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“I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.” Genesis 12:2
Imagine what it must have been like for Abram to receive a message from Jehovah God that he was going to be leaving his homeland. This wasn’t going to be a temporary trip. He wasn’t able to just go down to the corner rental spot and get a truck. He wouldn’t be coming back. Ever. He was leaving his home, his extended family, friends and life as he’d known it since he was born.
We are never told why God chose Abraham. Elsewhere God tells the Israelites that He didn’t choose them for any of the reasons we might choose to make someone great. They weren’t the strongest people. They weren’t the most numerous people. God seldom has reasons for doing what He does. He’s God, He knows best, and even when we don’t like it, His way usually works out best.
At any rate, there was something that God saw in Abraham that moved him to call Abraham away from everything that was familiar to him, his family, his home and his country in order to make him great.
God had fantastic plans for Abraham, but He couldn’t do His work in Abraham’s life with Abraham where he was. God had to take Abraham out of his comfort zone and place him in a place which forced Abraham to rely completely on God. Abraham had to be willing to give up all of his dreams to attain the dreams God had for him.
Not only would Abraham be blessed by giving up everything to follow God, his life would also be a blessing to others. Our Heavenly Father brings things into our lives to prepare us for greater things and in order to show others His great love and compassion.
Too often we ask God to bless us but expect Him to do so in our time frame and within our comfort zone. But that’s not the way it works. He needs to take us where we are, prepare us and then place us where we will be the most effective workers for Him.
As we progress through this journey we call life, remember that your Heavenly Father, the God of the Universe has your destination already picked out. There may be times when the choices you make cause you to waiver from the path. You may have made decisions that have consequences that follow you daily. Through Jesus Christ He can forgive you of the choices and use you for His glory and to bless others.
Abraham, David, Samuel and many other Bible characters made mistakes in their lives. God was able to bless them and use their life experiences to bless others. If you want to be blessed by God and be a blessing to others expect to have to leave your comfort zone so you can rely on Him completely and be a blessing to those around you.
PRAYER: Father, even though I want to be used by You in mighty ways, I have to admit I’m nervous about leaving the comfort of my current life. Empower me by your Spirit to be willing to step away from what is comfortable so I can experience your power and blessing. Help me use what you’ve taught me to bless those around me. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.
Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine. Proverbs 3:9-10
Growing up in a pastor’s family, our table always seemed to have at least one guest for every meal. Sometimes it was just one of our childhood friends, other times it was extended family or ‘special guests’ from the church.
Regardless of whom the extra plate belonged to at our table, one rule was supreme. Company first. Period. The reason for that rule was summed up in one word: honor. The honor we gave to our guests really had nothing to do with their status or social standing. It was a choice we made as a family (under the direction of our parents) to make sure that people who sat at our table were special. There were no signs, no special announcements, no expectations. In fact, most people probably didn’t give it a second thought, but we did. We kids learned a valuable lesson in honor and respect.
During Old Testament times God instituted many rules and regulations to direct worship. One of them was that the Israelites were to give the first part of the harvest to Him. In the culture of that day, first things held a tremendous amount of significance. The first-born son (sorry ladies) was given special privileges and a larger part of the inheritance. The first part of the harvest was also considered of special significance.
It’s no surprise then, that God required the people to set aside the most important part of their lives to Him. He was to hold first place in their lives. The harvest symbolized everything that was important in the life of the Jew.
Today, because of Jesus death and resurrection, we live in by Grace. The laws and regulations of the Old Testament have been fulfilled by the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus! There are no more laws, no actions, no activities or rituals that will move God to give us special treatment. Because of Jesus we have all the honor, love and forgiveness God has to offer.
However, it’s still important to realize that we can, and should do things that will show honor to our Father in Heaven for all that He has done for us. Even though we may struggle with addictions, health issues or relational difficulties, we still have Jesus. We still have the power of the Holy Spirit within us. We still have the promise of Heaven.
As a point of honor we should consider our giving to God an act of worship. Every penny we earn is really Gods’ anyway. Giving to Him first is one way we can proclaim that He is Lord of every aspect of our lives. It’s amazing how our giving with a right attitude can make the money go further.
Some people teach that everyone should tithe 10% of their earnings to God. While I believe there are some who can do that, and that God will bless us more as we give more, God looks more on the attitude of our giving more than the amount of our gift.
This may sound strange, but the next time you sit down to pay the bills, before you begin to worry be there won’t be enough money to cover the stack of papers before you, thank your Heavenly Father for what He has given you. Make the first check you write out a check to your local church or ministry you support. Remember, it’s the attitude behind the gift that is the most important. Then, trust the one who holds the wealth of the universe in His hands. Financial worries abound in our time. But our Father desires to show us His blessing as we honor Him.
PRAYER: Father, I thank you for the fact that you know my needs better than anyone else. You know all about the debts I owe and the struggles I’m facing. I confess that some of this debt is my own desire to have things. Some of my struggles are beyond my control. I hereby offer this gift to You in order to show you the Honor you deserve. Empower me to trust you for my needs. In the name of Jesus, my Lord, Amen.
Sow for yourselves righteousness, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the LORD, until he comes and showers righteousness on you. Hosea 10:12
If you are a gardener of any sort you know the difference between unplowed and plowed ground. Try planting a tree in ground that hasn’t been broken up for years and you know how hard it is to penetrate the grass and roots and break up the soil that lay beneath them.
On the other hand, when you try to dig into soil that has been broken up with the plow or tiller you know how easy it is to plant. Plowed soil is easier to work, holds moisture better from the rain and is more able to take in nutrients. It’s no wonder that in the Parable of the Sower and the Seed, Jesus says the richest soil, the soil that produces the most fruit, is the soil that is worked up, plowed, broken apart by the farmer. Soil that is broken up is prepared to bear fruit.
The Bible often compares our relationship with God to soil. Lives that are full of ‘emotional and spiritual’ baggage are unable to completely receive all that God has to offer us. It’s much like how hard rain on dry ground tends to run off and not penetrate the soil even though it is needed in order for the soil to produce fruit.
So, how can we make the ‘soil’ of our lives more productive for Jesus? When King David was ‘caught’ in his sin with Bathsheba he wrote about his journey back to God. In Psalm 51 he says, “Search me and know me…” Often we think of this as a prayer to make when we are on the ropes spiritually, but in reality it’s a prayer that each of should make every day.
It shouldn’t be a fearful or threatening thing to approach the Father and ask Him to reveal the ‘weeds and dead roots’ that keep us from taking in the spiritual nourishment He provides in our lives. It could be painful to some degree. Sometimes the things that keep us from experiencing all that God has for us are ‘good things’. We can fill our lives with family time, church activities, social action activities and godly friends. But if these things keep us from relationship building with Jesus, they can hinder our personal spiritual growth.
Sometimes sin, poor choices, doubt and worry can choke the redeeming forgiveness of God’s love and keep you from the peace He earnestly wants to give you. Forgiveness God’s way is complete, full and final. Don’t let the enemy drag you down by reminding you of past sins that have already been forgiven through the blood of Jesus!
On a daily basis ask God to evaluate the three major areas of your life, Love of God, Love of yourself and Love of others. These three areas must be in agreement with what your Father says about you in order for you to experience God’s blessing. Remember, while we think in the realm of the physical, God thinks in the eternal. What we think of blessing here on earth may not be what he is thinking.
PRAYER: Father God, I ask that you would give me the courage to allow you to take the plow to my life. Empower me with the wisdom and strength of your Spirit to look at my love for you, my love of myself and my love of others. If there are ‘weeds’ in my life that need pulling help me to let go easily so that You can fill me with the spiritual nourishment I need to bear fruit for you. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.
But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. Hebrews 3:13
God never intended for us to do the journey of life on our own. From the very beginning, in the Garden of Eden, He looked upon man, His most prized possession, and said, “It’s not good for man to be alone.”
In a sense, God was saying, man needs relationship to get through life. Even though Adam was in relationship with God on a face to face basis, he needed someone like himself who could walk with him and see things the way he did, through human eyes.
God has always been in the business of relationship. Relationship is crucial for our physical, emotional and spiritual well being. There are times in each of our lives when we may think being a hermit would be a great idea. No people to bother us, no politics to endure and no pain from broken relationships. But hermits don’t make a difference in their world. Hermits don’t acknowledge or use the gifts God has given them.
The writer to the Hebrews was talking relationship in Hebrews 3:13. What he is really saying to us in this verse is that each of us needs to have at least one person in our lives that we can go to with our deepest darkest secrets. Someone who won’t judge us; will listen to us when we need to vent; encourage us when we feel weak; cry with us when we need to cry and celebrate when things are going right.
It’s no secret why groups dealing with addictions encourage their participants to have a ‘friend’ that they can call on when the temptation to indulge in the addiction is too great. When we are fighting addictions we need to have someone who will stand by us and not lecture or judge us.
Ever noticed really good cheerleaders at an athletic contest? They seem completely unaware of the score on the scoreboard. Their job isn’t to analyze the team’s ability. Their job is to cheer on the people on the field. Everyone needs a cheerleader in their lives. Someone who stands by us when we are losing the battle and celebrates when we win.
Don’t buy into the enemies lie: “I don’t need anyone. All I need is God”. We need each other. We need to have intimate spiritual relationships with one or two people that we know we can share our deepest darkest secrets with; who we can express our pain to and we can trust to stand by us, even when they don’t agree with our situation.
If you are struggling today with an addiction, a relational issue, a financial issue or any of the other obstacles in this journey called life, my prayer for you is that you will find one or two close friends who are Christ-followers and will love you as Jesus does, unconditionally.
If you are a Christ-follower, my prayer for you is that you seek out those who are limping along on the journey. Like the story of the Good Samaritan, it’s easy to be too busy or too appalled by the victims we see laying along the road, bruised and battered by life. It’s time to stop and do what we can to dress the wounds of those in need of the healing only Jesus can give.
Every day, the enemy watches us get out of bed and plans what obstacles to throw in our way. Every day we need a cheerleader. Someone who will encourage us to press on regardless of the score on the scoreboard.
PRAYER: Dear Jesus, you know the struggle I’m in right now. You knew from the beginning of time how important it is that I be in an intimate spiritual relationship with someone. I pray that you will help me find the comfort and encouragement of relationship the way you meant it to be. Help me to reach out to those in need as I walk this road called life. In your name I pray, Amen.
