NOTICE: The following
article is written by the author itself and not by me, I am not trying to
violate their copyright. I will give some information on them.
PAGE TITLE: CBN Daily Devotional
ARTICLE
TITLE:
Is Jesus Your Genie?
DATE: N.A
AUTHOR: Brad Henry
AUTHOR
INFORMATION: Brad
Henry was 13 when he witnessed his dad die of a heart attack. It would be over
25 years before Brad came back to church. After 25 years Brad could see that he
had left God, but God had never left that little boy. Now the Lord gives Brad
the gift to write. “I know it has to be God writing them because I am ADD and
Dyslexic”. Brad lives with his wife Julie and two sons, Bryce and Chase, in
Huntersville, NC. You can read more of Brad’s Devotions at The Ultimate Decision.
URL: http://www.cbn.com/spirituallife/devotions/Henry-is-jesus-your-genie.aspx
& http://www.cbn.com/spirituallife/devotions/Henry-is-jesus-your-genie.aspx?option=print
 |
| Brad Henry |
Daily Devotion
Is Jesus Your Genie?
By
Brad Henry
Guest Writer
Most
of you know the folklore of a Genie in a bottle. You rub the bottle and then
you have three wishes. (Of course the first wish I would like is to have a
thousand more wishes.) A lot of you right now may be thinking that this is
horrible to write about Jesus in this way. But in reality many of us want Jesus
to be OUR Genie. A lot of times our prayers are for something to happen right
now! And if our prayers are not answered right away we either get mad or lose
hope and faith.
Most
of the time God allows prayers to take time so we get to know God. We seek when
we don’t have an answer. We keep asking. We keep praying. We keep wondering;
and through days, months, or even years a relationship is built. If your answer
was immediate, there would not be a need for a relationship.
“My
son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your
ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and if you call out for
insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver
and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of
the Lord and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom, and from his
mouth come knowledge and understanding. He holds victory in store for the
upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, for he guards the
course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones.” Proverbs
2:1-8 NIV
This
is a relationship. Hidden treasure is not found overnight. But any treasure
hunter will tell you that it is as much fun trying to find the treasure as it
is uncovering it. Not for us though. Most of us will not be happy until we
finally see the new job, extra money in the bank, a new________ or_________.
Why can’t we enjoy the journey? Why can’t we enjoy the presence and a
relationship with God when things are rough or when we are in the middle of a
desert? It is because we want God to be a Genie and to get us out of the mess
right away.
If
you look back at all your close relationships chances are those relationships
were bonded when you had to go through tough times together. God has the same
and perfect plan for you right now. Don’t become bitter when things are tough,
when you have been diagnosed with a terrible disease, when you lose a job, or
lose what is very precious to you. If God were to give you everything you asked
for then He would be your slave, not your God.
Jesus
was God in the flesh who left the glorious realms of heaven to come and feel
sin even though he did not sin. Then God turned His back on Jesus as God cannot
look at sin when Jesus was on the cross. That is love, that is a relationship,
and that is redemption. Today you may want pain and suffering to go away right
now. While it is OK to keep praying for that, please use this as a time to get
to know the ONLY one in the world who loves YOU unconditionally.
Jesus
is out to get you - but not in the way you think. At times we think that God
has been so mad at us that we can’t be forgiven. But the opposite is true.
Jesus loves us enough to get
us because He loves us! Don't believe the lies of the devil. Jesus
loves us too much to fill the role of a genie. Look to God; give Him your
praise no matter what storm you are going through. Then that relationship which
passes all understanding will flourish. Then and only then will peace flood
your soul.
No comments:
Post a Comment