No Strings Attached

by | Inspirational, Tuesdays With Tracy

“He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?”  Romans 8:32

Our culture today tells us to: “Look out for #1, don’t trust anyone and I’ll scratch your back, if you scratch mine.”   What people don’t realize is that this type of living is fear-based.  1 Timothy 1:7 tells us that God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. Fear encourages us to horde, withhold and to only give with strings attached.  But as children of God, we are able to freely give because our Father in heaven freely gave His son, Jesus on the cross for us. 

Giving with no strings attached is freedom not only for you, but also for the person to whom you are giving the gift, because there is no form of control or manipulation involved.  Giving freely is under the covenant of grace, but giving with strings attached is under the law.  Nothing can hold us captive if we can freely give with no strings attached.  No position, amount of money, title, or status symbol can have control over us if we are able to freely give.

I want to encourage you to bless someone today and when you give to him or her, do it freely, expecting nothing in return. Maybe you can help someone pay a bill, pray for someone in a time of need or drop off some groceries to a person in need – just because!

The truth is, we can give with no stings attached because we can trust that our Father in heaven will always provide for us.  He will always take care of us in abundance.  Psalm 37:25-26 states, “I have been young, and now am old; Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, Nor his descendant begging bread.  He is ever merciful, and lends; and His descendants are blessed.”  You are not forgotten.  Trust in God and keep your eyes on Him.  He will bring whatever you need to pass as you freely give to others.  

Prayer:”Lord, thank you for loving me with no strings attached.  I am secure in the fact that You love me and have good plans for my life.  Help me to not give into fear, but allow Your power, love and a sound mind to change the way I think.  Show me someone who is in need today.  I choose to give freely because You gave freely to me.  I love you Jesus.  Amen.”

Trusting God At All Times

by | Inspirational, Tuesdays With Tracy

 

“For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord.  They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”  Jeremiah 29:11, NLT

It is one thing to say that we trust God, but it is another thing to trust Him during the darkest hours of our lives. Our faith is kind of like hand-selecting an orange to eat.  It may appear that we have picked a perfect orange, but we truly do not know the state of the fruit inside until the orange is either peeled or crushed.  We may think we trust God, but when our circumstances come crushing down on us, it is only then that we are truly aware of our level of faith in Him.

The truth is that I cannot boast of my faith in God, but I can boast in His faith in me.  Selah (pause and think about this for a moment).  Personally, I have found that the key to trusting God is for me to focus on Gods love and trust in me rather than my love and trust in Him.   Lets think about this for a moment, shall we?  God entrusted His only Son, Jesus to die on a cross for you and me.  He did this in order to regain relationship with us.  God loves us and John 3:16 clearly states that God so loved the world (you and me) that He gave His only begotten son that we might have eternal life.  When life hits us hard, we can trust in God because He loves us with an everlasting love.  Just let this truth sink in:  God loves me.  I can trust God during hard times simply because He loves me and God trusts me to carry His Presence wherever I go.

If you are struggling to trust God, be at rest my friend and begin to meditate on God’s love for you.  It is out of His love for you, that you can trust Him at all times.  He is a faithful father and everything you need this day.

Prayer:

“Lord, thank you for the cross.  Thank you for praying for me daily.  I long to trust You at all times.  Help me to fully understand the height and depth of your love for me.  I want to be still and know that You are God in my life.  I can boast in the fact that You love me and that my sins are covered in Your Blood.  I am the righteousness of God.  I love you Jesus and I will declare Your name to those I come into contact with this day.  Amen.”