Tuesday, May 31, 2016

Cycles - Now Think On This Steve Martin


Cycles

Now Think On This
Steve Martin


A man has joy by the answer of his mouth, and a word spoken in due season, how good it is!” (Proverbs 15:23, NKJV)


All around us there are cycles. The nightly sky typically glows with the light of the moon, which completes a full cycle from a new moon to a full moon in 29.5 days. The Hebrew or Jewish calendar is based on this, these lunisolar phases, giving the Jews a consistent basis for anticipating feasts and regular days of consistent life.

New years come and go. We count on them to bring the completion of one year, bringing hope for a better one to come, and maybe start over in certain aspects in our lives. According to the Julian calendar, every 365 days that specific cycle comes full circle.

“You made the moon to mark the seasons, and the sun knows when to set. You bring darkness, and it is night, the time when all forest animals prowl. The young lions roar after their prey and seek their food from God. The sun rises, they slink away and lie down to rest in their dens; while people go out to their work, laboring on till evening.

What variety there is in your works, Adonai! How many [of them there are]! In wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full of your creations. (Psalm 104:19-24 Complete Jewish Bible)

In most climates of the earth, we have the four seasons. Spring, summer, fall and winter bring new life, new growth and new creation before the annual cycle completes its life with “death” or hibernation settling in for months, before it starts all over again. For many, this continual cycle is very refreshing, bringing the newness of flourishing green, yellow, red, and all colors of the rainbow in vegetation and bird life, as the cycle repeats itself.

Certainly our God is a God of cycles. With so many examples in the natural, we can expect to find them also in the spiritual.

“However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural; then the spiritual. The first man is from the earth, earthy; the second man is from heaven. As is the earthy, so also are those who are earthy; and as is the heavenly, so also are those who are heavenly. Just as we have borne the image of the earthy, we will also bear the image of the heavenly.” (1 Corinthians 15:46-49 NASU)

Often I have been amazed at these spiritual cycles. I have written of them over my years, and can clearly see seven year markers on this life timeline. I can go back in my spiritual walk and map the years based on these seven year increments, seeing major highlights and milestones that the Lord Jesus had established and planned through them, believing they were assigned even before my birth.

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations." (Jeremiah 1:5, NASU)

At times I need to remind myself of these cycles, believing that even while I am yet in the middle of another one, finding myself once again wondering if the completion of expectations will yet come soon, that the past promises fulfilled can be a foretelling proof of the future ones also being prophetically fulfilled. In the proper time of course.

You too can count on the Almighty God to bring completion of cycles in your life. Whether you are in the beginning, middle or end of your current spiritual one, the hope placed within can see you through to the circle being completed, with new life brought forth once again. As we keep our eyes on the Lord, our Eternal Hope, Author and Finisher of our faith, certainly we can stand on solid ground, and see dreams and visions come to fruition. In His time it shall be so.

Be glad that the Creator of all, Who has set in motion consistent cycles in your natural and spiritual life, will surely come through once again in your life through these spiritual cycles. We can count on Him to do it. He is Faithful and True.

Persevere to the end. You will see the cycle's completion, and rejoice in His love, wisdom and provision.

Now think on this,

Steve Martin
Founder
Love For His People, Inc.


P.S. I would be most grateful if you'd share this encouraging word with your family and friends. They might need it. You can easily use the social media icons below. Thanks! Steve

We are blessed when the ministry receives gifts to support the families that we do, primarily in Israel, India, Pakistan and the hurting ones here in the USA. You also can share out of the abundance you have been given.

Love For His People, Inc. is a charitable, not-for-profit USA humanitarian organization started in 2010 to share the love of the Father in the nations.


If these messages minister to you, please consider sending a charitable gift of $5-$25 today, and maybe each month, to help us bless families we know in Israel, whom we consistently help through our humanitarian ministry. Your tax deductible contributions receive a receipt for each donation. Fed. ID #27-1633858.

Click here for safe ONLINE GIFT GIVING THROUGH OUR WEBSITE using major credit cards: Love For His People. If you don't have a PayPal account you can also use your credit card or bank account (where available). 

Contribution checks can be sent to: 
Love For His People, Inc.  P.O. Box414   Pineville, NC 28134

Todah rabah! (Hebrew – Thank you very much.)
Please share Now Think On This with your friends.

Email: loveforhispeople@gmail.com  
martinlighthouse@gmail.com

Facebook pages: Steve Martin and  Love For His People  
Twitter: martinlighthous, LovingHisPeople 

Full website: Love For His People

Now Think On This - In the New Year of our Lord 05.29.16 - #258 –“Cycles” – Sunday at 12:15 pm

All previous editions of Now Think On This can be found on this Blog, and on the website: Now Think On This




Again, I would be most grateful if you'd share this encouraging word with your family and friends. You can easily use the social media icons below. Thanks! Steve

Thursday, May 19, 2016

Being Faithful - Now Think On This by Steve Martin


Being Faithful
Now Think On This
Steve Martin


“Preserve my life, for I am faithful; save your servant, who puts his trust in you because you are my God.” (Psalm 86:2, Complete Jewish Bible)


Ever feel like being faithful is tough? I guess if it wasn’t, then everyone would be faithful. Just by looking around you can easily see that that isn’t happening.

There are days when being faithful can be real weary. Often we are going upstream, as the world flows in the opposite direction. That in and of itself makes us worn out often. We are tempted to back off, back down, or let it go. Standing for what is right, resisting the ungodly ways of the people, in and of itself tends to drag us down. But we must continue to be faithful to the Lord and His ways.

King David prayed often for strength - to resist the enemy, to achieve victory, and to be an overcomer. He continually put his trust in the Lord, declaring to himself and others that the God of Israel was his God. Therefore his trust placed in the right direction, upward, enabled him to be the faithful servant that he was. He had learned through the temptations, trials and circumstances that God was faithful; therefore his trust in Him would bring the ability for himself to be faithful.

Doing the daily tasks we are called to do requires us to keep pressing on. The repeated jobs, day after day, can seem mundane and purposeless sometimes, especially if we see no movement forward in our lives. Caring for children, maintaining a household, showing up every day for the assigned work - week in and week out – bring constant pressures and stress, working on our minds, bodies and spirits. If it wasn’t for the grace of the Lord Jesus, we would end up overdosed, over drugged, and over worked, even as the masses already are. Therefore we must constantly keep our eyes and hearts fixed on Him, as it says in Hebrews.

“…fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” (Hebrews 12:2-3 NASU)

Be encouraged that you will make it, you will be rewarded, and you will see the Lord’s end purposes as you continue to be faithful in your daily walk. We are on the winning side.

Now think on this,

Steve Martin
Founder
Love For His People, Inc.


P.S. I would be most grateful if you'd share this encouraging word with your family and friends. They might need it. You can easily use the social media icons below. Thanks! Steve

We are blessed when the ministry receives gifts to support the families that we do, primarily in Israel, India, Pakistan and the hurting ones here in the USA. You also can share out of the abundance you have been given.

Love For His People, Inc. is a charitable, not-for-profit USA humanitarian organization started in 2010 to share the love of the Father in the nations.

If these messages minister to you, please consider sending a charitable gift of $5-$25 today, and maybe each month, to help us bless families we know in Israel, whom we consistently help through our humanitarian ministry. Your tax deductible contributions receive a receipt for each donation. Fed. ID #27-1633858.

Click here for safe ONLINE GIFT GIVING THROUGH OUR WEBSITE using major credit cards: Love For His People. If you don't have a PayPal account you can also use your credit card or bank account (where available). 

Contribution checks can be sent to: 
Love For His People, Inc.  P.O. Box414   Pineville, NC 28134

Todah rabah! (Hebrew – Thank you very much.)
Please share Now Think On This with your friends.

Email: loveforhispeople@gmail.com  
martinlighthouse@gmail.com

Facebook pages: Steve Martin and  Love For His People  
Twitter: martinlighthous, LovingHisPeople 

Full website: Love For His People

Now Think On This - In the New Year of our Lord 05.18.16 - #257 –“Being Faithful” – Wednesday at 5:30 pm

All previous editions of Now Think On This can be found on this Blog, and on the website: Now Think On This




Again, I would be most grateful if you'd share this encouraging word with your family and friends. You can easily use the social media icons below. Thanks! Steve

Some feedback posted on Google+: Pamela  shared your blog post on Google+
Hi Steve, as always with your teaching I am uplifted and refreshed. After a challenging two weeks on the mission fields this particular message is so much appreciated Steve in my pausing to refresh.