Keep your house clean

1 Kings 8:22-30, 52-53

The time of year when many people put forth great effort to tidy up their homes is during springtime. Throughout the year, we find ourselves accumulating and storing up things that tend to pile up in our closets, garages, or under our beds. Most of what we store could either be given away to someone in need, or thrown in the garbage. A clean house, is a healthy one, and makes a home worth inhabiting. Not only do we benefit from keeping our houses clean, but they become attractive to those who desire to visit our homes. Can you recall a time when you received a last minute notice that you would be having company, but you knew your house was like a jungle inside? No matter how much you tried to clean and put things away, there wasn’t enough time to set things in proper order. To avoid being caught off guard by unexpected guests, or just to keep a healthy home, scheduling regular deep cleanings is always the wise choice.

When God knocks on the door of your heart, what will He find inside? Do you keep your heart clean daily, and avoid storing up things that can cause harm to your spiritual house? How often do you perform deep cleanings of your heart, mind, and soul? Maintaining a clean heart is essential in walking effectively in godliness. Even when we pray, God hears the petitions of those who’s hearts are pure, and motives set on pleasing Him. When you interact with others, you’ll have more positive experiences when your words and actions flow from a clean heart. On the contrary, when we harbor negative vibes on the inside, our behavior may tend to offend, or make others uneasy, while in their presence.

God stands at the ready to answer our prayers, but until our hearts are clean, He’ll turn a deaf ear to our requests. When king Solomon prayed to God for continued blessings over Israel, His requests were granted, because he came to God in the right posture, and position. When we approach God, we must also come correct, if we expect to have our desires granted as well. Don’t allow things that are unhealthy to your spirituality to accumulate in your heart. Instead, take time daily, and ask God to purge you of anything in your heart and mind, that would keep you from obtaining your blessings. “Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid. What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh. But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit. Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body. What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s”. (1 Corinthians 6:15-20)

Walk in love,

Ell

Preparing to dedicate the temple

1 Kings 8:1-13

“I have surely built thee an house to dwell in, a settled place for thee to abide for ever” (vs. 13). Knowing that God is all holy, all righteous, all good, and perfect, what does it take to build a place where His presence can dwell forever? God hates sin, shuns evil, and despises the proud and liars, but is it possible for God to freely inhabit the presence of frail, and feeble men? “…for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7b). When a man’s ways please the Lord, he positions himself to enjoy the full benefits of God’s divine love.

The Bible mentions how king David was a man after God’s own heart, but Solomon was a man of unparalleled wisdom, and God showed much favor to him during his reign. Solomon was obedient in following his father’s instructions on how the temple of God should be assembled, and upon its completion, God was very pleased. The great kings of the past thought it not robbery to use the finest materials, including gold, silver, and precious stones, while putting together the most fascinating building of their time. When the time of dedication had arrived, God allowed His very presence to fill the house, so that all could rest assured, He was pleased with their sacrifice.

Is God pleased with your self-sacrifice, until He can freely abide in your heart forever? Do you seek first His kingdom, and righteousness, in place of worldly pleasures? In the same way God was comfortable allowing His presence to flow freely in the great temple, live in such a way, that the same cloud of glory which touched the hearts of every man in the temple, can live inside of you forever.

Walk in love,

Ell

Mary accepts miracle of pregnancy

Luke 1:34-38

What does it take for a man or woman to commit all their trust to the Lord? First off, one must be totally convinced, that God is real, His Word is true, and all that offends His will, is dangerous. In God, is life, love, and purpose, and every individual brought into this world, has been assigned special tasks to fulfill, until their time is cut off. Many who grow in the knowledge of God at an early age, and allow His will to supercede their own, usually spend years advancing in good, and godly works, whereas those who procrastinate, and allow time to pass, may render good works in their lifetime, but they’ll never recover all the time wasted, that could have been used to edify the kingdom of God.

When a man realizes what his purpose in life is, and accepts it, he should immediately seek wise counsel, so that all his days can be spent, fulfilling his predestined duties. Everyday that passes, where we fail to acknowledge God, and seek to carry out His will, is a day that could have made life better for ourselves, or someone else. Imagine, for a moment, if Mary allowed carnal thinking to rule her thoughts after hearing the angel’s proclamations, and refused to accept them. How would the story have played out? Fortunate for Mary, Gabriel was wise in being obedient to God, and speaking only what he was assigned to, including bringing to light that Mary’s cousin, Elisabeth, was also expecting to bring forth a child of promise, and purpose as well.

Mary’s acceptance of God’s words was made possible by the fact that she was exposed to an angelic being, he presented himself in peace and humility, eased her fear, spoke the truth of God, and reaffirmed the power of God by revealing the truth about Elisabeth. God never wants us to wonder, nor worry about how we’ll accomplish what He assigned us to do. No matter how odd or unusual a job seems, God will always provide what we need to get it done. When our faith and trust is totally committed to God, He is then obligated to arrange our circumstances in such a way, that our steps are ordered to carry out our mission. Follow Mary’s example, and take God at His word. In the end, you’ll have endless stories to tell others how awesome God has been throughout your lifetime.

Walk in love,

Ell

Commit to covenant obedience

Deuteronomy 4:1-8, 12-13

Businesses today are non-stop, and companies seek to hire potential employees who are capable of maintaining and producing positive results, that will keep their profit margins at reasonable levels. The more flourishing, and well-developed businesses are usually upheld on the backs of workers committed to their cause, while those companies that experience fluctuations in productivity, work hard in dealing with high turnover rates. Before companies commit to those seeking employment, they thoroughly investigate each candidate, in order to make sure they’ll be a good fit for their business. Hiring individuals based only on a resume, can lead to potential issues, but talking to, and hearing the candidate in person helps to gain a better understanding of the face behind the resume. Commitment involves someone being dedicated to a cause, or activity. In addition, committing to something also obligates a person to do something as well.

When a man or woman dedicates their lives to services in God’s kingdom, they are expected to obey the rules which that kingdom is governed by. God is love, so those who are committed to Him, are expected to love, without question. God is always love, and love is always God, so there’s no excuse for anyone who claims to be in God, to ever refuse to love someone, no matter the case. God’s kingdom produces higher profit margins (converted souls), when those who serve Him consistently put actions behind their words. It’s in our obedience, where God is glorified, and He in turn blesses us for our obedience, by which His name is magnified through our blessed lives.

Obedience to God, allows for blessings that can never be obtained otherwise. According to Scripture, obedience brings long life, success, mercy and justice, answers to prayer, preservation from corruption through idolatry, an inheritance, prosperity, blessings to offspring, and many more! Saints aren’t obedient to God simply to receive blessings, but because He is worthy of our everything! God gives us the breath of life daily, even when we use it in ways that displease Him. Our obedience to God is the greatest way to prove that our confession, and profession that we’ve surrendered our hearts and wills to Him, are valid and true. Just as many are dedicated to the companies they are employed by, God expects His children to be fully committed to covenant obedience to His Word.

Walk in love,

Ell

Samuel is dedicated to the Lord

1 Samuel 1:24-28

Samuel was one of the most prominent men in Bible history. He had the favor of God, and of men, was established as the prophet of the Lord, was acknowledged as a true prophet of God by all Israel, became the 16th judge of Israel, delivered Israel from the Philistines, and even anointed David as king, later on in his life. This man was so anointed, even as a child, that every prediction or word of prophecy he spoke was literally fulfilled. He knew that God was the Lord of all creation, and allowed His words to inspire him, so that all his counsels could be received as coming from God Himself. Had it not been for a faithful, and God-fearing mother and father, there’s no telling what kind of man Samuel would have become.

Hannah was truly “souled” out for God, and was unselfish in fulfilling her promise to Him, in giving her promised child back to Him. When little Samuel was weaned, and old enough to be separated from his mother, Hannah took him up with her, along with offerings of sacrifice, to the Lord in Shiloh. When she reached the temple, or wherever they gathered, she approached the prophet Eli, and reminded him who she was, and that she had come to deliver her child to the Lord. While it’s unlikely Hannah was the only woman to pray by the high priest, asking for a child the way she did must have impressed Eli so that he’d never forget her.

Hannah’s prayer was direct, and definite, and God honored her words. Our prayers should be that way as well, and not a bunch of emotional and not fully thought out petitions. When we pray, we are to first believe that God can, and will answer us, then make our request known to Him, and follow that request with a life of dedicated service to His purpose, until He answers us. Sometimes, God will even honor our thoughts. I can recall a few times when God answered things I only considered in my head. That’s amazing, but I lived in a way that pleased Him, so He showed me just how great a Father He was.

Live your life in a way that God can’t hold back any good thing from you. When He’s searching the earth, seeking whom to bless, make sure He never passes you by without loading you with good things.

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

Boaz welcomes Ruth to his fields

Ruth 2:5-13

Have you ever heard the phrase, favor isn’t fair? If you haven’t, I heard it for you…many times. Some people believe in luck, and that in life you either have it represented in a good way, or a bad one. Luck is usually accompanied by coincidence, and many live by these two beliefs, but in my most honest opinion, I shun luck and coincidence, and have more of an affinity to favor and consequence. Nothing happens by chance, but all things are the direct result of the decisions we choose to make, or not make in our daily living.

An example of the latter of the two beliefs I mentioned takes place in our lesson’s text. After returning to her hometown of Bethlehem from Moab, Naomi remembered she had a relative who was a mighty man of wealth. Her arrival came around the time of the beginning of the barley harvest. This was perfect timing, as she and Ruth had an opportunity to glean from the fields, before the harvest was depleted. Naomi had returned home, claiming that the Lord had afflicted her, causing her to be empty, so she needed a means to gain access to food and other provisions. Usually, her husband and sons would make sure their women were properly cared for (that’s rare these days, as men have become soft and lazy), but they were forced to fend for themselves for survival.

Surprisingly, Ruth devised a plan to glean in the fields that belonged to Naomi’s wealthy relative, Boaz, in hopes that he would notice her, and find favor with her. Long story short, her plan worked! While gleaning in the fields, Boaz noticed Ruth, and took a liking to her, so he inquired of the reapers who she was. After hearing the whole story of her time with Naomi, Boaz extended unprecedented favor toward Ruth, and made it known to her that his actions toward her were the result of her hard work, dedication, and commitment to Naomi, even after losing her husband and abandoning her faith for theirs. Boaz would continue to bestow blessings upon Ruth, so much until the two would eventually become an item. Ruth’s temporary suffering turned into a lifetime of favor and blessings.

I know first-hand the struggle is real, and life can throw some pitches that are extremely tough to hit, but if we remain committed to God through the storms and the rain, He’ll provide a rainbow of blessings after those storms pass that will change our lives from bitter, to better. Favor is fair, but only if you follow the right path to attain it.

Walk in love,

Ell

Israel’s salvation and commitment to God

Deuteronomy 26:16-19

Commitments made between two parties are dedications to a cause that restrict each party from acting on their own interests. There’s a responsibility that each side must adhere to, in order to keep faithful to certain obligations. Comments involve dedication, devotion, allegiance, loyalty, a measure of faith, fidelity, and attentiveness. When we commit to a thing, we are expected to follow-through with the commitment, until it’s completion. It’s unfortunate that commitments are broken daily, as men find themselves involved in binding agreements with dishonest, or manipulative people. Other commitments are broken, because some start out doing well, then lose faith later into the agreement. When we commit to God, He always keeps His promises, so long as we obey the commands He set forth. The children of Israel, in this text, had made an agreement to take God to be their God, walk in His ways, keep His statutes, keep His commandments, keep His judgments, and obey His voice, and non other. As long as they were consistent in keeping their word, God promised to make them His peculiar people, set them as the highest nation on earth, cause other nations to praise them, make their name great, increase their honor, and make them His holy people. “God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?” (Numbers 23:19). It’s impossible for God to lie, and it’s also impossible for Him to break a promise, but when an agreement is made, His promise is dependent upon the people fulfilling their end of what was previously established.

Have you made any promises or commitments to God, and kept them? If you made promises to God but didn’t fulfill your words, do you think God is still obligated to bless you? Isn’t it wonderful to know that we now live under grace, and whether we break our promises to God or not, He’ll still bless us, as long as we repent and commit to doing better? Being born-again through Christ Jesus, believers are the righteousness of God. We are God’s peculiar people, and as our lights shine, God will elevate us above all men in the earth. This isn’t to make us arrogant or prideful, but so that the name of the Lord can be lifted up high above the earth. In turn, God will draw all men unto Himself, and we will be rewarded for our undiminished commitment to spreading the Gospel to all men.

Walk in love,

Ell

Paul’s solid credentials for ministry

2 Corinthians 11:21-30

If you were to question every person who ever lived, that served God with a fully committed and dedicated heart, how their journey was, I can guarantee, with 100 percent certainty, they’d tell you it wasn’t easy. It wasn’t God’s intentions for life to be hard for His most prized creation, but the repercussions of sin caused all sorts of things to fall out of alignment with God’s original plan. The devil hates mankind so much, because we have the opportunity to be in a position he once held, as a heavenly resident, but his eternal destination is set for the lake that burns with eternal fire, because of his pride, arrogance, disobedience, and rebellion against God. His sole desire is to keep as many people as he can from growing in the knowledge of God, so that they’ll miss the opportunity of spending an eternity with God, as he will.

Scripture tells us on many occasions, that suffering comes with a life of service to Christ, so it’s not a surprise that satan attacks the church as oft as he does. Those who suffer for Christ sake, will also be glorified with the resurrected Savior as well. One individual whom I know found this out first-hand is, the apostle Paul. Paul was unique, in that he saw life from two perspectives. He originally sided with those who persecuted the church, and sought to destroy all that the Saints stood for, until he had a personal encounter with the Savior, who changed his entire being. Paul went from willfully killing the children of God, to boldly defending them. His spiritual journey was one of intense persecution, humiliation, and shame, yet he persevered so that the truth of the Gospel of Christ could be spread throughout the land.

The text mentions many of the perils Paul encountered during his faith walk, some of which would have caused the average believer to throw in the towel, but Paul endured, because he knew the importance of staying in the will of God, so that the churches could grow, and the body of Christ would be strengthened daily. Paul placed God’s will before his own, and his life proved it. No matter what state he found himself in, whether in prison, shipwrecked, or being stoned, Paul allowed nothing to stop him from fulfilling his purpose in Kingdom business.

Have you given up on your spiritual assignment, because you ran into opposition? Did the ugly looks on other’s faces keep you from presenting God’s Word? When God sets you up on the righteous path, He’ll also prepare you for the inevitable opposition. Paul was strong in the faith, because he knew how he was persistent in his former life of evil acts. He decided to use that same passion and desire he once had, for the good of the body of Christ. Be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might. God has everything you need to be effective in ministry. Don’t move on your own strength and wisdom, but trust in God, and He’ll help you as you go through seasons of suffering and persecution. “For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God” (1 Peter 2:20).

Walk in love,

Ell