January 27, 2018

The Shepherd's Corner

[:en]THE SHEPHERD’S CORNER

One of the men God has used to mold my life is Dan Bice. It was he who invited me to join a discipleship group when I was in college. And, it was he who saw the potential in me to be a speaker—long before I was even remotely aware of it. I thank God for placing him in my life especially in times of crises and confusion.

I am sure we all have people that we can thank God for placing them in our lives in the right time and place. We usually categorize them as “blessings” by virtue of the fact that God has used them to bring blessings into our lives. They have made our lives better.

Nonetheless, to bless us God does not only bring this type of persons into our lives. At times He brings the exact opposite—people who make our lives miserable, or at least unpleasant. Simply put, they have made our lives not better, but bitter.

Oswald Chambers has something to say about this, “The things we cannot touch are not things for us to pout over, but things for us to accept as God’s providential order for us. As natural men, we are not inclined to like the things God makes. At certain stages of our life we prefer the friends we make to our God-made relations . . . “

You see, there are friends that we make and they are usually the kind that is like us and like us. But, there are friends that God makes for us. They are generally not the type that is like us and like us. But, in God’s good will, God placed them here with us for a purpose. As Chambers says, don’t pout over it, just accept it. You see, God knows us best; in fact He knows what is best for us. Our preference may be good for us but it may not be best for us. He knows exactly the kind of people that will bring out the best in us.

Pastor Paul[:id]THE SHEPHERD’S CORNER

One of the men God has used to mold my life is Dan Bice. It was he who invited me to join a discipleship group when I was in college. And, it was he who saw the potential in me to be a speaker—long before I was even remotely aware of it. I thank God for placing him in my life especially in times of crises and confusion.

I am sure we all have people that we can thank God for placing them in our lives in the right time and place. We usually categorize them as “blessings” by virtue of the fact that God has used them to bring blessings into our lives. They have made our lives better.

Nonetheless, to bless us God does not only bring this type of persons into our lives. At times He brings the exact opposite—people who make our lives miserable, or at least unpleasant. Simply put, they have made our lives not better, but bitter.

Oswald Chambers has something to say about this, “The things we cannot touch are not things for us to pout over, but things for us to accept as God’s providential order for us. As natural men, we are not inclined to like the things God makes. At certain stages of our life we prefer the friends we make to our God-made relations . . . “

You see, there are friends that we make and they are usually the kind that is like us and like us. But, there are friends that God makes for us. They are generally not the type that is like us and like us. But, in God’s good will, God placed them here with us for a purpose. As Chambers says, don’t pout over it, just accept it. You see, God knows us best; in fact He knows what is best for us. Our preference may be good for us but it may not be best for us. He knows exactly the kind of people that will bring out the best in us.

Pastor Paul[:]

More Shepherd's Corner Articles

The Shepherd's Corner - June 21, 2015
THE SHEPHERD’S CORNER Like many other things in life, fathering is not an exact science. There are rules to follow but abiding by these rules do not necessarily guarantee the expected results. Conversely, violating these rules do not always bring about negative results. Gordon MacDonald, current c...
Read More
The Shepherd's Corner - March 24, 2024
In his book, Maps of Meaning, Jordan Peterson writes, “Something we cannot see protects us from something we do not understand.”  I cannot agree more.  God knows that we are not as ready as we think we are in knowing something.  He knows that knowing before our time might prove to...
Read More
The Shepherd's Corner - August 14, 2022
These past several weeks have been difficult for us as a church. We have lost three dear members: Tante Gwie, Tante Agnes, and Tante Daisy. We know that they are now in their True Home, but we still miss them. You see, death is always personal because each person is always somebody’s mother or fat...
Read More