A New Thing
Do not remember the former things,
Nor consider the things of old.
Behold, I will do a new thing,
Now it shall spring forth;
Shall you not know it?
I will even make a road in the wilderness
And rivers in the desert.
Isaiah 43:18-20
Author: Lori Casto
When, not If
When (Not if) you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.
When (Not if) you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned,
Nor shall the flame scorch you. Isaiah 43:2
Timing is Everything
To everything there is a season,
A time for every purpose under heaven:
A time to be born,
And a time to die;
A time to plant,
And a time to pluck what is planted;
A time to kill,
And a time to heal;
A time to break down,
And a time to build up;
A time to weep,
And a time to laugh;
A time to mourn,
And a time to dance;
A time to cast away stones,
And a time to gather stones;
A time to embrace,
And a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to gain,
And a time to lose;
A time to keep,
And a time to throw away;
A time to tear,
And a time to sew;
A time to keep silence,
And a time to speak;
A time to love,
And a time to hate;
A time of war,
And a time of peace.
What profit has the worker from that in which he labors? I have seen the God-given task with which the sons of men are to be occupied. He has made everything beautiful in its time.
Calling
Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began, 2 Timothy 1:8-9
Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; 2 Peter 1:10
Anxious
“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. Matthew 6:34
Deny
Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him 1.deny himself, and 2.take up his cross, and 3.follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works. Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.”
Matthew 16:24-28
Through Him
“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. John 15:5
I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.” Psalm 16:2
I can do all this through him who gives me strength. Philippians 4:13
And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. James 1:17
Legacy
My dad got saved when I was around a year old. He was 31. He began helping in the bus ministry at a Nazarene church in Bedford, Ohio- the church he was saved in. The bus ministry was very popular back in the day. Often parents would send their kids to church each Sunday by having them picked up by the church bus. Their kids would get saved and the parents would begin going to church and get saved as well.
3 years after dad got saved, He felt called into the ministry. Dad wasn’t completely certain He was called, so he made the decision to fast and pray. He ended up fasting and praying for 3 days before he realized through the witness of the Holy Spirit that He was for certain called to preach and become a pastor.
I suppose if you are looking at the possibility of selling your home, quitting your job, and leaving your comfortable lifestyle, perhaps you’d better make sure it was a “God” thing.
We did just that. Dad left his managerial job at a steel mill, and we sold our home. We moved to the small village in Lexington, Ohio, where dad pastored his first church while going to college. We lived in the church parsonage. It’s a home owned by the church. I could tell you story after story of God’s provision and blessings over the coming years as I grew up in a “parsonage family.” I could also tell you story after story of lives changed, people saved, and God working in situation after situation.
Mom and dad taught me what it means to be completely centered in the will of God and what it took to get there. I’m so thankful for God’s reminder today.
Thank you, Lord, for my parent’s legacy.
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:1-2
Go Forward
Deuteronomy 1:6
The Lord our God said to us in Horeb, “You have stayed long enough at this mountain.”
Exodus 14:15
The Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward.”
Proverbs 16:3
Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.
Redemption
In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.
Ephesians 1:7-12
Keep Unity
As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.
Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.
Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
Ephesians 4:1-6
Give cheerfully
But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.
2 Corinthians 9:6