edification corner

last SG · 2006-01-06T18:09:41+00:00

Hey, why dont we talk about basic theology today? Theres nothing wrong with theology as long as it can be shown to be biblical. You all know the meaning of...

breytonhartge SG

Complete and Effective Decision About Sin

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. . . our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin
Romans 6:6

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Co-Crucifixion. Have you made the following decision about sin that it must be completely killed in you? It takes a long time to come to the point of making this complete and effective decision about sin. It is, however, the greatest moment in your life once you decide that sin must die in you-not simply be restrained, suppressed, or counteracted, but crucified just as Jesus Christ died for the sin of the world. No one can bring anyone else to this decision. We may be mentally and spiritually convinced, but what we need to do is actually make the decision that Paul urged us to do in this passage.

Pull yourself up, take some time alone with God, and make this important decision, saying, "Lord, identify me with Your death until I know that sin is dead in me." Make the moral decision that sin in you must be put to death.

This was not some divine future expectation on the part of Paul, but was a very radical and definite experience in his life. Are you prepared to let the Spirit of God search you until you know what the level and nature of sin is in your life to see the very things that struggle against Gods Spirit in you? If so, will you then agree with Gods verdict on the nature of sin that it should be identified with the death of Jesus? You cannot "reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin" ( Romans 6:11 ) unless you have radically dealt with the issue of your will before God.

Have you entered into the glorious privilege of being crucified with Christ, until all that remains in your flesh and blood is His life? "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me . . ." ( Galatians 2:20 ).

breytonhartge SG

Inner Invincibility

Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me . . .
Matthew 11:29

Whom the Lord loves He chastens . . ." ( Hebrews 12:6 ). How petty our complaining is! Our Lord begins to bring us to the point where we can have fellowship with Him, only to hear us moan and groan, saying, "Oh Lord, just let me be like other people!" Jesus is asking us to get beside Him and take one end of the yoke, so that we can pull together. Thats why Jesus says to us, "My yoke is easy and My burden is light" ( Matthew 11:30 ). Are you closely identified with the Lord Jesus like that? If so, you will thank God when you feel the pressure of His hand upon you.
". . . to those who have no might He increases strength" ( Isaiah 40:29 ). God comes and takes us out of our emotionalism, and then our complaining turns into a hymn of praise. The only way to know the strength of God is to take the yoke of Jesus upon us and to learn from Him.
". . . the joy of the Lord is your strength" ( Nehemiah 8:10 ). Where do the saints get their joy? If we did not know some Christians well, we might think from just observing them that they have no burdens at all to bear. But we must lift the veil from our eyes. The fact that the peace, light, and joy of God is in them is proof that a burden is there as well. The burden that God places on us squeezes the grapes in our lives and produces the wine, but most of us see only the wine and not the burden. No power on earth or in hell can conquer the Spirit of God living within the human spirit; it creates an inner invincibility.
If your life is producing only a whine, instead of the wine, then ruthlessly kick it out. It is definitely a crime for a Christian to be weak in Gods strength.

breytonhartge SG

The Failure To Pay Close Attention

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The high places were not removed from Israel. Nevertheless the heart of Asa was loyal all his days
2 Chronicles 15:17

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Asa was not completely obedient in the outward, visible areas of his life. He was obedient in what he considered the most important areas, but he was not entirely right. Beware of ever thinking, "Oh, that thing in my life doesnt matter much." The fact that it doesnt matter much to you may mean that it matters a great deal to God. Nothing should be considered a trivial matter by a child of God. How much longer are we going to prevent God from teaching us even one thing? But He keeps trying to teach us and He never loses patience. You say, "I know I am right with God" yet the "high places" still remain in your life. There is still an area of disobedience. Do you protest that your heart is right with God, and yet there is something in your life He causes you to doubt? Whenever God causes a doubt about something, stop it immediately, no matter what it may be. Nothing in our lives is a mere insignificant detail to God.

Are there some things regarding your physical or intellectual life to which you have been paying no attention at all? If so, you may think you are all correct in the important areas, but you are careless you are failing to concentrate or to focus properly. You no more need a day off from spiritual concentration on matters in your life than your heart needs a day off from beating. As you cannot take a day off morally and remain moral, neither can you take a day off spiritually and remain spiritual. God wants you to be entirely His, and it requires paying close attention to keep yourself fit. It also takes a tremendous amount of time. Yet some of us expect to rise above all of our problems, going from one mountaintop experience to another, with only a few minutes effort.

breytonhartge SG

Readiness

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God called to him . . . . And he said, Here I am
Exodus 3:4

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When God speaks, many of us are like people in a fog, and we give no answer. Moses reply to God revealed that he knew where he was and that he was ready. Readiness means having a right relationship to God and having the knowledge of where we are. We are so busy telling God where we would like to go. Yet the man or woman who is ready for God and His work is the one who receives the prize when the summons comes. We wait with the idea that some great opportunity or something sensational will be coming our way, and when it does come we are quick to cry out, "Here I am." Whenever we sense that Jesus Christ is rising up to take authority over some great task, we are there, but we are not ready for some obscure duty.

Readiness for God means that we are prepared to do the smallest thing or the largest thing it makes no difference. It means we have no choice in what we want to do, but that whatever Gods plans may be, we are there and ready. Whenever any duty presents itself, we hear Gods voice as our Lord heard His Fathers voice, and we are ready for it with the total readiness of our love for Him. Jesus Christ expects to do with us just as His Father did with Him. He can put us wherever He wants, in pleasant duties or in menial ones, because our union with Him is the same as His union with the Father. ". . . that they may be one just as We are one . . ." ( John 17:22 ).

Be ready for the sudden surprise visits of God. A ready person never needs to get ready he is ready. Think of the time we waste trying to get ready once God has called! The burning bush is a symbol of everything that surrounds the person who is ready, and it is on fire with the presence of God Himself.

breytonhartge SG

Beware of the Least Likely Temptation

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Joab had defected to Adonijah, though he had not defected to Absalom
1 Kings 2:28

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Joab withstood the greatest test of his life, remaining absolutely loyal to David by not turning to follow after the fascinating and ambitious Absalom. Yet toward the end of his life he turned to follow after the weak and cowardly Adonijah. Always remain alert to the fact that where one person has turned back is exactly where anyone may be tempted to turn back (see 1 Corinthians 10:11-13 ). You may have just victoriously gone through a great crisis, but now be alert about the things that may appear to be the least likely to tempt you. Beware of thinking that the areas of your life where you have experienced victory in the past are now the least likely to cause you to stumble and fall.

We are apt to say, "It is not at all likely that having been through the greatest crisis of my life I would now turn back to the things of the world." Do not try to predict where the temptation will come; it is the least likely thing that is the real danger. It is in the aftermath of a great spiritual event that the least likely things begin to have an effect. They may not be forceful and dominant, but they are there. And if you are not careful to be forewarned, they will trip you. You have remained true to God under great and intense trials now beware of the undercurrent. Do not be abnormally examining your inner self, looking forward with dread, but stay alert; keep your memory sharp before God. Unguarded strength is actually a double weakness, because that is where the least likely temptations will be effective in sapping strength. The Bible characters stumbled over their strong points, never their weak ones.

". . . kept by the power of God . . ." that is the only safety. ( 1 Peter 1:5 ).

breytonhartge SG

Can a Saint Falsely Accuse God?

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All the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen . . .
2 Corinthians 1:20

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Jesus parable of the talents recorded in Matthew 25:14-30 was a warning that it is possible for us to misjudge our capacities. This parable has nothing to do with natural gifts and abilities, but relates to the gift of the Holy Spirit as He was first given at Pentecost. We must never measure our spiritual capacity on the basis of our education or our intellect; our capacity in spiritual things is measured on the basis of the promises of God. If we get less than God wants us to have, we will falsely accuse Him as the servant falsely accused his master when he said, "You expect more of me than you gave me the power to do. You demand too much of me, and I cannot stand true to you here where you have placed me." When it is a question of Gods Almighty Spirit, never say, "I cant." Never allow the limitation of your own natural ability to enter into the matter. If we have received the Holy Spirit, God expects the work of the Holy Spirit to be exhibited in us.

The servant justified himself, while condemning his lord on every point, as if to say, "Your demand on me is way out of proportion to what you gave to me." Have we been falsely accusing God by daring to worry after He has said, "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you"? ( Matthew 6:33 ). Worrying means exactly what this servant implied "I know your intent is to leave me unprotected and vulnerable." A person who is lazy in the natural realm is always critical, saying, "I havent had a decent chance," and someone who is lazy in the spiritual realm is critical of God. Lazy people always strike out at others in an independent way.

Never forget that our capacity and capability in spiritual matters is measured by, and based on, the promises of God. Is God able to fulfill His promises? Our answer depends on whether or not we have received the Holy Spirit.

breytonhartge SG

Dont Hurt the Lord

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Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip?
John 14:9

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Our Lord must be repeatedly astounded at us-astounded at how "un-simple" we are. It is our own opinions that make us dense and slow to understand, but when we are simple we are never dense; we have discernment all the time. Philip expected the future revelation of a tremendous mystery, but not in Jesus, the Person he thought he already knew. The mystery of God is not in what is going to be-it is now, though we look for it to be revealed in the future in some overwhelming, momentous event. We have no reluctance to obey Jesus, but it is highly probable that we are hurting Him by what we ask-"Lord, show us the Father . . ." ( John 14:8 ). His response immediately comes back to us as He says, "Cant you see Him? He is always right here or He is nowhere to be found." We look for God to exhibit Himself to His children, but God only exhibits Himself in His children. And while others see the evidence, the child of God does not. We want to be fully aware of what God is doing in us, but we cannot have complete awareness and expect to remain reasonable or balanced in our expectations of Him. If all we are asking God to give us is experiences, and the awareness of those experiences is blocking our way, we hurt the Lord. The very questions we ask hurt Jesus, because they are not the questions of a child.

"Let not your heart be troubled . . ." ( 14:1, 27 ). Am I then hurting Jesus by allowing my heart to be troubled? . If I believe in Jesus and His attributes, am I living up to my belief? Am I allowing anything to disturb my heart, or am I allowing any questions to come in which are unsound or unbalanced? I have to get to the point of the absolute and unquestionable relationship that takes everything exactly as it comes from Him. God never guides us at some time in the future, but always here and now. Realize that the Lord is here now, and the freedom you receive is immediate.

breytonhartge SG

Do You Worship The Work?

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We are Gods fellow workers . . .
1 Corinthians 3:9

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Beware of any work for God that causes or allows you to avoid concentrating on Him. A great number of Christian workers worship their work. The only concern of Christian workers should be their concentration on God. This will mean that all the other boundaries of life, whether they are mental, moral, or spiritual limits, are completely free with the freedom God gives His child; that is, a worshiping child, not a wayward one. A worker who lacks this serious controlling emphasis of concentration on God is apt to become overly burdened by his work. He is a slave to his own limits, having no freedom of his body, mind, or spirit. Consequently, he becomes burned out and defeated. There is no freedom and no delight in life at all. His nerves, mind, and heart are so overwhelmed that Gods blessing cannot rest on him.

But the opposite case is equally true--once our concentration is on God, all the limits of our life are free and under the control and mastery of God alone. There is no longer any responsibility on you for the work. The only responsibility you have is to stay in living constant touch with God, and to see that you allow nothing to hinder your cooperation with Him. The freedom that comes after sanctification is the freedom of a child, and the things that used to hold your life down are gone. But be careful to remember that you have been freed for only one thing--to be absolutely devoted to your co-Worker.

We have no right to decide where we should be placed, or to have preconceived ideas as to what God is preparing us to do. God engineers everything; and wherever He places us, our one supreme goal should be to pour out our lives in wholehearted devotion to Him in that particular work. "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might . . ." ( Ecclesiastes 9:10 ).

breytonhartge SG

What Do You Want?

Do you seek great things for yourself? Jeremiah 45:5

Are you seeking great things for yourself, instead of seeking to be a great person? God wants you to be in a much closer relationship with Himself than simply receiving His gifts He wants you to get to know Him. Even some large thing we want is only incidental; it comes and it goes. But God never gives us anything incidental. There is nothing easier than getting into the right relationship with God, unless it is not God you seek, but only what He can give you.

If you have only come as far as asking God for things, you have never come to the point of understanding the least bit of what surrender really means. You have become a Christian based on your own terms. You protest, saying, "I asked God for the Holy Spirit, but He didnt give me the rest and the peace I expected." And instantly God puts His finger on the reason-you are not seeking the Lord at all; you are seeking something for yourself. Jesus said, "Ask, and it will be given to you . . ." ( Matthew 7:7 ). Ask God for what you want and do not be concerned about asking for the wrong thing, because as you draw ever closer to Him, you will cease asking for things altogether. "Your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him" ( Matthew 6:8 ). Then why should you ask? So that you may get to know Him.

Are you seeking great things for yourself? Have you said, "Oh, Lord, completely fill me with your Holy Spirit"? If God does not, it is because you are not totally surrendered to Him; there is something you still refuse to do. Are you prepared to ask yourself what it is you want from God and why you want it? God always ignores your present level of completeness in favor of your ultimate future completeness. He is not concerned about making you blessed and happy right now, but Hes continually working out His ultimate perfection for you ". . . that they may be one just as We are one . . ." ( John 17:22 ).

Ironside SG

Eph 4:11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,

12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,

I love this verse:

I. Christ gifts to the church verse 11:

Christ gifts to church are men: Apostles, prophets, evangelist, pastors and teachers.

II. Christ purpose of these gifts He gave verse 12a:

That the saints [christians] will be furnished or prepared: "for the equipping of the saints"

The word 'equipping' in Greek means to be furnished or prepared for some task or duty. The duty of apostles, evangelist, pastors and teachers is to prepare, furnish or equip christians. For What?

A. verse 12 gives us two answers:

1) for the work of ministry

2) for the edifying of the body of Christ

Christians are saved to minister. Saved to serve. Serve what? Serve the body of Christ [see verse 12b]. That is, to serve with their gifts the rest of the body of Christians as furnished from the Word of God by these teaching and preaching ministers.

The duty of the teaching and preaching minister is to teach Christians how to minister their gifts, so that the church will be edified.

according to Ephesians 4:11-12, you are a minister.

ARe you doing it full time?

Or are you not even aware that you are a minister?

it's sad to say that the present organizational structure of most churches today hinders the gifts and the potentials of each individual christian.

Churches have created a great divide: laity and clergy.

The clergy does all the ministries. And the laity just attends 'church' every sunday morning reduced to listening. The church for some has become a spectator sport. As a result many gifts of Christians lay latent and dormant. Some even are bored.

No wonder many pastors get burned out and weary after doing all the ministries which should have been done by individual members. He is like a doing all the functions of body. a mouth doing the function of a hand, feet, eyes, ears, nose and etc. We need to go back to the first century way of doing church.

What's ur gift brother or sister? maybe ur ministry is not 1 to many like the preacher or teacher. maybe ur ministry is one to one. why not be sensitive to your brother or sister in church. Listen to her or him [gift of listening], emphathize, symphathize, show care and love. you will never know how much this is to her or him.

laoda99 SG

which is why we need pastors, who are clergy,
and elders and deacons, who are laymen to help....

breytonhartge SG

Take Time to Listen
If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
(James 1:5)

When you're facing a problem, the very first thing you should ask God for is wisdom. Not money. Not power. Not even healing. But wisdom.

God's wisdom is the key that will unlock every door in your life. It will turn your every failure into success. So, stop wasting your prayer power begging God for things you think you need and spend some time instead listening to what He has to say about your situation.

If you've never tried that before, practically speaking, here's what you need to do.

First: Lay out the entire problem before the Lord, not because He doesn't know what you're going through, but because laying it out helps you. It helps you see things from a more objective point of view.

I remember when I used to take my problems to my father. Somehow, when I was explaining them to him, they began to look different to me. I'd get a new perspective, and as I talked, he'd point out areas I hadn't considered yet. Explaining your problems to God, point by point, will help you accomplish the same thing.

Second: Listen for the Spirit of God to advise you. Pay particular attention to what He says through the written Word. Most likely, the care of your problem has choked the Word of God right out of your heart (Mark 4:18-19). If so, you need to get the Bible and begin to put that Word back in again. Then the Holy Spirit will begin to speak to you through it.

As you're listening, be sure to remain teachable. Be ready to accept rebuke if necessary. Be very honest with God. Look for ways in which you've been wrong and confess them to Him. It's all right. Those sins won't come as any surprise to Him. He already knows about them. Confession just gives you the opportunity to get rid of them.

Third: Act on the wisdom God gives you. Let go of your own methods and put His methods into operation. Be obedient. If you don't, that wonderful wisdom won't do you any good at all.

As you pray today, set aside your own ideas and start seeking the wisdom of God. It's the only thing that can permanently solve the problems you've been facing. It's truly the most precious gift God has to give.

Seek wisdom.

breytonhartge SG

Judgment and the Love of God

The time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God . . . 1 Peter 4:17

The Christian servant must never forget that salvation is Gods idea, not mans; therefore, it has an unfathomable depth. Salvation is the great thought of God, not an experience. Experience is simply the door through which salvation comes into the conscious level of our life so that we are aware of what has taken place on a much deeper level. Never preach the experience preach the great thought of God behind the experience. When we preach, we are not simply proclaiming how people can be saved from hell and be made moral and pure; we are conveying good news about God.
In the teachings of Jesus Christ the element of judgment is always brought out it is the sign of the love of God. Never sympathize with someone who finds it difficult to get to God; God is not to blame. It is not for us to figure out the reason for the difficulty, but only to present the truth of God so that the Spirit of God will reveal what is wrong. The greatest test of the quality of our preaching is whether or not it brings everyone to judgment. When the truth is preached, the Spirit of God brings each person face to face with God Himself.
If Jesus ever commanded us to do something that He was unable to equip us to accomplish, He would be a liar. And if we make our own inability a stumbling block or an excuse not to be obedient, it means that we are telling God that there is something which He has not yet taken into account. Every element of our own self-reliance must be put to death by the power of God. The moment we recognize our complete weakness and our dependence upon Him will be the very moment that the Spirit of God will exhibit His power.

breytonhartge SG

The Faith to Persevere

Because you have kept My command to persevere . . . Revelation 3:10
Perseverance means more than endurance more than simply holding on until the end. A saints life is in the hands of God like a bow and arrow in the hands of an archer. God is aiming at something the saint cannot see, but our Lord continues to stretch and strain, and every once in a while the saint says, "I cant take any more." Yet God pays no attention; He goes on stretching until His purpose is in sight, and then He lets the arrow fly. Entrust yourself to Gods hands. Is there something in your life for which you need perseverance right now? Maintain your intimate relationship with Jesus Christ through the perseverance of faith. Proclaim as Job did, "Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him" ( Job 13:15 ).

Faith is not some weak and pitiful emotion, but is strong and vigorous confidence built on the fact that God is holy love. And even though you cannot see Him right now and cannot understand what He is doing, you know Him. Disaster occurs in your life when you lack the mental composure that comes from establishing yourself on the eternal truth that God is holy love. Faith is the supreme effort of your life throwing yourself with abandon and total confidence upon God.

God ventured His all in Jesus Christ to save us, and now He wants us to venture our all with total abandoned confidence in Him. There are areas in our lives where that faith has not worked in us as yet places still untouched by the life of God. There were none of those places in Jesus Christs life, and there are to be none in ours. Jesus prayed, "This is eternal life, that they may know You . . ." ( John 17:3 ). The real meaning of eternal life is a life that can face anything it has to face without wavering. If we will take this view, life will become one great romance a glorious opportunity of seeing wonderful things all the time. God is disciplining us to get us into this central place of power.

Ironside SG

Your spiritual gift determines your ministry in the Body of Christ

Every genuine Christian is endowed by God with some special ability/abilities to serve the body of Christ. Every Christian has at least one gift. Your gift determines your ministry in the body. There are at least sixteen gifts listed in the Bible. These gifts taken as a whole and practiced by each individividual member in the church is Christ ministering through us for us.

Christ is a teacher, encourager, leader, comforter, exhorter and etc. [see Romans 12 list]. According to His sovereign will He distributes these qualities to each individual Christian. Christians who are gifted in teaching are usually the ones who are preachers and teachers [obviously]. Usually these guys are gifted with the word of knowledge and wisdom [see 1 Cor. 12].

some like George Mueller are gifted with faith [faith here is not saving faith. all genuine Christians have it. the gift of faith referred here is the faith of miracles and the ability to 'see' things that are in the will of God, pursue it and success......many seminaries and missionary endeavors were established because of this gift from God...........you know the ones that move mountains....not all Christians are given this gift. Judson Taylor believed that he was called by God to do missionary work in China. Pursued it and proved it to be true.

Some are gifted with the gift of admnistration. They are given special ability to organize the Church. Others are gifted with counselling [note: counselling is not just exclusive for pastors] There are so many others. What's ur gift? If you find the answer to that you have found your place in the body of Christ. Use it to edify your brethren. How do you recognize an unhealth body? The body whose body parts are not functioning well or are not functioning at all is the body who is unhealty.

Who's doing all the ministry in your church? your pastor only? To be sure, your pastor doesn't have all the gifts for ministry. There are gift/s that you have that your pastor doesn't have. God designed it that way. A church member might say: "Ah our pastor is a bad pastor our pastor is a good teacher and preacher.....a good expositor of the Word of God but when it comes to comforting one on one i find brother so and so better than him.....he's a bad pastor." Why, maybe brother so and so might have the gift of comforting and pastor might not have this gift. it doesn't mean that pastor is a bad pastor.

God has distributed various gifts to every individual member. One has a speical divine ability that the other does not have. Just like the body. You don't say: " ah hand is only a good helper.......but when it comes to walking feet does much better." Why of course. God did not designed the hands to do the walking. Each has his own special 'ministry' in the body. find your gift my friend and you have found your ministry.

P.S. imagine a church with it's members functioning and sharing their individual gifts to each other in the atmosphere of love and peace. Waw!!! everyone would feel the ministry of Christ through each individiual member ministering Christ's abilities and qualities to each other. Everyone would be blessed and edified. And we would say: "Waw , Christ is surely in this church!!!!"

New Century Version Bible

Ephesians 4:16

"The whole body depends on Christ, and all the parts of the body are joined and held together. [b]EACH PART DOES IT'S OWN WORK TO MAKE THE WHOLE BODY GROW AND BE STRONG WITH LOVE." [/b]

breytonhartge SG

Living Simply Yet Focused

Look at the birds of the air . . . . Consider the lilies of the field . . . Matthew 6:26, 28

Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin" they simply are! Think of the sea, the air, the sun, the stars, and the moon all of these simply are as well yet what a ministry and service they render on our behalf! So often we impair Gods designed influence, which He desires to exhibit through us, because of our own conscious efforts to be consistent and useful. Jesus said there is only one way to develop and grow spiritually, and that is through focusing and concentrating on God. In essence, Jesus was saying, "Do not worry about being of use to others; simply believe on Me." In other words, pay attention to the Source, and out of you "will flow rivers of living water" (John 7:38 ). We cannot discover the source of our natural life through common sense and reasoning, and Jesus is teaching here that growth in our spiritual life comes not from focusing directly on it, but from concentrating on our Father in heaven. Our heavenly Father knows our circumstances, and if we will stay focused on Him, instead of our circumstances, we will grow spiritually just as "the lilies of the field."
The people who influence us the most are not those who detain us with their continual talk, but those who live their lives like the stars in the sky and "the lilies of the field" simply and unaffectedly. Those are the lives that mold and shape us.

If you want to be of use to God, maintain the proper relationship with Jesus Christ by staying focused on Him, and He will make use of you every minute you live yet you will be unaware, on the conscious level of your life, that you are being used of Him.

vince69 SG

Obedience and Faith

There was a time when I feel that there is something the Lord wanted me to do is too big for me, and that I do not have the ability to get it done, and then I was wondering perhaps the Lord had chosen the wrong person.

Most Christians will be familiar with the story of how Jesus feeds the five thousand (Matthew 14:13-21), Have anyone ever wonder why did Jesus want to test His disciples? In that know that there is no way they can feed these magnitude of people, and also He (Jesus) had already decided what He want to do before hand. (John 6:5-6)

What does the Lord means when He tells the disciple They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat. ~Matthew 14:16? Surely He had already known that this task is beyond the ability of the disciples.

Its later that I realize that the Lord would never expect us to do the things that He himself would not had already done, but He chose to allow us to participate. Another thing is that He would not do the things that we could do ourselves, He could have, but He chooses not to.

From the story, it seems that Jesus had never intended that the disciples provide food for the magnitude by their own resources, but rather would want to show them where their focus/faith is, on their own limited ability or on the Lord who can do the task.
What is the disciples response? They immediately do a stock check and decide that it cannot be done. Had they put their faith in the Lord, their response may had been different.

In John 2:5-7, Mary the mother of our Lord Jesus when faced with a seemingly impossible simply look to the Lord to get the job done and not at the limitations of resources.

Many a time, when the Lord tell us to do something, we start running off to get it done, and most of the time, we try to do it with our own strength and resources, and in a lot of cases, we burned out.
Perhaps when the Lord tells us to do something, our response should not be that about our own ability or what little we have but rather our focus and faith should be in how able is our Lord. What He expects of us to just obey and use whatever we have to do what we can do and believe He will finish off those we cannot do.

Give to the Lord the little we have, and believe Him to put in the plenty He had.

Some toil the ground, some plant the seeds, some water the field, but its the Lord that make them grow.

breytonhartge SG

The Explanation For Our Difficulties

. . . that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us . . . John 17:21

If you are going through a time of isolation, seemingly all alone, read John 17 . It will explain exactly why you are where you are because Jesus has prayed that you "may be one" with the Father as He is. Are you helping God to answer that prayer, or do you have some other goal for your life? Since you became a disciple, you cannot be as independent as you used to be.
God reveals in John 17 that His purpose is not just to answer our prayers, but that through prayer we might come to discern His mind. Yet there is one prayer which God must answer, and that is the prayer of Jesus ". . . that they may be one just as We are one . . ." (John 17:22 ). Are we as close to Jesus Christ as that?

God is not concerned about our plans; He doesnt ask, "Do you want to go through this loss of a loved one, this difficulty, or this defeat?" No, He allows these things for His own purpose. The things we are going through are either making us sweeter, better, and nobler men and women, or they are making us more critical and fault-finding, and more insistent on our own way. The things that happen either make us evil, or they make us more saintly, depending entirely on our relationship with God and its level of intimacy. If we will pray, regarding our own lives, "Your will be done" ( Matthew 26:42 ), then we will be encouraged and comforted by John 17, knowing that our Father is working according to His own wisdom, accomplishing what is best. When we understand Gods purpose, we will not become small-minded and cynical. Jesus prayed nothing less for us than absolute oneness with Himself, just as He was one with the Father. Some of us are far from this oneness; yet God will not leave us alone until we are one with Him because Jesus prayed, ". . . that they all may be one . . . ."

vince69 SG

a personal sharing:

Abraham Justified by Faith (Roman 4)

3What does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.
9Is this blessedness only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? We have been saying that Abraham's faith was credited to him as righteousness. 10Under what circumstances was it credited? Was it after he was circumcised, or before? It was not after, but before! 11And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised.

4Now when a man works, his wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation. 5However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness.

Abraham believed God and his faith was credited to him as righteousness, what then is this faith about?
To the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness, meaning, this faith is about not trying to gain justifications through works, but by putting ones trust in God who justifies the wicked, this is the faith that is credited as righteousness.

20Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, 21being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. 22This is why "it was credited to him as righteousness." 23The words "it was credited to him" were written not for him alone, 24but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousnessfor us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. 25He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.

Abraham believed that God had power to do what he had promised, and this unwavering belief (which is his faith) is credited to him as righteousness.
If Abraham believed in God was credited to him as righteousness, what about us? We are to believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead and that He(Jesus) was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.

Faith in God is to believe whatever God promises, He can and will deliver. It is to trust God who justifies the wicked, trust enough to understand it is not by our works we received justifications and salvation. It is believing Jesus was delivered over to death and raised to life for our justification. Faith enough to believe that when He love us and promised He will never leave us nor forsake us, He really meant it.

What about good works? The idea and the motivation of behind doing good work (be it charity, bible study, church going etc) is different from what is normally perceived and need to be put into the correct perspective. We can do good works because of the grace from God through Christ, even the desire and the ability to do good works is from Him. Doing good works is a result and not a means, just as not doing it wont change one status before God.

breytonhartge SG

Put God First

Jesus did not commit Himself to them . . .for He knew what was in man John 2:24-25

Put Trust in God First.

Our Lord never put His trust in any person. Yet He was never suspicious, never bitter, and never lost hope for anyone, because He put His trust in God first. He trusted absolutely in what Gods grace could do for others. If I put my trust in human beings first, the end result will be my despair and hopelessness toward everyone. I will become bitter because I have insisted that people be what no person can ever be absolutely perfect and right. Never trust anything in yourself or in anyone else, except the grace of God.

Put Gods Will First.

"Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God" (Hebrews 10:9).

A persons obedience is to what he sees to be a need our Lords obedience was to the will of His Father. The rallying cry today is, "We must get to work! The heathen are dying without God. We must go and tell them about Him." But we must first make sure that Gods "needs" and His will in us personally are being met. Jesus said, ". . . tarry . . . until you are endued with power from on high" ( Luke 24:49 ). The purpose of our Christian training is to get us into the right relationship to the "needs" of God and His will. Once Gods "needs" in us have been met, He will open the way for us to accomplish His will, meeting His "needs" elsewhere.

Put Gods Son First.

"Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me" ( Matthew 18:5 ).

God came as a baby, giving and entrusting Himself to me. He expects my personal life to be a "Bethlehem." Am I allowing my natural life to be slowly transformed by the indwelling life of the Son of God? Gods ultimate purpose is that His Son might be exhibited in me.

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