Encourage Each Other Don't Envy Others

"Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully. Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves." Romans 12:3-13 (NIV)

Paul is encouraging the Christians in Rome to be humble and not to be jealous of one another. According to Thomas Nelson, "the righteousness of God will cause a believer to conduct himself in humility in the local church." God did not bless them all with the same gifts. He gave them different gifts according to His grace. Each believer was to exercise his own gift and not worry about the gifts of others. They were to recognize and respect their differences, as each was a part of God's sovereign plan. They were also to sincerely love one another.

We should assess ourselves realistically. God has blessed each of us with differing measures of faith and with different gifts. We should concentrate on, and use our energies to, exercise the gifts that God has given us. We are not to be conceited because of our gift, and we are not to envy the gifts of others. We are to use our gifts to the glory of God. "Put your life into service for God whether or not you receive personal gain and applause." F. J. Dake

In This World But Not Of This World

"You are all sons of The Light and sons of The Day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. So then, let us not be like others ... But since we belong to The Day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with Him. Therefore encourage one another and build each other up ..." 1 Thessalonians 5:5-11 (NIV)

Addressing the Church at Thessalonica, Paul began this chapter talking about "the day of The Lord", judgement day, and reminded them that as children of God they would be raptured beforehand. And that as children of God they should act differently from the worldly people. He reminded them that they need protection against worldly temptations. As believers, they would be spared the wrath of God.

Jesus said, "I am The Light of the world." (John 8:12 & 9:5) We are sons of The Light. We are in this world, but not of this world, so we should not act like worldly people. We need to exercise self-control. We should put on the whole armour of God as we do battle with the world and its temptations. It is not God's plan for us to suffer His wrath, but to be saved. Therefore let us encourage each other, better days are coming. Let us build each other up and not tear each other down. Let us help, and not hurt; let us give, and not take; let us love, and not hate.

Stand Firm And Hold On

"... From the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter. May our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who loved us and by His grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word." 2 Thessalonians 2:13-17 (NIV)

The Apostle Paul is encouraging the Christians in Thessalonica by reminding them that God chose them to be saved. He is telling them to "... stand firm and hold on ..." to what they have been taught. Then he prays that God will encourage them, and strengthen them, and allow them to do more good work.

We each were created and saved by God for a purpose. Our good works here are a part of kingdom building here on earth. All that we do should be done for the glory of God. While temptation is all around us, our human nature is basically sinful, and trials, storms, and tribulations seem to keep pulling us down, we need to "stand strong and hold on" to our Bible teachings and our faith in God. Whatever it it that you are going through, may God encourage your heart and strengthen you, and allow you to do more good deeds in the future.

Joy And Joyous Anticipation

"Lord, You have assigned me my portion and my cup; You have made my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance. I will praise The Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. I have set The Lord always before me. Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices ... You have made known to me the path of life; You will fill me with joy in Your presence, with eternal pleasures at Your right hand." Psalm 16:5-11 (NIV)

Here King David seeks preservation and a blessing from God. He is grateful and expresses his gratitude. He praises God for His counsel and His instruction. In life and facing death he is hopeful. He knows that God has chosen his path and that it leads to joy and eternal life with Christ.

We should be content with our portion and with God's provisions and promises. We should delight in God's constant presence. We should daily reflect on God's council and instruction should intentionally keep His Word before us. The steps we take and the walk that we walk should be directed by The Lord. We should run this race with joy and joyous anticipation knowing that we are headed for eternal life with Christ.

Be Encouraged God Is In Control

"Arise, Lord! Lift up Your hand, O God. Do not forget the helpless ... But You, O God, do see trouble and grief; You consider it to take it in hand. The victim commits himself to You; You are the helper of the fatherless ... The Lord is King for ever and ever ... You hear, O Lord, the desire of the afflicted; You encourage them, and You listen to their cry, defending the fatherless and the oppressed, in order that man, who is of the earth, may terrify no more." Psalm 10:12-18 (NIV)

"Arise, Lord!" is a battle cry and "Lift up Your hand" is a reference to God's strength and power. There is a battle going on against the wicked and this is David's call to God not to forget the helpless, the weak, the orphans, the sick, the oppressed, the depressed, those that are in trouble, and those that are suffering. The prayer is for God to hear their cry, to encourage them, and to help them.

The same is true for us today. The wicked seem to have triumphed over the righteous. Evil people seem to be prosperous and the righteous people seem to be suffering from one calamity after another. However, things are not as they seem. The Lord God is King, and He is in control. He knows our situations and our desires. Be encouraged, He hears our cry and our prayers. He has the power to make wrong things right. We just need to be confident that He will do so. Pray, have faith, and wait on The Lord.

True Loyalty And Commitment

" 'Look,' said Naomi, 'your sister-in-law is going back to her people and her gods. Go back with her.' But Ruth replied, 'Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May The Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me.' " Ruth 1:14-17 (NIV)

Orpah and Ruth had married Naomi's sons. After the death of her husband and her two sons, Naomi urged her daughter-in-laws to return to their people and remarry. Orpah did but Ruth refused to leave Naomi and went with her from Moab to Bethlehem.

Ruth was a virtuous woman whose loyalty and commitment to her mother-in-law are now legendary. Her hallmark expression is now often repeated in wedding vows even today. This level of loyalty and commitment is rare these days but this is how Christians should feel towards Jesus Christ. We should never leave Him or turn our back on Him. No one should ever be able to talk us into forsaking Him. Nothing should separate us from Him or come between us. We should go where ever He leads us and His people should be our family. If we feel that way about Jesus, then we can truly say that we love The Lord.

We Should Praise The Lord

"Praise The Lord. Praise God in His sanctuary; praise Him in His mighty heavens. Praise Him for His acts of power; praise Him for His surpassing greatness ... Let everything that has breath praise The Lord. Praise The Lord." Psalms 150:1-2 & 6 (NIV)

God is great. He has done great things. He deserves our praise. Everyone who is alive and breathing should praise The Lord for each breath and heart beat.

One thing that we do not do enough of is praise The Lord. We should praise The Lord daily, in fact, we should praise Him multiple times each day. We should quit complaining about what it is that we don't have and praise Him for what we have. "Let everything that has breath praise The Lord."

Blessed According To Your Faith

"As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed Him, calling out, 'Have mercy on us, Son of David!' When He had gone indoors, the blind men came to Him, and He asked them, 'Do you believe that I am able to do this?' 'Yes, Lord,' they replied. Then He touched their eyes and said, "According to your faith will it be done to you'; and their sight was restored." Matthew 9:27-30 (NIV)

Before He blessed the two blind men, Jesus asked them if they believed that He could cure their blindness and give them sight. He blessed them according to their faith in Him.

Sometimes our prayers are answered only if we have faith in God and believe that He can do what it is that we ask. The issue here is not if He can, but the issue is do we really believe that He can. Sometimes we just have to believe in Him and step out on faith.

Thank God For The Victories And The Blessings

"O Lord, the king rejoices in Your strength. How great is his joy in the victories You give! You have granted him the desire of his heart and have not withheld the request of his lips. You welcomed him with rich blessings and placed a crown of pure gold on his head. He asked You for life, and You gave it to him, length of days, for ever and ever. Through the victories You gave, his glory is great; You have bestowed on him splendor and majesty. Surely You have granted him eternal blessings and made him glad with the joy of Your presence." Psalm 21:1-6 (NIV)

While Psalm 20 was a song of praise before the battle, Psalm 21 is a song of thanks and praise after the victory has been won. Here, according to John MacArthur, King David offers a celebration after a battle, a thanksgiving for victory. We see his prayer and praise to God, both before and after battle, because it is God who grants the victory.

Each day of our lives we are at war with the devil. In this war there are many battles as we are attacked on all sides. The war is not over but we know how this war ends, Jesus has already defeated Satan and we have the victory. However, we need to thank God for each of the victories over every attack that we faced. No matter how small or large the battle, we need to pray and praise God for the victory, beforehand and afterwards. This test is not about the attacks, the battles, the storms, or whatever temptations, trials, or tribulations that we face. This is about our prayer, praise, and thanksgiving to God for our daily victories and blessings.

My Prayer For You Today

"May The Lord answer you when you are in distress; may the name of the God of Jacob protect you. May He send you help from the sanctuary and grant you support from Zion. May He remember all your sacrifices ... May He give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed. We will shout for joy when you are victorious and will lift up our banners in the name of our God. May The Lord grant all your requests." Psalms 20:1-5 (NIV)

This Psalm of David is a ceremonial song that was sung before a battle. According to John MacArthur it offered a prayer, confirmed their confidence in God, and reaffirmed their dependence upon God.

As we are in a battle with the devil today this seems appropriate for us now. I know that Satan is attacking you, so I pray that The Lord will answer you in your distress, and protect you from all hurt, harm, and danger. I pray that He will remember all of your previous and current sacrifices, and that He will grant you the desires of your heart. Know that I will be happy for you and will shout for joy with you when you are victorious.

Know That God Can Strengthen Us When We Are Weak

"Comfort, comfort My people, says your God ... Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. And the glory of The Lord will be revealed ... The Lord is the everlasting God, The Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and His understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in The Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." Isaiah 40:1, 4-5 & 28-31 (NIV)

In this chapter Isaiah describes the power of God. He comforts the people by explaining what God had done and what He can do for them. All they have to do is have faith in God.

The same applies to us today. God is still all powerful and He is in control. No matter what is happening in our lives, we need to have faith in God. For as He works things out for us, His glory will be revealed to us. He knows what we need when things are getting us down and He can strengthen us. All we need to do is have faith and continue to hope in The Lord.

Sometimes We Need Help And Don't Know It

"The next day Moses took his seat to serve as judge for the people, and they stood around him from morning till evening. When his father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he said, ... Why do you alone sit as judge ... What you are doing is not good ... The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone. Listen now to me and I will give you some advice ... select capable men from all the people, men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain, and appoint them as officials ... Have them serve as judges for the people at all times, but have them bring every difficult case to you; the simple cases they can decide themselves. That will make your load lighter, because they will share it with you." Exodus 18:13-22 (NIV)

Moses was doing God's work, helping the people by settling disputes between them, but he was doing it all day long by himself. His father-in-law saw what he was doing and suggested that he get some help to lighten the work load.

We need to recognize that we need help, that we cannot do this all by ourselves. Sometimes God allows people in our lives for a time to help us, to offer good advice. We need to prayerfully consider the advice that we get from others and the help that is offered. While all advice is not good, we need to recognize that we cannot make all alone doing everything by ourselves. When we need help, we should pray, and remember what the psalmist said, "My help comes from The Lord, The Maker of heaven and earth." Psalms 121:2

Ask Jesus For What You Want

"As Jesus and His disciples were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed Him. Two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was going by, they shouted, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!" The crowd rebuked them and told them to be quiet, but they shouted all the louder, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!" Jesus stopped and called them. "What do you want Me to do for you?" He asked. "Lord," they answered, "we want our sight." Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed Him." Matthew 20:29-34 (NIV)

Because of the miracles that He had performed, a large crowd followed Jesus as He left Galilee and headed towards Judea near the Jordan river. Jesus had compassion on the crowd and He healed the sick among them. These two blind men were not part of the crowd but were sitting along the road on which Jesus was travelling. They had heard of Him and heard that He was passing by and they called unto Him. They did not listen to those in the crowd who told them to be quiet. These two blind men boldly asked Jesus for their sight. He blessed them, they received their sight and afterwards they became followers of Jesus.

We can learn several points from this example. One, when we want a blessing from The Lord, ask Him for it. Two, do not be discouraged by those around us who try to stop us from getting the blessing that we want. Three, we need to be specific with our request. Four, we must believe and expect that He will bless us as we requested. Five, we need to be thankful and show Him that we are grateful for His blessings. Remember, our actions speak louder than our words.

Don't Put Anything In Life Before God

"Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, 'Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?' ... Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me." When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth. Then Jesus said to His disciples, "I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven ... Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." Matthew 19:16-26 (NIV)

When the rich young man asked Jesus what he could do, Jesus told him to keep the commandments. Then he asked which ones and Jesus spelled them all out for him. He said that he had done that all of his life and asked what else should he do. That was when Jesus told him to sell all he had, give the proceeds to the poor, and follow Him. He left Jesus sad because he valued his money and possession more than he valued Jesus.

Most rich people have more faith in their money than in God, and they value their possessions more than the things of God. Nothing should be more important to us than God. We should not put anything ahead of God. There is nothing wrong with have lots of money as long as the money is not more important to us than God is. "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." Matthew 6:33 (KJV) Before we start asking God for blessings, make sure that He is first in our life.

Guardian Angels For Lost Sheep

"See that you do not look down on one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of My Father in heaven. For The Son of Man is come to save that which was lost. What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off ? And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost." Matthew 18:10-14 (NIV)

"These little one" refers to believers. Here Jesus makes it clear that each believer has a guardian angel, although it is not clear if an angel has more than one charge. Because we have our own free will, we like sheep occasionally wander off and stray from The Word of God. It is not the desire of God that any should be lost. Jesus was sent to earth to save the lost sheep. Each of us is important to Him, and there is rejoicing when a "lost sheep" is found.

We should be encouraged to know that each of us has a guardian angel. God loves us and has made provisions for our care and protection. The birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus was for our salvation from the penalty of our sins. It does not matter what it is that we have done, we can be forgiven and welcomed back into the sheepfold. Just because we are lost in sin, we do not have to stay that way. We fall down, but we do not have to stay down. However, we have to want to get up and we have to accept His help in order to get up. There is joy in heaven when a "lost sheep" is "found" and returns to the followers of The Word of God.

If You Had The Faith You Could Do The Impossible

"When they came to the crowd, a man approached Jesus and knelt before Him. "Lord, have mercy on my son," he said. "He has seizures and is suffering greatly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not heal him." "O unbelieving and perverse generation," Jesus replied, "how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy here to Me." Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed from that moment. Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, "Why couldn't we drive it out?" He replied, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you. But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting." Matthew 17:14-21 (NIV)

Approximately one year earlier, Jesus had given His disciples the power to heal the sick and to cast out evil spirits and demons (Matthew 10:1 & 10:8) and they had been successful at doing so. This demon they were not able to cast out of the boy. Their faith was not sufficient, they had "so little faith." According to John MacArthur their problem was a failure to make God the object of their confidence rather than their own gifts and abilities.

Some of our problems require that we have more faith in addition to prayer and fasting. Some of our prayers are not answered because we have doubts to begin with, or because we ask for things that are not according to His will. We must believe, have faith, fast and pray, and God will answer our prayers. "If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer." Matthew 21:22 (NIV) "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us." 1 John 5:14 (NIV) "If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." 2 Chronicles 7:14 (NIV)

Who Do You Say That Jesus Is?

"But what about you?" He asked. "Who do you say I am?" Simon Peter answered, "You are The Christ, The Son of The Living God." Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by My Father in heaven." Matthew 16:15-17 (NIV)

After Jesus asked His disciples who the people say that He is, then He asked them who do you say that I am? Peter gave the correct answer, "You are The Christ, The Son of The Living God." Only someone who has been saved can give this answer to that question. Only God can reveal that to you.

Who do you say that Jesus is? I have heard some people say that Jesus was just a good man. Others have said that He was a prophet, just like Muhammad and all of the others. However, like Peter, I know that Jesus, The Christ, is The Son of The Living God. This statement is a confession of faith by a regenerated heart, that has been saved by the grace of God. The most important question that each of us will have to answer for ourselves is, who do you say that Jesus is? The outcome of our lives depends upon our answer to that question.

Don't Be A Shell Of A Christian

" 'These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. They worship Me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.'" Jesus called the crowd to Him and said, "Listen and understand. What goes into a man's mouth does not make him 'unclean,' but what comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him 'unclean.' " Matthew 15:8-11 (NIV)

Here Jesus quotes Isaiah 29:13 concerning the lips and hearts of the people. In responding to questions from the scribes and the Pharisees, who performed their religious practices out of respect for tradition, Jesus said that they were just going through the motions of worship but that they did not believe in the things that they said or did. They were more concerned with the letter of the law than the principal behind the law. They were like religious shells, their outside looked religious, but their inside was empty and hollow. Their religious teachings and rituals were based upon things that man added to the ten commandments.

Don't be like some people who go to church purely out of habit. Worship requires active participation, it is not a spectator sport. We should pray before we begin our worship activity to insure that our frame of mind, attitude, and activity will be pleasing to God. Empty ritualism will not bring us closer to God. We should make sure that behavior and worship is focused on God. What we say and teach others should be Bible based. If our heart is not in it when we worship, then we really should not do it, because we cannot fool or impress God who sees our heart. "The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but The Lord looks at the heart." 1 Samuel 16:7 "But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man 'unclean.' " Matthew 15:18

Keep Your Eyes On Jesus And You Won't Sink

"During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw Him walking on the lake, they were terrified. "It's a ghost," they said, and cried out in fear. But Jesus immediately said to them: "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid." "Lord, if it's You," Peter replied, "tell me to come to You on the water." "Come," He said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!" Immediately Jesus reached out His hand and caught him. "You of little faith," He said, "why did you doubt?" And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, "Truly You are The Son of God." Matthew 14:25-33 (NIV)

Not only did Jesus walk on water, He had the power to allow Peter to walk on the water. Peter was doing fine looking toward Jesus, but when he took his eyes off of The Lord he began to sink. As he was sinking he prayed a powerful short prayer, "Lord save me!" Jesus heard him and immediately caught him. All those who saw what had happened worshipped Jesus saying, "Truly You are The Son of God."

Jesus has the power to grant us what we ask for. As long as we keep our focus on Him, by His power we can do what others think is impossible. Our problems begin when we take our eyes off of Him and focus on what is going on around us. That is when we start to sink into sin. Our God is bigger and more powerful than our problems. There is no need for us to ever doubt Him. We just need to have faith, pray, and keep our focus on The Lord, and He will get us through whatever it is that we are facing.

Jesus Can Turn A Little Into A Lot

"When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, He had compassion on them and healed their sick. As evening approached, the disciples came to Him and said, "This is a remote place, and it's already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food." Jesus replied, "They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat." "We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish," they answered. "Bring them here to me," He said. And He directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, He gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then He gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketful's of broken pieces that were left over. The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children." Matthew 14:14-21 (NIV)

Jesus had compassion for the crowd that had followed Him. He took care of their physical needs, He healed the sick and fed them all. He took a little, a small boy's lunch (John 6:9), blessed it, fed them all, and there was more food left over when they finished than when they began (John 6:13).

Likewise, Jesus can take care of our needs. He can bless the little that we have and make it sufficient to cover our needs. We are all better off with Jesus than we were before we had Him in our lives. He knows what we need. He can bless us, heal us, provide for us, and supply our needs. We just have to believe in Him and trust Him. Whatever it is that we need, He can supply. As He told Paul, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness." (2 Corinthians 12:9)

What Effect Did The Word Of God Have On You?

Jesus taught "... many things in parables, saying: "A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop--a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown." Matthew 13:3-8 (NIV)

What did you do with The Word of God when you heard it? Some heard The Word and rejected it, some liked it but it did not change their life, and some let their friends and the world have more influence over them than The Word. What kind of "ground" are you? The best way to answer this question is to look at the "fruit" that it has produced in your life. When the seed, The Word, fell on good ground, it produced good fruit.

The fruit that we produce is the evidence of God in our lives. The fruit of The Holy Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23) We need to cultivate within our lives a greater receptivity to The Word of God in order for it to grow within us, to produce good fruit, and produce a changed life which will give God glory.

Influence For Such A Time As This

"For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?" Esther 4:14 (NIV)

Through a series of unlikely events, Esther, a beautiful Jewish girl who had been raised by her cousin Mordecai, had married King Xerxes, King of Persia and Media, and become Queen. Mordecai found out about the plot to kill the king and told Queen Esther, who in turn reported it to the king. Some how the king honored Haman for this, elevating him and giving him a seat of honor higher than that of all the other nobles. All of the people were to kneel down and pay honor to Haman, for the king had commanded it. But Mordecai would not kneel down. Haman learned that Mordecai was Jewish and wanted to kill all Jews because of his disrespect. Mordecai sent word to Esther to beg the king for mercy and plead with him for her people. Going before the king without being summoned by him could cost Esther her life.

Some times we are placed in positions of influence and need to speak up for what we believe. There is a cost associated with taking a stand and speaking up, but there is also a cost for keeping silent when we should speak up and for not helping others when we could. In our circles of family, friends, and co-workers, we all exercise some influence through our advice and opinions. Let each of us speak up for Christ and make sure that our advice and opinions are solidly Bible based as we attempt to help others.

It is very possible that the events of our lives, the lessons learned, and the blessings received have prepared us to be in position that we are in "... for such a time as this." Pray to God that you use your influence wisely.

The Voice Of The Lord Is Speaking To Us

"The boy Samuel ministered before The Lord under Eli ... One night Eli ... was lying down in his usual place ... and Samuel was lying down in the temple of The Lord, where the ark of God was. Then The Lord called Samuel. Samuel answered, "Here I am." And he ran to Eli and said, "Here I am; you called me." But Eli said, "I did not call; go back and lie down." So he went and lay down. Again The Lord called, "Samuel!" And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, "Here I am; you called me." "My son," Eli said, "I did not call; go back and lie down." Now Samuel did not yet know The Lord: The word of The Lord had not yet been revealed to him. The Lord called Samuel a third time, and Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, "Here I am; you called me." Then Eli realized that The Lord was calling the boy. So Eli told Samuel, "Go and lie down, and if He calls you, say, 'Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening.' " So Samuel went and lay down in his place. The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, "Samuel! Samuel!" Then Samuel said, "Speak, for Your servant is listening." 1 Samuel 3:1-10 (NIV)

Because he did not yet know The Lord, Samuel did not recognize the voice of The Lord. When you know The Lord, you know His voice. Jesus said My sheep know Me and know My voice. (John 10:4 & 14) When The Lord speaks to us, His voice is described as "a still small voice." (1 Kings 19:12) Multiple times throughout Deuteronomy the people were told to "hearken unto the voice of The Lord" but frequently they did not listen or obey.

Years ago, some cartoons would depict a character with a miniature devil standing on one shoulder whispering in one ear, and a miniature angel standing on the other shoulder whispering in the other ear. The cartoon character knew which was which, but frequently first listened to the devil and got in trouble before he listened to the angel. Most of us are just like that character, we hear the voice of The Lord, but we do not listen to it, or obey it.

We need to read our Bible more and listen to the voice of The Lord and obey it. We should respond as Isaiah did when he heard the voice of The Lord, "Here am I; send me." (Isaiah 6:8) The Lord is speaking to us, the question is are we listening to Him?

Don't Be Like Eli's Sons

"Eli's sons were wicked men; they had no regard for The Lord ... Now Eli (the priest), who was very old, heard about everything his sons were doing to all Israel and how they slept with the women who served at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. So he said to them, "Why do you do such things? I hear from all the people about these wicked deeds of yours. No, my sons; it is not a good report that I hear spreading among The Lord's people. If a man sins against another man, God may mediate for him; but if a man sins against The Lord, who will intercede for him?" His sons, however, did not listen to their father's rebuke ... Therefore The Lord, The God of Israel, declares: ... Those who honor Me I will honor, but those who despise Me will be disdained." 1 Samuel 2:12-30 (NIV)

The point here, according to John Mac Arthur, was that if God would judge when one sinned against another man, how much more would He bring judgement against those who sinned against Him. There is a price to pay for flagrant disobedience. F J Dake states "Christ is the One who can mediate man's cause with God and He is the covering for the sins of all men should they avail themselves of such services of reconciliation." (Matthew 26:28)

Willful disregard for and rejection of The Lord Jesus, The Christ, will result in eternal damnation. Don't be like Eli's sons. When you mess up, "fess up", and get right with God. You cannot be saved from the penalty of sin without accepting the covering of the blood of Jesus.
Do not invite the wrath of God on your life.

Be Careful What You Ask God For

"... They brought the boy to Eli, and she said to him, "As surely as you live, my lord, I am the woman who stood here beside you praying to The Lord. I prayed for this child, and The Lord has granted me what I asked of Him. So now I give him to The Lord." 1 Samuel 1:1-28 (NIV)

For years, Hannah had been unable to have children so she prayed to God for a child. Eli, the priest, had observed her praying in the temple and thought that she was drunk. After hearing her story he prayed for her, that she would get what she asked for. Hannah prayed for what she wanted. She made God a promise. God blessed her with what she asked for. She kept her promise to God and gave the child back to God. She was blessed to have six more children.

Be very careful what you ask God for, you just may get exactly that, and you may receive more than you asked for. Also, when you make God a promise, keep it. It is not good to disappoint God. All to often after God blesses us, we forget about the promises that we made to Him when we were asking for His help. Hannah remembered and kept her promise to God and she was blessed even more afterwards.

There Is A Time For Everything

"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace."

"What does the worker gain from his toil? I have seen the burden God has laid on men. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil--this is the gift of God. I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that men will revere him. Whatever is has already been, and what will be has been before; and God will call the past to account. And I saw something else under the sun: In the place of judgment--wickedness was there, in the place of justice--wickedness was there.

"I thought in my heart, "God will bring to judgment both the righteous and the wicked, for there will be a time for every activity, a time for every deed." Ecclesiastes 3:1-17 (NIV)

Solomon, the son of David, king of Israel, said that God has fixed a time or a season for everything. Every event or activity on earth is part of God's permissive will and occurs at some fixed point in time, including an appointed time for God's judgement of all mankind. Every thing will occur in its time, not when we want it to occur, but in God's time. We should pray for patience and wait upon The Lord.

For The Love Of Money

"But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs." 1 Timothy 6:8-10 (NIV)

There is nothing wrong with money, or having lots of it. The problem is the love of money, the things that people do in pursuit of money, and the things that people do with it when they have excessive amounts of it. Money is a tool to be used for the glory of God. It is the means to an end, and not the end itself. It is not to be horded, but the shared with the less fortunate or used to help them after we take care of our basic needs and the needs of our family.

Some of us will never have a large sum of money because The Good Lord knows that we would not know how to handle it. Most of us have not been good stewards over the few things that God has put us in charge over. We must first learn to be faithful over what we have before we can expect God to give us more. As Jesus taught us in the parable of the talents, "His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord." Matthew 25:21

Don't let the love of money ruin your life. Pray for God's help, guidance and direction in all of your pursuits, including the pursuit of money. And pray that you will be a good steward over what He has given you, and over what He will give you in the future.

The Worst Of The Sinners

"I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that He considered me faithful, appointing me to His service. Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display His unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on Him and receive eternal life." 1 Timothy 1:12-16 (NIV)

Paul thought that he was the worst of the sinners. Given our sinful thoughts, in addition to our sinful acts, most of us could compete with Paul for that title. "The Lord detests the thoughts of the wicked ..." Proverbs 15:26 I cannot even begin to count the number of sinful thoughts that I have each day, and I am sure that I am not alone.

God is blessing us abundantly in spite of our sinful nature. We are living examples and proof
of the fact that Christians are not blessed because we are perfect or sinless. It is because of our faith in Him that He uses us to be living examples of His Word in an effort to save the lost souls. None of us is so great a sinner that God cannot use us, we just have to believe and offer ourselves for His service. Hopefully, we can all repeat Paul's words here and know that they apply to our lives as well.

Don"t Welcome Everyone Into Your Home

"And this is love: that we walk in obedience to His commands. As you have heard from the beginning, His command is that you walk in love. Many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the Antichrist ... Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take him into your house or welcome him. Anyone who welcomes him shares in his wicked work." 2 John 1:6-11 (NIV)

In the past itinerant preachers and teachers would survive based upon the hospitality of the believers. Here John is warning them and us not to help, or welcome into our homes, those who would teach against Christ. This is not to speak against helping the unsaved non-Christians, or against having them into you home. We should not help or associate those who teach an anti-Christian doctrine. It is okay to have discussions with people who have different opinions or beliefs, but we should avoid those that actively teach against The Word of God.

How can two walk together unless they agree? (Amos 3:3) Loving your enemy does not mean following his teachings. We should read and study the Bible for ourselves (2 Timothy 2:15) so that we recognize false teaching when we hear it.