“Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.” (Matt. 18:19)

Over the years Susan and I have claimed this agreement promise in many situations.

Recently, we were considering a large purchase and had the amount we wanted to pay for it set aside in the bank. Then we found the item, but it was a couple of thousand dollars higher than what we had agreed together to pay for it. So, we prayed together once again and said, “God, we have agreed on the amount we want to pay for this item, and we have that money set aside. If this is the correct purchase for us, let us know by providing the extra money in unexpected ways. In Jesus Name, Amen.”

Then we waited

If this was the item for us, the money would come. If it wasn't for us, the money wouldn't come, and we'd keep looking for it elsewhere to become available at our agreed on price.

The answer came in two parts

First, we got a phone call from our insurance company saying they were returning to us $1,000 that we'd paid earlier to them as a deductible on a claim for damage which had occurred during a power surge. They said the power company had unexpectedly decided to take care of the deductible amount. So, they were returning it to us!

Second, we called to double check the price of the item we wanted and they told us they decided to reduce the price by $1,000!

So, we had our answer! We made the purchase with complete confidence.

“Now may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus.” (Rom. 15:5)

“From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their habitations. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us.” (Acts 17:26-27)

Home and neighborhood one

When Susan and I were first married we lived in a new single-wide trailer in a beautiful tree-filled park next to a picturesque duck pond. It was perfect and we loved it. We were very happy and content there. Then Susan’s father saw a documentary on television about trailer fires. It scared him, so he presented us with a hand-full of papers to apply for a home loan. We loved where we lived and didn't think we needed to move, but we completed the paperwork anyway in order to please him.

Home and neighborhood two

In complete surprise we were approved for the loan and found ourselves in a brand new home in a new neighborhood. We lived there happily for several years.

Home and neighborhood three

When we had our fourth child, it became obvious to us that we needed a larger home. We looked for months and nothing seemed right, so we stopped looking. Then, a friend we knew casually mentioned that his family had just decided to sell their home. We went to see it and It was perfect for us. We bought it and still live there today!

We could tell that God had led us to each home and neighborhood location!

Each location brought us into new relationships with productive ministry. God put the right connections together so that the right things could happen at exactly the perfect times. We saw a number of our neighbors come to Christ, some into full time ministry,  and we could clearly see His hand in all of it.

It is no accident that we live when and where we do!

God has placed everyone in the world according to His perfect plan!

What we learn from acts 17:26-27 aboutWHEN, WHERE, and WHY we live on earth:

• God created all people from one man, Adam. “From one man he made all the nations.”
• To fill the earth. “That they should inhabit the whole earth.”
• He appointed when they should live. “He marked out their appointed times in history.”
• He appointed the exact places where they would live. “The boundaries of their habitations.”
• For His stated purpose of reaching them for Himself. “God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us.”

And, He even created us with certain abilities and talents to enable us to do His good work

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (Eph. 2:10)

“It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep.” (Psalm 127:2)

When I was a young kid I heard someone ask my older brother, David, if he ever worried about things. He said, “No. I don’t have to, because Mike worries enough for both of us!”

He was right!

I was a big worrier! I would lay awake at night worrying about anything and everything! Maybe it was because I was in the foster care system and tossed around from pillar to post. I had so much uncertainty in those days and it probably contributed to my tendency to worry. As I grew up I continued my worry habit and had trouble sleeping because of it. I would often lay awake at night worrying about things.

Eventually, I realized it did absolutely no good to stay awake worrying. It wouldn't change anything. All it did was make me tired and grumpy the following day and affected my ability to concentrate and work.

I found the answer in God’s promises

No need to worry and lose sleep because…

• God will take care of all my needs. (Phil. 4:19)
• I can boldly talk to God about anything and everything at any hour of the day or night. (Heb. 4:16)
• God will generously give me wisdom to handle anything. (James 1:5)
• I can give Him all my worries and cares! (Psalm 55:22)
• God will work all things out for my good. (Rom. 8:28)
• God will give me direction when I need guidance. (Prov. 3:5-6)
• God is my rock and fortress. (Psalm 31:3)
• God’s Angels encamp around me. (Psalm 34:7)
• God will give me sleep. (Psalm 127:2)

Therefore...  

“In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.” (Psalm 4:8)

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1

When I was a teenager, I spent a couple of wonderful Alaskan summers commercial fishing and living with Joe Redington, Sr., and his family. Those summers were Alaska at its best!

A note on the door

It began when I came home from the last day of school and found a note on the door telling me my parents had moved to California! They told me to go to Emard Cannery in Anchorage to meet Joe Redington. Working with Joe was a great experience and a privilege! Joe is an Alaskan legend and the “father” of the Iditarod dogsled races. I helped him feed his dogs and loved watching him practice dog sledding even in the summertime with sleds equipped with wheels!

Joe was a great mentor to me and taught me a lot.

He and his family lived in a big house next to Flathorn Lake where they lived completely off the grid. No electricity, no running water, no indoor plumbing, but we didn't miss any of it! We collected seagull eggs, hunted and fished. I helped him deliver groceries and supplies to folks out in the wilderness. On long Alaskan summer days we commercial fished in Cook Inlet until we had a full load of salmon. Then we made the long twelve-hour trip to Emard Cannery in Anchorage to deliver our load.

I lost my footing

One day, when we had a big load of fish and were about halfway across Cook Inlet, we stopped for a rest and dropped anchor. Joe went below to take a nap and I was alone upside. Part of my job was to keep the fish from drying out. I hauled up sea water with a bucket on a rope. This time, as soon as I lowered the bucket over the edge into the water, it filled up, but I lost my footing and the weight of it pulled me overboard! My hip boots instantly filled with water and dragged me down even more. My boots stuck to my legs and I couldn’t get them off. I couldn't swim with them! I was quickly running out of air.

Then I felt something grab me by the top of my hood and pull me up to the surface, and then back onto the boat! It was Joe! Joe told me he had just awakened from his nap. He came onto the deck just in time to see me disappear under the water. He was able to grab the gaff-pole to reach for me. It was miraculous that he came on deck at exactly the moment he did and was able to snag the top of my hood. It was a miracle!

God is the God of perfect timing!

“God sends Angels to minister to them who will be heirs of salvation.” (Heb. 1:14)

“My times are in Your hands – deliver me . . .” (Ps. 31:15)

“You are my hiding place; you will preserve me from trouble.”(Ps. 32:7a)

“He reveals the deep things of darkness and brings utter darkness into the light.” (Job 12:22)

Before I had personally prayed to commit my life to Jesus I had been attending church on Sunday mornings with the family I was living with. I wasn't interested in religious things really, and was only going to church because I felt duty bound to do so because they were committed to it.

A simple prayer changed everything!

Then, one Friday afternoon while driving, I prayed a simple heartfelt prayer and asked Jesus to come into my life and help me. I had been struggling with alcohol and prayed the simple prayer in a fit of desperation. Afterwards, I felt a great sense of relief.

The following Sunday I was back in the same church as usual, but something was very different! The pastor seemed to be preaching much better and clearer than before! He was interesting! I could understand what he was talking about! I enjoyed it! Afterwards, I complimented him on his “new and improved” style of preaching. I told him I was glad he changed his preaching style and hoped he continued to preach this way instead of the boring way he usually did. He just looked at me and said, “Mike! I haven't changed! I spoke exactly the same way I always do! So, if it isn't me, something obviously must have changed with you!” I then remembered that I had prayed to invite Jesus into to my life.”

The light had come on with me!

Jesus is “the light of the world” and after I had received him, he brought his light into my life. That's why I was suddenly different. I was a new creation in Jesus! I had come to see the light!

“When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’” (John 8:12 NIV)

Love God first with all your heart! 

“I have come that they may have life, and have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10)

Other translations say, “full life” or “satisfying life.” Whether the words in the verse are abundant, full or satisfying, the meaning is really about achieving the kind of life that Jesus intends for you to have -  a life that reflects what He has created you for.

The average lifetime

In his book, In an average lifetime, Tom Heymann says the average American spends 3 years in business meetings, 13 years watching TV, Spends $89,281 on food, consumes 109,354 pounds of food, Makes 1,811trips to McDonald's, Spends $6,881 in vending machines, Eats 35,138 cookies and 1,483 pounds of candy, Catches 304 colds, Is involved in 6 motor vehicle accidents, is hospitalized 8 times (men) or 12 times (women), and spends 24 years sleeping.

Wow! That is amazing! But, I really don't think his list describes the “abundant life” Jesus was talking about in John 10:10. That kind of life is very fulfilling, satisfying, or simply put, it’s happy.

Many get it wrong

There has been, and continues to be, a mountain of opinion, ideas, and instruction on the subject of achieving one’s potential, personal fulfillment and finding happiness. Humanistic psychologists put forth the idea that “self-actualization (the fulfillment of self through reaching one's potential) is the highest expression of a human's life.” Wrong!

Elevating one’s self won't do it for you

In contrast to the so called self actualization stuff which teach us to elevate the SELF and to place our own wants and desires in the first place of importance in our lives, we have the following instruction from Jesus Christ:

“Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment, And the second is like it: Love your neighbour as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.’” (Matt. 22: 37-40).

In other words

The answer is not about SELF, but it's about others, beginning with God first, and then your neighbor next. You already love yourself, and that's why Jesus says to love others as you love yourself.

Put God first, and He will take care of the rest

 "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you." (Matt. 6:33)

I read in the newspaper this morning that the governor of our state just gave a full pardon to a long time prisoner. Now, that prisoner will be set free. His criminal records will be expunged as though they never existed. His slate will be completely clean. He is now a free man with a new beginning.

This is a picture of what happens when a person becomes “born again” as stated in the Bible in John 3:3 and 1 Peter 1:23.

A new creation

The Bible says it very clearly this way: “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (2 Cor. 5:17)

Declared righteous

At the moment a person becomes “born again,” God completely forgives their past! He no longer remembers their past sins as though they never happened! He then declares them to be a righteous person!

“Therefore, since we have been declared righteous by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Rom. 5:1)

“Much more then, since we have now been declared righteous by His blood, we will be saved through Him from wrath. For if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, then how much more, having been reconciled, will we be saved by His life! And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.” (Rom. 5:9-11)

Benefits for the righteous

There are wonderful benefits for the righteous in the form of God’s promises! Look what the Bible says about the righteous person.

“The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green, proclaiming, ‘The Lord is upright; he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him.’” (Psalm 92:12-15)

They will

• Flourish like a palm tree
• Grow like a cedar of Lebanon
• Be planted in the house of the Lord
• Flourish in he courts of our God
• Bear fruit in old age
• Stay fresh
• Stay green
• Proclaim great truths about the Lord:

"The Lord is upright”

“He is my rock”

“There is no wickedness in Him”

Claim the above promises for yourself!

They are for those who are saved. For those who have believed and confessed Jesus as their savior.

“That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” (Rom. 10:9-10)

“The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.” (Lam 3:25)

Timing is important! 

“Timing is so important! If you are going to be successful in dance, you must be able to respond to rhythm and timing. It’s the same in the Spirit. People who don’t understand God’s timing can become spiritually spastic, trying to make the right things happen at the wrong time. They don’t get His rhythm – and everyone can tell they are out of step. They birth things prematurely, threatening the very lives of their God-given dreams.” – T. D. Jakes

Let your heart take courage

“Wait for the LORD; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the LORD.” (Psalm 27:14)

“But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary.” (Isaiah 49:31)

“Wait for the Lord and keep his way, and he will exalt you to inherit the land; you will look on when the wicked are cut off.” (Psalm 37:34)

Not laziness

“Waiting for God is not laziness. Waiting for God is not going to sleep. Waiting for God is not the abandonment of effort. Waiting for God means, first, activity under command; second, readiness for any new command that may come; third, the ability to do nothing until the command is given.”—G. Campbell Morgan

And finally this …

"Frank wasn't known for his patience, and he had absolutely no use for negative conversation. When he got a call from his wife during a busy day at work, she talked slowly and didn't seem very upbeat. Frank interrupted her and exhorted her to be brief and positive. She paused for a moment and then cheerfully replied, 'I discovered the airbags in our new BMW work great!'" 

“Not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” (Heb. 10:25

You need others!

We all do! And as you get closer to the “Day approaching” you are going to need Christian brothers and sisters for encouragement and support! That is a huge reason to be a part of a solid fellowship of believers, a church.

“Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace.” (1 Peter 4:8-10)

“Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”(Gal. 6:2)

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” (Col. 3:16)