If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. 1 Peter 4:11

 

Serving God in some capacity might seem foreign to you, even dauting. And honestly, you can expect those feelings. As humans, we are fleshly individuals, our ways are quite opposite of Gods in our thoughts and actions (Isaiah 55:8). But don’t let that discourage you from serving Him. He has given you a specific talent to use to bring Him glory (1 Peter 4:10).

 

As a child of God, you should be aware of that talent and find ways to plug into God’s working will for your life. There are many opportunities to serve Him, it might be in the mission field abroad, or right at home within your local community. Wherever it is, serve Him proudly and expect great things to happen when you rely on His power, His wisdom and His promptings to lead you into a life of service.

 

Begin this week to serve Him. Be in prayer, asking God to open your eyes to opportunities of service and to equip you for the acts of service. Keep your heart and mind pure and don’t let the lies of satan discourage you from serving Him. Blessings will follow your faithfulness. What will you do for Him this week?

 

 Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness. 2 Corinthians 9:10

 

If you’ve ever planted a garden, or simply a few plants, you know in a short while, from the soil, grows the plant that started out as a small seed. Preparing the soil took some time, but the effort was worth it for the plant to grow properly and produce either flowers or something edible. From seed to your benefit, God caused it to grow.

 

God also causes something else to grow, His children. Someone was placed in your life to bring you into the fold, to open your eyes to the need of a loving Savior. With a tug of the spirit, you accepted His free offer of salvation, forgiveness of sins, and yielded a fruitful soul, meant to bring blessings to God.

 

Then Jesus said: “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the Harvest to send out laborers into His harvest. Luke 10:2

 

God has equipped you with His Holy Spirit, and desires for you to share the gospel truth to a lost and dying world. When you do so for the Lord, He blesses the person you touched and causes them to come to know Him in a personal way (1 Corinthians 3:7). Nothing you do can change that life, but only God. You simply plant the seed and let God do the work.

 

What’s holding you back from sharing your faith with someone? You can’t mess up by simply sharing the truth and what’s happened in your life. By your simple words of faith and spiritual transformation, you can plant the seeds of faith and let God yield the harvest of your efforts. God bless!  

 

 

 

 

 Then one poor widow came and threw in two mites, which make a quadrans. So, He called His disciples to Himself and said to them, “Assuredly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood. Mark 12:42-44

 

I had someone say to me through social media, “you get what you pay for”. That’s a very true statement. For what you put in, you can expect to get out. You buy something cheaply made, you’ll get something of cheap quality. You invest in some low priced stock, your gains will be very little.

 

Today’s scripture comes from a brief passage where Jesus was watching people give to the church’s treasury. Those who had plenty of money gave a lot, but this poor widow gave all the money she had, her entire livelihood. Why? Because she invested in something eternal. Her faith was not in money or earthly things, it was in God and she knew that giving Him her last cent opened the door to God’s blessings, to fill her cup till it overflowed (Psalm 23:5).

 

When you invest your livelihood in God, you open the door for Him to work in your life, every aspect of it! When you hold back, you short change yourself to what great things He can do. Don’t do that! Give of yourself, your talents, your finances, your livelihood….let God have it all and watch Him use it for His glory and meet your every need in the process. Your investment in Him yields eternal rewards that money can’t buy. God bless!

 The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth. Psalm 145:18

 

One thing that irritates me is when I call someone and they don’t answer, especially when I know they are right there by their phone. Can I get an Amen? Even more frustrating is when the cell towers are overloaded with other people using their phone and the message comes across: “all circuits are busy right now, try your call again later”.

 

I can promise you one thing, God is near to those who call upon Him, especially in a time of need. For every child of God, He gives them His Holy Spirit, who responds the second a cry for help is heard. He begins to respond in a way only the God of this universe could. Even when His response is delayed, it’s His tool to teach you patience and trust in Him. Trusting that His response is best will give you the confidence to call upon Him when everyone else has left your cry for help unanswered!  

 

God never sleeps, never stops answering prayers and His line of communication between you and Him is never disrupted by others. Put your faith and trust in Him when help is needed and watch Him take care of the little and big crises in your life! God bless!

 

 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28

 

Many years ago, like many many years ago, after taking a year’s break from college, I decided to go back and move to another school. I knew my outlook on things wasn’t so positive, so I decided to read a good book on positive thinking. I found a book on the subject, “The Power Of Positive Mental Thinking”, by Norman Vincent Peale. What an awesome book! It retrained my brain to think in a positive way with a spiritual twist. I began to think and believe that everything that happened would be for my benefit. As I am finishing up the last 6 moths of this year heading into retirement, I’m glad I finished school, which provided me a great career.

 

As Christians, we need to adopt this positive thinking and attitude. Today’s scripture is a promise from God to His children, that everything you face in life is meant for your good. Yes, there will be some painful and unpleasant experiences in life, but within God’s will for your life, they are meant to prosper you and help you grow in your faith. I can look back now and see the challenging times were meant for my benefit. Although I didn’t like some periods in my life, I see now God’s plan was right on target.

 

If you are a child of God, I encourage you to stop looking at the negative and allowing it to negatively influence your emotions and behavior (this is speaking to me as well). You must look at everything in a positive manner and ask God what benefit will this provide you. You might not find the answer at the moment of crisis, but it will become evident in time and you’ll be thankful God brought you to it and thru it! Start today with a positive attitude and trust God’s ways are part of His will for your life! God bless!

 For the Lord your God is He who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you. Deuteronomy 20:4

 

Tomorrow Americans celebrate Independence Day! A day when Americans celebrate their freedom from British rule and recognized as a nation. Your independence and freedoms didn’t come without battles fought, lives lost and a loyalty like no other. I encourage you to take time to research the significant historical events that provided you the freedoms you live under today.

 

Humans have another freedom that came at a price, freedom from eternal separation from God. God’s only Son, Jesus Christ, came to earth in human flesh and lived out the biblical prophecies, displayed the true nature and character of God and ultimately gave His life as payment for mankind’s sins. Three days in the tomb, Jesus Christ came back to life, overcoming the sting of death and has been giving freedom to those who’ve chosen to believe in Him and live a life of loyalty to Him. This eternal freedom He provides brings blessings and victory to every child of God.

 

The benefit of having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, comes with God’s protective hand, that goes with you, every day, helping you overcome the struggles of sin and fruitless living. He desires for you to live life to its fullest and He is truly capable to provide for your every need. All you need to do is accept His free offer of salvation and walk with Him every day. Those battles you face in life will never be fought alone, He will be with you to help you overcome.

 

Your independence came at a cost, remain loyal to the One who will fight your battles every day and help you achieve a life noted by His words, “well done my good and faithful servant”. God bless!

 

 

 The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and He knows who trust in Him. Nahum 1:7

 

The other night we were watching a documentary on people who’ve been successful in life. One part featured JP Morgan (a wealthy man who was a financer), whose dad told him “Never trust anyone”. Interesting, but his sole purpose was to ensure his son never let someone else take control of their company’s funds and bring them to ruin.

 

In today’s world, it can be difficult to trust others. People seem to be self-centered, only focusing on their specific needs and wants, leaving others to fend for themselves. Maybe you’ve experienced the disappointment of a close friend’s disloyalty. It hurts and makes you even more cautious in trusting others.

 

Today’s passage is a great reminder, who you can truly trust, The Lord! God is always there with you as you take each step through life. He knows the path you’ve been on, the things you are experiencing now and what’s ahead in your future. As you draw closer to Him through prayer and obedience, your ability to hear Him becomes clearer and He will always walk you through life’s difficulties and bring you on the other side without any regrets.

 

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6

 

God bless!