Tag: Food For Growth

“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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“Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” – 1 Corinthians 13:8‭-‬13

We often get caught up in the desire of the wicked to be punished, but what does that get us? Why do we seem to take pleasure in others being punished as if they deserve it more than we do? We were sinners, just like them. We deserve Hell just like them. It was only the redeeming blood of Jesus Christ that separated us from them. Yet, we still feel a satisfaction in the wrath of God. Why? We lack love.

Love has escaped our languages. Our theologies. Our culture. And our daily lives. What good is it to be a great prophet, preacher, teacher, athlete, policeman, firefighter, parent, etc., if you don’t have love? Without love, we have nothing. We can have the faith to move mountains, heal the sick, raise the dead, but what are we if we don’t love? We are the representatives of God Almighty, and God is love. So strive today to be LOVE to everyone.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Be Love.

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“¹⁹ And He said to them, ‘Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.’” ~ Matthew 4:19

In part 1 of ‘Following Jesus’, I asked a question, “Could it mean to follow Jesus is to do what Jesus did?” Then I noted the two things that Jesus did the most; pray and evangelize. Every day Jesus was either in the Temple preaching and teaching or going from town to town preaching and teaching. Jesus said to follow Him, and He will make us fishers of men. In other words, He will help us to evangelize. How do we evangelize?

Jesus tells His disciples in Acts 1:8 that they will be His witnesses. And that’s the key. We have to witness. But how do we witness? All we have to do is to tell someone what Jesus has done for us. Jesus told the demoniac in Luke 8:39 to go home and tell how much God had done for him. The result was, the next time Jesus was in town, all the people came out to see Him. There is no right way or no wrong way to witness. All you have to do is tell how you use to be and how Jesus has changed your life for the better. It’s not your job to convict; that is the Holy Spirit’s job. Your job is to tell how much the LORD has done for you.

So, let me be clear because I know a lot of Christians don’t like to evangelize. They don’t like to talk about Jesus outside of Church, but how would we win the world to Christ if we don’t? The world tells us to be quiet; it is not politically correct to speak that name. Well, Peter and John were told that same thing. They were even beaten, thrown into prison, and yelled at, but they replied, “Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to listen to you rather than God” (Acts 4:19). In other words, Peter and John were saying, “This is our only responsibility, our act of worship. This is what we are called to do, and we don’t want to be found not doing what we are supposed to be doing when our Savior comes again.”

Let me tell you if you want to see God’s glory; if you want to hear from Jesus, you must do these two things. You have to pray, and you have to witness. You will never see miracles until you begin to witness, and you will never be the most effective witness until you engage in prayer.

Father, give us the desire to witness. Give us the boldness and the confidence to witness. LORD direct us to the person You would have us witness to today. Let us not miss the divine appointment You have set for us. We want to be found doing what You have commanded us to be doing when You return. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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“¹⁹And He said to them, ‘Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men’” ~ Matthew 4:19

Could it mean to follow Jesus is to do what Jesus did? And the two things that Jesus did the most were: pray and evangelize. Notice what Jesus said, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” When we follow someone, we essentially walk in their footsteps. Today we will take a closer look at prayer. Why we Christians find every excuse not to pray is beyond me. We let secular thoughts invade our prayer time, we let to-do-lists cut our time with God short, and the list goes on and on.

So what exactly is prayer? In a nutshell, it’s a two-way communication with God. It’s the time we spend with Him to pour out our hurts, our needs, our anxieties, our dreams, and our hopes. It is the time when we seek out direction for our lives. David, the man of God, had his whole family (his wives, his children, and all his possessions) stolen by the enemy. Our first instinct is to go after them. David’s first instinct, after weeping and mourning his loss, was to ask God for direction. “And David inquired of the LORD, ‘Shall I pursue after this band? Shall I overtake them?’ (1 Sam 30:8a). And David got a clear answer. “He (God) answered him, ‘Pursue, for you shall surely overtake and shall surely rescue’” (1 Sam 30:b).

This was not a fluke. Why, such a clear and definitive answer? David described himself as a man of prayer in Psalm 109:4. This was a way of life for him, not something he did only out of desperation. So, how do we get started? First, we find a place of prayer. Second, we set a time of prayer. Most pastors say that if you’re not a morning person, then set your time of prayer to night time. I’m not here to agree with the logic or wisdom in that, or the lack thereof.

What I’m saying is, Jesus got up early in the morning; before the sun came up, He was found to be in prayer. David declares in Psalms 3:5 that God will hear his voice in the morning. Could it be that we would rather schedule our time around our own likes and dislikes and our own schedules instead of scheduling around God’s desire? God wants our first of everything; I believe that includes the first of our day. Instead, we give it to the espresso machine or the coffee maker. But either way, begin with prayer at the time suitable for you, and let the Holy Spirit lead you into growth from there.

Father, give us a desire for prayer, and with the desire, teach us to pray. Help us not to let the enemy distract us from the time we should be spending with you. LORD, teach us to listen to Your voice, that we might get direction. And help us not to give up but to be diligent and consistent in prayer. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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“² to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people. ³ For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another.” ~ _­Titus 3:2-3

Sin is a manipulative partner that only takes and makes you feel bad when you want something more. It manipulates your thoughts, actions, dreams, beliefs, everything about you. As the Church, we shouldn’t be shocked when sinners sin. Neither should we push them away, but instead, we should show them love, so that they may see the ultimate love of God through us.

Often times, we judge the world harshly. We forget that we were once led astray by various passions, and it took someone’s love for us to show us the right way. We forget what it’s like to be caught up in the world, and we begin to look down upon the world instead of showing the world love as Christ first showed us love.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Let God’s Love Shine Through You!

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 “And those who had set their hearts to seek the Lord God of Israel came after them from all the tribes of Israel to Jerusalem to sacrifice to the Lord, the God of their fathers.” ~ 2 Chronicles 11:16

Sometimes in life, we have to uproot and move to fulfill the need for the Presence of God. We have to leave everything behind, all that we are comfortable and familiar with, but moving to the place of His presence is the most important thing to do. Sometimes we may have to change churches and even have to move to a new country, new city, new school, new job, new career, leave friends and family, but chasing God and abiding in His presence is worth it all.

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“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” ~ John 3:16

Love is an action word, even for God. God so loved… that He gave… In order to fully express one’s love, one must accompany the expression “I love you” with an action. It’s not good enough to simply tell someone you love them; you must show them that you do. As faith is incomplete without a corresponding action, so is love. Love is not something we measly say, but something we live and do.

Heavenly Father, please help us to show our love not only in word but also in deed. I pray that today Your love will shine in the hearts of Your people, and those that feel unloved will be shown a love that will bring a smile to their faces and an everlasting warmth to their hearts. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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“²⁰ Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.” ~ Ecclesiastes 7:20

Let this be words of encouragement, as well as words of humility. No person on Earth does only good things and never sins, so you’re not alone. You’re not the only one who has struggled or still struggles. But that doesn’t mean that you will always struggle. It’s like an even playing field that we enter into when we are born. Your sin is never too taboo or too wrong for God because I guarantee you, you’re not the first to come before Him with that sin.

As these are words of encouragement, these are also words of humility. We are all born with a sin-nature in need of God’s eternal salvation. We all struggle with sin, and no sin (that leads to death) can be justified by being “better or less taboo” than another sin. ALL sins should be taboo because the body wasn’t created for sin, nor sin for the body. Since we all have a body, all sin should be labeled as taboo to us because none of us can justify our sins as being okay because they’re “not as bad” as someone else’s sin. We all need to be justified by the redeeming blood of Jesus Christ and made new through the Holy Spirit.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Be Justified Through The Blood.

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“In the third year of his reign Jehoshaphat sent his officials to teach in all the towns of Judah. These officials included Ben-hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel, and Micaiah. They took copies of the Book of the Law of the Lord and traveled around through all the towns of Judah, teaching the people.” ~ 2 Chronicles 17:7, 9

Jehoshaphat sent his officials to all the towns of Judah to teach the word of God to all his subjects. Why do you suppose he did that? I believe it was for two reasons:

1.) He loved the LORD
2.) He loved his people

You cannot have a close relationship with the Almighty and not love what He loves. And what He loves most is people. More specifically, He loves their souls that will spend eternity in one of two places. Either in paradise with God or in the lake of fire without Him. But most Christians go through their Christian walk, and no one even knows they are Christian. They never witness; therefore, they never win souls. But if you continue to read the passage, it says that “the fear of the Lord fell over all the surrounding kingdoms so that none of them wanted to declare war on Jehoshaphat. Some of the Philistines brought him gifts and silver as tribute, and the Arabs brought 7,700 rams and 7,700 male goats” (vv10-11).

Not only did Jehoshaphat receive spiritual and physical blessings, but he received a financial blessing as well. Jehoshaphat reaped the benefits of obedience. You can too, it all begins with your testimony. Tell them how much God has done for you.

Father give us the boldness and confidence we need to witness to the lost, that they may hear the Good News and believe. Soften their hearts as we witness. In Jesus’ name, we pray, Amen.

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