Inspiration

Endless Supply

/ James Penner / 1 Comment

“For I am God, your God….I own the cattle on a thousand hills.” Psalm 50

Much has been written of the world-wide supply chain. It’s interesting to note that of all we make, homes, cars, clothes, computers, it all comes from this one home God gave to us called earth. Nothing is shipped over from Jupiter or Mars. Everything we have comes via “recycling” raw materials which God has already provided. It all belongs to God, and yet He shares freely with us by saying over and over again,

“I Am Your Supply”

With a simple two minute search I found over 40 bible verses where God says, He is our supply. None more powerful than Deuteronomy 28, in which God provides a very long laundry list of blessings He is prepared to supply to those who love Him. God literally says He will, “Open the heavens, and the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land, and bless the work of your hands.” Look to God, and be prepared for rain.

Grace

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God said, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” 2 Corinthians 12:9

Tom Hanks character in the film, “You’ve Got Mail” admits to Meg Ryan a flaw in his character that he laments. He has a penchant for verbal insults, and admits it to her by saying, “Do you ever feel you’ve become the worst version of yourself? That a Pandora’s box of all the secret, hateful parts – your arrogance, your spite, your condescension – has sprung open? Someone upsets you and instead of smiling and moving on, you zing them. “Hello, it’s Mr Nasty.”

We All Need A Little Grace

Indeed we all have flaws. Yet, I’ve learned the wonderful thing about God’s grace is His endless forgiveness. God forgives freely when we ask, and then asks us to do the same, both forgiving ourselves and each other. Give yourself some grace today, and then freely spread it around to those around you.

Mountain Moving Faith

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Jesus said, “Whatever you ask in prayer, believe you have received it, and it will be yours.” Mark 11:24

In this one sentence Jesus sets forth a monumental concept that makes the impossible possible. It’s an easy verse to look past for surely there must be some kind of qualifier or disclaimer to this statement. Whatever I ask in prayer, all I have to do it believe, and I will receive it? The simple answer is, Yes!

Mountain Moving Requires Faith

In the past few decades I have witnessed more impossible miracles that I have prayed for come to pass than I could possibly list on multiple pairs of hands. In every instance, I believed without a doubt that they would come to pass and they did. There are others that I have prayed over, some for more than a decade, that have not yet come to pass, but they will. I know for sure, without a single doubt, they will. I’m no different than you, I’ve just chosen to take Jesus at his word. I’ve not given myself the luxury to pick and choose which ones of Jesus promises to believe, and which ones not to believe. The Bible tells us that our job is to have faith, His job is to fulfill His word. Live this out in your own life and you will soon find yourself in possession of Mountain Moving Faith.

All Things Are Possible

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“With man it is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:26

In another of my favorite films, “Field of Dreams”, Kevin Costner meets a small town doctor who in his youth had one opportunity as a Major League Baseball player. He made it into one inning of one game before the season ended, along with his baseball career. Kevin asked ‘Doc Graham’ what was it like to quit after only one inning in the majors. Doc Graham replies, “it was like coming this close to your dreams, then watching them brush past you, like a stranger in a crowd. At the time you don’t think much of it…

…We Don’t Recognize The Most Significant Moments In Our Lives, While They Are Happening”.

Today is a miracle. You woke up. You are breathing. That means there is one more day for God to use you in a wonderful way. Jesus said, “with man it is impossible, but with God, all things are possible” Reach out to God and give to Him the desires of your heart.

Praiseworthy

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“Whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue, and if there is anything praiseworthy – meditate on these things.” Philippians 4:8

Ever thrown a pity-party? I have, usually when things are not going well or I’m not getting the answers I’m expecting. When patience proves elusive I can easily find myself slipping and sliding into a sour mood. Then, I’ll remember an old song from my childhood that my grandmother used to sing as she cleaned the house,

“Count Your Blessings, Name Them One By One,

Count your blessings, see what God has done”. My Grandmother was no Mariah Carey but when she sang that song, thinking no one was listening, she gave it all she had. Of course someone was listening for she was singing to God. Also listening was a grandson who needed to hear these words. Perhaps you need to hear these words today. Philippians says to mediate on anything that is praiseworthy. You have blessings in your life. Whether large or small, celebrate them today and your pity-party will soon vanish from your mind.

Pure Wisdom

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Jesus said, “Therefore, whoever hears these saying of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house upon a rock.” Matthew 7:24

A.A. Milne who wrote the beloved “Winnie the Pooh” book series had one character he called, the wise old owl:

“There was a wise old owl who sat in a tree, the less he spoke the more he heard, the more he heard the less he spoke. Why can’t we be like that wise old owl in the tree?”

In the bible’s book of Matthew, chapters 5 through 7, Jesus delivers to us four incredible wisdom filled pages on how we should strive to live our lives. Take a few minutes out of your day and read through these three chapters for yourself. If you don’t own a Bible, Google search them, they are easy to find. We tend to listen to the great philosophers in history, or persons of celebrated importance or power, but I’ve discovered that when Jesus speaks, I should strive to spend less time talking, and more time listening, just like that wise old owl.

Comfort

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“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” Matthew 5:4

Two friends both lost children in the past few months. I cannot image in the pain. In times of great loss only Jesus knows what you are going through.

Mourning Means You Care

I have been teaching myself to be thankful when I mourn because it gives me an opportunity to count God’s blessings. Thank you Lord for the life of the person you allowed me to love. Thank you Lord for your comfort for I feel your blessing in these tears. Thank you Lord that I can trust You. Thank you Lord that Philippians 4:7 promises us that You provide “peace that passes all understanding”. We need that peace. Living a life of faith many times brings us to our knees. God’s blessings come to us both in our rejoicing, and in our mourning.

Blessed

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“Blessed are the pour in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven.” Matthew 5:3

What do I have to offer to God? What do I bring to the relationship? After all, He is God. He created the heavens and the earth. He breathed life into us. He created all living things. It seems to me that with all of my failings and shortcomings, and limited ability, what do I provide in value to this relationship with God? I’m constantly praying for His intervention for this illness, or that financial hardship, or a job issue, or a relationship issue. When you think about it, humans on whole are pretty needy. And yet, in this humble state,

God Calls Us Blessed

When Jesus said, “Blessed are the pour in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven”, what He is saying is, when we recognize our limitations, and His greatness, we are humbling ourselves before God. That’s what it means to be “poor in spirit”, and, that’s when the blessings come. For like the tea cup in the picture above, we are an empty vessel, and God is the tea, just waiting to infuse us with life, and goodness, and warmth, and usefulness. Poor (humble) in spirit means rich in God’s eyes.

The First Move In A Battle Is Trust

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“The Lord is my strength and my song; he has given me victory.” Exodus 15:2

When we look to God for all that we need, He provides. Looking back, some of the hardest and most challenging times in my life were exactly the times that God gave me the most comfort, miracle last-second provision, or answers. Help would always arrive, just in time. As the sky was seemingly falling I would simply say, Jesus I trust you. All too soon a smile would cross my lips knowing

Jesus is in Control

Here’s the challenge. When you say, “Jesus, I trust you,” you have to mean what you say. Faith in God on your part moves the heart of God, and then mountains move and the battle is won. Indeed, He is faithful to provide the victory when we look to and trust Him as our provider.

Lift

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“Who satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” Psalm 103:5

Prior to the Wright Brothers taking flight over Kitty Hawk, man dreamed of taking to the skies in flight. The fascination is found all through scripture where soaring above the troubles of earth is a common theme. Today, I look at modern machines, some weighing hundreds of tons while sitting on the ground, yet lift like a bird when propelled forward, allowing an invisible stream of air to pass their wings and lift them with seemingly little effort. Such flight brings an interesting parallel to mind.

Even Your Heaviest Burden Can Be Lifted

Over and over again I’ve heard a recurring theme from those I meet on my journey; “My burden is too heavy”. They don’t believe it can be lifted. They don’t believe they can be, as Psalm 103 says, “renewed like the eagle”. You are right, you can’t do it alone. It is God alone who satisfies and renews. He is the ultimate remodeler of lives. The par-excellence ‘fixer upper’. No burden is too heavy for God to lift. Just ask Him.