Send the rain

2 Chronicles 6:26-31

Conditions are a proven way to ensure that parties locked into certain agreements receive just due for their actions. For example, parents often say things to their children like, “if you don’t clean your room, then you’ll get a spanking”. Notice, the parent and child are bound together by blood, and it’s expected of the child to obey the commands of their parent, so “if” the child obeys, “then” no harm will come to their backside (or in this day, lose their cell phone). But, “if” the child refuses to obey what they were commanded, “then” they’ll be punished for their inaction. If conditions weren’t set in place, people would take advantage of other’s kindness, and generosity.

In our text, king Solomon continued his prayer of dedication amongst the children of Israel. The wise king loved God with all his heart, and wanted the best for God’s people, so in his prayer, he placed certain conditions, so that the people would always have a way to return to good standing with the Father. Humans are susceptible to making mistakes, no matter how “holy” they appear to be, so in those moments when the people mess up, their sincere cry to God for repentance, would win them God’s favor again. Even today, we can come to God in humble submission, to repent of our sins, but it’s unwise to grieve the Spirit, by continuing to do things that separate us from the Father. God desires to rain blessings on His people continuously, but we must meet the conditions set in place, in order to receive all that God has in store for us. “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14 KJV).

Walk in love,

Ell

Widow’s faithfulness rewarded

1 Kings 17:8-16

At the end of a race, or athletic event, those who finish first, or outlast their opponent, are usually granted a reward. In any organized competition, individuals who are fearful, usually get exposed by those who are confident, and victory seldom comes to those who lack the boldness necessary to compete. For this reason, it’s essential for all who seek to obtain a reward, to be fearless, and confident in their chances to achieve success. Even during moments when a person falls behind in a race, if they keep their eyes fixed on the prize, they will be able to overcome all obstacles that hinder their success.

This same example can be applied to a child of God’s obedience, or lack thereof. When we trust God throughout a process, and are faithful to His commands, He will always reward us for our faithfulness. On the contrary, when we allow fear to keep us from obeying God, we set ourselves up to either delay what God has for us, or lose some things altogether.

The Bible is full of examples of men who either allowed fear to cause them to miss a blessing from God, or faith that granted them opportunities to be showered with the goodness of God’s grace, mercy, and favor. As we close this week’s lesson with final thoughts on the widow woman, and her faithfulness in keeping God’s Word, I want to reiterate a few points I mentioned in lessons prior to this one. First off, we learned how God moves based on our faith and action, not fear. The Bible teaches that perfect love cast out fear, because fear has torment. Many will sit idle and refuse to move at the words of God, when fear controls their mind. The widow woman could have missed out on a great blessing, had she allowed the fear of eating her last meal, then dying, keep her from obeying what God commanded her to do.

In the same way an athlete has faith, and confidence in their ability to accomplish their goals, believers should have faith in God, and confidence in His ability to do exceeding, abundantly, and above all we can ask or think. But, this is made possible, according to the power that works in us. God has proven Himself to all of us, simply by sustaining us this long, and keeping us in good health. It’s the duty of the children of God to love Him, and keep His commandments, so as you continue on your path of righteousness, keep your eyes fixed on God, and strengthen your faith through every experience you encounter in this life.

Walk in love,

Ell

Keep God’s commandments

Proverbs 3:1-10

This lesson will be a short reminder to all those who claim to be born-again sons and daughters of God, that keeping His commandments always yield amazing benefits. Although heaven and earth are soon to pass away, disciples of Christ are yet mandated to live by a godly, and holy standard. Serving God, at times, seems tedious, and can cause the minds of even the most faithful to question whether or not He sees all the troubling experiences they encounter, but the Lord never slumbers, nor sleeps, and pays close attention to every detail of everything we face. God commanded His people to do things a certain way for a reason. For example, to obtain peace and long life, one must only remember God’s laws, and keep His commandments. While that may be a simple command to obey in order to reap such great blessings, attempting to follow God’s words are usually met by inevitable confrontation. Satan has a hard time ignoring those who seek to please God, because he was deemed, “the author of confusion”, and directs all his focus on knocking them off track. For this very reason, the text reminds us in verses five and six to, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledged Him, and He shall direct thy paths”. When we consult God’s advice on all the situations we face in life, it will greatly reduce the possibility for satan to influence us to sin. God’s power never fails, and if we commit all our trust to Him, then He’ll make sure our choices and decisions are stamped with His approval.

From morning, to afternoon, and in the evening, God should be at the forefront of our minds and hearts. His way is right, and those walking along the path He directs exhibit consistent righteous behavior. Make sure you have a full understanding of what God expects of you, after claiming to be His own, because many wear the title “Christian”, but live contrary to what it stands for.

Walk in love,

Ell

Remember that you were there

Deuteronomy 4:9-11

Picture this: You get a call one day from your pastor, or spiritual leader, who tells you that he’s gathering all the congregation together, to meet at the nearest mountain (in Florida, that would be a far drive, unless you reside near the Panhandle). Anyhoo, once everyone arrives at this mountain, they all witness the entire mass of earth begin to burn with fire, yet not be consumed by it. To make this encounter more interesting, the voice of God begins to speak from the mountain of fire, and gives you instructions on how to live, and what He expects from you. Realistically speaking, after your eyes dim down to normal size, mouth winds up from the ground, and skin rest gently back on your body, would you easily forget this experience? I highly doubt I would, because this one instance would literally change my life forever!

Seeing such a miraculous happening, and hearing the voice of God from a mountain engulfed in flames must have been an awesome sight, and breathtaking sound to the children of Israel, and God never wanted them to forget it, “lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life” (vs.9). God’s law set the standard by which His people were to live by. Those who understood God’s words, were to abide by them, then teach them to their children, and continue it throughout their generations. The world would be a different place, if that tradition was followed by everyone who claimed to be a child of God. In any case, God wanted Israel to know, without a doubt, that He was all-powerful, all-knowing, and in control of the things they would face in life. He wanted them to be fully persuaded that there was no other god in Heaven, nor on the earth, who was able to do exceeding, abundantly, and above all they could ask for, or think of.

Good examples make way for positive influence, and living a life pleasing to God, will impact the lives of those who follow you in a positive way. However, not everyone will change based on how you live, but they’ll know for certain, God is real, by the way He reveals Himself through your life. In those moments when life’s pressures break them, they’ll look up and see you standing strong, because God is with you. When trouble surrounds them on every side, they’ll cry to you for help, because they’ve witnessed you overcome the impossible. Even in time of sickness, those who watch your life will look to you for prayer and encouragement, because they know, if God healed and delivered you, then He can do the same for them too.

Never forget how amazing God is, and how His love impacts your life daily. Share His words with all those you meet, especially those from the younger generation, because the children of today, will become the leaders of tomorrow.

Walk in love,

Ell

God’s chosen bride

Ezekiel 16:8-14

There are many people in life who enjoy the benefits of living in prosperity, some of which were born into wealth, whereas others started from nothing, but gained great increase by the works of their hands. It’s not a crime, nor sin to enjoy the finer things in life, but problems arise when we allow those things to cause us to shift our focus from the God who provided our increase, to entertaining ungodly influences. Even certain marriages encounter problems when one partner takes advantage of the other’s wealth and notoriety, while forgetting that they were once abused, misused, and struggling before God sent someone to make their lives better. Every now and then, a healthy reminder of where we came from, to where we are now is necessary to keep us humble, and free from falling into temptation.

God took Jerusalem as His bride, when they were cast away, naked, destitute, and dirty, then treated them as the best thing since sliced bread, by adorning them with endless love. God gave them life, caused them to grow up and become well-developed, washed away their blood and anointed them with perfumes and oil, decked them with precious jewels, and the list goes on. The extent of God’s love for His bride was endless, and He proved that love by providing for Jerusalem unlimited provision and protection, and only required faithfulness, trust, and devotion in return.

How would you conduct yourself, if you were approached by someone who was willing to be a loving, faithful, and devoted partner to you, who would cherish you to no end, but only asked that you treat them with the same love and respect in return? Well, Jesus is coming to take the church as His bride, and He expects us to be our best when He arrives. Christ offers everything we need, and will give it willingly, but we must prove that our love for Him is real. We prove this love through our daily living: How we treat our fellow man, whether we obey His commandments, or not, and fulfilling all the things He asked us to do until He returns. Just as a wife prepares mentally, emotionally, and physically to be the best for her husband, we too should ready ourselves to be received by Christ, when He returns.

Walk in love,

Ell

The greatest commandments

Matthew 22:34-40

“What part of ‘thou shalt not’ don’t you understand?” For the life of me, I can’t remember where I read that line, but it always makes me smile and think for a moment when it comes to mind. God gave commandments to His people during the time of Moses. Those rules were given so that the people of God would have a standard to live by, that was first true to God, and opposite of the world. The children of Israel were judged by the standard of the ten commandments, and were either blessed for obeying them, or punished if they disobeyed.

After Jesus died to fulfill the law, that included hundreds of laws and commands, the same standard the law set, was, and still is expected to be upheld. Of all the commandments, there are two that are held to a higher degree over all the others. While that may seem contradictory to how some view God’s way, obeying these two commands will ensure that all others won’t be hard to follow.

Aside from the hypocritical Pharisees who were known to challenge the authority and knowledge of Jesus without ceasing, the Sadducees would be placed second on the list of those who made it their business to try and tempt the Son of God. These unwise and disrespectful men approached Jesus with another plot to try and throw Him off His game. They didn’t believe in the resurrection, yet asked Jesus a question concerning marriage after resurrection. In response to their phony question, Jesus made it clear that they were deceived in their thinking that there will be marriage in the next life, as in the present one, also in not believing there will be an actual resurrection. They didn’t know the Scriptures, nor the power of God to resurrect men. In the resurrection, men and women will not marry (Did you know that? If not, now you do. Enjoy your marriage as best you can while on this earth, because the purpose of marriage is to replenish the earth, and keep the race going. Resurrected Saints, as well as angels do not die, and don’t need to marry to keep their kind in existence).

After Jesus made the Sadducees feel like stale mashed potatoes with His truths, all the people who heard were astonished at His doctrine, including those pesky Pharisees. After they heard how their buddies, the Sadducees, got their butts handed to them, they also made an attempt to tempt Jesus by asking, “Master, which is the greatest commandment in the law?” Jesus wisely responded, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” When a man truly understands what love is, and surrenders all of himself (heart, soul, mind) to the will of God, he will ONLY do those things that directly correlate to what godliness represents. The Holy Ghost is all things God is, so when we receive God’s Spirit in us, we move as He moves. Even in times when things get rough, we are to never deviate from God’s standard.

God is love, and when He abides in us, our words, actions, and deeds will be birthed from the genuine love that flows from the heart of the Creator. In order to love people the right way, we must first establish God’s definition of love in our hearts. According to God, love is patient, kind, does not envy, does not boast, is not proud, does not dishonor others, is not self-seeking, is not easily angered, keeps no record of wrongs, does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth, always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres, and gives wholeheartedly. Is the love you represent found in God’s definition?

Walk in love,

Ell

The Lord honors patience

Lamentations 3:25-33

“They that wait upon the Lord…” After reading those few words, I’m almost certain the average Bible scholar can finish the rest of that verse without needing the actual text. Waiting on God to move on our behalf isn’t always an easy thing to do. The Bible tells us to love God, keep His commandments, pray always, ask, seek, and knock, then blessings will come, but what are we to do when it seems as though God misplaced our prayer requests? I, along with the average earthling, dread waiting. I strongly dislike waiting in line at the grocery store, pumping gas in the car, sitting in bumper-to-bumper rush hour traffic, waiting at restaurants for my food to arrive, and waiting for pimples to leave my face. I simply don’t like waiting, but don’t judge me, because I’m sure everyone has their little dark secrets. It takes a certain level of faith and trust in God, to wait for His plan to fully develop in our lives. God knows all, and sees all that we go through, so it’s obvious He’s well aware of our situations, no matter how rough or challenging they may be. The key to waiting on God is, staying focused and continuing in good works while we wait. The problem many Christians face is, while they wait for God to bless them, they sit idle, in hopes that their answer will fall from the sky. On the contrary, we are to continue walking in love, and performing acts of kindness daily, no matter what state our lives are in. God oftentimes delays His response to our prayers in order to prove what’s in our hearts, to allow time for wicked people to remove themselves from our lives, or so that just when the devil thinks we’re through, He can come through with amazing results. God is good, and His mercy endures forever, so while you’re waiting for an answer to your requests, keep doing good, while giving glory and honor to His name.

Walk in love,

Ell

A life pleasing to God

1 Thessalonians 4:1-12

Is your life pleasing to God? If so, how can you tell? Do you live in such a way that everything you do lines up with what Christ expects of you? Do you love your neighbor as you love yourself, love and bless your enemies, and abstain from all things unholy and ungodly? God set a standard that was established in the earth through His first created human being, Adam, that was carried on by the children of Israel, then expanded through the lives of the Gentiles, and all other nations welcomed into God’s family by way of the cross. The way of holiness stands in stark contrast to the worlds standard of sinful living. Where God says, “vengeance is mine, I will repay”, the world promotes eye for an eye. Christians are to always seek peace in every situation, no matter how frustrating they may be, without allowing themselves to be carried away into anger, that could lead to rage and retaliation.

As children of God, believers are expected to walk differently from those who are walking in sin. As Paul mentioned to the Thessalonians in our text, we too have been commanded to do those things that please God, and not ourselves. The flesh desires things that are contrary to the Spirit. For example, it’s God’s will that His people abstain from fornication, and those things that war against the Spirit. We are to present our bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God, which is our reasonable service, so all our dealings are to be done in love, and without partiality or respect of persons.

With every day God blesses you to see, your motivation should be to strive eagerly, and aspire to be more like Christ. Christians are responsible for preparing themselves to be properly equipped to live effectively among the brethren, as well as those not living holy. Our lives should reflect the same love Christ shared with others, so that instead of turning people away from God with unholy loving, we can win them with love, and the truth of God’s Word.

Walk in love,

Ell

Visual reminder of the commandments

Numbers 15:37-41

There are many causes in our society for which people take time to recognize and honor. Most of these causes require that people donate funds to help support research and development for possible cures and treatments, or to make others aware of the seriousness of such causes by wearing a colored ribbon.

The most popular causes that our country honors are breast cancer (pink ribbon), addiction (blue ribbon), child abuse (royal blue), paralysis (cream ribbon), ADD (purple ribbon), and most popular, AIDS (red ribbon). But I was surprised to read that wearing colored ribbons to bring awareness to a cause was started long ago by the creator of the universe Himself. Yup, God’s people did it first.

God commanded Moses to speak to the children of Israel, and tell them to make fringes, or flower/feather-like tassels, in the corners of their garments. They were to also tie a blue ribbon around the fringe. The purpose of the blue ribbon was to be a sign of Israel’s obedience to the Law. God said, when they looked at the ribbon, they were to not only remember all the commandments of the Lord, but also do them.

God reiterated that living according to His standard is what deems them holy. So when Israel saw the fringes or tassels, they were reminded of the Law and their responsibility to obey it, in addition to their calling to be a holy people to their God which brought them out of Egypt.

Instead of wearing a blue ribbon to signify spiritual awareness, let’s make an effort to let our lives be all the representation we need to make holy living known around the world.

Seek peace,

Ell