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FROM FRUSTRATION TO FULFILLMENT: THE EMPTY NET

And saw two boats standing by the lake; but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets. - Luke 5:2   REFERENCE Luke 5:1-10   Yesterday we started a series on “Frustration,” which the dictionary defined as, “The feeling of being upset or annoyed as a result of being unable to change or achieve something.” Frustration occurs in everyday life because of the various events we encounter as we live. If it continues for a long time, it can become a burden. However, as believers, we are not supposed to labor under any kind of yoke or...
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FROM FRUSTRATION TO FULFILLMENT

But as one was cutting down a tree, the iron ax head fell into the water; and he cried out and said, “Alas, master! For it was borrowed.”  - II Kings 6:5   REFERENCE II Kings 6:1-7   The dictionary defines frustration as “the feeling of being upset or annoyed, especially because of inability to change or achieve something.” Life is full of frustrations. From the minor irritations of losing something to the major problem of continued failure in the pursuit of a desired goal. If not properly handled, the impact of frustration can be catastrophic. It includes anger, aggression,...
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THE SUBTLENESS OF SIN

"Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful." ~ Psalm 1:1 REFERENCE: Psalm 1:1-6   It is often said, "If the devil came as a two-horned beast draped in a red cape with a pitchfork, many people would never be victims of satan's shenanigans." However, the devil is the master of subtlety and guise. He comes as a harmless thought, a handsome young man, an innocent proposal to get wealth, etc. It takes proper discernment to not fall for satan or...
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RETURN TO THE LORD

“Come, and let us return to the LORD; For He has torn, but He will heal us; He has stricken, but He will bind us up.” ~ Hosea 6:1 REFERENCE: Hosea 5:14-6:3 In the previous chapters, God accused Israel (Ephraim) of the sin of idolatry and harlotry. He sent prophet after prophet to point out their sins, but Israel was hardened. God threatened to give them up to their idolatries until His judgment would come upon them. Matthew Henry said, “If sin is in the house, there is a need to fear ruin at the door.” Israel would pay for their...
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OH, WHAT A GOOD GOD!

“…But You are God, ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, abundant in kindness, and did not forsake them.” ~ Nehemiah 9:17   REFERENCE: Nehemiah 9:13-27   I knew the above verse early in my Christian walk. I understand that the virtues in the verse separate our God from other gods. If they claim to be ‘a God,’ weigh them by these virtues: are they quick to pardon, slow to anger, forgiving, and full of kindness? No god exhibits these virtues entirely and consistently, but the Lord God. Oh, what a good God He is! Nehemiah chronicles all God...
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GOD IS WORKING

"Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him." ~ John 9:2-3   REFERENCE: John 9:1-7   Trouble sometimes comes back-to-back and never seems to diminish. I have experienced days like that; questions quickly arise: "God, what have I done wrong? Where did I miss it? Lord, why me?" There are a few times that these questions are appropriate, but primarily, trouble comes because we are in this world. Still, the comfort we have is that God...
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ACT ON THE WORD

"Now there were four leprous men at the entrance of the gate; and they said to one another, "Why are we sitting here until we die?"- II Kings 7:3   REFERENCE: II Kings 7:1-8   Nothing moves until you move; this truth is one of Newton's laws of motion: 'Every object will remain in a position of rest unless acted upon by a greater external force.' The word of God is a powerful force; God created the world by it. However, as long as it remains on the pages of the bible or in our heads, it profits nothing. We must act...
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THE GIFT THAT KEEPS GIVING

“…whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”– John 4:14   REFERENCE: John 4:6-15   In the business world, there is residual income; the money continues to flow after an initial investment of time and resources, e.g., dividends, rent, or royalties. That is a gift that keeps giving. Jesus told the woman at the well of Sychar that whatever benefit she got from the well’s water would be short-lived, and she would come again....
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SPIRITUAL LEGACY

"For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock." ~ Acts 20:29   REFERENCE: Acts 20:26-36   Paul significantly invested in leaving a spiritual legacy. He gathered this group on the eve of his travel and told them what to expect from the enemy after his departure. Yet, he reminded them that he had prepared them by his teachings and lifestyle and commended them to the word of God. He warned them that the enemy is diverse in his antics of attacks (savage wolves and perverse men); hence, they must also...
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BLESSING IN THE BROKEN PIECES

“…And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitudes.” ~ Matthew 14:19   REFERENCE: Matthew 14:13-21   On the day Jesus had a multitude to feed, the miracle was not in the five loaves of bread but in the broken pieces. Jesus, upon receiving the bread, looked up to heaven, gave thanks, broke the loaves into pieces, and gave them to the disciples to give to the multitude. It was the broken pieces that God multiplied and...
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