyway); all that is left is to record a sound sample (voice or instrument), transcribe my application questions (typed for editing and revision) onto the form (paper and pen) and send them off (envelope and stamp)!
I suppose before anything else you could pray for my application to be accepted too. (Perhaps prayers that I would stop thinking parenthetical monologues on inane details are in some way entertaining for you all would also be in order. Just kidding! I'm sure you all are rolling on the floor laughing right now. Because I'm hilarious. Totally. ;)
If you happen to personally think of any living arrangements or job positions opening up that might just possibly be an answer to prayer I wouldn't at all in the slightest be bothered by your sharing of this information. In fact, I might say thank you and shout hallelujah.
The school is located at the edges of Costa Mesa, CA and Santa Ana, CA; both cities are in Orange County and right next to Newport Beach. Anything come to mind for you? If you've been in the area but don't know of any employment opportunities I would still love to hear your recommendations for taco joints, parks, the best grocery stores, etc; basically anything that would be helpful for getting settled in, or maybe just fun stories about the place. What have been your experiences while living there or visiting, and what would your recommendation be for someone moving down there?
As an additional thought, it was my birthday 6 days ago and I gave it to charity:water. Curious? Clicky! Or paste http//www.mycharitywater.org/1bucket/ up in your address bar! Pleeeaaase~? Receiving support for this fundraiser would kind of be one of the best present you could ever give me right now. (Other than giving a million dollars directly to me I guess, 'cuz then I could give over half and still have my living expenses covered for the year. :D Except I pledged my entire birthday, so I guess if it's birthday money I still wouldn't have those expenses covered for the year. Oh well, receiving a million dollars would still be cool insanely; or . . . I forget what I was going to say. I stared off into space for a second, and now I can't remember. This could be a sign I should get some sleep soon. D:? )
Comment written July 18, 2012
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