I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is ONE body and ONE Spirit, just as you were called in ONE hope of your calling; ONE Lord, ONE faith, ONE baptism; ONE God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
Richard Craig, Author at GraceAndWorks - Page 41 of 60
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. To Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
Let, I pray, Your merciful kindness be for my comfort. According to Your word to Your servant. Let Your tender mercies come to me, that I might live; For Your law is my delight.
My son, keep sound wisdom and discretion; let them not escape from your sight, and they will be life for your soul and adornment for your neck. Then you will walk on your way securely and your foot will not stumble.
Agree with God, and be at peace; thereby good will come to you. Receive instruction from His mouth, and lay up His words in your heart.
We have all been told “Good Luck” many times. Going for an interview for a new job–“Good Luck”, looking for a new house–“Good Luck”, getting married–“Good Luck” and it goes on and on. But what does it REALLY mean to have “Good Luck?” It’s been said luck is what you make of it.
Luck by definition: A force that brings good fortune or adversity. Being lucky means: Fortuitous, Having good luck, Happening by chance. So–What is “Good Luck?”
Opportunity by definition: Suitable or convenient for a particular occurrence. A favorable juncture of circumstances; a good chance for advancement or progress. Now draw a horizontal line on a piece of paper.
Prepare by definition: To make ready; to procure as suitable or necessary; PROVIDE; To get ready, to arrange things in readiness. Preparation is the action or process of making something ready for use or service. Now draw a vertical line on the paper, intersecting the horizontal line.
Faith is the assurance of things hoped for. the conviction of things not seen. For this article I want to narrow this to faith in oneself. You have the horizontal and vertical lines intersecting, now draw a circle around the intersection, we’ll call that a dome and that dome is faith in yourself.
Where opportunity intersects with preparation, we’ll call that “Good Luck.” You see, if you are prepared, and an opportunity shows itself, “Good Luck” is created. If you are not prepared, you can’t take advantage of an opportunity.
Now for “Luck is what you make of it”, let’s take that intersection of preparation and opportunity and put the dome over it, so now we have an all encompassing faith covering the opportunities we can take advantage of. The conclusion is, “Luck” had nothing to do with what happens to you, you have full control. Are you prepared and do you have the faith to take advantage of the opportunities of life?
I want to take a look at some examples God gives us to help make more sense of this. Jeremiah was summoned by God at an early age to give a speech later on in his life. He told God he was too young. God put the words, to be said, in Jeremiah’s mouth. God prepared him, so when the opportunity came to give the speech, Jeremiah had no problems. What really carried him was his overall faith in God. Preparation + Opportunity + Faith In Self = Success.
God went to Noah to build an ark. God gave Noah the exact plan of what He wanted Noah to do. Noah had an opportunity and God prepared him, then Noah’s faith covered the rest. Preparation + Opportunity + Faith In Self = Success.
When Christ’s church was established on the day of Pentecost, Peter preached to the multitudes. God had prepared Peter on what to say and when the opportunity showed, Peter was able to succeed. The multitudes asked, “What shall we do?” Peter said, “Repent AND be Baptized’, and 3000 souls were saved that day. Preparation + Opportunity + Faith In Self = Success.
The whole point of this story is for you/me to always have Faith in ourselves and be prepared for what ever situation we find ourselves in and be able to take advantage of any opportunity. God will give us the Faith we need. God has given us His written Word to prepare us. Now we can take advantage of the opportunity, which is Heaven.
When someone says, “Good Luck” to you, you now know what it means!! Peter didn’t need it, Noah didn’t need it, Jeremiah didn’t need it and you certainly don’t need it.
For if we sin deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful prospect of judgement, and a fury of fire which will consume the adversaries.
Save me, O God, by thy name, and vindicate me by thy might. Hear my prayer, O God; give ear to the words of my mouth.
“Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your doings from before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; defend the fatherless, plead for the widow.”
Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgement, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.
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