What Does Ask of You? part 2

" ... what does the Lord your God ask of you but to ... walk in all his ways ... ."

(see Deuteronomy 10:12-13)

Consider Saul, the young man ... learned in Jewish law ... zealous for what he believed ... committed to the cause ... bold persecutor of Jesus.  After years of intense persecution of the church, initially referred to as the Way, Saul encountered Jesus on the road to Damascus.  The bright light blinded him as he fell to the ground.  Jesus asked "why are you persecuting me?"  (see Acts 9:4) Saul's Damascus road experience miraculously changed his heart and his very soul.  His zeal for the gospel of Christ was unwavering. His commitment to the cause of Jesus Christ was unshakeable.  This bold persecutor of Jesus became just as bold a warrior against the spiritual forces of evil.

Despite his years of intense persecution of the Christians, God used Saul mightily.  The spirit and actions of Saul used for bad, God changed, including his name to Paul, and used him for His good.  Paul's commission, his charge, his assignment was to evangelize the Gentile world, and to suffer much for the name of Jesus (see Acts 9:15-16).

Are you available to be used by God?  No matter what your past, God has a future for you.  Will you choose Jesus and His ways or choose to remain set on the world's ways?  How far away from home are you willing to travel? How much time are you willing to devote to a particular assignment?  How much of your personal finances will you devote to the work of ministry?  Will you stay focused no matter how great the challenges you face?  Are you, at times, ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ?  Will you stand for what's right when all around you choose not to do so?  Will you walk in all His ways?

 

What Does God Ask of You? part 1

"... what does the LORD your God ask of you but to ...

observe the LORD's commands and decrees ... ."

(see Deuteronomy 10:12-13)

Consider the prophet Jonah.  God commanded him to go up, i.e., to go north, to Nineveh and preach against it. Jonah, apparently realizing that if Nineveh repented, God would not punish them for their sins against His chosen people.  So what did Jonah do? He went down, i.e., south to Tarshish.  God said go up, Jonah went down.  God said go north, Jonah went south.

How have you been like Jonah?  In what way(s) has the spirit of Jonah overtaken you? What has God asked you to do that you have, in actuality, done just the opposite? Where has God told you to go and you have refused?  To whom has God asked you to witness and you have chosen not to?  What has God advised against, and you've done anyway?  When God has said YES, you've said NO.  When God has said NO, you've said YES.

What difficulties are in your way because of disobedience to God's commands?  What lack may you be experiencing due to not giving as God has asked?  What sickness and disease are in your body because of your choice to not properly care for it?  What door of opportunity have you chosen not to walk through?  What relationship(s) is out of order because of your disobedience to His decrees?

God has not changed.  The same obedience He required of Jonah then, He requires of you today.  Choose willingness and obedience so that you may eat the best of the land (see Isaiah 1:19).

Is Anything Too Hard for God?

"I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?"
Jeremiah 32:27

Have you ever felt overwhelmed by the issues of life? Ever felt that you were between a rock and a hard place?  Have your choices ever seemed like six in one hand, a half dozen in the other? Through the ages, so have other people of God thought and felt the same way.

In the 32nd chapter of Jeremiah, God tells his people that he has chosen Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, to take them captive, set the city of Jerusalem on fire, and burn it down. He lets them know they will be captive in a foreign land for 70 years. Even so, God promises to bring them back, let them live in safety, do them good, give them prosperity, restore their fortunes, and so much more. 

Remember that the same promises God made to those, His people, He makes to us today.  He does not change.  He cannot lie.  He is no respecter of persons. God wants you to know there is nothing too hard for Him.  There is nothing too difficult for Him.  There is nothing in your experience that God cannot handle. The answer you seek may not come when you want. It may not come in the way you think or desire.  But come it will, nothing is too hard for God.

What Kind of Body Are You Presenting?

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God,

that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice,

holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
Romans 12:1 KJV

During a recent blood drive sponsored by the health ministry at our church, nearly half the persons that presented to give were deferred because they didn't pass the hemoglobin test. It is my understanding that low hemoglobin may be due to low iron in the blood. These prospective donors presented bodies not acceptable for giving blood. In turn, the Red Cross staff provided information on foods and supplements to increase iron intake into their bodies. 

This raises the question, what kind of body are you presenting? What kind of body are you presenting to God today? What is your physical fitness quotient?  On a scale of 1-10, 10 high, what is your health rating? How physically fit are you?  How healthy are you?  Is your health rating of you the same as your doctor's health rating of you?  What actions, on your part, result in your rating?

Some things, like a low iron level, may seem insignificant in the scheme of things.  Of course, a low iron level or anemia may become the little fox that, overtime, spoils your health. So how do you keep the little foxes from spoiling your health?  I'm glad you asked.  Proper diet ... adequate water intake ... sleep and rest ... physical exercise all combine to keep the little foxes from spoiling your health.

 

And guess what? This is your reasonable service, to present your body a living sacrifice.

 

Cheerful Givers

" ... for God loves a cheerful giver."

2 Corinthians 9:7b

Are you a cheerful giver? Quickly you think, so what is a cheerful giver? Who is a cheerful giver?  Glad you asked.  A cheerful giver takes pleasure in giving ... prizes above other things the ability to give ... unwilling to not give ... absolutely refuses to not give ... gives from the heart ... prompt to give ... does not sit back and wait to give ... later is always now when giving ... takes joy in giving ... finds pleasure in giving ... eager to give ... among the first to give ... happy to give ... gives joyfully ... is a selfless giver.   Get the picture?  Understand more clearly?

So, are you a cheerful giver?  Giver of what you may be asking?  Giver of your finances in support of your local church,  ministry work, and kingdom building.  Giver of your gifts, talents, skills, abilities. Giver of your time. 

There are countless opportunities to cheerfully give kind words to your spouse, children, neighbors, co-workers, employers, supervisors, strangers.  Those kind words may be spoken in person or over the phone.  They may be written via text or e-mail or note card or letter. So many opportunities are before you to give a smile, a hug, a pat on the shoulder, a firm handshake, or a warm embrace.   Cheerfully give an act of kindness before being asked, randomly, small gifts or tokens of love, caring, concern, and encouragement. 

Cheerful giver, God loves you!!!

 

A Double Blessing To You

What do you offer to others when you greet them?  Hello?  How are you?  How's it going?  Is all well? What do others offer to you in greeting? Let's learn a lesson from the Apostle Paul, the writer of half the books in the New Testament.  In each of his letters, his greeting was not simply a blessing, but a double blessing.  Yes, a double blessing. Whether he addressed the letter to an individual as he did to Timothy, Titus, and Philemon, or to the various churches, Paul offered a double blessing.  Not only did he offer the double blessing as his greeting, he offered the same blessing to every church and to each of the individuals that he wrote.

What was the double blessing?  GRACE and PEACE, and that extended not from Paul but from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.   What might be the result if you extended the same double blessing to everyone that you encountered?  What was Paul saying as he wrote GRACE and PEACE? GRACE means God's unmerited favor, that which is undeserving, favor, goodwill, kindness, thanks, benefit.  PEACE means tranquility, quietness, the concept of Shalom, and more. 

Consider the law of sowing and reaping.  Sow the double blessing of  GRACE and PEACE into the lives of others.  Reap the double blessing of GRACE and PEACE in your own life.  Try it.  Why not? What do you have to lose? 

My double blessing to you … GRACE and PEACE!!!

Nothing New Under the Sun

What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again;

 there is nothing new under the sun.  Ecclesiastes 1:9

These words are attributed to King Solomon who lived more than 900 years before Jesus was born.  That would have been almost 3000 years ago.  Can those words possibly be as true today as they were when written? Uhmm, makes you stop to think about it.  Lots of things change.  Change and new developments are ever before us. 

Wars and rumors of wars ... nothing new.  Man's inhumanity to man ... nothing new.  Births and deaths ... nothing new.  Marriage and divorce ... nothing new.  Sexual misconduct, fornication, adultery, homosexuality ... nothing new.  Children dishonoring parents ...  nothing new.  Prayer and prayerlessness ... nothing new. Rulers and leaders more concerned about themselves than those they are to serve and lead ... nothing new.  Corrupt government ... nothing new. Deadly emotions plaguing us ... nothing new.  People destroyed from a lack of knowledge ... nothing new. 

New knowledge and discoveries of what has always been.  New ways of doing the same things.  Success and prosperity ... nothing new.  Great leaders ... nothing new.  Great exploits by those who know their God ... nothing new.  Justice and fairness and equity prevailing ... nothing new.  Love, love for neighbor as for self ... nothing new.  Just maybe Solomon was onto something, you think? 

To get our attention, Solomon repeats the point (see Ecclesiastes 3:15 & 6:10a).  Since there is nothing new under the sun, God has already shown us, through his word, how to respond to every situation and circumstance that we face.  We've already been given the words to speak, no matter what or who is before us.  Indeed, there is nothing new under the sun.