IF ONLY...

Behold, I stand at the door and

knock, IF anyone hears My voice

and opens the door, I will come in

to him and dine with him, and he with me.

Revelatiion 3:20

I, like my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ am a sinner saved by the wonderful grace of God. We all have our flaws that our loving Father helps us through. I think we all have our IF ONLY moments. The IF times in my life are difficult. I have used those two words especially over the last couple of years, to beat up on myself.

IF is a very small word but is huge in it's meaning and influence. Some have said that IF is one of the most powerful words in our vocabulary. It's almost a bargaining word that.... IF I do this or that, this or that will happen. It's also a word we trip on when going through self-condemning times in our lives.

This word is rarely used for the here and now. IF can take us back to times we feel we should have made different decisions and didn't. IF is also a word that speaks of the future. In this way, we use the word in a bargaining way, hoping for the best IF all goes well.

For me, an IF that looks toward my future indicates a lack of faith and trust in God Who has everything under control and Who knows His plan for me every moment of every day. His decisions may not be what I would want, but my faith must be strong enough to trust God and not myself. When will we ever learn that we are not in charge. When will be come to know that IF we just trust God for our future days, His peace will be ours in abundance with no IF's, AND's or BUT's considered.

Father, thank You for just putting up with me when my faith wavers and I don't trust You with my past, present or future. Help me to use the word IF correctly and with full confidence in Your will for my life. In Jesus' name...Amen