Tag: Food For Growth

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Use To Multiply

1 Peter 4:10-11

[10] As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: [11] whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

When we think of spiritual gifts from God, we often think of gifts we would deem mystical. Paul gives us a list of gifts that we most associate with spiritual gifts. Prophecy, word of knowledge, tongues, thing that sound and look spiritual. Peter, however, lists spiritual gifts that just sound regular and normal, but are no less spiritual and God-given than Paul’s list.

These gifts, listed by Peter, are more naturally born with. These are gifts that we showcase from a young age. Gifts that define who we are and direct us to our call. Even though these gifts are everyday traits, without them we could never fulfill our call. These gifts propel us forward towards God’s plan for our lives.

They aren’t meaningless, less than, or insignificant, they are like the one talent. They may look small now but if you use them, they will multiply. They will grow. And for all we know, give birth to even greater gifts than we could ever dream.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Use To Multiply.

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Swallow His Pill

Ezekiel 3:16-21

[16]  And at the end of seven days, the word of the Lord came to me: [17] “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. [18] If I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, in order to save his life, that wicked person shall die for his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. [19] But if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness, or from his wicked way, he shall die for his iniquity, but you will have delivered your soul. [20] Again, if a righteous person turns from his righteousness and commits injustice, and I lay a stumbling block before him, he shall die. Because you have not warned him, he shall die for his sin, and his righteous deeds that he has done shall not be remembered, but his blood I will require at your hand. [21] But if you warn the righteous person not to sin, and he does not sin, he shall surely live, because he took warning, and you will have delivered your soul.”

God gives Ezekiel a very difficult pill to swallow. A very difficult charge. He tells him that if He doesn’t correct a person living in sin and they then die in their sin, their blood is on his head. In other words, Ezekiel would be just as guilty as the sinner. What a difficult call. A difficult charge.

When we read that, we kind of breathe a sigh of relief thinking that now that we are under a new and better covenant, this isn’t for us. Oh what a deception we have been led into. The new covenant wasn’t about allowing or overlooking sin, but about overcoming and eradicating sin completely.

Jesus tells us to preach the Gospel. How can we do that without exposing sin? He tells us to be the salt of the earth. How can we be the salt if we don’t ever correct or teach? Jesus tells us to beware of false prophets. How can we do that if we do not judge their actions and words against Scripture?

No where in Scripture does God tell us we are free from correcting others. That we are to overlook and ignore or embrace sin. In fact, it says otherwise. Jesus condemned the Pharisees because they led others astray and made them even more a child of Hell than themselves, instead of leading them to God. This is the charge we were given “Go and make disciples of all nations.” Our pill is no different than Ezekiel’s.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Swallow His Pill.

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Walk With God

8 He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? ~ Micah 6:8

Enoch walked and talked with God, then God took him. This is one of the very first examples of a spiritual walk in Scripture. In fact, I’d venture to say that it’s the first spiritual walk that ends with achieving the ultimate goal that is recorded in Scripture. That now begs the question, what exactly is a spiritual walk?

Our Spiritual Walk is our personal, individual journey with Jesus. Our personal connection and understanding of who Jesus is and what His sacrifice on Calvary did for us as individuals, and how we should respond. It’s personal.

Our walk with Jesus does not end when we say, “I believe, please forgive me, amen.” It is a lifelong walk, a struggle even. It is a seeking, searching, asking, knocking, a total dependence upon Jesus, it’s living by faith, walking by faith, talking by faith, and seeing by faith. Genesis 5:24 tells us that Enoch walked faithfully with God, or as the NLT puts it, walking in close fellowship with God. Do not begin to say to yourself that God is up in heaven, and I am here on the earth, so there’s no way to seek Him or to truly know Him.

God said through Isaiah, “…I would not have told the people of Israel to seek me if I could not be found…” (Isaiah 45:19b NLT). God has revealed Himself to us, so that we might find Him if we but diligently seek His face and call upon His Name. He can be found by anyone willing to seek Him. And when you find Him, He will walk with you.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Walk With God.

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A Key To Success

Proverbs 6:6-11

[6]  Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise. [7]  Without having any chief, officer, or ruler, [8] she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest. [9]  How long will you lie there, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep? [10]  A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, [11]  and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man.

Success can be fleeting, or it can be seized through focus, action, and purposeful intent. Success is drawn to the diligent and the hardworking, but it avoids—and even evades—the sluggard and the faint of heart, slipping past those who hesitate like sand through the fingers, leaving only memories of what could have been.

It refuses to come to those who merely call from a distance, but runs swiftly toward those who chase and pursue it with relentless diligence, like a river rushing to fill a dry and weary land.

In short… success responds to intentional effort, not passive desire. So… get up and chase it. Don’t wait for it to knock or for everything to be perfect; it never will.

Success is a stubborn heifer that refuses to plow if left unprodded; therefore, chase success with all your strength and with the full intention of capturing it, no matter the cost.

Wake up every morning with success on your mind and in your heart, aligned with what God has for your life. But never sacrifice your relationship with God or your family, or your integrity.

Our Christian success is not independent of God, but is centered in God. Therefore, our vision and our goals must be rooted in Christ. They must find their existence in Him because we find our existence in Him, “For in Him we live and move and have our being…” (Acts 17:28a).

We don’t bring our plans to God and demand that He bless them, but instead, we come to God and ask Him to bless us with His plans and vision for our lives and our ministry.

So, today, let us apprehend that for which we have been apprehended, as Paul wrote in his letter to the Philippian Church (Philippians 3:12). Because, in reality, Christian success is not self-made, but is fulfilling the purpose that Christ has apprehended, or saved us for. Therefore, when you become as desperate for God and for Jesus, as for your next breath of fresh air, then success is halfway achieved.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Do Not Sacrifice Him. 

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Understand The Relationship

1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. ~ Psalms 23:1

Psalms 23 is the most well-known psalm written. It includes some of the most recited verses in all of Scripture. In it, David described the LORD as his shepherd. In describes a very personal, intimate, loving relationship between him and God. He doesn’t say the LORD is my master; I shall not want. He doesn’t say the LORD is my King; I shall not want. No. David says the LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. In other words, because the LORD is my shepherd, I have everything that I need. I don’t have to worry about anything because He has me.

David chose this analogy because he understood the love of God. See, David was a shepherd himself. He understood how much the shepherd loved his flock. He knew that the shepherd would do anything to protect the flock, including putting himself in harm’s way in order to defend the flock. David knew this firsthand. He killed the lion. He killed the bear. Not just for the sake of hunting, but for the sake of defending his flock.

David, a shepherd, compared the relationship between the LORD and us to that of a shepherd and his flock because David didn’t just know the love of a shepherd, but the dependency of a sheep. See, the she-bear is ferocious. She will destroy anything that comes towards her cub, BUT the cub will one day grow up and no longer need the she-bear to protect it. One day, it will outgrow its mother. The sheep, however, never outgrow their shepherd.

They are dependent on that shepherd. They will forever need that shepherd because they only come when that shepherd calls. If they wander off, they need to depend on that shepherd coming to find them, or they’ll be destroyed by predators. They have to depend on the shepherd to defend them from lions, bears, wolves. The sheep always need the shepherd, which is why our shepherd will forever and ever dwell with us on the New Earth for all eternity.

1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
5 And He who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” 6 And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. 7 The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son. 8 But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”

Revelation 21:1-8

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Understand The Relationship.

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Connect Your Gift

10 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: 11 whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To Him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. ~ 1 Peter 4:10-11

Each of us is given a gift from God. Something that we are naturally good at. That gift, when used correctly as God intended it, will propel you to your call. And your call will always be built on your God-given gifts. Therefore, your goals and passions should never be random; they should always reflect your God-given gifts and talents.

Don Corder, in his book, “Minding His Business”, wrote something like this: “If you have a tree-climbing job to do, don’t hire a dog, which can be trained to climb a tree, but rather, hire a squirrel, which was born to climb a tree.”

In other words, when we operate within our own giftings, we position ourselves on The Road to Success. BUT as you are all very well aware of, even when operating within your giftings, talents, and experiences, problems will still arise, because there is an enemy who comes to steal, kill, and destroy. Therefore, problems don’t scream “Wrong path, wrong mission,” but, on the contrary, they are probably very good indicators that you are on the right track.

Someone once said that if you are not butting heads with the devil, it means you two are heading in the same direction. So, here’s the thing. Problems will arise. Situations will come up. Discouragement will try to weasel its way into your life. But you must shut it down and conquer it with your problem-solving skills.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Connect Your Gift.

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Don’t Take It For Granted

Deuteronomy 29:29

29 The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.

I think that a lot of the time, as Christians, we forget that the Scriptures weren’t written in English. Our favorite or preferred translation is just that, a translation. It’s not perfect. It’s not flawless. And a lot of times, it misses the deeper picture the author was trying to get across to his audience. Does that mean that we shouldn’t read translations? Or trust them? No.

I’m saying, don’t just read one translation and ignore all the other ones. Don’t just take the translations at face value either. Dig deeper. Use those online resources that we have available to us. The entire Bible in its original language (the documents that were translated) are available for anyone to see. They have definitions, root words, etc.

We miss so much, not because we don’t read, but because we cling to one single translation and shun all of the rest. No one translation is perfect. Only the original is. Therefore, search the original. Don’t just accept what someone has translated, check their translation. See if there is something more going on in the original language.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Don’t Take It For Granted.

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Be Patient In Love

19 These are the generations of Isaac, Abraham’s son: Abraham fathered Isaac, 20 and Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel the Aramean of Paddan-aram, the sister of Laban the Aramean, to be his wife. 21 And Isaac prayed to the Lord for his wife, because she was barren. And the Lord granted his prayer, and Rebekah his wife conceived. ~ Genesis 25:19-21

Isaac is a patriarch who gets mentioned, but it’s almost like it’s by default. Like he isn’t mentioned because of something he did, but because of when he was born. He’s the son of Abraham and the father of Jacob. So, when we mention who God is the God of, it’s almost like we only mention Isaac by default because outside of that, he feels very overlooked. But Isaac had some great qualities.

One specific quality he had was that he truly loved Rebekah. He didn’t just brush off her feelings, her desires, her needs. When Rebekah was barren and couldn’t conceive, Isaac stepped up as a husband and prayed for her. He prayed to the LORD his God to open her womb so that she might have children. And because of that, the LORD heard his prayer and Rebekah conceived.

Now, let’s contrast this with Jacob’s response to his wife, whom it says he loved greatly.

1 When Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, she envied her sister. She said to Jacob, “Give me children, or I shall die!” 2 Jacob’s anger was kindled against Rachel, and he said, “Am I in the place of God, who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?” ~ Genesis 30:1-2

Instead of stepping up as a husband and praying for her to be able to have children, Jacob became angry with her. He scolded her. This is the woman he loves, whom he worked an extra seven years for, and they were as if only a few days to him because of the love he had for her. He didn’t have patience for her emotional breakdown. He couldn’t sympathize with her pain and her agony.

Yes, sometimes we, as women, are a little overemotional, but we were created by God to be more emotional than men. We were created to balance each other out. I personally believe that this is what Peter was explaining in his first letter.

7 Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered (1 Peter 3:7).

Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the Church. Have patience with her. When something overwhelms her and makes her emotional, don’t be angered by that emotion; instead, take your place as the head of your wife and pray to God on her behalf. Love isn’t just loving when it’s easy. Love is for all times, especially in times that are harder and more stressful.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Be Patient In Love.

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Find Comfort In Each Other

62 Now Isaac had returned from Beer-lahai-roi and was dwelling in the Negeb. 63 And Isaac went out to meditate in the field toward evening. And he lifted up his eyes and saw, and behold, there were camels coming. 64 And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she dismounted from the camel 65 and said to the servant, “Who is that man, walking in the field to meet us?” The servant said, “It is my master.” So she took her veil and covered herself. 66 And the servant told Isaac all the things that he had done. 67 Then Isaac brought her into the tent of Sarah his mother and took Rebekah, and she became his wife, and he loved her. So Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death. ~ Genesis 24:62-67

Sarah has died. Isaac is now a fully grown man. So, what does his father do? He sends his servant to the land of his fathers, to the city of Nahor, to find a wife for his son, Isaac. Now, fast-forward to the servant returning with Rebekkah, Isaac’s future wife. She sees him in the distance, immediately dismounts, and asks who he is. Then she covers herself with her veil when she finds out who he is.

What does Isaac do after he finds out who she is? He takes her to his mother’s tent and marries her. He finds comfort from the loss of his mother in Rebekah. Usually, men are the comforting ones in the relationship. Usually, it’s wives who go to their husbands to be comforted, and that’s the way we see it being at all times, but Isaac, the strong one in the relationship (as we see men), was comforted by his wife.

Love is a two-way street. It’s give and take. No one can be strong 24/7. No relationship can survive on just one person being there for the other every single time. We have to find comfort in each other. We have to be there for each other. We have to learn to be one.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Find Comfort In Each Other.

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A Foreshadowing To Remember

1 Now when the king lived in his house and the Lord had given him rest from all his surrounding enemies, 2 the king said to Nathan the prophet, “See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells in a tent.” 3 And Nathan said to the king, “Go, do all that is in your heart, for the Lord is with you.” 4 But that same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan, 5 “Go and tell my servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord: Would you build me a house to dwell in? 6 I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent for my dwelling. 7 In all places where I have moved with all the people of Israel, did I speak a word with any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?”’ 8 Now, therefore, thus you shall say to my servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, that you should be prince over my people Israel. 9 And I have been with you wherever you went and have cut off all your enemies from before you. And I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. 10 And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may dwell in their own place and be disturbed no more. And violent men shall afflict them no more, as formerly, 11 from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel. And I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover, the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house. 12 When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. ~ 2 Samuel 7:1-13

I’ve seen many people say that Solomon was a type of antichrist because the weight of gold that came to him in one year was 666 (1 Kings 10:14-15). Now, while Solomon definitely made many, many mistakes as king, he also wrote two books of the Bible. How can Solomon be an antichrist, but also write two books of the Bible? How does that work exactly? Short answer: It doesn’t. Solomon wasn’t a type of antichrist. Solomon actually had a lot in common with Christ.

The LORD told David that his son would build the Temple. Solomon was that son. It was Solomon who built the Temple for the LORD. Solomon, the son of David. Do you see the connection yet? Jesus, before He was crucified, said, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up” (John 2:19). Solomon, the son of David, built the first Temple for the LORD. Jesus, the Son of David, built the final Temple for the LORD. What is that final Temple? Us. The Church. We are the Temple of God (1 Corinthians 3:16-23 and 2 Corinthians 6:14-18).

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Pay Close Attention To The Foreshadowing.

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