JOY IN GIVING

JOY IN GIVING

Responsible stewardship of God’s blessings always motivates us to sow and share.  At some point in our lives, we should become keenly focused on giving back and paying forward the manifold blessings that Heaven has graciously planted and prospered in and around us.

Lucy Ferris, a writer for “Reader’s Digest Magazine,” penned the following inspirational story about giving:

In the summer of 1975, I’d just graduated from college in Southern California and received a 1968 Ford Capri for a graduation present.  I had my first job, in Los Angeles.  One Sunday night, thinking myself a very independent grown-up, I left my uncle’s place in South Laguna after a visit, without confessing to him that I had less than an eighth of a tank of gas and no cash to buy more en route to L.A.  I pulled onto the Pacific Coast Highway and watched the needle descend as I headed north.  When I started running on fumes, I pulled into a gas station.  There was no self-serve then; there were few credit cards, and no ATMs.

I literally begged the guy at the station.  I could write him a check for gas, I said, or I could sleep in my car and try to walk to a town and find a bank the next morning.  As he was informing me that I could sleep in my car but he’d have me arrested, a station wagon pulled up to the next pump.  The driver—a thin, plain, middle-aged guy—overheard the tail end of my failed plea.  As the attendant went to serve him, he nodded at me. “Fill her tank first,” he said.

“Really?” I said.  Hope bloomed.  “Oh, thank you!  Thank you!  But please.  I just need two dollars’ worth.  I just need to get home.”

“Fill it,” he repeated to the attendant.  Then to me, “You’ll do the same one day, for someone else.”

I keep looking for that hapless young person, hoping to rescue her on the road.  Meanwhile, in case she never shows up, I try other acts of random kindness.  That quiet driver is always at the pump a few feet away, instructing the attendant to fill mine first.  What a blessing he was and is to me!

Sisters and brothers, you never know when, where, or how the seed you have sown into someone else’s life will bloom and multiply.  All too often we are motivated toward giving for the sole purpose of receiving.  But why not consider an attitude adjustment regarding your personal giving?  Try giving as an act of love and kindness, not with an expectation to receive, as much as a determination to bless and lift others.

Unselfish giving will surely manifest bountiful blessings in and around your life.  Jesus Christ offered this advice: “Give and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom.  For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.” (Luke 6:38) I do not believe that Jesus’ prophesied result will always manifest as material or financial blessings.  Sometimes we are simply endowed with sheer joy – a happy heart and a satisfied spirit – knowing full well that the seed we have sown will make all the difference in the life of someone else.

Sisters and brothers, be continually blessed, and please (above all else) MAKE SURE YOU ARE READY TO MEET OUR SOON COMING KING. Maranatha!

I WILL (Part IV)

I WILL (Part IV)

Kingdom Principle Number Four: Your will cannot remain aligned with God’s will if you dialogue with the devil.  The Bible describes Satan as “more subtle than any,” and this is a sober warning against entering into communication with him. (Genesis 3:1)  Consider this.  Communication is the first step toward communion (intimate fellowship).  A friend of mine often points out the fact that long-term married couples tend to physically resemble one another.  One day he asked me to explain “why?”  I responded with a smile and said, “They eat the same diet, they share the same living environment, they engage in the same conversations which results in an eventual alignment of thought processes and worldviews.  Why wouldn’t they wind up looking like one another?”  There is an important life lesson embedded here.

In the words of my high school health teacher, the late Mr. Arthur Feldman, “You are what you eat!”  While my teacher was focusing on physical health, the same principle pertains to spiritual health.  Our will is an amalgamation (a potent blend) of every life experience that we “eat,” that is, we intentionally internalize and digest.  Therefore, our will (which is the foundation for all our choices and decisions) is the primary determiner of emotional and spiritual health.  If we would be transparent enough to reveal what we have been ‘eating’ lately (intellectually, emotionally, spiritually), discerning persons could tell us how we will be ‘thinking’ and ‘deciding’ and ‘acting’ in the future.  Wow!  Our will is in a constant state of flux because it is the product of our personal interactions with life experiences and our unique responses (reactions) to them. 

Kingdom Principle Number Five: Our will can be adjusted when we choose to transcend our circumstances via close encounterS with Jesus Christ.  Since we human beings are creatures of habit, we tend to follow familiar pathways that I term ‘life momentum’ unless some outside force compels or empowers us to do otherwise.  Case in point: the man at the Pool of Bethesda.  It seems unfathomable to us that he had actually been laying there for 38 years!  But such was the case.  Periodically, an angel “troubled the water” and the first person to enter in would receive complete healing. (John 5:4) 

This man’s will had been negatively altered by his associates and by his environment.  According to John, he was surrounded by “a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered” individuals. (John 5:3) Nevertheless, any impediment (near or far) only constitutes a healing opportunity for the Living Lord!

Therefore, “when Jesus saw him…and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he said unto him, Wilt thou be made whole?” (John 5:6) Christ’s question is pivotal to our understanding.  The healing of this man’s long-term handicap would be directly predicated upon his will to seek and embrace wholeness.  But instead of answering Jesus directly, the crippled man offered excuses: “Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steps down before me.” (John 5:7) 

Jesus wisely ignored his perceptions (his environmental excuses) and took authority over both his will and his infirmity with these Words:  “Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.” (John 5:8) FAITH is always VOICE-ACTIVATED.  Thus, Kingdom Principle Number Six: The Word alters the will.  This truth should motivate all believers to be steadfast students in the Word to experience daily attitude adjustments.

In the aftermath of his personal deliverance, some took strong exception to the fact that Jesus Christ had healed him on the Sabbath.  They were more concerned with religious legalism than real deliverance.  A word to the wise is sufficient: ‘Never ever allow anyone to define either your will or your personal experience of an encounter with the transforming power of Jesus Christ.’  I love the fact that Jesus did not argue with his religious naysayers.  His response was simple: “My Father works hitherto, and I work.” (John 5:17)  Translation: ‘I will not be deterred from Kingdom work by the viewpoint or criticism of the crowd.’

In closing, we must always maintain a heart openness and spiritual allegiance to The Living Word.  He is the One and Only true attitude adjuster.  Knowing this, “I WILL…bless The Lord at all times: His praise shall continually be in my mouth.” (Psalm 34:1) Amen?  Amen!

Sisters and brothers, be continually blessed, and please (above all else) MAKE SURE YOU ARE READY TO MEET OUR SOON COMING KING. Maranatha!

I WILL (Part III)

I WILL (Part III)

Let’s recap Kingdom Principle Number Two: Life presents challenging choices; we must navigate wisely through bends and forks in the road.  Altogether, these key decision points comprise the privileges, pleasures, pressures and problems of life.  Therefore, we must first consider carefully and then choose wisely.  How well we navigate through life’s decision points is a product of our will, which is mission critical both to our relationship with God and our personal productivity. 

In “Hamlet,” William Shakespeare penned these memorable words: “To be, or not to be, that is the question.”  Permit me a paraphrase this truth: ‘To will, or not to will…that is the question.’  That which we truly desire (our will) is the engine that drives us and determines our future.  It is reminiscent of my old sermon from decades past: “Be Careful of What You really want [your will] Because You’ll Surely Get It!”

To fully understand the human will, let’s revisit its origins.  Before creating Adam, “God said, Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness: and let them have dominion…” (Genesis 1:26)  When the Word declares that man was created in the image and likeness of God (with dominion), it implies that God voluntarily chose to abdicate control over His created being via the mysterious gift of free will, i.e. man’s ability to choose whether (or not) to live in harmony with the Creator’s perfect will.  To wit, man was designed and created as a will-ing being, not a will-ful being.  There is a distinct difference.  Willful means determined to have one’s own way, while willing suggests openness to divine direction and order.  The former carries curses; the latter brings blessings.  “If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land.” (Isaiah 1:19)

On the 6^th day, THE DUST (that would become Adam) was touched directly by the hands of God.  “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” (Genesis 2:7) Quite literally, ordinary dirt was infused with Pneuma, the spirit breath of God, and Zoë, the life of God, and Adam thereafter stood up in the power and presence of his Creator.  Indeed, it was a creative miracle! 

Mankind was created with few limitations.  That divine directive, “have dominion,” issues a carte blanche authority and autonomy in the earth realm.  Nevertheless, Adam had a heart for God and the will to adhere to divine destiny and order.  So, Adam lived freely and fully…without fear.  There were no fears or anxieties because the Creator had issued none. (II Timothy 1:7) Adam was fearless and fearfree until he was beguiled by satanic deception!

Kingdom Principle Number Three: Whenever we surrender our will to satanic suggestion, we open the doorway of fear and failure.  GOD does not operate in fear; GOD operates in faith!  The Word declares “without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6) Since God created us, and since God is not the author of confusion, our fear issues logically emanate elsewhere. (I Corinthians 14:33) The Apostle Paul provides a clear clue.  “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”  (Romans 10:17) Put simply, faith comes by hearing the Word of God.  Logically, the opposite of faith (fear) must come by hearing the words of Satan.  Adam and Eve were large and in charge in Eden…until they had a chat-and-chew with Satan!  We must be ever so careful about what we HEAR…and always alert about what we SAY.  Both FAITH and FEAR are VOICE-ACTIVATED.

It was Satan that interjected fear into human history.  Fear is Satan’s greatest tool because fear blocks faith, which ultimately blocks blessings.  Without fear, it is impossible to please Satan.  Because fear distorts the word and FEAR penetrates the will.  Please hear this with your spirit: In the final analysis, all sin is connected to fear.  Allow me to explain.  When we disobey God’s Word and yield to fleshly temptation, it is based upon the fact that somewhere down deep, we have become fearful that what God is saying is not true.  Think about it.  If we believe (deep inside) that we will definitely go to hell because we are liars, it would be virtually impossible to convince us to tell a lie!  Our will becomes infected by doubt (unbelief) whenever we chat-and-chew with Satan and grant him intimate opportunities to distort our faith and fellowship with our Creator.  This satanic objective is easy to spot because Satan only has three strategies, “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.” (I John 2:16) Prayerfully consider and try to identify all three (below) in Satan’s first encounter with man.  For the record, Jesus Christ overcame all three in the wilderness temptation. (Matthew 4:1-11)

Genesis 3:1-6

¹ Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

² And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:

³ But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.

⁴ And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:

⁵ For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

⁶ And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

Kingdom Principle Number Four: Your will cannot remain aligned with God’s will when you enter into dialogue with the devil.  Stay tuned…more to come tomorrow.

Sisters and brothers, be continually blessed, and please (above all else) MAKE SURE YOU ARE READY TO MEET OUR SOON COMING KING. Maranatha!

I WILL (Part II)

I WILL (Part II)

Let’s recap Kingdom Principle Number One: being too willful can get you into trouble, and having no will at all can have the same result.  Both conditions create difficulty since both can abort God-ordained destiny and cancel God-ordered benefits, which are designed exclusively for Word-Based and Right-Willing believers.  To illustrate this truth, consider the amusing story of “Toad and Frog.”

One fine day in August, Toad baked some delicious chocolate chip cookies.  “These cookies smell great,” Toad said aloud to himself.  “And they taste even better!” he proudly exclaimed.  So Toad hurried over to Frog’s house.  “Frog, Frog!” cried Toad, “Taste these amphibi-delicious cookies that I baked just for us!”

Frog ate one right away.  “These are the best cookies I’ve ever eaten!” declared the hungry Frog.

Frog and Toad devoured the mouthwatering cookies, one after another.  “You know, Toad,” said Frog with his mouth quite full, “I think we better stop eating.  We’re gonna’ get sick!”

“You are right of course,” agreed Toad.  “Let’s eat one last cookie, and then we will stop.”  Frog and Toad ate one last cookie as agreed, yet there were many delectable cookies left in the bowl.

“Hey Frog,” said Toad, “let’s eat one very last cookie, and then we will stop.”  So Frog and Toad ate one very last cookie as agreed, yet there were many tasty cookies left in the bowl.

“We simply must stop eating!” cried Toad as he reached for one more desert delicacy.

“Yes,” said Frog as he chomped on yet another, “We need willpower!”

“What is willpower anyway?” asked Toad with a puzzled look.

“Willpower is trying hard not to do something you really want to do,” instructed Frog.

“You mean like trying hard not to eat all these scrumptious cookies?” asked Toad.

“Right!” said Frog.  So Frog placed all of the remaining cookies in a beautiful box.

“There,” he said.  “Now we will not eat any more of these savory cookies.”

“But we can still open the box,” cautiously observed Toad.

“That is true,” agreed Frog.

So Frog tied some string around the box.  “There,” he said.  “Now we will certainly not eat any more cookies.”

“But we can still cut the string and open the box,” Toad whispered, though no one was nearby.

“That is true,” said Frog.  So Frog retrieved his ladder.  Putting the box up on a very high shelf, he proclaimed with a flourish, “There…now we will definitely not eat any more cookies!”

However, Toad had his hand up…waiting to offer another insight.  “But Frog, we can climb the ladder, take down the box, cut the strong, open the box…and it will be ‘cookie time’ up in here,” shouted Toad!

“This is true,” sadly conceded Frog.  Then he climbed the ladder, took down the box, cut the string, opened the box and raced out the door with it.  In his loudest voice Frog trumpeted, “Hey birds…free cookies!”  As you might imagine, birds flew in from everywhere!  After pecking and picking up cookie crumbs with their beaks, they flew off, quite full and happy.

“Now we have no more cookies to eat,” concluded Toad sadly, “not even one.”

“Yes,” said Frog with a smile, “but we do have lots and lots of willpower!”

“You may keep it all for yourself, Mr. Frog!” exclaimed Toad.  “I’m going home to bake a cake!”

Kingdom Principle Number Two: Life presents challenging choices; we must navigate wisely through bends and forks in the road.  These decision points constitute the privileges, pleasures and problems of life.  So consider carefully.  Which direction should the African woman travel today…her way or God’s way?  What should pilot the Scottish man’s ship…his pride or God’s compass?  How many cookies should a young Frog eat…the number his flesh cries out for or the number his Creator knows is best?  Stay tuned…more to come tomorrow!

Sisters and brothers, be continually blessed, and please (above all else) MAKE SURE YOU ARE READY TO MEET OUR SOON COMING KING. Maranatha!

I WILL (Part I)

I WILL (Part I)

A middle-aged African woman journeyed from house to house selling gorgeous fabrics, threads and buttons.  Because she was a Christian, it was her custom to consult the Lord each morning concerning the direction of her travels for that day.  This woman would pray in a most unusual manner; she would toss a stick into the air and then proceed in the direction in which the stick pointed after it landed on the ground.

However, one morning she was observed tossing her stick up into the air, not once, but several times.  “Why do you toss your stick more than once today?” a close friend asked.  “Because,” replied the woman, “it keeps on pointing to the left…and I want to take the road to the right.”  After making this explanation to her friend, the woman returned to the same spot and persistently tossed her stick into the air, again and again, until it pointed precisely in the direction she had the WILL to go.  All the while, in her mind at least, she had been seeking for the will of GOD!

Perhaps, that African woman had a ‘cousin’ of Scottish ancestry because her story reminds me of an old Scottish sailor who repeatedly got lost at sea.  In fact, he got lost so many times that his friends pitched in and bought him an expensive nautical compass.  They urged him to make use of it every day, so the next time he got into his boat he dutifully carried the new and costly compass with him.  Nevertheless, as was the norm, he became hopelessly lost, and unable navigate back home.

Eventually, he was rescued (once again) by his dear friends.  Disgusted and impatient with him this time around, they asked “Why didn’t you use that exceptional compass we gave you?  You could have saved yourself and us a lot of trouble!”  The old sailor responded, “Oh, I had to stop using that useless thing.  I threw it into the sea.  Every time I wanted to head north, that stupid compass kept pointing south!”  This sailor was thoroughly convinced in his mind that he knew which way north actually was; he was so supremely certain that he stubbornly insisted on imposing his ‘wrong opinion’ on the ‘right compass.’  So he foolishly tossed an accurate compass aside, and therefore was lost once again.

Kingdom Principle Number One: being too willful can get you into trouble, and having no will at all can have the same result.  Both of these conditions, 1) being too willful, or 2) having no will at all, can land you in deep and difficult waters.  Think about it.  Both conditions will potentially abort your God-ordained destiny and deny you of the God-ordered benefits that were designed exclusively for your life.  Consider this.  Whatever you allow to be written on that blank-sheet-of-life initially bestowed upon you by your Creator will have a huge impact, both in time and eternity.  So who is doing the writing: God…you…or others?

In our next devotional, we will illustrate this Kingdom truth with the amusing story of “Toad and Frog.”  Stay tuned…more to come tomorrow!

Sisters and brothers, be continually blessed, and please (above all else) MAKE SURE YOU ARE READY TO MEET OUR SOON COMING KING. Maranatha!

SOUL THIRST

SOUL THIRST

Perhaps the most familiar teachings of Jesus Christ were presented during the “Sermon on the Mount,” in which he outlines what we call ‘The Beatitudes.’  One such saying that is especially significant describes the blessings that are part and parcel of a heart that is dedicated to a perpetual search for the things of God.  “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.” (Matthew 5:6) 

Kingdom Principle Number One: to nurture and sustain our Christ-Connection, we must develop a personal and persistent thirst for His presence.  The Psalmist, David, is the poster child for what I call soul thirst.  Despite personal issues and recurring challenges, he longed fervently for the presence and power of the Lord.  “As the hart (deer) panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.” (Psalm 42:1) David’s declaration of desire for the things of God looms large because the human soul is comprised of five distinct functions: mind, will, intellect, imagination and emotions.  Put simply, all aspects of David’s soul (his emotions, his imagination, his intellect, his mind and his will) were fully engaged in establishing (and re-establishing) authentic fellowship and spiritual union with God.

Kingdom Principle Number Two: God summons believers to daily fellowship with him; the response is on us.  In the words of David, “When thou saidest, Seek ye my face; my heart [soul] said unto thee, Thy face, Lord, will I seek.” (Psalm 27:8) The choice is ours.  The potential benefits are enormous.  In His presence, we find “forgiveness” (II Chronicles 7:14), “strength” (I Chronicles 16:11), “water” and “seed” (Isaiah 44:3), “fullness of joy” (Psalm 16:11) and “all things” (Matthew 6:33).

Kingdom Principle Number Three: Whenever dry places appear in our walk with God, our thirst for Him CAN BE purified, intensified and actualized.  To wit, in David’s desert place of tragedy and testing, he cried out with soul force (soul passion) to the Father: “O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; to see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary. Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee.” (Psalm 63:1-3) Implicit in David’s supplication are several truths: 1) he did not always sense (feel) the manifest presence of God; 2) he had constant awareness of his absolute dependence upon God; 3) he acknowledged the sanctuary (the house and people of God) as conduits to the power and glory of God, and 4) he resolved to praise God (despite his sensory feelings), based solely on his enduring faith.

Kingdom Principle Number Four: That which we have soul thirst for is that which we WILL inevitably seek.  Question: ‘What are YOU thirsty for these days?’  Pause one moment to reflect and think deeply.  Have you fallen head-over-heels for the affirmation of family and friends (or) for possible fortune and fame (or) for the acquisition of power and privilege (or) for tawdry and temporary romantic relationships (or) for any other fleeting form of pleasure (or) for ______?  [Fill-in-the-blank with the ‘flavor’ your life seems to ‘savor’]. 

I firmly believe that these are the last days.  Indeed, the signs of the times are everywhere.  Pay attention and prepare.  Christ will return soon to gather His people and judge His world.  Considering this, let us resolve to seek Him…as never before.  (Deuteronomy 4:29 and II Peter 3:10-12)

Sisters and brothers, be continually blessed, and please (above all else) MAKE SURE YOU ARE READY TO MEET OUR SOON COMING KING. Maranatha!

WHO'S DRIVING?

WHO’S DRIVING?

Is the vehicle of your life being operated or navigated by popular opinions, traditions or customs?  Are you accelerating or decelerating at the will and whim of someone who neither owns your ‘car’ nor possesses a license to drive?  If you need to adjust your course or change your lane, are you ready, willing and able to do so, or are you stuck in the inertia and momentum of prior trips and experiences?  Do you have sufficient fuel to make it to your destination, or are you now running on fumes?  Has your life retained the required insurance coverage in the event of unforeseen accidents or incidents?

Well, my friends, you already know WHO should be driving your car.  So be sure to mute the voice of every back-seat driver and give HIM ultimate control over your vehicle, your journey, your decisions and your ultimate destination.  Have a safe trip, and keep Christ onboard.

Sisters and brothers, be continually blessed, and please (above all else) MAKE SURE YOU ARE READY TO MEET OUR SOON COMING KING. Maranatha!