God’s compassion for straying people

Hosea 11:1-4, 8-9

Parenting in the 21st century is no easy task. I’m the father of none, but I often find myself assisting in raising the children of those closest to me. The ideal family structure of father and mother isn’t the norm anymore, and single parents are tasked with the responsibility of performing the duties of both mommy and daddy, in order to keep stability in the home. Standards are usually set in the home, that parents expect their children to carry outside of the home as well. Children who tend to stray away from the teachings of their parent, are usually met with strict punishment, especially when outside of the home. One of the worst feelings a parent can experience is, when their child acts out in public, causing them shame and embarrassment among strangers and peers.

As children, we made our parents look bad every time we did things contrary to what they instilled in us at home, but “the rod of correction” worked wonders in bringing those teachings back to our remembrance rather quickly. Just because your children acted out, didn’t prompt you to want to get rid of them (at least I hope not), instead, the more you taught and disciplined them, the more they matured and developed into responsible adults. Even in moments when your child was persistently rebellious against you, you never gave up on them, because you knew they would eventually think on what you taught them, and hopefully return to a state of obedience.

God’s children, Israel, were rebellious against His will, regardless of His mercy in not destroying them. Israel was bent to backsliding, or were bound to doing wrong, and held tight to it, despite all the appeals of their Father God. The wages of sin is death, but God doesn’t seek to destroy, rather to forgive. Just as God destroyed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, judgment was directed toward Israel and Ephraim if they remained in their sin state, and refused to repent. God is love, and His love is for all mankind, but He can’t accept sin, because it’s contrary to His very being. All men are allotted a certain amount of time to turn away from sin, and cleave to holiness.

The thought that should frighten those in sin most is, no one even knows when they’ll die, so it only makes sense that we turn to God like right now! It matters not how far you’ve strayed from the hand of God, like the prodigal son, our place in God still remains. We must simply make the decision to leave the hog slop of sin, and accept the best of everything God has reserved for us.

Walk in love,

Ell

God seeks the scattered people

Ezekiel 34:11-16

If Christ visited the earth for a few days, and disguised Himself as to not be recognized, He would find the state of the body of believers in total disarray. While I strongly believe that most Christians truly have a heart for God, many of them have been conditioned into following the doctrines of wicked men, that have caused a great number of people to be lost, and find it difficult to find their way home when they come to their senses. Just as sheep scatter when being manipulated by thieves or hirelings, Christians struggle, trying to see the truth in the teachings of false prophets and teachers. The church has become divided, due to all the religions, beliefs, and teachings men have made into doctrine. Many have even left churches and religious organizations, because they’ve gotten to a point where they are uncertain what to believe.

When the shepherd returns to find his sheep scattered, he works diligently to gather them back together into safety. The shepherd cares deeply for his flock, because it provides a number of benefits to his purpose, including meat, milk, wool, hides, and skins. A sheep’s wool is the most widely used animal fiber, and is usually harvested by shearing. Sheep also help plants and other vegetation to obtain water and nutrients better because the soil has been loosened from their grazing. Just as sheep are valuable to shepherds, believers are of great importance to God. We were all fearfully and wonderfully crafted by the Creator, to do amazing things on the earth to fulfill His purpose. The Spirit of God has imbued us with power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy. We have the power to get wealth, as well as the power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases.

The enemy knows what God’s sheep are capable of, so he thrives on deceiving even the very elect, because they have the power of influence to manipulate mass numbers of believers. The day is fast approaching when God will rescue His people from the jaws of evil and wicked men. Just as it hurts the heart of a parent to see their children suffer, God is nearing the end of His patience for watching His children be used, abused, deceived, manipulated, hurt, defeated, enticed, and being fed false doctrine. God will take it upon Himself to personally gather His people, move them from wicked atmospheres, place them in healthy and pleasurable habitations, then nurse them all back to good health. Many don’t realize that they are being deceived, but God knows, and He won’t allow them to suffer in their position too much longer.

All those who have been malnourished from years of deception and false doctrine, worry not, because your Father in Heaven will soon gather you together, and heal those who are sick, bind up the broken, bring back those who were driven away from the church, and most importantly, destroy the strongholds of oppression, and feed wicked men their deserved judgment.

Walk in love,

Ell

Transformed by Christ into new life

Ephesians 2:1-10

As the world turns, satan takes pleasure in watching the beautiful men and women created by God, and for His purpose, fall victim to his dastardly plan to keep them from eternal joy with Christ. This world is run and organized by satan, and men are puppets who fulfill his evil motives on a daily basis. From the White House and Wall Street, to sports and entertainment, everything outside of the will of God is purposed only to distract men from seeing the truth of God’s Word.

All believers were once partakers of the world’s system, as we allowed the cares of the world to blind us from the truth. We placed our hope and trust in man, and thought that money could solve all our problems. We believed the reports of doctors, while ignoring the healing power that God provides. But because of Christ, our once blinded eyes were opened, and we were graced to receive God’s free gift of salvation. By nature we were born into sin, but by the blood of Jesus, all our sins were washed away. God loved us so, until while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. God is rich in mercy, and gives it without condition, but our hearts must be aligned with His, in order to enjoy the full benefits of God’s unending love.

We were made like God (although we are not gods, as some teach), but to really experience the fullness of our created being, we must be free from sin, so that God’s Spirit can reveal to us the mysteries of living a godly life. I don’t mean mystery as in spooky sci-fi nonsense, but the ways of God are unknown to those who don’t believe, nor intend to abide by His will. Christ died, so that our sins could die with Him, and we would be granted the opportunity to be born anew, and transformed from our old man, into a new and improved man. Have you ever owned an old “hooptie”, that everyone knew would one day break down and leave you stranded? When you finally got that new car, you noticed everything about it, including performance, gas mileage, and total appearance was far superior than your old, beat-up pile of metal and rubber. When God saves us, we instantly go from “hooptie”, to Bently (in a sense).

The devil attempts to keep us enjoying the pleasures of sin, so that we’ll never want to experience the better life God offers. But I plead the blood of Jesus against satan, and all his demonic forces that deceive, and manipulate good men and women every day. I’m so sick of wickedness, and the spirits that cause men to be disobedient, and rebellious against God, because there’s so much greatness in everyone He created. The best thing anyone can do in this life is, commit their hearts to God, because He is the potter who molded every man out of the clay and dust of the earth. He knows what’s best for us, and He alone cares for us more than anyone, or anything in existence. I wish above all, that men give God a try, because once they’ve tasted the goodness of the Father, they’ll never go back to what they once enjoyed.

Walk in love,

Ell

A costly call

Mark 1:16-20; Luke 14:25-33

When starting a new business, the most important hires are those with strong work ethics, and positive attitudes. Could you imagine opening a restaurant, where all your cooks have no experience in the kitchen, and couldn’t get along with each other? That would be a disaster! The meat would more than likely be either undercooked, or burnt, while the rice would always turn out hard as rocks. To keep a business running successfully, it’ll require employees with extensive knowledge in the field in which they’ll operate, along with a dedicated and proven commitment to perform well.

When Jesus set forth to begin His ministry, He no doubt sought out men with strong and consistent work ethics. During His day, the best place to find such men was near the seaside, where fishermen were in abundance. Being God in the flesh, Jesus knew who He was searching for, even before He stepped out, so He wasted no time and called unto two sets of brothers; Peter and Andrew, and James and John. These men shared common beliefs in their private lives, as well as knowledge of the coming Messiah, so it was wise for Christ to gather those who were familiar with each other, especially when introducing them to an unfamiliar assignment. The most important thing to note concerning all four disciples was, they all left everything and went after Christ. According to human logic, that makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. What man in his right mind, would lay aside his primary means of income, in order to support a business that just got off the ground? Try the disciple’s shoes on for a moment. Would you quit your current job to join a company you’ve never heard of, but knew the man or woman starting it? I’ll add to that, would you still go, not knowing whether you’ll get paid or not? I bet that changed your tune. But Peter, Andrew, James, and John forsook work, and their families so that they could be numbered amongst Christ’s discipleship.

What does it cost to follow Christ, and are you willing to turn away from things you love, so that God’s will can be done through your life? Well, I’m glad you asked. Jesus said to those following Him, in the book of Luke chapter 14, “If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple” (vs. 26, 27). Are you thinking what i’m thinking? Sooooo, to be a disciple of Jesus, I must first hate everyone I love, and bear a cross? Sounds brutal. How could the Son of God tell me to love everyone, but hate them at the same time? The words Christ spoke were idioms of preference. According to the Savior, one must prefer God, or love Him more than anything and anyone else, to be saved. Now that sounds better, but still a tall task for some. In this last day, many place family, friends, and material things ahead of God without a second thought. As was prophesied in the Scriptures, men truly have become lovers of themselves, more than lovers of God. This is why men and women allow the love of money to cause them to do some unseemly things like overworking and killing their bodies for a dollar, or murdering the innocent to get a few bucks. Christ desires that we forsake all, as his disciples did, and follow after Him. It’s obvious that many of us must work to make ends meet, but we must never put our work before the purpose of God. In other words, all we do should bring glory to the name of the Lord, and nothing should restrict us from sharing His Gospel to the world.

As believers, we are to prefer God over all others, bear our own cross, and stay consistent in the faith by living godly on a daily basis. “Ye shall walk after the Lord your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him” (Deuteronomy 13:4). “Ye shall observe to do therefore as the Lord your God hath commanded you: ye shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left. Ye shall walk in all the ways which the Lord your God hath commanded you, that ye may live, and that it may be well with you, and that ye may prolong your days in the land which ye shall possess” (Deuteronomy 5:32-33).

Walk in love,

Ell

Faithful witness through suffering

2 Corinthians 6:1-10

I could easily attach the title of this lesson to the previous one, because it fits the content to perfection, but I’d like to take this opportunity to further elaborate on what effective witnesses of the Gospel looked like in the past, and even today. The great apostle Paul taught the church at Corinth, when they chose to follow after Christ, they became workers together with Him by default. Just as members of a sports team are dependent upon each other’s hard work and effort to achieve success, the body of Christ is most effective when all members are of one heart, one mind, and one Spirit. The works we render should always represent the Spirit, and character of the same Jesus who walked the earth, many years ago. As believers, labeling ourselves as “Christian”, means crap poop doodie, if we aren’t first approved in our character, conduct, and everyday actions. The world knows not God, and doesn’t understand His ways, but can easily see the difference in the lives of true believers, when compared to their own, because light and dark are totally different extremes.

Our loyalty and commitment to God is proven to men in how we endure hard times, afflictions, times of distress, and even in those seasons when the money is funny, and the food is scarce. When men come against us with evil intentions to do us harm, we are to trust God to direct us how to handle those critical situations. The initial human instinct when someone is under attack is, to fight back, but God wants His children to take persecution with a heart of gladness, knowing that what man does to us won’t kill us, but only make our faith and witness stronger in the eyes of God.

Every man, woman, boy, and girl who have accepted Christ into their hearts will be able to express every attribute of the fruit of the Spirit, the more they mature in the knowledge and wisdom of God. As we walk in humility, and stay grounded in God’s Word, our lives will emit the light of God’s LOVE in every sad and dark situation. There will never be an opportunity for satan, nor his evil forces to steal the believer’s JOY of knowing that we belong to God. There’s a PEACE that God can give that passes all the understanding of the human mind, but it can’t be found anywhere else. One character trait that easily distinguishes saints from the world is, PATIENCE. Patience is rare and hard to find these days, but the Christian should show it every day, without hesitation. MEEKNESS and GOODNESS go hand-in-hand, and are what make the believer attractive, even in unattractive situations. As the ministers of God, we must remain FAITHFUL to His agenda, and never sway to our own understanding for direction. The heart of the believer is embodied in the last two fruit of God’s Spirit. These include GENTLENESS and TEMPERANCE, or SELF-CONTROL It’s hard to identify a child of God with irate and unruly behavior, because God is always holy, and His character was put on full display through the life of Christ.

As His children, we are to live everyday representing God to the world the right way. We are not just ordinary people, and the devil knows it. The apostle Peter realized, “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light;” (1 Peter 2:9). To all my brothers and sisters, walk in humility, love unconditionally, bless, and curse not, let your works speak for you, and never boast in yourself. There are many people in world who are lost, and need you to help them find their way to God. Make sure you’re not responsible for causing some to not make it to glory, because you refused to be a witness.

Walk in love,

Ell

Suffering and knowing Christ Jesus

Philippians 3:7-16

The most effective witnesses of the Gospel are those who are the most humble. This was evident in the very life of Jesus, as He walked in humility, adhering only to the will of His Father who sent Him. Jesus was able to effectively carry out the plan God sent Him to accomplish, because He allowed God to have full control of His motives and actions. Every word He spoke, place He visited, and work He performed, Jesus remained in total submission to God’s plan of redemption, salvation, and reconciliation. Even in His suffering, our Savior never took His focus off God’s divine plan to redeem man back to Himself.

One particular apostle who is deemed the most humble of them all (and perhaps went a little overboard at times), was Paul. No matter how far God allowed Paul to go in ministry, he never forgot his past. His life before Christ, was horrible and full of evil deeds, but Paul made sure to keep himself humbled, so that he would never allow his prosperity in the kingdom of God to cause him to become full of pride and arrogance. Paul expressed extreme humility as he made known to the church that he was “less than the least of all saints”. I understand that he was indeed sorrowful for his past mistakes, but if that’s what it took to keep him on his knees, then I’m all in. We all have our ways of dealing with our past, and using it as a way to remind us of where God has brought us from, and the power of His deliverance.

After we’ve gone through seasons of trials and sufferings, we’ll then understand the importance of enduring the suffering, and not complaining about it. Paul’s desire was that the church remain strong and not faint because of the sufferings he endured. Paul’s strength came through his sufferings, and he never lost sight of the fact that God was still in control of his motives and actions. The apostle Paul willingly suffered persecution, and bowed his knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, but by virtue of the power that rests in that mighty name, “every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;” (Philippians 2:10). The world should serve God now, and not wait until times get tough. I behoove all those who are engrafted into God’s family to grow daily in the knowledge of God, and share what you learn to all those you love.

“Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:6-9)

Walk in love,

Ell

The Father honors those who follow

John 12:20-26

“🎶🎵Following the leader, the leader, the leader, we’re following the leader, wherever he may go.🎶🎵” These are the words to a famous children’s song written by Bobby Driscoll and Paul Collins. Life is just as simple as the words from that song. Everyone is following someone to their expected end. On the one hand, many who live in sin are following after satan (some unawares), and their final destination is set to a place of everlasting suffering. On the other hand, those who commit their lives to following Christ, have cemented their reservations to spend the rest of their existence with the God of all creation.

Jesus came from Heaven to earth, to reveal to mankind, God in the flesh. He lived a sinless life, while fulfilling God’s will, without error. His purpose was to tear down the wall that divided the Jews from the Gentiles, so that all men could be welcomed into God’s royal family. Knowing that Jesus is the only way to the Father, it’s sad that many still refuse to accept Christ as their leader. I’ve mention in many lessons prior to this one, how many are distracted by the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, which blinds their eyes with carnal things, that hinder them from joining in union with God. These persons willingly ignore every call to come to Jesus, and choose instead to “live it up”, or “get rich, or die trying.” But to those who ignore the pleasures of this world, turn from their sin, and seek after God and His righteousness, these are those who are held in high regard by God Himself. When we desire to live the “good life” on this earth, we forfeit the opportunity to see Christ in peace, but when we seek first God’s kingdom, and His righteousness in our every day living, we can anticipate an everlasting life full of peace, love, and godly pleasures.

Walk in love,

Ell

The Lord’s call and family conflict

Matthew 10:34-39

One of the biggest challenges new believers face is, maintaining their new found love for God, while learning to adjust in the same environments they once operated in before they met Christ. There are many who find difficulty in trying to balance holy living, while still dealing with their troubled past. Wives who commit their lives to Christ, but are joined with unsaved husbands, tend to struggle loving them, as the men consistently reject what God is doing in their wives. Children who dedicate their hearts to God at early ages struggle with obeying unsaved and unruly parents. When we accept the call of God on our lives, there’s no doubt we’ll run into issues during our encounters with our unsaved loved ones, but no matter who rejects our commitment to serving God, we must stand firm on what we believe.

Christ told His disciples He came not to bring peace, but a sword. “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12). Because men love and embrace darkness, they’ll never accept, nor appreciate the light of God that shines through our lives, until they realize that the end of darkness is death. Many families are divided, because some have decided to serve God, whereas others choose to abide in sin. No matter how much you love and care for your family members, Jesus said that whoever loves them more than they love Him, aren’t worthy of Him. Well, tell us how you really feel Jesus. Knowing that every man must work out his own salvation with fear and trembling, Jesus wants all our focus on Him, so that we can become all He desires us to be. Rather than compromise our faith by giving in to the pressures of our family, we should strive to live holy, so that those we hold dear can see the hand of God ordering our steps, and hopefully submit to Him as well.

Walk in love,

Ell

It’s hard to enter the Kingdom

Mark 10:23-31

If you became filthy rich in an instant, what would you invest your wealth in? There are people all over the world who have limitless ideas of what they would do if their financial boundaries had no limits. Some say they would purchase cars, houses, boats, and planes. Others would take a different approach by utilizing investment strategies to keep their money growing. While owning nice things isn’t a crime, allowing those same things to own you, is where most problems begin. Very seldom will you hear someone say they would use their new found wealth to support the kingdom of God. This is probably because with more money, comes a different tier of spiritual influence. The power that rests in money can open doors on earth, that those who lack, may never open. The majority of wealthy people in this generation have no allegiance to God, nor His holy mission. Therefore, their decisions will never be for the betterment of the church. Instead, their focus is either on gaining more wealth, or promoting the agenda of the evil one.

The disciple’s understanding of grace, in this text, was still being developed as they revealed their astonishment to the words of Christ when He said, “How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!” (vs. 23). Jesus said that those who not only have riches, but the ones who place their trust in those riches will have a hard time entering God’s kingdom. The disciples were beyond amazed at Christ’s message, because they understood that rich people could get anything they want. Unfortunately, men can’t purchase salvation with any amount of money, nor can they buy God’s favor.

We who are born again believers, and baptized into God’s Spirit, have a different understanding of how money should be utilized in this life. The Bible helps us understand that money answers all things, but loving it is the root of all things evil. Having an unhealthy desire for money can cause men to do some crazy things. Many have been murdered, abused, kidnapped, held hostage, tortured, and even deceived, all for the love of money. The purpose of money is to be used as a medium of exchange to facilitate transactions. We use money to obtain necessary goods and services to establish a comfortable lifestyle, but there will always be those who desire more money than they need. Rather than using what we have to maintain balance in our homes, we allow the brainwashing tv programs to cloud our judgment, and cause us to go after carnality, while ignoring godliness.

Jesus taught in the book of Luke, “Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which He possesseth.” (12:15). Our lives are not measured by the money we gain, or things we possess, but by all the works we do to prove our religion is pure and undefiled. In the book of James, our purpose as Christians is to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep ourselves unspotted from the world. (James 1:27). The world clings to pride and greed, but Saints are to hold fast to holiness and righteousness. The lives we live may never be popular to the world, but God has a great reward for those who put Him first, and think it not strange to leave all, and follow after Christ.

Walk in love,

Ell

Answering the Lord’s call of discipleship

Mark 4:10-20

The Word of God is the seed by which believers are able to sow, and bring forth fruit. We learn from the Scriptures that faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God (Romans 10:17). Believers are tasked with spreading God’s inspired words all across the planet, but how can the world hear the Word, except it be preached to them, and how can the faith of men develop and mature unless believers make themselves available to be a witness?

Just as the seeds a farmer plants, sometimes find themselves in unfavorable locations, all those we minister to won’t adapt to change as easily as we would hope. Jesus taught a parable concerning sowing, and the likelihood of whether a seed will survive in varying locations, or not. Some of the seeds sown by the farmer fell by the way side, or grounds unplowed and unprepared to receive seed. These seeds were quickly devoured up by the birds that were nearby. More of the farmer’s seed fell on stony ground, where the rocks restricted the seed from taking root, and fully developing. When the morning sun shined bright, the unrooted seed dried up. Some of the seed also fell among the thorns, and were choked as the thorns grew, causing the seed to yield no fruit. All the seed that fell on ground prepared to receive it, brought forth much fruit, and continued to produce as time went by.

Witnessing for God won’t always be an easy mission. There will come a time when you’ll sow the Word into the hearts of men who are unprepared and unmotivated to receive the Gospel. These persons will hear, but remain unwilling to obey the Word of God, because satan will swoop in like a predator bird attacking its prey, and take away the Word that was sown in their hearts. Then, there are those who will gladly receive the message of salvation you present to them, but will only hold on to it for a short while, because they’ll refuse to let the Word take root in their hearts. Jesus said, the moment affliction or persecution comes against them for His sake, they’ll immediately throw in the towel, and begin to mistrust and desert the very One they need to keep them grounded. As you witness, you’ll eventually come across seed sown among thorns, or those who will indeed hear the Word, and take delight in it, but will allow the cares of the world, deceitfulness of riches, and the lust of other carnal things to restrict them from being fruitful.

Christ taught in the book of Matthew, “No man can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other…” (6:24). Men and women across the globe despise the Creator of all things, and take more pleasure in this wicked and fallen world, but to those who hear the Word, and wholeheartedly surrender to and obey it, are primed to bring forth much fruit into God’s kingdom. God desires for His children to not only prosper, but to also produce. I’ve watched trees in the neighborhood I grew up in, produce fruit from the 1980s, and are still bearing fruit nearly 40 years later. These trees were sown in good ground, and still bring forth yummy and tasty fruit (can’t wait for mango season to arrive….hurry up geesh). We have the power of God’s Spirit that helps us grow in the knowledge of God’s Word, so that we can continue to be effective witnesses for Christ. Make sure that your life is planted and rooted in good ground, so that God can be proud of the fruit you produce, when harvest time comes.

Walk in love,

Ell