Tag: Daily Bread

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Check Your Temperament

Colossians 1:15-20 ESV

[15]  He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. [16] For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. [17] And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. [18] And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. [19] For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, [20] and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

Bees are a hive mentality system. The queen runs everything and the workers follow the queen. She is the head of the colony. She is so influential in the colony that her personality dictates the personality of the entire hive. If a hive is hostile and aggressive, the only way to fix that is to remove the queen. Whether the queen is hostile or aggressive will determine whether the hive is hostile or aggressive.

Once the queen is removed, the beekeepers will introduce a better-tempered queen. They will then wait and watch the temperament of the bees to see if they change. Sometimes the queen’s influence is too strong and the colony is passed the point of saving and must be killed.

We, the Church, are meant to be much like a bee hive. The LORD Jesus Christ is the head of the Church. We are to bear fruit in line with Jesus. Fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control. Yet, many in the Church don’t have the qualities of our KING. Why? Because their head is not Jesus. They’ve allowed grief, fear, anger, unforgiveness, lust, perversion, etc. to be their head instead of Christ Jesus.

If you truly evaluate yourself honestly, would you find that your temperament matches the temperament of The KING or of a king of this world?

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Check Your Temperament.

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Sense The Aroma

2 Corinthians 2:14-16 ESV

[14] But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. [15] For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, [16] to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things?

Paul, the greatest apostle who ever lived, equated the Church to an aroma or fragrance to others. To God, we are the aroma of Christ, among those who are being saved and perishing. Then Paul goes on to say to one a fragrance from life to life and to the other a fragrance of death to death. Did you notice that Paul changes the words he uses depending on who he’s speaking in regards to?

First, he starts with “aroma” (euōdia) to God, then when he talks about how we are to other people he changes to “fragrance” (osmē). Now, aroma (euōdia) means a sweet smell, appeasement, incense offering, or offering, but fragrance (osmē) only means smell, scent, odor, fragrance, or perfume. Why does it matter?

To God, we give the aroma of an appeasing, sweet-smelling incense offering. Throughout the Law of Moses, the Israelites were commanded to bring a sacrifice to the LORD to appease His commanded to bring a sacrifice to the LORD to appease His wrath because of their sin. When Jesus died He took the sin of the world upon him and killed sin in Himself. Then He took that sin far far away to Hell and when He rose on the third day, He gave us the hope of our resurrection to come.

When we are baptized, we are baptized into His death and given the aroma of Jesus’ sacrifice to the LORD God. And just as some perfumes are sweet to some and stink to others so are we who are in Christ. We carry that aroma with us wherever we go. So, to others who have that same aroma smell a sweet fragrance while others do not.

This is why the world hates us. This is why before we even meet people, some despise us. This smell dwells and communicates in the spiritual realm. Our spirit can sense and even communicate with other people’s spirit. Its not you, yourself, the world hates but the aroma of the one dwelling inside of you.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Sense The Aroma.

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Walk Not By Your Sight

13 … as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests who bear the Ark of the LORD, the LORD of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, that the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off, the waters that come down from upstream, and they shall stand as a heap. ~ Joshua 3:13b

God went ahead of the Israelites after they left Egypt, just as He had promised He would. He led the way, because they had not passed that way before. So, if He went ahead of those who acted in faith under an action-driven covenant … how much more will He go ahead of those who act in faith under our New Covenant of faith?

But it will require action along with faith, just as it required action for Peter and John when they healed the lame man at the Beautiful Gate in Acts 3:1-10. We can’t wait until we see the results; we must act believing the results.

Remember, it was not until they had “Step Out into the Waters” that the waters stopped flowing and were cut off. God requires faith followed by actions. Actions = Obedience = Faith, which results in signs, and wonders, and miracles. As Christ-followers, we are not called to sit on the bench until the ideal situation or moment of impact, and we know all outcomes.

We walk by faith—ho pistis— and not by sight.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Walk Not By Sight.

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Go And Dwell With Him

1 And when the Day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. 3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. ~ Acts 2:1-4 KJV

The Scripture states, “When the Day of Pentecost had fully come…” NKJV We have to understand that Pentecost wasn’t just an arbitrary day or a random time in the life of Israel. And it didn’t all start with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. From the time of the Exodus under Moses, about 1,475 years earlier, the Israelites were celebrating Pentecost as the Feast of Weeks (Shavuot).

God had instituted this festival as one of the three mandatory pilgrimage feasts. It was a celebration of the wheat harvest. For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things… (Hebrews 10:1a) What does that mean: the Law was a shadow of the good things to come?

Well, the day of Pentecost is a prime example of the fulfillment of the shadow of the good things to come. The Day of Pentecost, or the Feast of Weeks, as it was called, was celebrated 50 days counting from Resurrection Sunday. The Death and Resurrection of Christ Jesus started the made a way for us to be reconciled to God. Then, 50 days later, God poured out His Holy Spirit on all flesh so that Salvation was obtainable and retainable.

No, longer do we have to count solely on someone else connecting us to God or giving us a Word from God because now, God dwells in us and with us. Now, our God guides anyone with a willing and obedient heart. That is why we celebrate Pentecost because we are living in the days of The Holy Spirit.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Dwell With Him.

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Become One

1 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. ~ Acts 2:1

When the day of Pentecost had fully come, one person was not professing one thing, and another person prophesying something else. They were all in agreement with the promise. They were all of one mind.

You may be saying to yourself, Oh, brother Kenny, why are you so old school? We don’t have to all agree. Look, the Scriptures ask, “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” (Amos 3:3 KJV).

In other words, we will never experience “The Hope of Pentecost” unless we all agree together as one church body. And unless we understand what we believe, live what we believe, and agree to what we believe, we will never experience what Jesus has for us the hope of Pentecost with signs and wonders, miracles, and many great acts of healing. We must believe and agree together so that we will receive the promise. We must become one body, mind, and goal in Christ Jesus.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Become One.

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Be Transformed

Genesis 1:31

[31] And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

When God looked at all of His creation at the end of that last workday, He said, “It is good.” Everything God created was good. Including mankind. Then we corrupted ourselves. So, what was God to do, leave us to our own demise? No. He put the salvation plan into motion.

On the day of Pentecost, God’s salvation plan took a big step as He sent His Holy Spirit. His Holy Spirit dwelling in us and with us, transforming us into the original plan of the Image of God.

2 Corinthians 3:18

[18] And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

Our God did not abandon us, even though He could have. Instead, He made a way for us to be forgiven and redeemed from our past. To be saved from our iniquities. To be transformed into exactly who God originally created us to be.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Be Transformed.

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Be Reconciled

Genesis 11:1-9

[1] Now the whole earth had one language and the same words. [2] And as people migrated from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. [3] And they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.” And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar. [4] Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.” [5] And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of man had built. [6] And the Lord said, “Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. [7] Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another’s speech.” [8] So the Lord dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city. [9] Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth. And from there the Lord dispersed them over the face of all the earth.

When it comes to Pentecost, we usually just associate it with Acts 2, but there’s so much more to Pentecost than just Acts 2. Pentecost was the founding and establishing of the Church. The body of Christ. It was the bringing together of many nations to create one people, unified together with one mind and goal, to build the Kingdom of God. As God poured out His Spirit and gave birth to His Church, He undid the division at Babel.

At Babel, humanity unified together to try to ascend to heaven in their own power and strength. They built a tower, not to reach God in worship, but to make a name for themselves. They tried to invade heaven out of pride, as if to make themselves like gods. Around 2000 years later, God unified mankind and elevated them spiritually to sit with Him in Heaven. What mankind tried to achieve at Babel, God gave to those willing to follow Him.

God doesn’t reward the prideful nor does He punish the humble. When the 120 got together in the Upper Room unified in obedience to Christ Jesus, God descended from on high and dwelt with them and in them. He sealed them with His Holy Spirit together as one people and spiritually elevated them, undoing the punishment of Babel.

God doesn’t forget our previous mistakes or punishments. He remembers them and always gives us a way to undo them. As long as there is breath in our lungs, there is hope for restoration. There is hope for reconciliation to God.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Be Reconciled. 

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Desire

27 And a young man ran and told Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.” 28 And Joshua the son of Nun, the assistant of Moses from his youth, said, “My lord Moses, stop them.” 29 But Moses said to him, “Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the Lord’s people were prophets, that the Lord would put His Spirit on them!” 30 And Moses and the elders of Israel returned to the camp. ~ Numbers 11:27-30

16 But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel: 17 ‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; 18 even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.’ ~ Acts 2:16-18

The Day of Pentecost came around 1200 to 1400 years after Moses. It took almost 1500 years for Moses’ prayer to be answered. His prayer that all people could have the Spirit of the LORD on and in them. Moses was long gone, but the desires of his heart were fulfilled. God didn’t forget about Moses’ prayer. He didn’t forget about his desire. God fulfilled it on the Day of Pentecost when He poured out His Spirit on all flesh.

Your prayers may not come to fruition in your lifetime. You may not see them come forth, but they aren’t forgotten. They haven’t been thrown out or discarded. God has never forgotten us. He has never abandoned us. When we delight ourselves in the LORD, He gives us the desires of our hearts.

If God remembered Moses’ desires and brought them to fruition almost 1500 years after he was gone, how much more will He fulfill the desires of His Church? Those whom He dwells with and through. Those who He has washed in His blood and redeemed for His purposes.

Pentecost isn’t just about the founding of the Church. It’s about promises being fulfilled and God’s never-ending love and devotion to His people.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Desire.

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Be Available

All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. ~ Acts 2:4

For ten days 120 people went into the Upper Room and spent time with the LORD in unity. They waited together with one goal in mind, to wait for the promised Holy Spirit. These 120 were the first official members of the body of Christ, yet they weren’t all named. Matter-a-fact, the majority are not named. These weren’t high society overly important men and women, these were just common people.

God doesn’t just use the important, influential, high society men and women. God uses willing hearts who are obedient to His call. We don’t need a huge bank account, important name, or large platform in order to be used by God. You don’t need to be extraordinary—you just need to be available.The Spirit will do the rest.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Be Available.

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Be Grafted Into His Vine

20 And the priest shall wave them with the bread of the firstfruits as a wave offering before the LORD, with the two lambs. They shall be holy to the LORD for the priest. ~ Leviticus 23:20

In the Law of Moses, the LORD gave seven feasts for Israel to keep year after year. During the Feast of Weeks, the is directing the Israelites to wave all the other required offerings along with the two loaves of bread of the firstfruits. Why does this matter to us today? The Law of Moses foreshadowed the coming of the good things fulfilled in Christ Jesus.

The loaf, or the bread, waved as a wave offering is always a representation of the body, or the spiritual body. To take it a step further, the wheat represents the Church. Therefore, the two loaves that were waved by the priest were made from the wheat harvest and are representative of the Church as firstfruits of the wheat harvest.

Jew and Gentile together form the Church as a firstfruits of His creatures. Even though Israel is the LORD’s chosen people, He made a way for all people to be grafted into the vine. He made a way for all people to be saved. Why? Because we are all His creation and He loves each and every one of us. How do we know this? Because Jesus died for all, Jews and Gentiles alike, in Him there is neither Jew nor Gentile, but one Church in Christ Jesus.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Be Grafted Into His Vine.

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