GOD REWARDS OBEDIENCE :
Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession... - Exodus 19:5, NIV
Sometimes God asks us to do things that don’t make sense. It doesn’t seem logical. It doesn’t fit into our budget. It doesn’t line up with our schedule. “God, You want me to go back to college? I’m 40 years old.” “God, You want me to give them a gift? I was saving those funds for my own dreams.” Or, “God, You want me to leave this secure position that I’ve had for years and start my own business?” Too often we overanalyze it. We debate it. Look at it only in the natural. We end up making excuses, talking ourselves out of it, “That couldn’t be God.” But if you’re going to reach your highest potential, you have to have bold obedience. That means you obey even when you don’t understand it. You just do it even when it doesn’t make sense. That’s what faith is all about.
If you can understand everything, you have the time, the money, it’s all lined up, then that doesn’t really take any faith. God will ask you to do things that seem far out, unusual, not practical. With every act of obedience, there is a blessing attached to it. When you do what you know God wants you to do, a blessing will follow. God rewards obedience!
HOLY GHOST TEACHER :
John 7:15 "And the Jews marvelled, saying, How knoweth this man letters, having never learned?"
Jesus received His wisdom and knowledge by direct revelation from the Spirit of God rather than by the teachings of man. Jesus had been learning, but not through man. The Holy Ghost was His teacher. Jesus had to be taught the things of God. This looks contrary to Colossians 2:3, which says that all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Jesus. If Jesus was God manifest in the flesh, why would He have to learn or be taught?
The harmony between these apparently opposite statements is that Jesus' spirit man was 100% God and had all of the wisdom and understanding of God in it, but it was manifest in natural flesh. It wasn't sinful flesh but it was flesh, nonetheless, and had to be educated. Jesus was not taught by man, but He was taught by the direct revelation of the Holy Spirit. The knowledge was within Him but it had to be drawn out.
At the new birth, a born-again man's spirit "is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him" (Col. 3:10). "We have the mind of Christ" (1 Cor. 2:16), and "an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things" (1 Jn. 2:20). All of these things are a reality in our spiritual man. However, just as Jesus had to be taught, so we must draw this wisdom and knowledge out of our spirits and renew our minds with it (Rom. 12:2). This is one of the main ministries of the Holy Spirit to the believer. Through the new birth, we have received the mind of Christ in our spirit man and are in the process of growing in wisdom by drawing this knowledge out of our spirits and renewing (or reprogramming) our minds. This wisdom has to be drawn out by faith, time spent in the Word, and prayer.
FROM DESPERATION TO DEVOTION
Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. – Colossians 3:2
Things, things, things! A better job. A bigger house. New clothes for the kids. Tomorrow's luncheon date. A better television. Get the picture?
Many of us have learned to believe God to prosper us to such a degree that we have too much to keep up with. We end up spending so much time and energy taking care of the legitimate "things" of life that we unconsciously give the attention and affections of our heart over to this natural world instead of to God.
When we I first heard about living by faith, we were in desperate circumstances. We were sick and broke, so it was easy for us to dedicate ourselves to prayer and to the Word. But as we honored God's Word, He honored and prospered us. We came to the place where we were no longer desperate. Then came the real test of our faith. Would we serve God out of our love for Him instead of our desperation?
Well, praise God, we did. But in the process we found out one thing: It takes a lot more dedication to serve God when you're prosperous than it takes when you're desperate! There's a constant temptation to get so caught up in the earthly things that your desire for the things of God fades into the background.
As the material blessings of God come your way, remember, God has not trained you in His Word so you can consume it on your own lusts. He has revealed His Word to you so you can walk in the Spirit and do the job He's called you to do.
Don't let the things of this world cause you to miss out on the glorious things of the Spirit. Get your priorities in line with God's Word. Set your mind on things above, and you'll discover just how heavenly life was really meant to be!
AN HONEST HEART
I know also, my God, that You test the heart and have pleasure in uprightness. —1 Chronicles 29:17
I came across an epitaph on an old gravestone in a cemetery the other day. It read, “J. Holgate: An honest man.”
I know nothing of Holgate’s life, but because his marker is unusually ornate, he must have struck it rich. But whatever he accomplished in his lifetime, he’s remembered for just one thing: He was “an honest man.”
Diogenes, the Greek philosopher, spent a lifetime in search of honesty and finally concluded that an honest man could not be found. Honest people are hard to find in any age, but the trait is one that greatly matters. Honesty is not the best policy; it’s the only policy, and one of the marks of a man or woman who lives in God’s presence. David writes, “LORD, . . . who may dwell in Your holy hill? He who walks uprightly” (Ps. 15:1-2).
I ask myself: Am I trustworthy and honorable in all my affairs? Do my words ring true? Do I speak the truth in love or do I fudge and fade the facts now and then, or exaggerate for emphasis? If so, I may turn to God with complete confidence and ask for forgiveness and for a good and honest heart—to make truthfulness an integral part of my nature. The One who has begun a good work in me is faithful. He will do it.
Lord, help me to be honest
In all I do and say,
And grant me grace and power
To live for You each day.
Live in such a way that when people think of honesty and integrity, they will think of you.
PRAYER FOR THE DAY :
This glorious day for the heavenly blessings come upon me each day I live. “Beautiful words stir my heart. I will recite a lovely poem about the king, for my tongue is like the pen of a skillful poet.” (Psalm 45:1)
Good morning dear Heavenly Father, I praise You. I honor You. This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. O Lord I sing You a new song on Let the Word of God fill my empty heart and bring me joy and peace throughout my sojourn on this earth.
Gratefully, in Jesus’ holy name. Amen !!!
Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession... - Exodus 19:5, NIV
Sometimes God asks us to do things that don’t make sense. It doesn’t seem logical. It doesn’t fit into our budget. It doesn’t line up with our schedule. “God, You want me to go back to college? I’m 40 years old.” “God, You want me to give them a gift? I was saving those funds for my own dreams.” Or, “God, You want me to leave this secure position that I’ve had for years and start my own business?” Too often we overanalyze it. We debate it. Look at it only in the natural. We end up making excuses, talking ourselves out of it, “That couldn’t be God.” But if you’re going to reach your highest potential, you have to have bold obedience. That means you obey even when you don’t understand it. You just do it even when it doesn’t make sense. That’s what faith is all about.
If you can understand everything, you have the time, the money, it’s all lined up, then that doesn’t really take any faith. God will ask you to do things that seem far out, unusual, not practical. With every act of obedience, there is a blessing attached to it. When you do what you know God wants you to do, a blessing will follow. God rewards obedience!
HOLY GHOST TEACHER :
John 7:15 "And the Jews marvelled, saying, How knoweth this man letters, having never learned?"
Jesus received His wisdom and knowledge by direct revelation from the Spirit of God rather than by the teachings of man. Jesus had been learning, but not through man. The Holy Ghost was His teacher. Jesus had to be taught the things of God. This looks contrary to Colossians 2:3, which says that all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Jesus. If Jesus was God manifest in the flesh, why would He have to learn or be taught?
The harmony between these apparently opposite statements is that Jesus' spirit man was 100% God and had all of the wisdom and understanding of God in it, but it was manifest in natural flesh. It wasn't sinful flesh but it was flesh, nonetheless, and had to be educated. Jesus was not taught by man, but He was taught by the direct revelation of the Holy Spirit. The knowledge was within Him but it had to be drawn out.
At the new birth, a born-again man's spirit "is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him" (Col. 3:10). "We have the mind of Christ" (1 Cor. 2:16), and "an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things" (1 Jn. 2:20). All of these things are a reality in our spiritual man. However, just as Jesus had to be taught, so we must draw this wisdom and knowledge out of our spirits and renew our minds with it (Rom. 12:2). This is one of the main ministries of the Holy Spirit to the believer. Through the new birth, we have received the mind of Christ in our spirit man and are in the process of growing in wisdom by drawing this knowledge out of our spirits and renewing (or reprogramming) our minds. This wisdom has to be drawn out by faith, time spent in the Word, and prayer.
FROM DESPERATION TO DEVOTION
Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. – Colossians 3:2
Things, things, things! A better job. A bigger house. New clothes for the kids. Tomorrow's luncheon date. A better television. Get the picture?
Many of us have learned to believe God to prosper us to such a degree that we have too much to keep up with. We end up spending so much time and energy taking care of the legitimate "things" of life that we unconsciously give the attention and affections of our heart over to this natural world instead of to God.
When we I first heard about living by faith, we were in desperate circumstances. We were sick and broke, so it was easy for us to dedicate ourselves to prayer and to the Word. But as we honored God's Word, He honored and prospered us. We came to the place where we were no longer desperate. Then came the real test of our faith. Would we serve God out of our love for Him instead of our desperation?
Well, praise God, we did. But in the process we found out one thing: It takes a lot more dedication to serve God when you're prosperous than it takes when you're desperate! There's a constant temptation to get so caught up in the earthly things that your desire for the things of God fades into the background.
As the material blessings of God come your way, remember, God has not trained you in His Word so you can consume it on your own lusts. He has revealed His Word to you so you can walk in the Spirit and do the job He's called you to do.
Don't let the things of this world cause you to miss out on the glorious things of the Spirit. Get your priorities in line with God's Word. Set your mind on things above, and you'll discover just how heavenly life was really meant to be!
AN HONEST HEART
I know also, my God, that You test the heart and have pleasure in uprightness. —1 Chronicles 29:17
I came across an epitaph on an old gravestone in a cemetery the other day. It read, “J. Holgate: An honest man.”
I know nothing of Holgate’s life, but because his marker is unusually ornate, he must have struck it rich. But whatever he accomplished in his lifetime, he’s remembered for just one thing: He was “an honest man.”
Diogenes, the Greek philosopher, spent a lifetime in search of honesty and finally concluded that an honest man could not be found. Honest people are hard to find in any age, but the trait is one that greatly matters. Honesty is not the best policy; it’s the only policy, and one of the marks of a man or woman who lives in God’s presence. David writes, “LORD, . . . who may dwell in Your holy hill? He who walks uprightly” (Ps. 15:1-2).
I ask myself: Am I trustworthy and honorable in all my affairs? Do my words ring true? Do I speak the truth in love or do I fudge and fade the facts now and then, or exaggerate for emphasis? If so, I may turn to God with complete confidence and ask for forgiveness and for a good and honest heart—to make truthfulness an integral part of my nature. The One who has begun a good work in me is faithful. He will do it.
Lord, help me to be honest
In all I do and say,
And grant me grace and power
To live for You each day.
Live in such a way that when people think of honesty and integrity, they will think of you.
PRAYER FOR THE DAY :
This glorious day for the heavenly blessings come upon me each day I live. “Beautiful words stir my heart. I will recite a lovely poem about the king, for my tongue is like the pen of a skillful poet.” (Psalm 45:1)
Good morning dear Heavenly Father, I praise You. I honor You. This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. O Lord I sing You a new song on Let the Word of God fill my empty heart and bring me joy and peace throughout my sojourn on this earth.
Gratefully, in Jesus’ holy name. Amen !!!
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