Tag: Food For Growth

¹ Joseph went and told Pharaoh, “My father and brothers, with their flocks and herds and everything they own, have come from the land of Canaan and are now in Goshen.” ² He chose five of his brothers and presented them before Pharaoh. ³ Pharaoh asked the brothers, “What is your occupation?” “Your servants are shepherds,” they replied to Pharaoh, “just as our fathers were.” ⁴ They also said to him, “We have come to live here for a while, because the famine is severe in Canaan and your servants’ flocks have no pasture. So now, please let your servants settle in Goshen.” ⁵ Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Your father and your brothers have come to you, ⁶ and the land of Egypt is before you; settle your father and your brothers in the best part of the land. Let them live in Goshen. And if you know of any among them with special ability, put them in charge of my own livestock.” ~ Genesis 47:1-6^NIV

Joseph was in the land of Egypt, second in command only to Pharaoh when his brothers showed up. God had made a way for all of His people to be saved from the famine by turning the evil that Joseph’s brothers did to him into good for all people. Pharaoh saw who the real God was because of Joseph and all that God did through him, yet Pharaoh was still spiritually blind. When Joseph’s family came to the land of Egypt, he told them to tell Pharaoh they were shepherds so that Pharaoh might allow them to stay in the land of Goshen because shepherds were detestable to Egyptians. Now, I want you to think about this, shepherds were detestable to Egyptians, but Pharaoh still wanted any skilled shepherd to take care of his flocks. Isn’t that how the world is today?

The things of the Church are detestable and offensive to them, but when things go wrong, they ask for the prayers of the Church. This isn’t a characteristic that strictly affects the world; the Church today is inundated with this characteristic. We’re offended when we’re told that certain actions are sinful. We’re offended when we’re told that certain actions/illnesses are spiritual. But we want prayer. We want counseling, but we don’t want deliverance. We have become Pharaoh. We have become like the Egyptians; the shepherds have become detestable to us. Why? Because Jesus is the Good Shepherd. When we are offended by what Jesus has said, we are really being offended by the Good Shepherd Himself.

Dear LORD, please help me to not be offended by You. Help me to not be offended by Truth but to always seek it out. Break my heart for what breaks Your heart. Teach me Your ways and write Your laws on my heart that I might not sin against You. Help me to love You the way that You deserve. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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¹³ Only acknowledge your guilt, that you rebelled against the Lord your God and scattered your favors among foreigners under every green tree, and that you have not obeyed my voice, declares the Lord. ¹⁴ Return, O faithless children, declares the Lord; for I am your master… ~ Jeremiah 3:13-14a

If we acknowledge our own guilt and confess that we have rebelled against the LORD our God and that we have placed things above Him and not obeyed His word, and if we will only return to Him with a repentant heart, He will forgive us. Why?

He’s a good, good Father. If it could be said that God had a weakness, which He does not, but if He did, it would have to be His love and mercy for mankind.

God loves us so much that He is willing to:

• Forgive
• And forgive
• And forgive
• And then forgive again

But make no mistake, God is also a God of vengeance and a God of justice. He will not leave the guilty unpunished, nor will He let the lawbreaker go free. Please understand that we were all guilty; we were all transgressors of God’s law (Proverbs 11:21), but because of His great mercy, He has paid our debt Himself for us and has forgiven us by the shedding of His own blood.

Now, He expects us to turn from evil, even from the very appearance of evil, and turn to Him with a whole heart.

Dear LORD, please help me to remove all iniquity from within me. Help me to flee evil and all of the ways of the world. If my foot stumbles, catch me that I may not fall, but help me to my feet. Teach me Your ways. Strengthen my spirit man that my flesh may not control me. Help me to never think that I am perfect and, therefore, do not need to grow. Show me my flaws and help me to remove each and every one of them. Thank you for always forgiving me and being patient and kind towards me. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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¹¹ But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. ¹² Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. ¹³ I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, ¹⁴ to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ. ~ 1 Timothy 6:11-14

Paul wrote several letters, each unique and focusing on the struggles of the recipient. There was no one-size-fits-all. Each letter was personalized in order to build up and instruct the brother(s)/sister(s) on the receiving end. For instance, he instructs Timothy to “take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession.”

Paul understood that they only had one opportunity to get it right. One opportunity to build up treasure in heaven that lasts for all eternity. People work so hard here on earth, building up treasure and wealth that someone else will get instead of building up true wealth that lasts forever.

Jesus warns us not to work for wealth that fades but to build true wealth so that we will have a good eternity (Matthew 6:19-21). In other words, don’t waste your time working for fool’s gold. The only thing you will have in eternity is what you send on ahead. If you send nothing on ahead of you, you will have nothing.

Well, I’m sure you will have something, but nothing compared to what God has in store for you. We need to work now to build up our treasure. Don’t miss out on the best and most profitable investment ever, YOUR ETERNITY!

Paul understood the gravity of the situation when he told the Corinthian church that he worked harder, was imprisoned more, and had more hardships than the other apostles. Paul was sure of what he had done. He did not waste his time with useless things. He did not get distracted by temporal wealth and position. He was hyper-focused on the eternal.

We only have this one life to do God’s will and impact the world. We can’t waste our time working to gain the world. The harvest is ready, but the laborers are few. These temporal things won’t last forever. We can’t take that into eternity, but what we can take into eternity is what we do for the LORD. Each soul we impact for the better, each life we change, each soul we harvest, each seed we plant, and each trial we make it through is building up eternal treasure. Don’t be distracted by the things of the world. Instead, focus on the things of God and His Kingdom.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Seek the Eternal.

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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… ~ 2 Corinthians 2:14-16a

Not everyone is going to accept our message of life. Not everyone is going to accept or tolerate the pain of being cut in their souls when the spotlight of Jesus Christ shines its piercing light into the never before seen crevasses where the darkness hides.

But nonetheless, we are to let our light shine so that we can do as Jude instructed and snatch others out of the fire (Jude 23). But in today’s society, it’s backward. It’s hateful to want to share the Gospel with others. Why? Because the enemy knows that if we will remain quiet and not teach the Gospel, he will retain the power over more souls.

We’re called to evangelize the nations. We’re called to go throughout the entire world and share the Gospel of Jesus with as many people as possible. We’re called to plant seeds and water them. We are never called to be silent about our faith.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Share The Gospel.

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¹⁸ And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to Himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to Him. ~ 2 Corinthians 5:18 ^NLT

Paul wrote this letter to the Corinthian Church explaining that we aren’t to just abandon the world after we’ve been reconciled to God. Jesus told Peter after he fell and got back up to go help his brother. King Solomon tells us that iron sharpens iron. There is never a time when God wants us to leave people where we found them. There is never a time when God wants us to not share His Word with others.

We are His hands and feet on this earth. Whether or not people hear about the Gospel of Christ is up to us. God did His part. He came down to earth and paid the price for our salvation. It’s now on us to share the Gospel. It’s on us to witness to the nations, regardless of whether it makes us uncomfortable, puts our job in jeopardy, causes us to lose friends, etc. Imagine if every day we each set out to share the Gospel with just one person and actively prayed for the person we were witnessing to.

The early Church turned the world upside down with evangelism, prayer, and supplication. They fasted, taught the Gospel, sought the face of God, and willingly took beatings and oppression for the sake of the Gospel. They faced so many obstacles, yet the Word of God flourished wherever they went. Why? Because they understood that they were the body of Christ. They were the light of the world to the nations. To live is Christ, and die is gain.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Evangelize The Nations.

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¹⁶ All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, ¹⁷ that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. ~ 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Paul wasn’t just telling Timothy to judge others by these standards, but himself. This is not speaking just about others, but to one’s own self as well.

First, he says all Scripture is breathed out by God. Meaning Scripture is beyond dispute. It is without error, and it is 100% trustworthy because it is God-breathed. So, we are not indecisive about using Scripture. Neither are we unsure as to its accuracy.

Therefore, we are confident in using it to teach, reproof, correct, and train in righteousness. Now watch this; Paul tells us why. He says that we have Scripture so that the man of God may be complete and equipped for every good work.

It is the Scripture that we use to do all of this, not some other wannabe Scripture, but Scripture and Scripture alone. Everything we do, every offering we make, must be seasoned with salt. It must be influenced and founded on Scripture.

Too often, we get caught up in our own beliefs and opinions, and in doing so, we overlook the Word of God and twist Scripture to match what we want it to. This isn’t God’s desire for our lives. This isn’t how God intended us to use Scripture. It’s not to be twisted and taken out of context. It’s not to be changed and misquoted. Scripture is the Word of God that is a firm foundation for our lives.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Stand Confidently On Scripture.

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³⁶ When He saw the crowds, He had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. ~ Matthew 9:36

When Jesus saw the people, He had compassion for them. Why? Because they were harassed and helpless. And He still has compassion for the crowds today. He described them as being like sheep without a shepherd. In other words, they were stray sheep. No protection from wolves. No covering. Without hope or direction. Just wondering vagabonds upon the earth. That’s not what God wants for us. God wants more than that for us. He wants good for us. He wants to Restore us. Therefore, if God wanted that for the people of His day, we should desire the same for the people of our day.

While Jesus was in the world, He was the Light of the World; now that is our call. We, the body of Christ, are to be the light in this dark world. Why? Because we are the only ones with the Light dwelling in us, with us, and through us. We are to share the good news of hope with anyone who will listen. We are to show the love of God to the world. That doesn’t mean we just accept every sin and say, “Don’t worry; God loves you.” No, that means we show them the way of the LORD, for love doesn’t rejoice in evil. It only rejoices in Truth.

Jesus asked Peter if he loved Him three times. And each time Peter responded, Jesus told him to do something. Feed my lambs. Tend my sheep. Feed my sheep. If we love Jesus, we’ll love the way He loved. We’ll have compassion the way He had compassion. We’ll feed the lambs and the sheep and tend to them. We’ll take care of the sheep without a shepherd and guide them to the LORD. That’s our call. Evangelism and Discipleship. We are to lead stray sheep to Christ and teach and encourage the sheep already there.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Have Compassion.

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¹¹ But when Peter came to Antioch, I had to oppose him to his face, for what he did was very wrong. ¹² When he first arrived, he ate with the Gentile believers, who were not circumcised. But afterward, when some friends of James came, Peter wouldn’t eat with the Gentiles anymore. He was afraid of criticism from these people who insisted on the necessity of circumcision. ¹³ As a result, other Jewish believers followed Peter’s hypocrisy, and even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. ¹⁴ When I saw that they were not following the truth of the gospel message, I said to Peter in front of all the others, “Since you, a Jew by birth, have discarded the Jewish laws and are living like a Gentile, why are you now trying to make these Gentiles follow the Jewish traditions?” ~ Galatians 2:11-14^NLT

Peter wasn’t perfect. He made mistakes and had to be corrected. Why? Because Peter was human, just like all of our leaders today. If you see a leader in sin, don’t curse them. Don’t get angry at them. Remember that all of us make mistakes, and everyone needs correction when we do, but make sure you correct with the Scripture as Paul did. Make sure you correct with love and not hatred. Make sure you are speaking from the Word of God and not from your own ideologies, traditions, or opinions. Yes, correction is good, but only if it is in line with the Word of God.

If you see one of our leaders in sin and you have no way to show them the error of their ways, that doesn’t mean they’re a lost cause, and you have to just destroy them online or any chance you get. You still have to lift them up in prayer. We’re to pray for our fellow believers when they make mistakes. We’re to pray for them to see the Truth. I heard this story of a pastor who would get up at night to pray so much that his wife rowed with him. You know what his response was? I have 8,000 people I must give an account for, and I know not the condition of their souls. If this is on the mind of our Church leaders, as it should be, on whose mind are the condition of the souls of our Church leaders?

We’re very quick to condemn, but very few of us put our money where our mouth is. We do a lot of talking and condemning but not a lot of action. How can we expect our leaders to be held to a standard that we don’t even hold ourselves to, especially if we don’t pray for them? No, no one is above correction, but no one is above needing prayer either.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Lift Up Their Names.

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¹³ You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. ~ Matthew 5:13-16

Some people say that salt was so important in ancient times that it actually enabled society to expand; thus, salt came to actually represent great power and value. What does that mean for us?

We are to be that kind of salt:

• Influential
• Powerful
• Valuable

We’re influential because of our message of the Gospel. The only Gospel that changes lives, restores relationships, gives hope to a hopeless world, and saves souls.

We are powerful because we are connected to the ultimate power, Jesus. He said all authority in heaven and on earth is given to Him, and He gives us access to that power and authority through His Holy Spirit and His Holy name.

We are valuable because Jesus, God the Son, Himself, came and died to pay the price for us. God Himself dwells within us. And God molds us into His image as He redeems us from our past. We are valuable.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Embody Salt.

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