The Word of God contains potency beyond anything we can imagine, and when unleashed, will accomplish its purpose and get results. So when we become comfortable sharing our faith with others the true goodness of His Word is released. But this Fellowship of Faith is truly profitable for both parties. First, it gives the Believer a chance to remember just how far they’ve come with Christ, it encourages their soul, and fills them with gratitude. And as for the person listening, they can be encouraged, challenged, inspired, comforted, emboldened, and convicted… all at the same time. So as this verse says, “I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith…”
Month: May 2021
Ezekiel 18:2 ” The fathers eat sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge.”
This had been a often quoted Proverb of the Israelites…that the children would pay the consequences of their parent’s mistakes…passing them down from generation to generation. But in verses 3 and 4 God sets aside this old Proverb with a new one… no longer treating the Jewish Nation as a “unit”, but now judging each individual. This new Proverb was, “The soul who sins is the one who will die.” With this, each person became accountable and responsible for his own moral conduct…and in the end, would alone answer to God.
James 2:15-16 ” Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, ‘Go, I wish you well; Keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? “
Most people are willing to give to a Charity or worthy cause…but just don’t ask them to engage personally. That’s because for most of us, we don’t want to get involved. Now if we came upon a person described in these verses…stripped naked and starving, we’d all agree we’d do something immediately…but why does it take an extreme situation to force us into getting involved? I John 3:17 asks the probing question of us, “If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?” Or to take it a step farther, in Matthew 25:35-40, Jesus tells the faithful that whatever they did for the least of their brothers they were in actuality doing for Him. Yes, seeing a need and filling it may involve us getting out of our comfort zone and interacting with someone very unlike us…it may take our time, talents, and money as we not only share ourselves with that person, but step into the mess around them…but as the Scripture in Matthew starkly reveals, we need to view it as helping Jesus Himself.
Proverbs 31:8-9 ” Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.”
If you have the chance, read the entire Oracle King Lemuel wrote (Proverbs 31:1-9)…a writing that his Mother actually taught him and he dedicated back to her. And if you read this Oracle in its entirety you will instantly see that the main points go far beyond how King Lemuel was to govern. This Oracle is something we can all take to heart and adhere to. The premise is clear, open up your mouth when you see oppression and abuse…defend and care about justice for the poor, orphan, and widow…be truthful, fair, and show no partiality towards the destitute, sick and dying. We have been placed on this earth to care for one another, not to judge harshly and condemn our fellow man.
Proverbs 19:2 ” It is not good to have zeal without knowledge, nor to be hasty and miss the way.”
The devil would love it if when asked you never turned down volunteering for any good or worthy project. He’d love to see you never say no to any admirable and/or deserving undertaking…regardless of how many things you’ve already committed to. You know why? The devil knows that if you keep saying yes, soon you’ll be spread so thin that everything in your life will suffer. For when we allow passion to rule rather than wisdom, our priories soon turn upside down…and suddenly God’s at the bottom of our list because we’re just too busy to fit Him into our schedule.
Hebrews 2:11 ” Both the One who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers.”
It tells us in I Thessalonians 5:23 that only God is able to sanctify or make holy since He alone is holy. And so it is by this sanctification process we are accepted into the family of God receiving the Spirit of Sonship or adoption. (Romans 8:17) Thus as newly adopted brothers and sisters into the family we become co-heirs with Jesus. And because we are now family, Jesus is not the least bit hesitant to call us His brothers and sisters.
Hosea 10:12 ” Sow for yourselves righteousness, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the Lord, until He comes and showers righteousness on you.”
Some plant, some water…but God makes those spiritual seeds planted in someone’s heart grow. (I Corinthians 3:6) And so every time we share the Good News of the Gospel, we’re sowing righteousness…and God rewards it. ( Psalm 24:5) And as we extent grace and mercy towards others, our Heavenly Father’s boundless grace and mercy is showered down on us. But this verse also warns us of becoming lazy and too comfortable in our Christianity…of losing that fire, that first love…like a field that was once productive but now lies fallow and inactive. Now is the time to examine yourself and ask…”Do I need to break up my unplowed ground?”
Job 4:8 ” As I have observed, those who plow evil and those who sow trouble reap it.”
Or as we read in Galatians 6:7-8, “A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature will reap destruction.” If we choose to make our way through life without God, we are just making a difficult life here on earth even harder. Now, the decision is entirely ours…but remember this, we all have to live with the consequences of our decisions…and the misery is brought about by no one else but ourselves. Or as Job observed, “Hardship doesn’t spring from the soil, nor does trouble sprout from the ground. Yet man is born to trouble as surely as sparks fly upward.” (Job 5:6-7) Thanks to Adam and Eve, we come into this world equipped with the sin nature… but it’s our choice what we do about it.
Mark 10:13 ” People were bringing little children to Jesus to have Him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them.”
Were the disciples taking on the role of bodyguards for Jesus here, trying to keep the curious crowds and paparazzi away…or were they overreacting and taking matters into their own hands? The meaning for the Greek word “rebuked” in this verse is anything but compassionate and/or caring towards the parents who just wanted their little ones blessed. It was biting remarks expressing disapproval in a harsh tone of voice. It’s not a surprise then how Jesus reacted to them in an indignant and angry way when He said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” (Mark 10:14) The disciples thought they knew more than Jesus…they reacted rather than acted in a loving way … and in doing so, allowed the situation to rule them and their emotions.
Deuteronomy 8:3 ” He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
The translation for manna literally means “What is it?” and it had totally unique qualities… it could be ground, milled, baked, or boiled. And by providing it to the Israelites as they wandered in the desert, God’s desire was that they would trust Him to take care of all their needs…but Psalms 78 gives us an account of just how prideful, rebellious, and whiney the people were. Again and again they put God to the test, complaining while there was still food in their mouths…demanding more and more, rather than being grateful for what they had. In grumbling about real bread for their physical bodies they had completely lost sight and turned from God’s truth and divine revelation for their spiritual bodies.
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