Tag Archives: many blessings

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – God Rewards Obedience

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Charles Stanley

Luke 5:1-11

An ordinary fisherman became one of the chief builders of the early church because he was obedient. Simon Peter made a lifelong commitment to follow Jesus Christ and received many blessings as a result.

After an unsuccessful night at sea, Peter was weary and discouraged. Yet when Jesus asked to borrow his boat, he agreed. And when the carpenter suggested the fisherman put out nets for a catch, Peter did so against his better judgment. His obedience led to huge financial gain, and even better, he saw Jesus for who He was—the Lord.

Just as his nets expanded with the overflowing catch, Peter’s faith also grew large that day. He was so confident of Jesus’ sovereignty that he laid down the tools of his trade and became a “fisher of men” (vv. 10-11). And rewards continued to come his way: as Christ’s disciple, Peter spent time with the Lord and performed miracles in His name (Acts 9:33-42).

Obedience was Peter’s lifestyle—when the Lord told him to do something, he didn’t delay (Matt. 16:15-17). He understood who Jesus was and helped establish the church on the rock-solid foundation of Christ’s Messiahship. Peter preached at Pentecost (Acts 2:14-36), opened Christianity to Gentiles (11:1-18), and wrote two biblical epistles—all of which are additional rewards for his faithfulness.

Believers sometimes shy away from following Jesus wholeheartedly, wondering, How can He use someone so average? Peter’s life proves that the Lord equips those He calls. And when an ordinary believer faithfully obeys, God rewards.

 

 

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — Too Blessed

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Our Daily Bread

Psalm 107:1-8

Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men! —Psalm 107:8

On my daily commute to and from the office, I have plenty of time for reading—bumper stickers on cars, that is. Some are surly, others clever, and still others downright distasteful. One bumper sticker I saw recently, however, gently challenged my heart about the way I often engage life. The sticker simply said, “Too blessed to complain.”

I must confess that I felt convicted as I pondered those words. Too often I find myself lamenting moments in life that don’t go my way, rather than focusing on the wonderful gifts my heavenly Father has given me. Reading that simple message that day brought me a renewed commitment to be more actively and intentionally grateful because my God has been good to me in more ways than I could ever count.

Psalm 107 is a song that seeks to rectify thankless thinking. The psalmist (who many think was King David) makes a plea to hearts grown cold with ingratitude, repeating four times, “Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men!” (vv.8,15,21,31). Even in the worst of times, we have much to be thankful for. May we learn to thank God for His goodness to us! —Bill Crowder

Count your blessings—name them one by one;

Count your blessings—see what God hath done;

Count your blessings—name them one by one;

Count your many blessings—see what God hath done. —Oatman

We don’t need more to be thankful for, we just need to be more thankful.

Bible in a year: Psalms 35-36; Acts 25