Lessons from Kenya 3!!

This is another life lesson I really learned from the people living in the dump, who had smiles on their faces as they praised God...

        God should not be followed based on our circumstances. If we follow God based on our current life seasons, we’re not really following God. He is God. If we love Him, we will follow Him no matter the situation we are in – scary or stressful family situation, school situation, or life situation; Living in a mansion, a small house or without a house in a trash dump. Emotionally scared, stressed or scarred…Our worship of God shouldn’t change with our life seasons.

King David knew this. I love what K.D., in the Bible called a man after (or down from) God’s own heart, said. He, writing down words from his heart in the Psalms, wrote,

                                         “But I trust in your unfailing love;
                                          my heart rejoices in your salvation.
                                          I will sing to the LORD,
                                          for he has been good to me.” (Psalm 13:5-6)

What is good? “Jared…from what I see, I mean, I honestly would have to say that I don’t think God is being good to me (or my family) (or my relative) (or my friend) (or my _______ )”

Well, I think it’s interesting to look at what the “man after God’s own heart” saw as good. In the Psalm portion above from chapter 13, King David wrote, “I will sing to the LORD, for he has been good to me.” That word “good” in the Hebrew (which is the language in which this book was originally written) is the word Gāmal. I love this so much – the word Gāmal also means to make ripe.

King David was praising God because God had been good to him…..because God had been ripening him, maturing him. This “good” isn’t based on circumstances, but on the overall picture of what God is doing in our lives! King David was praising God because no matter what his current situations looked like, God was ripening him! There is hope in this! No matter what your situation looks like – realize – God can use it to mature you; and praise Him for that.

When our current life seasons makes us feel uncertain, we can be clear of one thing: Our Heavenly Father, God, is not uncertain.

Our lives’ circumstances should not determine our relationship we have with God.

The life situations we go through shouldn’t halter our praise for or relationship with our heavenly Father.

He loves you – never forget that; He may be wanting to ripen you.

God is good, all the time.............and all the time, God is good (if you’re one of those people that say “Amen” aloud in church, now would be a great time to do just that :)   )

I pray God’s peace, love and faith-builders for you all! I pray He may open all of your eyes to the truth of His Son, Jesus Christ, and the freedom and redemption and salvation that can only be attained through Him. God's best to you!