Tag: Command

Get To Work

1 Corinthians 7:17-24

Often, we are so concerned about what we could be doing for God somewhere else, we miss great opportunities right where we are. Paul said, when someone becomes a Christian, he should usually continue with the work he has previously been doing – provided it isn’t immoral or unethical. Every job can become Christian work when you realize, the purpose of your life is to honor, serve, and speak out for Christ. God has purposely placed you where you are, so look carefully for opportunities to serve him there.

-Life Application Study Bible (pg. 2007)

Mind Your Business

1 Thessalonians 4:11-12

“And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you. That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing.” (vs. 11-12)

“Focus on your own business, and leave mine alone. Only then will you begin to understand where you belong.” -Ell

Good Representation

Psalm 38

How well do you represent godly living in all areas of your life? Can your family, coworkers, neighbors and friends easily tell whether you are dedicated to living a life of holiness, or not? It’s easy to look the part of a believer in church, or amongst those gathered for religious purposes, but how well do you represent godliness outside of the church walls, and in the company of those who do not share your beliefs? Are you easily entertained by unhealthy conversations at work, or do family members know the right buttons to push, that will cause you to act out of character? Representing God in a fallen world isn’t always easy, but if one diligently commits to doing as the Lord commanded, He will always direct their steps, by His Spirit.

Separated From Society

Luke 17:11-19

During the days when Jesus walked the earth, many people suffered from various illnesses and diseases, most of which kept them bedridden or unable to carry out daily duties. The worst of those diseases (in my opinion) had to be leprosy, because this illness kept men and women separated from society. Those who were leprous, were required to stand afar off from people considered clean. Aside from facing bitter social rejection, and being treated as outcasts, lepers were required to leave their homes and families, and join with others infected with leprosy, on the outskirts of town. In addition, They were forbidden from having contact with people who did not have the disease, and they had to ring a bell and shout “unclean” if anyone approached them. They couldn’t even go to the market place, and were also forbidden from taking part in worship. The worst fact concerning leprosy was, there was no cure for the diseases back then, so all who suffered from it, could only look forward to a slow, painful, and shameful death.

Living with the horrible condition of leprosy, could not have been a pleasant experience, but our lesson’s text reveals ten who were lepers, and had a life-changing experience, after an encounter with Jesus. While passing through the midst of Samaria and Galilee, Jesus entered a certain village, and was met by ten men, suffering from leprosy. Isn’t it interesting, how Jesus often found Himself among those who were sick or ill? I’m totally convinced, the Son of God knew to place Himself among the sick, so that the glory of the Father could be revealed to the suffering, and onlookers.

In a joint effort, the ten lepers cried with a loud voice and said, “Master, have mercy on us.” Rather than say, “Be healed”, or something of that nature, Jesus gave the men a simple command, “Go shew yourselves unto the priests.” If you’ve studied a little on the history of leprosy, you’ll know that the priests were ordained by God to consider someone to be clean or unclean, based on specifications mentioned in Leviticus chapter 13. But, Jesus told the men to show themselves to the priest, while they were yet leprous… an interesting command. Fortunately, as the men went, they were immediately cleansed. Although only one turned back to thank Jesus for his healing, all ten men, would no longer be labeled an outcast to society, but a welcomed citizen instead.

Oops, My Bad…

Exodus 2:1-10

In the war against evil, believers must remain strong and vigilant at all times, because our adversary, the devil, desires that all who love God, be turned against Him, and he’s literally working overtime to see his dastardly plan be manifested. This is evident today, and was recorded throughout Scripture, as men and women of God had to go against the grain, at times, in order that the greater good be accomplished.

The first and second chapters of the book of Exodus give an example of how God can look past a small error or flaw in the life of a believer, in order that His will be done. After the death of Joseph, and the generation he brought to Egypt, the children of Israel grew more prosperous, and increased abundantly. Unfortunately their increased population in the land wasn’t well received by the new king who arose over Egypt. Rather than appreciate the growth of God’s people, and join with them to fulfill His purpose, the king decided that enslaving them, and afflicting them beyond the norm, would be a wise choice. To his surprise, the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. When God begins to bless you, don’t expect everyone to be happy about it.

The king became grieved with the children of Israel, and commanded the midwives to kill all male newborns, but spare the females. Exodus 1:17 reads, “But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men children alive.” It takes deeply rooted faith and trust in God, to willfully go against a higher authority, especially when that authority gives a command to go against God’s authority. The midwives were confronted by the king, and questioned as to why they disobeyed his command. Being stuck between a rock and a hard place, the women embellished a little on the details of their actions. They told the king, the Hebrew women were lively, and delivered the babies before they arrived to assist. I’m not sure what color that lie was, but it was used to protect the lives of God’s people. The following verses read that God blessed the midwives, because they feared Him, but were they blessed for lying? No, they weren’t. God undoubtedly forgave them for lying, but blessed them because they saved the lives of many innocent children. One of those little boys who were saved, was chosen by God, to become great, and eventually lead His people out of Egypt.

“When your motives are righteous, God will bless you.” – Ell

For The Faith

Acts 7:9-15

Does being a good person exempt you from trouble? Oh, how I wish that were true. Being good, and doing good is expected behavior of the children of God, and He honors obedience by bestowing blessing to His people. But, while God seeks only to bless the church for obedience, satan desires to block and hinder God’s people from continuing in holiness. The devil and his minions try hard to bring down, and defame the body of Christ. Men who fall under the influence of satan, allow themselves to become wicked tools that work against the righteous, and some actually seem to succeed.

In our text, God had been using Stephen in a mighty way, to do great wonders and miracles among the people. All the works he did, and words he spoke were inspired by God. Unfortunately, while Stephen was busy tending to the Lord’s business, a group of jealous, hateful men assembled together to conspire against him. Anytime you set your affections solely toward God, expect someone to try hard to block your focus. The cruel and corrupt religious folk went so far as to lie on Stephen, as well as hire others to do underhand work for money. How low can you go? You’d think men not affiliated with the synagogue would do these hateful things to Stephen, but the same men who claimed Moses as their father, sought only to destroy the innocent, and anointed man of God.

It matters not how much good you do in this life, there will ALWAYS be those who seek to bring you down, but when your faith and trust rest in the Lord, He’ll give you the wisdom and power you need to minister, despite those who diligently conspire against you.

Stephen’s life was eventually taken by evil and corrupt men, but the message he left still resounds even to this day. If God were to call you home tomorrow, what would people remember you by? Would you be missed more for how you influenced others to get closer to God, or would your life be soon forgotten, because the works you did revolved only around selfish desires?

“He died for me… I’ll live for Him.” – Ell

Gratitude

Luke 17:11-19

What are you thankful for? Think for a moment, of all the experiences you’ve had thus far in life; all the good, bad, and even ugly ones. After all the struggles, hard times, and suffering, how did you respond, when God finally healed you from a sickness or disease, made your crooked places straight, or kept you safe in troublesome times? What joy it brings to one’s soul, when God steps into an unfavorable situation, and makes things work for your good! Even though many of us presently suffer, and go through trials, knowing that God can, and will deliver us, should be enough to keep us moving forward. Never take for granted, the blessings of the Lord, because doing so proves what’s really in one’s heart.

God loves our praise, not only after He blesses us, but when we do it willingly, and consistently. Our text gives an example of one who was conscious enough to acknowledge the One responsible for delivering him from an extremely unfavorable situation. According to Christianity.com, Leprosy was the scourge of the ancient world. Nothing evoked more fear, more dread, or more revulsion than the sight of these walking dead. That is what a leper was called, a walking dead man. The smell of his decaying flesh would announce his coming long before the tattered scraps of his clothing would be seen, or his raspy “Unclean! Unclean!” announcement he was required to declare, could be heard. The stumbling shuffle of toeless feet, the wandering of sightless eyes and the moan of a cheek less mouth, all pointed to Leprosy, this unseen attacker that slowly destroyed human bodies, and made the individual an untouchable to society.

Can you imagine being in a position where everyone who looks at you, considers you “dead” to society? I haven’t had an experience like the ten lepers in our text, but I’m certain when Jesus came to town, they were all prepared to throw out a lifeline for an immediate miracle.

After the ten lepers heard Jesus was in town they met Him at a distance, then lifted up their voices together and cried out for mercy. What a scene that must have been! Ten men, shunned from society, yet banned together by their shared struggle, were able to come to Jesus in unity, to seek deliverance. It’s amazing how healthy church folk can’t even get along to unite in prayer, let alone seek God for a miracle. But, these men were tired of their situation, and desired to be healed of their horrible disease.

Jesus, spoke a word, the men obeyed, and were instantly healed. Wow! Of all the ten lepers who were healed, only one returned to give Jesus an “I Can’t Believe What Just Happened Praise”! Why didn’t all the men return to thank Jesus for doing something in their lives that no one else could have done? That one, humble Samaritan, one who was considered a half-breed, and shunned by other nations, was grateful for his life-changing experience, and would not take another step forward, until he gave thanks to Jesus. How will you respond when God finally delivers you?

“He died for me… I’ll live for Him.” – Ell

Serve And Protect

Genesis 44:27-34

One of the believer’s duties in service to God is, to protect those who also stand in agreement with their faith confession. The Bible teaches in the book of Romans, “We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification. For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me” (Romans 15:1-3).

Some who follow after righteousness diligently, will at times, become weak in spirit, and will be unable to bear their burdens alone. It’s during these moments when the power of prayer and intercession become of great importance to those who are weak, and those who can help bear the burdens of others. A sure way to identify a real child of God, from those who only use God’s name for selfish purposes is, to monitor how far they go, to ensure that others are properly cared for. There are many who claim the name of Christ, and appear to perform good deeds, but their actions are only done to promote themselves, and gain relevance in the spotlight. True Christians do their alms in secret, intercede in their prayer closets, and desire only to help those in need, without seeking glory for themselves.

After you pledged your allegiance in service to God, and to protect His people, did you do so with the intentions of making your name great, or did you purposely intend to fulfill the Words Jesus spoke when He commanded, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment.  And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”? (Matt. 22:37-40)

“We live this life for purpose and reason, but not too long, for only a season.” – Ell

Hard Work Pays Off

Genesis 44:14-17

The average person who works to maintain a steady income, seeks to fulfill all their assigned duties, so that there will be no problems or issues when pay day comes. Many of us dress ourselves in such a fashion, that we exemplify what our position represents. We arrive to work clean, well kempt, and giving off sweet smelling fragrances. Most people care about how they look at work, and also how they perform. They take pride in the work they do, and seek to go above and beyond what’s expected of them. When problems arise, we work diligently to correct all issues that may have gone wrong, and our end goal is to prove to our superiors, that we are well able to perform all duties assigned to us, as well as show them that our hard work deserves just recompense.

Imagine for a moment, if we took the same approach as we do working for worldly men, and applied the same work ethics to living for God. Do you monitor how you dress yourself on a daily basis (as being a representation of holiness)? Do you love God and keep His commandments diligently, and wholeheartedly? How do you expect God to reward you on judgment day, based on the fruit you produced during your lifetime? Reconsider all the effort you put forth to please men, and redirect some of that time and effort into fulfilling God’s will for your life. While it’s commanded in Scripture for man to work, it’s also commanded that we bring forth fruit meet for repentance. Strive to maintain a healthy balance of physical and spiritual labor, knowing that in the end, God will reward us not for clocking in and out at work, but for what we accomplish for His kingdom.

We live this life for purpose and reason, but not too long, for only a season.

Ell