Tag: Food For Growth

²⁴ Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. ²⁵ So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into His side, I will never believe.” ~ John 20:24-25

Jesus not only represents the relationship between a husband and a wife but also between a parent and a child. Isaiah 9:6 and John 14:18 confirm that Christ is also our Everlasting Father. Now, Thomas looked like Jesus, followed Jesus, but had very little faith. He knew Jesus said He would be raised again, but Thomas didn’t have the faith to believe that it was true or even possible. Jesus didn’t get angry at Thomas; He didn’t get frustrated and condemn Thomas. When Thomas didn’t have the faith, Jesus showed Him the Truth so that He could have the faith. Jesus helped Him believe.

²⁶ Eight days later, His disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” ²⁷ Then He said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” ²⁸ Thomas answered Him, “My Lord and my God!” ²⁹ Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” ~ John 20:26-29

This is the patience and love we have to show our children, especially as parents. We can’t become angry or frustrated when our children lack faith; we have to look at them with love and empathy that we may be able to help them in their unbelief. We have to follow Jesus’ footsteps by spending time in prayer and studying the Word of God so that we might be able to guide our children through Scripture into a deeper and stronger faith.

¹⁷ So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. ~ Romans 10:17

You only have a short time to influence your children’s lives before they start to become influenced by the world. Don’t let the world negatively influence your children, take the time to lovingly guide them. Show them that they can come to you about anything. Show them that they can trust you with anything. Show them that no matter how they come to you, you will be there for them to guide them back into the Light. Start this from a young age so that when they are grown, and they need someone to lean on, they can lean on you.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Guide Your Children With Love and Patience.

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¹⁰ Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. ¹¹for if you practice these qualities, [or in other words, if you do these things], you will never fall. For in this way, there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. ~ 2 Peter 1:10-11

Peter admonishes us to be diligent in making sure our names are on the guestlist, but the question that begs to be answered is, how? Well, in the first couple of verses, Peter says that through Jesus’ divine power, He has given us everything we need for Godly living. Nothing is lacking. We can’t say, well, we didn’t know, or we didn’t have the right tools. Everything we need has been made available to us so that we are without excuse.

Not only are we given everything we need from Jesus to live a Godly life, but Peter also instructs us about the supplements or the additions to our faith that we should all do. He said, “for this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith.” What are the supplements?

• • This word faith means a conviction or belief respecting man’s relationship to God and divine things, generally with the included idea of trust and holy fervor born of faith
  • To faith, we add virtue. Virtue simply means moral excellence, mastery over immorality. We are no longer to be led astray by sin and temptation, immorality, and debauchery. We are to live a wholesome and holy life
  • And to virtue, we add knowledge. This means to have a strong grasp or an intelligent comprehension of the knowledge of who Jesus is

The LORD God wants us to know Him, and He wants us to be just like Him, practicing the same things He practices:

• • Steadfast love
  • Justice
  • Righteousness

He is the only one who is good. We are filled with sin that defiles us, but through Jesus Christ, we are able to be cleansed from all unrighteousness because He took our punishment for us. If we repent and turn to Christ, He will make us a new creation in Him.

Dear LORD, soften our hearts towards You. Fill us with a fire that can never be put out, that we may never be lukewarm. Give us a desire for the things that please You. Give us a desire to seek You and love You with all of our heart. In Jesus’ name, we pray, amen.

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¹¹ Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. ~ Acts 17:11

Christians tend to be closed-minded, but not by worldly standards of closed-minded, but biblical standards. We take what has been taught to us as being right, and we never go looking to see if it’s right or not. We never question it. Why? Could it be that we are taught not to question anything from childhood, just accept what is taught as absolute fact? When children ask us why, we quickly shut it down and don’t give them an answer other than, “because that’s the way it is.” Why do we do this? Why do we limit ourselves and our children from knowledge?

The writer of Acts spoke about the Bereans. The writer called them more noble than the Jews in Thessalonica because they searched the scriptures daily to see if what Paul was preaching was true. How many of us can say we daily search the scriptures to make sure that what we have been taught all of our lives is true? Very few of us, if any of us. We mostly, as a whole, turn a blind eye when it comes to tradition. We turn our eyes and refuse to question what we believe has been set in stone. But what good does that do us? Who does that help?

It limits us. It can keep us from getting close to God. And in many cases, it can even lead us to an eternity without God. Wouldn’t it be better if we all searched the scriptures daily? But why do we have to do it daily? Why do you have to breathe every second? Because without reading the scriptures, it’s like you stop breathing, and now your spirit isn’t getting any oxygen. And soon enough, your spirit will give out and will die because you refuse to give it oxygen to breathe.

See, we’ve gotten to the place where we no longer read our bibles daily. We no longer search for the truth. And we as a Church has become very weak. We have allowed sin into our temples and blasphemies on our pulpit. We have looked the other way and have become closed-minded. We are supposed to be doing greater things than even Jesus did, but we can’t even read and search the scriptures once a day. We have our priorities all wrong. So many of us are blinded by tradition that we don’t even know who we are fighting. We are completely defenseless, and we don’t even know it. Remember that a blind man cannot lead another blind man to safety.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Search Daily.

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⁶ So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. ⁷ Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths. ~ Genesis 3:6-7

For the majority of my life, I thought Adam was way across the garden and didn’t see any of this taking place. Turns out Adam was right next to Eve. He saw his wife about to sin, saw her sin, and then partook in sinning with her. He didn’t stop her, he joined her, and because of that, he allowed all sin to enter the world.

¹² Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—

Romans 5:12

Now see if Adam had just spoken up, neither one would have sinned. If you see your brother falling, slipping, messing up, you need to say something, not just for their sake, but for yours as well. See, Adam didn’t say anything, and he then sinned as well.

This is the same with us today; imagine if we corrected, with love, those who sinned. Imagine if we stopped being politically correct and started calling sin sin. Imagine how many lives we could save. Correction isn’t an easy thing to do; it can be uncomfortable, especially in today’s society. But correction is the only way that we can grow as a Church, people and get closer to perfection.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Correct Your Eve.

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¹⁴ When Moses’ father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he asked, “What are you really accomplishing here? Why are you trying to do all this alone while everyone stands around you from morning till evening?” ¹⁵ Moses replied, “Because the people come to me to get a ruling from God. ¹⁶ When a dispute arises, they come to me, and I am the one who settles the case between the quarreling parties. I inform the people of God’s decrees and give them his instructions.” ¹⁷ “This is not good!” Moses’ father-in-law exclaimed. ¹⁸ “You’re going to wear yourself out—and the people, too. This job is too heavy a burden for you to handle all by yourself. ~ Exodus 18:14-18^NLT

God created you for a specific purpose. You don’t have to take everything on by yourself. God didn’t create you to do everything. He has created many people to do many different things. Look at how Paul puts it,

¹⁴ For the body does not consist of one member but of many. ¹⁵ If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. ¹⁶ And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. ¹⁷ If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? ¹⁸ But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. ¹⁹ If all were a single member, where would the body be? ²⁰ As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.

2 Corinthians 12:14-20

We each have a specific purpose of fulfilling in our lives. If we try to take on too much, then we aren’t just taking away a job from someone else, but we can’t take on more than we can handle. We can’t take on everything; that’s why we are one part that makes a greater body.

Sometimes it’s hard to ask for help, but not even God does everything alone. He never acts on earth without the help of us. He doesn’t need our help, but He makes us a part of His plan. We have to learn to ask for help. We have to grow as one single body together.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Be A Part of The Body.

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“¹⁷ But consider the joy of those corrected by God! Do not despise the discipline of the Almighty when you sin. ¹⁸ For though He wounds, He also bandages. He strikes, but His hands also heal.” ~ Job 5:17-18 ^NLT

When God disciplines us, it isn’t to destroy us. God corrects His children with love. He may take away, but He also gives. God doesn’t just leave us in our sin; He corrects us. Then when we are corrected, He brings us back into His presence. He takes the shattered, broken pot that most others would just throw away and molds us into a new and beautiful creation.

God doesn’t just leave us in our filth; instead, He guides us through His Holy Spirit into the life He has planned for us. God’s correction isn’t out of hatred; otherwise, we would have no second chance. We wouldn’t get chance after chance to make it right with God. His laws aren’t restraints; they are freedom. His discipline isn’t wrath; it’s love. Only a father who doesn’t love his child would allow them to blindly walk off the edge of a cliff to their death.

His laws aren’t a list of do’s and don’ts; they’re a guide to life. They keep us safe from harm. If God doesn’t discipline us, then He cannot be love. Don’t be discouraged or angry or even ashamed when you feel convicted; that is the Holy Spirit nudging you back onto the path to life.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Don’t Ignore His Nudge.

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³¹ And the surviving remnant of the house of Judah shall again take root downward and bear fruit upward. ~ Isaiah 37:31

Every Christian’s goal is to bear fruit. Good fruit, fruit that will last. If we don’t bear fruit, we won’t receive rewards. Fruits are what separate the righteous from the unrighteous. Jesus said we would recognize false prophets by their fruits. A bad tree cannot bear good fruit, and a good tree cannot bear bad fruit.

So, what does it mean to produce fruit? Proverbs 20:11 says, “¹¹ Even a young man is known by his actions–whether his conduct is pure and upright.” Therefore, fruits are your actions, good or bad. It’s what you do and not necessarily what you say. People make beautiful promises that they never intend to keep. They can’t because a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. They describe the devil as having a silver tongue. Meaning, he is skilled in persuasion. He makes it sound beautiful and appealing, even desirable. But the intent is vastly different, and the end is death. So, good fruit is so very important, but how do we produce it. We cannot produce good fruit above without taking roots below.

Now, what does that mean? Jesus told a parable about the sower who went out to sow his seed. He said, “but when the sun rose, they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away.” Our roots, therefore, are our belief and faith in the good soil, which is the Word of God, that we are planted in. If the soil is good or fruits are good. The more nutritious the soil, the more abundant the fruit. The sweeter and better the fruit. The greater our faith, the greater the miracles. Jesus told the two blind men in Matthew 9:29, “²⁹ According to your faith let it be done to you.”

Get into a Bible-believing Church, who doesn’t restrain the power of the Holy Spirit but teaches that the same Spirit that raised Christ freedom the dead still dwells in us. And if He still dwells in us, His power had not diminished in the slightest. Grow those roots and bear those fruits in Jesus’ name.

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“Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.” ~ Matthew 4:1

A lot of people don’t realize that there is a difference between temptation and sin. The above Scripture goes on to say that Jesus was hungry, so He very much wanted something to eat. Therefore, His temptation to turn those stones into some nice soft yeast rolls with some good hot chocolate and have Himself a good ole time was very real. But He didn’t sin because He didn’t act on the temptation. Please understand that if the temptation is not appealing, then it is not a real temptation.

Jesus had just fasted 40 days in the desert and was starving, so tempting Him with a giant house wouldn’t be very tempting to a starving Jesus. The point is, in order to be a true temptation, it has to be appealing to the one being tempted, and that is not the sin. The sin happens when we act on those lustful desires called temptation. We know it’s not a sin, for Jesus was without sin, and He was tempted. So, don’t be discouraged when you are tempted; everyone is tempted, but stand strong and overcome as Jesus did.

Heavenly Father, give us the spirit of wisdom and discernment so that we may know the schemes and tactics of the evil one. Protect our minds from evil and lustful thoughts. And when we are tempted, help us to know that You will provide a way out so that we will never fall. Also, help us to understand that when we are tempted, we have not sinned. It is not until we have acted on those temptations that we have crossed the line into sin. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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“⁸ Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. ⁹ Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, ¹⁰ but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. ¹¹ For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.” ~ Exodus 20:8-11

We often overlook this commandment as unnecessary. We can’t see a need for it. Why is that? We see a need for all the other commandments except this one. I may be wrong, but was this not the first commandment God Himself observed? He rested on the seventh day. Now let’s clarify, the seventh day doesn’t have to be Saturday or Sunday, but the Seventh Day of your workweek.

For instance, if you work Friday through Wednesday, your Sabbath would be Thursday. Though I do like not working on Sundays, that’s not everyone’s reality as Pastors work Sundays. Therefore, their Sabbath could not be a Sunday. Here’s what I’m getting at, God created each of these commands for our benefit. And if God needed a day of rest, don’t you think you need one as well? Pastor Robert Morris once said, “God can do more in six days than you can do in seven.” So don’t overwork yourself; take time out to rest.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Remember The Sabbath Day.

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“Before the spies went to sleep that night, Rahab went up on the roof to talk with them. ‘I know the Lord has given you this land,’ she told them. ‘We are all afraid of you. Everyone in the land is living in terror. For we have heard how the Lord made a dry path for you through the Red Sea when you left Egypt. And we know what you did to Sihon and Og, the two Amorite kings east of the Jordan River, whose people you completely destroyed.  No wonder our hearts have melted in fear! No one has the courage to fight after hearing such things. For the Lord your God is the supreme God of the heavens above and the earth below.’” ~ Joshua 2:8-11^NLT

Rahab was a woman living in sin behind the walls of Jericho. Even though she didn’t know the LORD, she heard of Him and what He did for the people of Israel. Even behind the walls of Jericho, she was able to see God at work in the lives of the Israelite people. Imagine the walls of Jericho as a spiritual blinder keeping anyone inside of them cut off from any word of God. This is what the world is today. It’s surrounded by giant walls that try to keep out the Holy Spirit, but if we allow God to work in our lives, the walls of Jericho will begin to open, and they will be able to hear of the good news.

God can’t reach others without you. Though that sounds blasphemous, God doesn’t move without partnering with someone first. God could have easily destroyed Pharaoh, removed His people from Egypt, destroyed all the inhabitants of the land without Moses, Aaron, or Joshua, but God uses people. He uses us so that He can build a relationship with us and use that relationship to reach others. Allow God to do the miraculous through you so that His Name and His Greatness may be spread throughout the world, even passed the great walls of Jericho.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Let Your Legacy Point To God.

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