Keep On Striving

Matthew 3:13-17

It’s the year 2020, and you’ve had your share of life’s ups and downs over the years. Along your journey, you’ve crossed paths with people who have either inspired you to be better, or made you think twice about being in their company again. As the days progressed, you grew in the knowledge and wisdom of God, and made applying the teachings of Christ habitforming. The path you walked was not always easy, yet you continued to strive to do good, despite inevitable challenges. Up to this point in your life, can you truly say that God is pleased with the way you’ve lived? When your name is mentioned in Heaven, what assessment will God submit of how your life compares to what He expects?

God commissioned the church to love Him, and keep His commandments, and in doing these alone, you’ll develop a more clear understanding of what God expects from you, and how to carry it out. Just as John the Baptist, and Jesus were sent by God to “fulfill all righteousness” (complete what they were sent to do), the body of Christ also bears the responsibility of fulfilling their individual assignments as well. Before an adventurer sets off on any journey, he makes certain to gather the necessary tools and supplies, that’ll assist him throughout his endeavors. Of all the things the adventurer collects, the most important is his compass. Without knowing which direction he’s traveling, the adventurer would no doubt find himself in unfavorable territories, and possibly run out of supplies. When we attempt to navigate through life without God’s Word, we assume the same position as an adventurer, without his compass. Eventually, we’ll get lost, and desire the help of someone to guide us back on track.

It’s been said, there are many paths to God, but the one way to reach that final destination is through Jesus, the Son in whom God is well pleased. We all have a job to do while on this earth, and staying in the will of God, will ensure that job is completed. Just as the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs players are preparing mentally, and physically for the Super Bowl on Sunday, the Saints of God should prepare themselves daily, to walk the path of righteousness, and strive to carry out their purpose, despite the distractions that are set to hinder them.

Let the recent death of Kobe Bryant serve as an example that tomorrow is indeed not promised to anyone, and our days are numbered, so spend your precious moments in this life trying to please God, and He’ll ensure that all your labor will not be in vain.

Walk in love,

Ell

Can’t Touch This

Hebrews 4:14-5:10

The longer I live, the more disgusted I become toward men who have yet to vomit from smelling the stench of their own egos. Gone are the days when the average Christian walked in humility, and men actually considered others, over themselves. I expect worldly men to think highly of themselves, or maintain a haughty demeanor, because they are under the influence of sin, but when men who claim to have the love of God in their hearts act as if they’re too hot to touch, this is what causes problems on both sides of the spiritual war. Leaders have allowed the fame and glory of hearing crowds of followers promote their name, to the point they’ve succumbed to pride, and self-exaltation. God ordained men to bear leadership roles for the purposes of edifying the church, and bringing glory to His name. Positions were never intended to be used to promote self, nor as a means to gain riches.

Jesus set the perfect example of how leaders should conduct themselves in the presence of the church, as well as to the world. Christ walked in humility, although he was, and is, the only begotten Son of the almighty God. Jesus could have easily puffed Himself up everywhere He went, but He shunned the spotlight in favor of setting an example that would help make life better for us today.

Jesus is the true high priest, who intercedes on our behalf to the Father. He is our mediator, and the means by which all our sins were wiped away. Unlike men, who have the tendency to ignore the needs of others in place of their own selfish desires, Jesus always puts the needs of others at the top of His to-do list. The same way we feel and struggle with making the right decisions, Jesus relates well to our situation, because He dealt with all the temptations we guard against today, yet He never sinned.

Men who think they are above everyone else, are in for an inevitable rude awakening. So always remember, God honors the humble, and makes examples out of the proud. “When pride cometh, then cometh shame, but with the lowly is wisdom” (Prov. 11:2 KJV). “The fear of the Lord is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate (Prov. 8:13). “A man’s pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit” (Prov. 29:23).

Walk in love,

Ell

Don’t Get Caught Up

Deuteronomy 8:11-20

Prospering in this life, is what most people strive for. Whether obtaining wealth by way of money, land, or other means, the average person longs to be in a position where suffering and struggling are non-existent. Prosperity is no doubt a blessing from God, that offers benefits all believers can enjoy, but there are two things men must be mindful of while reaping the harvest of God’s blessings. Temptation is a very dangerous thing, and when associated with prosperity, men usually get caught up in pride and self-exaltation, or develop the tendency to forget God in place of “things”. How would you feel, if you blessed someone with everything they desired, and rather than show gratitude, they moved on as if you did nothing for them? They didn’t even consider telling you “thank you”, but took your gifts, and bounced. The average person would have an inkling to snatch all their gifts back, because ungrateful people don’t deserve certain things. How do you think God feels, when He blesses us over and over, then we turn and give our time to all things except Him?

The children of Israel were issued a grave warning in our text. After receiving all good things from the Lord, they were warned not to forget Him. God knows the hearts of men, and their susceptibility to want to take the credit of others for themselves, so He made certain to inform them of the great consequences they would face, if they forgot the Lord, and walked after other gods. Obedience to God is the difference between blessings and curses, prosperity and poverty, and eternal salvation and eternal damnation. God gives us the ability to prosper, and we should always acknowledge Him no matter what season we experience. In times of plenty, God deserves our obedience. In times of trial and testing, we are still commanded to obey the Lord.

Although the warning in our text was given to the children of Israel in ancient times, God will not let the church of today, get by with giving what He deserves, to something or someone else. God promised to destroy Israel for their disobedience, and He’ll be certain to punish us as well.

The more God blesses you, the more humble you should become. The higher God takes you in this life, the lower you should bow before His presence. Walk in humility, to avoid falling into pride, and possibly allowing your blessings to cause you to forget God.

Walk in love,

Ell

The Secret Place

Psalm 91

What does it mean to be saved, and what does salvation protect us from? Throughout my childhood, I would often hear the older saints say, “get saved son, or you’ll spend eternity in hell”. That advice would always spook the bejeezus out of me, because I considered hell a place where you’d sit in a giant hot oven, and burn for eternity, while the devil poked at you with a flaming pitchfork, but the more I matured in godliness, I learned that salvation also guards the people of God against the evils of the present world. While it’s true, Christians strive to live according to God’s will, so they can eventually see Him in peace, the daily struggle to reach that point presents challenges and difficulties that can only be countered with God’s salvation.

Aside from being delivered and set free from sin, salvation also grants the believer access to God’s divine protection, and life-changing spiritual blessings. Since the fall of man in the Garden of Eden, satan has worked diligently to turn men away from God, and his methods and tactics have proven successful for centuries. The reason men are influenced by the devil, and eventually give in to his wicked devices is, they refuse to abide in God’s “secret place”. Attempting to navigate through this world of unyielding wickedness on human strength alone, will prove fatal in the long run. In addition, spiritual attacks can only be countered with spiritual forces, and God is the source of the believer’s salvation, so when the enemy attacks, God covers us with His divine protection.

God blesses us when we trust Him. He provides for us when our faith is planted firmly in His power. When we make the Lord our dwelling place, or refuge, He will keep us from falling prey to the enemy’s devices, keep us in good health, allow His angels to assist us whenever necessary, and keep us standing when others around us are falling by the wayside. We prove our love to God by how we live, and He reciprocates the same in blessing us with the necessities of life, but God takes His love to another level when we willingly choose to trust, and abide in His salvation daily.

Walk in love,

Ell

Training Days

Deuteronomy 6:16-25

Parenting is one of the most challenging professions in the history of life, yet it offers the best benefits to all involved. While it’s easy to bring children into the world, it’s another story raising, and training them to be model citizens. Oftentimes, how we raise our children stems from our own upbringing, and many of the values and standards we apply to our kids, were what we once lived by under our parent’s wings. I notice daily at work, how little children tend to imitate their parents, or share some of their mannerisms, which is normal, as the child grows and adapts to their mother or father. It’s always wise to first develop a level of maturity and understanding, naturally and spiritually, before having children, because once they arrive, they come packed full of questions.

God instituted marriage for many purposes, and one such is having a solid foundation from which the seed of man could always be connected to, and nurtured from where it came from. The body of Christ was always responsible for training, teaching, and nurturing their children in the things of God, but trying to get modern-day kids to understand the Bible has become more challenging, due to the many distractions from schools, and unhealthy propaganda from various media sources. Children today, believe more of what they see on TV,  than the words from the mouths of their parents. It’s sad when your own child will believe a lie from a stranger, than a truth from their own blood. God knew this day would come, and urged His people, even in the days of Moses, to walk according to His way, and do good in His sight consistently, so that they could grow in knowledge and wisdom, and prosper in good times, and bad.

Many children suffer, because parents aren’t investing enough time in doing the things of God themselves. They expect their children to do all things right, yet they live fifty percent for God, and the other fifty percent living as they please. You can’t expect a child who sees you daily, to not notice your spiritual imbalance. Kids see everything, and some are bold enough to bring certain things to light, in front of their parents. God even uses children as a way to get their parent’s attention, in case they tend to veer too far out of bounds.

To those who have children, God expects you to know His Word, and understand it’s purpose, so that the knowledge you obtain, can be passed on to your children. Imagine a church, where children were educated on the Bible at home, so when they went to church or school, or listened to others bring forth messages, they could have a better understanding of what was being preached. Some children could even utilize the spirit of discernment, and tell when men are preaching false doctrine. Unfortunately, we spend too much time prepping and priming our children to be the next Kobe Bryant (may he rest in peace), or Patrick Mahomes, rather than soak them with the Word of God at an early age. “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6)

Walk in love,

Ell

God’s Divine Love

1 Kings 8:54-61

How would you respond, if God decided to abandon you, and leave you to fend for yourself the rest of your life? Could you maintain the lifestyle you’ve grown accustomed to, while God guided your every move, or would you find it difficult to keep your life in order, while making decisions based on your own wisdom and judgment? Before fully submitting yourselves to God, you may have had some success in life, where good things happened here and there, but only when your life is ordered by the Lord, will your good have natural, and spiritual implications as well.

Just as God kept His promises to those who served Him before we were even in existence, He will keep His word toward us also. When we trust in God, delight in Him, commit to His way, He’ll in turn, supply our needs, give us the desires of our heart, and answer all our prayers, according to His will. We were created by God to enjoy the full benefits of His divine love, but we must first surrender our hearts to Him, then walk in all His ways, by keeping His commandments, statutes, and judgments.

Serving God isn’t hard at all, but resisting temptation is where the struggle is. I often wonder, why men cheat on good women, because if the woman has everything he wants and needs, then why would he even consider giving attention to someone else? In the same sense, if God has literally everything we want and need, why entertain thoughts and ideas the enemy presents to distract us? God operates in love, but the lust of the eyes and flesh, offers things that seem more appealing than what God offers. Satan is the master of deception, and knows what it takes to turn our eyes away from God, so he tries hard to break our focus, by setting traps that don’t seem harmful, nor threatening at first glance. But, the longer we entertain temptation, the tougher it’ll be to escape its sinful grasp. This is why it’s extremely important to incline our hearts to God, as Solomon did, so that He will never leave, nor forsake us. “Let your heart therefore be perfect with the Lord our God, to walk in his statutes, and to keep his commandments, as at this day”. (1 Kings 8:61 KJV)

Walk in love,

Ell

Give God time

2 Chronicles 7:8-11

Super Bowl LIV (54), also known as, “The Big Game”, is only a few days away, and millions around the world are planning to celebrate their team’s victory to the fullest. Avid fans of both genders, go all out, to show support of the team they love, and root for them without restraint. Men, women, and children alike, will gather around big screens on that most anticipated day, to gaze attentively, as grown men wearing tights, fight over a pig-skinned ball, for over 3 hours. What’s also shocking is the fact that due to the increasing amounts of states legalizing sports gambling, billions of dollars will be wagered on the Big Game, legally, and illegally.

While celebrations have become a normality in our society, it’s origin was intended to be focused solely on showing gratitude and appreciation to God, and all His goodness. Birthdays, anniversaries, baby showers, sporting events, and other things have become the focus of what the average American celebrates, but how much better would it be to focus all our energy on celebrating the only One who’s actually deserving of it? Society has shaped and shifted our minds into believing that many frivolous things are deserving of celebrations, but in God’s eyes, it’s all a waste of time. When all of our energy is directed toward God, we would spend less time wasting our emotions on events that have absolutely no spiritual relevance, and more time investing into our eternal prosperity.

Our text mentions the time when king Solomon, and the entire congregation of Israel kept the dedication of the altar, and the feast for seven days. For an entire week, the people rejoiced in the memories of God’s goodness during the reign of king David, and Solomon as well. I posed the question in the previous lesson, “how much is enough, when rendering praise and thanksgiving to God”? According to this text, enough is whatever one’s heart desires.

It’s easy for the believer to get distracted when their focus isn’t totally on God, because all that the world offers seems pleasant to the flesh, and oftentimes beguiles men to fall into temptation. Take a moment and think about all the things you set aside time to celebrate. Do any of those things bring glory to the name of the Lord? If so, then party on! If not, then you may want to reconsider what to invest your time in. Life is short, and tomorrow isn’t promised to anyone, so spend more time doing things that please God, so that He can spend more time blessing your life in return.

Walk in love,

Ell

I.O.U.

2 Chronicles 7:1-6

When rendering to God sacrifices of praise, offering, or thanksgiving, how much is enough? After considering all the things God has done, and is yet doing in your life, do you think it’s even possible to repay what He’s done for you? Is there any amount of money, burnt offering, or other gift you can offer to God, in exchange for one simple breath? By now, I’m certain you have a good idea of the answer to those questions. God is beyond awesome, and He does things for us, that no one else can do, so limiting our gratitude to Him is very unwise.

Scheduling time to pray, and reverence God, is essential to the body of Christ, and helps the believer maintain focused faith in God, and not on things of the world. In the same way unborn babies are connected to their mother’s placenta by an umbilical cord, where oxygenated blood and nutrients can be transferred to the baby, believers are tied to God through salvation (redemption), and prayer, with thanksgiving, are means by which God supplies the needs of His children.

When we pray, in faith, and not wavering or doubting, God hears us, and schedules our answer according to His timing. When king Solomon “had made an end of praying”, God responded instantly! Fire came down from Heaven, and consumed the burnt offering and sacrifice he had placed before the Lord. This was a sign that God was pleased with Solomon’s prayer and sacrifice, and deemed it acceptable. Solomon had done well in leading the construction of the Temple of God, and all the materials used to build the house of God calculated to an estimation of a few BILLION dollars! How much have you freely given in offerings during your lifetime? I doubt my contributions come close to what Solomon gave, but when you give from the heart, God accepts it, no matter the amount.

How much is enough when giving to God? Well, Paul said in 2 Corinthians 9:7, “Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.” In other words, God looks not on the amount of what you offer Him, but at the heart in which it’s given. We can’t pay God back for what He does for us with things, but we can offer holy and acceptable lifestyles to Him, which is our reasonable service.

Walk in love,

Ell

Yes, He cares

Matthew 6:25-30

In the beginning, God created so many amazing things, including birds that fly in the air, fish to swim in the seas, trees, plants, and all types of flora and fauna that inhabit the entire planet! There are millions of different trees and animals that exist in the earth, that all rely on God’s sustaining hand, to keep them fed. He gives sunlight and rain, so that plants and trees can receive nourishment, and makes certain that all the animals get their daily nutrition as well. God made everything good in the beginning, and still provides for His creation today, from the tiny little bumblebee, to the great oak tree. It’s amazing to even fathom how God pays attention to the smallest details of everything He created! This not only applies to plants and animals, but to you and I as well. To all who feel that God doesn’t, or has stopped caring for them, I strongly advise you to think again. Yes, God looks after things that may last mere moments, but He certainly cares for His people the more. God didn’t create man for jest or nought, but we were fashioned in His own likeness, to inhabit the earth, and spread goodness throughout. If God thinks enough to care for birds and trees, do you have faith enough to believe that He’ll take care of you too?

Walk in love,

Ell

Conditional love

1 Kings 9:1-9

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to another exciting episode of, “Conditional Love”! Starring, the wisest man ever created, king Solomon, and the creator of all things, God the Father, Himself! I’m your host, “holyell”, and I’ll be bringing you all the details of tonight’s most fascinating scenes!

Solomon: (speaking to his workers) Alright men, you’ve done exceptionally well. After 20 long years, we finally finished building the house of the Lord, my house, and all the other things we thought would be pleasing to the Lord. All your hard work will not go in vain, and expect for God to work wonders in your lives, for how you dedicated yourselves to doing His work.

(Men return to their homes, and Solomon goes to his home to rest)

God: (speaking to him in a dream) Solomon.

Solomon: Hello Father. It’s nice of you to visit me again. Have you noticed that we finally finished building the temple, in honor of your name? It took a while, but I wanted it to be the most wonderful place in the world, just as my dad had envisioned it would be.

God: Yes I noticed, and I love it!

Solomon: I knew you would be pleased!

God: I also heard your prayers and supplications that you made before me. This house you built for me, I place my stamp of approval on it, and deem it holy.

Solomon: I am honored Father, and I submit myself the more to your will.

God: It is my desire to put my name forever in the temple, but there are certain conditions that must first be met.

Solomon: Conditions? What do you mean Father? Have I not already proven myself worthy to be called your son, as my father David before me?

God: You’re indeed an obedient one, but many have started out well, then fell short in the end. Fear not, I have all the confidence in you to uphold my standard throughout your reign.

Solomon: Coming from you, that means everything to me.

God: If you walk before me, as your father David walked, with integrity, and uprightness, and do according to all that I have commanded you, and also keep my statutes and judgments, then I will establish the throne of your kingdom upon Israel forever, as I had also promised to your father David.

Solomon: You have my word. I will be obedient to your commands, and walk in integrity, as my father David did.

God: (nods His head)

God: But, if you, or your children turn from following me, and refuse to keep the commandments and statutes I have set before you, and go to serve and worship other gods, then all the “happy happy joy joy” will turn to cries of sorrow, because I will remove Israel from the land I have given them, cast this house you built for me out of my sight, and make Israel the talk of the town, for their disobedience.

Solomon: Father, I do not want that to come upon your people. I promise to do my best to keep your name holy, throughout the land.

God: We shall see Solomon. But, if the people forsake me, then all these things shall come upon them. I love you, and my people, but they must obey me, in order to receive the benefits of my unconditional love.

(Solomon continues to dream peacefully, after his visit from the Lord)

This concludes another episode of, “Conditional Love”! Thanks for tuning in.

Walk in love,

Ell