Be A Cheerful Giver

"Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity; for God loveth a cheerful giver." 2 Corinthians 9:7

Give, and give generously. Give to the church, to the poor, to the needy, to the sick. Give money, but also give of you time and talents as well as of your treasure. Money may be important but so is your time. Whatever talent you have, use it for God's glory, use it in such a way as to be a blessing to others.

When we give to the poor and needy, we lend unto The Lord, and He will repay us. Proverbs 19:17 "... And remember the words of The Lord Jesus, that He said, It is more blessed to give than to receive." Acts 20:35

We have been blessed in order to be a blessing to others.

Create In Me A Clean Heart

"Hide Thy face for my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me." Psalms 51:9-10

All of us have sinned and we need to ask God for forgiveness daily. Sinful thoughts are still sins. We all need to be cleansed. We need God's help to create within us clean hearts and minds.

Be honest with God and confess to Him your short comings. Don't beat yourself up because of them. Ask Him for His help in making you more Christ-like. Be determined to be a better Christian today than you were yesterday.

Heavenly Rewards

"Every man's work shall be made manifest; for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work shall abide which he hath built there upon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss; but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire." 1 Corinthians 3:13-15

We shall all stand before The Lord and be judged. All that we thought, said and did will also be judged. We will receive a heavenly reward for that which gives God glory.

This judgement is not about our sins because they have been forgiven by the death of Jesus on the cross. All believers will be saved. This judgement will reward us for our service to The Lord.

We Are Enriched

"... In every thing ye are enriched by Him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge ..." 1 Corinthians 1:5

Everything that we have and everything that we need comes from God. All of our abilities, all that we know, and all that we are, our very existence is a blessing from God. Those of us who use our talents, gifts, and abilities to spread the good news about Jesus Christ are blessed even more.

God provides all praying believers with the knowledge and words necessary to speak effectively to the lost for Him.

All of us have been blessed with talents, gifts, and abilities. The question is not do we have them. The question is how, and to what end do we use them.

Almost Is Not Good Enough

Not all who hear the word of God will accept it. Not even all who heard the apostle Paul preach the gospel accepted it.

King Agrippa said unto Paul, "Almost thou persuaded me to be a Christian." Acts 26:28

It is not our job to persuade people, we are just to tell them the good news. The Holy Spirit then convicts, convinces , and converts individuals as He deems necessary.

There are no "half-Christians", no "almost Christian", either you are or you are not. Either you believe or you don't. There is no sitting on the fence, you are either on one side or the other.

If you have not done so already, "... choose you this day whom ye will serve ..." Joshua 24:15

Don't Be Afraid To Spread The Gospel

The apostle Paul preached the gospel and spoke boldly for The Lord to the Jews and gentiles.

"Then spake The Lord to Paul in the night by a vision, Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace; For I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee; for I have much people in this city." Acts 18:9-10

The Lord told Paul to spread the word and do not be afraid. We were told the same thing in the great commission. "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations ... and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world." Matthew 28:19-20

Since The Lord is with us, we really do not have to worry about whoever is against us. So, let's go forth and spread the word of God. This is not just for preachers and deacons.

Pray And Keep Your Hope And Faith In God

"Out of the depths have I cried unto Thee, O Lord. Lord, hear my voice; let Thine ears be attentive to the voice of my supplication ... there is forgiveness with Thee ... I wait for The Lord, my soul doth wait, and in His word do I hope." Psalms 130:1-5

Even in your darkest hour, have faith, pray, and keep your hope in God.

Often things are out of our control. Our situations seems hopeless. That is the time when we need God the most. When our faith is tested, we need to pray and wait upon The Lord.

When bad things happen, as hard as it is to deal with them, we must remember "... that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28

The Power Of Prayer # 2

The apostles Paul and Silas were beaten and thrown into prison for casting the demon out of a damsel.

"And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises unto God; and the prisoners heard them. And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed." Acts 16:23-26

After seeing what happened, the keeper of the prison led them out, took them to his house, washed their wounds, fed them, and he and his whole family were baptized.

God can make the impossible, possible. He can make your enemies your footstool. He can turn those who were beating you down into someone who helps you to move up a little higher.

Jesus said, " With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26 He also said, "... All things are possible to him that believeth." Mark 9:23

Again, we are only as powerful as our prayers. "Little prayer, little power; much prayer, much power; no prayer, no power." (Unknown) God still hears and answers prayers.

The Power Of Prayer

"Peter therefore was kept in prison; but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto
God for him." Acts 12:5

There is power in prayer. When the church is on one accord, there is power in corporate prayer.

After Herod the king had killed the apostle James, he had the apostle Peter arrested to kill him also. While Peter was in prison, the church prayed without ceasing unto God for him. Peter was chained between two soldiers, with guards posted at the door. An angel of The Lord came to Peter, his chains fell off, and the angel led him past the guards and out of prison. Acts 12:1-12

God can make the impossible, possible. Jesus said, "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26 He also said, "... All things are possible to him that believeth." Mark 9:23

We are only as powerful as our prayers. "Little prayer, little power; much prayer, much power; no prayer, no power." (Unknown) Prayer changes things. God still hears and answers prayers.

Stand In The Face Of Adversity

After his conversion, Saul, the future apostle Paul, went about boldly preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. So much so that the people wanted to kill him, but he continued his work for The Lord even in the face of adversity.

"And straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues, the He is The Son of God ... And after that many days were fulfilled, the Jews took counsel to kill him ... And he spoke boldly in the name of The Lord Jesus and disputed against the Grecians, but they were about to slay him." Acts 9:18-30

Twice the brethren led Saul to safety to save his life. They let him down over the wall in a basket, Acts 9:25, and they took him to Caesarea to get away from the Crecians, Acts 9:30.

He continued to do The Lord's work even when the people wanted to kill him for doing so. And The Lord used his good relationship with the brethren to protect him from harm.

Will we stand up for Christ even when it is not popular with the people that we are around? Do we have the respect of the Christians around us such that they would be willing to help us in times of trouble?

It is easy to stand for a popular position, but it takes a serious commitment to stand up for what you believe in when you are faced with adversity. Don't deny Him to please the crowd. Jesus said "... whosoever shall deny Me before men, him will I also deny before My Father which is in heaven." Matthew 10:32-33

Stand up for Christ, even in the face of adversity.

A Changed Life

The apostle Paul, while he was still called Saul, had a life altering encounter with The Lord. The experience humbled him and changed how he saw the world. Acts 9:1-9

"And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do?" Acts 9:6

When you have a personal encounter with Christ, you cannot continue to live your life as you did before. You become a new creature, not perfect, but definitely different.

Saul lost his sight for three days. When the man of God put his hands on him, he received his sight and he saw things differently and much clearer as a changed man. Acts 9:17-18

Paul changed from being a zealot persecutor of Christians to being a zealot for The Lord. He changed from persecutor to preacher. How has your life changed since you became a Christian?

Repent And Pray, Money Can't Buy This

"And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles' hands The Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money, Saying give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive The Holy Ghost. But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money." Acts 8:18-20

Money can buy a lot of things but money can't buy the gift of God.

Simon was a well-known user of sorcery and when he saw what the apostles could do, he also wanted that power. However, when Peter pointed out the sin in his heart and told him to repent, there is no record that he repented of his sin. He asked Peter to pray that he would not have to pay the consequences for his sin. Acts 8:24

Unfortunately there are people who join the church because they want to avoid the consequences of their sins and going to hell. They do not truly believe and their thoughts, words and actions reflect their unbelief.

Based upon our sinful thoughts, words, and actions, maybe more of us should pray and repent as Peter told Simon to do. "Repent therefore of this wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee." Acts 8:22

Are You Willing To Die For Jesus?

Preachers are not the only ones who are full of the Holy Ghost and able to preach the gospel.

"... And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of The Holy Ghost ... And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people." Acts 6:1-8

Stephen was one of the first deacons. He was stoned to death for preaching the gospel. Acts 7:59

What are you doing for Him? Are you willing to die for Jesus? He was willing to die for you.

Don't Lie To God

"But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession, And kept back part of the price ... thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God. And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost..."

"... When his wife, not knowing what was done, came in. And Peter answered unto her Tell me whether ye sold the land for so much? And she said, Yea, for so much ... How is it that ye have agreed to tempt The Spirit of The Lord ... Then she fell down ... and yielded up the ghost ..." Acts 5:1-10

The people sold their lands and houses and brought the full price of the sell to the apostles. Acts 4:34-37 The problem was that Ananias and Sapphira sold their land, kept back part of the selling price for themselves, and then brought the remainder to the apostles and lied claiming that it was the full price of the sell.

They lied and they died. They lied in the place of worship, to the man of God, and to God Himself, and they died right there. The moral of the story is don't lie to God.

Give And Be A Blessing To Others

"Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have I give thee; In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk." Acts 3:6

Throughout the Bible we are encouraged to give to those that are less fortunate that we are. While giving money can be helpful, money is not the only thing that we can give to them.

Peter said this to the lame man who was outside of the temple gate asking for money. The point here is that Peter did not have any money but he gave the man a blessing.

We are blessed in order that we might be a blessing to others. While we should also share our money, that is not the only thing that we should share.

"Give, and it shall be given unto you ..." Luke 6:38 If you want more, try giving to others more of whatever it is that you want.

Be Not Afraid

Jesus said, "... Be not afraid, only believe." Mark 5:36

Here Jesus urged a ruler of the synagogue to maintain his faith, to keep on believing. We need to do likewise. When faced with a helpless situation, don't fret, have faith, and keep on believing.

Our faith can do a lot for us. According to the Rev Dr J Benjamin Hardwick, faith:
dissolves doubt; dispels dread; disarms defeat; destroys death.

Our faith gives us the victory over every challenge. All things are possible if we only believe. Mark 9:23

All Things Are Possible

"Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief." Mark 9:23-24

This Jesus said to the man with his son who had a dumb spirit that the disciples of Jesus could not cast out. After Jesus cast out the foul spirit, his disciples asked Him privately why they could not cast out that demon.

"And He said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing but prayer and fasting" Mark 9:29

It is possible to have faith but also to have an imperfect faith mixed with a little doubt. This father's prayer was to confess his spiritual weakness and ask for Jesus to help him to have a greater faith. The take home lesson here is that believers may need to have a greater faith.

The disciples needed to know that some demons are more powerful that others. This is also a lesson that we all could learn. Some things we want require that we pray more and fast.

A Great Prayer For Others

The Apostle Paul prayed a great prayer for the saints at Ephesus. This is a good example of how we should pray for others.

"... I bow my knees unto The Father of our Lord Jesus Christ ... That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by The Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God." Ephesians 3:14-19

In humble submission, Paul prayed for the spiritual welfare of others, that they would be granted spiritual power and knowledge of the vastness and completeness of the love of God. And that the life, character, and virtues of God may be developed within them.

This is also my prayer for you.

Who Will You Serve?

"And if it seem evil unto you to serve The Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve ... but as for me and my house, we will serve The Lord." Joshua 24:15

Joshua asked the people to make a choice regarding whom they would serve. We basically have that same choice today. There is no middle ground, either you love The Lord and will serve Him or you don't and won't.

Joshua also led by example, he committed himself and his household to serving The Lord. Leadership occasionally requires that one make a bold stand for what he believes in. We can't lead people where we will not or do not go.

As Christians we need to choose to serve The Lord. We need to make that choice known to all those around us. And we need to live our lives in such a way as to make it clear to everyone that we have chosen to serve The Lord.