Blessings that come from Sacrifice

July 9, 2018 ~ servantone1

JESUS SPEAKING

So He said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or parents or brothers or wife or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who shall not receive many times more in this present time, and in the age to come eternal life” (Luke 18: 29-30.)

INSPIRED THOUGHTS

All valuable things have a price; and eternal life is certainly no exception. Although salvation is free, reconciliation requires sacrifice. The cost for following Jesus Christ is often quite high; most believers will endure persecution, affliction, and numerous hardships. In turn, genuine obedience frequently produces loss; the loss of possessions, property, and prestige; the loss of a home, a career, and even certain family members and friends; some have even laid down their lives for the sake of the gospel. Still, from the time of the resurrection until today, not one righteous sacrifice has ever been committed in vain; for God has promised to replace each offering with something far greater. To die as a peaceful martyr is to live forever in the His Kingdom. To lay down our earthly possessions is to grab hold of God’s eternal riches. To suffer affliction for righteousness is to one day experience unending freedom and everlasting peace. And yet God’s rewards aren’t solely relegated to the heavenly realm. He also provides the faithful with many earthly blessings; wives, husbands, children, careers, possessions, etc.)

Some time ago, while serving at my church, I met a pastor named Greg. A few years earlier he had been the starting quarterback for a division one college football team. As he headed in to his senior year, his future looked promising. Many expected him to excel, and to eventually enter the NFL draft. According to the world, his life was an example of success. Yet God had other plans for Greg. Before the start of his senior year, he felt the Lord calling him into full time ministry. After much contemplation and prayer, Greg chose to sacrifice any potential fame and fortune to serve God. When he announced his decision not to return for his final season, his coaches were mystified; many of his friends thought he had gone crazy. Those who were worldly thought he was making a very serious mistake. However, approximately four years after making his decision, Greg told me he had never been more satisfied. He is now joyfully serving the Lord; he also has a beautiful wife and a young child. By sacrificing much he has received a number of priceless blessings in return; “and in the age to come, eternal life.”

The Christian path requires great sacrifice. Letting go of what is useless and grabbing hold of what is good isn’t without consequence. Obedience to the Lord produces loss; yet for every earthly loss there is a heavenly reward. Trust in the Lord; sacrifice any meaningless and unprofitable areas of your life and place them upon God’s Holy altar; submit yourself to His leading and you will experience all of the blessings that He has promised to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.

“Lord Heavenly Father, help us to sacrifice our lives in service to You. May we accomplish Your will no matter the cost. Remove any sins that stand in our way. Give us a new heart; give us new desires; may we die so that You may live. We thank You in advance for the blessings You have promised to provide, and we submit our lives to You now in faith. We love You Father, we praise You, and we thank You; and we ask and pray all of these things, according to Your will, in Jesus Christ’s name. Amen.” God bless all of you!

Christ’s Replacement

July 2, 2018July 2, 2018 ~ servantone1

JESUS SPEAKING

“These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. However, the helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you” (John 14: 25-26.)

INSPIRED THOUGHTS

The Lord informed his disciples that he would soon be taken away from them. In his absence, he promised to send them a replacement; a helper; someone to guide and direct them; a spiritual entity that would remind them of all of his teachings. After the crucifixion and resurrection, Jesus ascended into heaven; having reached His eternal position, he sent the Holy Spirit into the hearts and minds of every believer (on the day of Pentecost.) The disciples began to speak in foreign languages; they were given the power and authority to forgive sins; to cast out demons; to raise the dead; and to heal the sick. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit was, and is, proof that Jesus Christ did reach his destination; the work of the Spirit today confirms that He is still seated at the right hand of God; a place of honor from which He continues to guide and direct His church.
In the early 20th century a bold and daring explorer named Roald Amundsen set out to reach the remote poles of the earth. He succeeded in reaching the South Pole in 1911, and the North Pole in 1926. As the story goes, during his northern journey, he took along a homing pigeon (homing pigeons mate for life; in turn, when separated from their mates they have a unique ability to return to their nests from anywhere in the world. Before leaving for the North Pole, Amundsen, not wanting his wife to worry, promised to release the pigeon when he reached his destination; when the bird arrived at its nest in Norway, his wife was elated. The pigeon was a symbol; a message proclaiming that although the explorer had arrived in a distant land, he was very much alive.
The Holy Spirit is also a symbol; it is a message and a reminder that Jesus Christ still lives. Many have received the message, many have not. Those who have opened their hearts to God’s messenger have acknowledged that Jesus is their Lord and master. That he is a living God; that He currently guides and directs His church through the power of the Holy Spirit. If you have never received His gift, go somewhere quiet, and ask God to provide you with the Spirit of Truth. The Lord never withholds this wonderful thing from those who genuinely ask Him.
“Lord Heavenly Father, we believe that Jesus Christ is Your Son, and that he is seated at Your right hand. Fill us with Your Holy Spirit; guide and direct us; teach us and remind us of Your ways. May we be faithful believers; may we never waiver; may we never grow weary, and may we never turn away from Your truth. May You continue to use us to fulfill Your will in this place, until the time when we will see You, face to face. We love You Father, we praise You, and we thank You, and we ask and pray all of these things, according to Your will, in Jesus Christ’s name. Amen.” God bless all of you.

Judging Others

June 18, 2018 ~ servantone1

JESUS SPEAKING

“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye” (Mathew 7: 1-3.)

INSPIRED THOUGHTS

Of all the sins we can possibly commit, hypocrisy is one of the most offensive; Jesus embraced repenting murderers, rapists, and prostitutes; yet he openly loathed unrepentant religious hypocrites. Hypocrisy occurs when someone judges or evaluates another based upon standards they themselves are incapable of achieving. Practicing hypocrisy is dangerous, because God judges his followers based upon the same principles they use to judge others. If we outwardly condemn thievery, yet secretly steal, we are condemning ourselves. Jesus warned his disciples that such unrighteous judgments would serve only to separate us from God. Before we judge anyone, we must make certain that we have been victorious over the sins that have caused others to fall.

Surprisingly, the first attempted extermination of the Jewish people did not occur inside the boundaries of 20^th century Nazi Germany. Nor was Adolf Hitler the first man to attempt such a hideous undertaking. In fact, nearly 2400 years earlier a man named Haman made efforts to execute every Jew living within the Persian Empire. He hated the Hebrews and believed they were troublemakers who deserved to die. Haman was a high ranking official in the court of Artaxerxes the 2^nd (King of the Persia.) He convinced the King to exterminate the Jews; which would have included Haman’s mortal Hebrew enemy, Mordecai (another high ranking official who showed disdain for Haman.) Mordecai had graciously adopted his orphan cousin Esther, who grew in to one of the most beautiful women in all of Persia; the king became enamored with Esther and married her, not knowing that she was a Jew. As the day approached for the extermination, Haman joyfully built a scaffold fifty feet tall near his home, from which he planned to hang Mordicai. Just before the mass murder was to be carried out, Esther came forward and revealed to the king that she was in fact a Jew. She begged him to end the genocidal plan. The king compassionately agreed and her people were spared. The king was also made aware of Haman’s treachery. In a cruel twist of fate, the king ordered Haman to be hung from the very gallows he himself had constructed to kill Mordicai. The judgment he had so eagerly reserved for others, had been visited upon him and his entire household.

Many, like Haman build scaffolds to hang others from. Such people are often hypocrites who incur the wrath of God; they are condemned by the very judgments they use to condemn others. We must examine ourselves daily; and we must ask God to search our hearts and minds; if we find that the sins of others produce in us anger and resentment, then we must ask the question, “Am I guilty of any similar sins?” If the answer is yes, then we need to change; we need to abandon hypocrisy and embrace a right relationship with God.

“Lord Heavenly Father, we recognize that we are unworthy servants; that we are sinners who do not deserve Your forgiveness; yet we thank You that we have received it. Search our hearts; if You find hypocrisy, please reveal it to us; correct us if we have been judging others unjustly. Take away our sinful resentments, that we may more effectively reach those who are lost; and please continue to fill our hearts with gratitude, sincerity, and humility. We love You Father, we praise You, and we thank You, and we ask and pray all of these things, according to Your will, in Jesus Christ’s name. Amen.” God bless all of you.