Selfless Consideration

Romans 15:1-6

In our society, working together is promoted in all areas of business, education, and entertainment. Businesses thrive on increase and productivity, but their success can only go as far as their unified organization allows them to. Teachers work hard to ensure that their students learn and develop the skills required to advance to the next grade level. When done for the right purpose and with right intentions, teachers can impact the lives of their students far beyond their initial expectations. Without unity and togetherness, it would be unwise for any team, of any sport, to attempt to challenge an opponent, because their lack of teamwork would weigh heavily against them, causing them to suffer a great and embarrassing loss. From these examples, it’s safe to presume that working together as a single unit, will always produce better results, than operating from a system of dysfunction.

While teamwork involves all members working together toward a common goal, each individual must exhibit behaviors of humility, compassion, and understanding, in order for the “team” to “work” effectively. In our text, the apostle Paul helps Roman believers grasp a better better understanding of the importance of unity, amongst the body of Christ. Although each member of the body performs different functions, not one area holds more importance than another. The Bible does teach that we are to honor our leaders, and give them respect, but we must not consider our own callings irrelevant, in comparison to theirs.

The church is at its best, when all members perform their duties with all their heart, aiming to give God glory from their lives. Unfortunately, times will arise when those who are weak in faith, may tend to get weighed down by the heaviness of life’s struggles. During these critical moments, those who are strong in the Lord, ought to make haste to cover, protect, edify, and restore those who may fall, because at any moment the enemy could come and sift them as wheat. The Bible doesn’t teach us to be “people pleasers”, but we are commanded to live to please others. In pleasing others, we make ourselves available to lift them up during times when they feel down, supply their needs during seasons of lack, or simply loaning an ear or shoulder for someone to cry on, giving them hope that they’re not alone in the fight of faith.

Keep your chin up… it’s easier to see Heaven that way,

Ell

Fishers Of Men

Zechariah 8:18-23

One of the most taxing, yet rewarding things to do is, go fishing. Fishing isn’t for everyone, because the most important element of becoming a good fisherman is patience. Not many people are willing to wait long hours, in hopes of bringing in a great catch. But, to those who endure the waiting game, good things usually come in abundance. Even in times when you don’t catch anything except a breeze from the wind, the joy of fishing is all about the experience. Another key element in successful fishing is, bait. Different types of fish can be attracted by the right bait, and some can easily be lured with conventional means like bread and worms. Before you can clean, cook, or stuff a fish to mount on your trophy room wall, you must first be successful in luring it in, and possessing it.

If God pressed the stop button on His VCR in Heaven, and put your entire life on full display to the whole world, would the way you’ve lived up to now, be attractive enough to convince men, women, and children to believe in the truth of God’s Word, or would you prefer that God play someone else’s tape, who’s life may have been more convincing to prove His love is real? Christians are the bait that attract men to God. How we live, is the determinant factor in whether or not people can truly see the effects of a godly life. For this reason, it’s very important for the body of Christ to remain patient, while doing their best to live a life that replicates the life of Christ. While we live, we should shine in this dark world, the same way a lure sparkles in dark waters. Make sure your life is attractive enough, so that all who seek the Lord, can be drawn by your light.

Keep your chin up… it’s easier to see Heaven that way,

Ell

Road To Damascus

Acts 9:1-9

Why do men reject the things they need, in place of things that cause harm to their spiritual and physical health? Many prefer to consume fast food, rather than fruits and vegetables, as their main source of consumption, while others run to hear lies and gossip, rather than truth, and sound doctrine, to satisfy their itching ears. Men seem to kill without cause, and move on, with no regrets. We live in a time where evil is promoted, and good is viewed as unpopular. One reason most people reject what’s healthy and true is, because they feel the need to satisfy their own desires, instead of submitting to the rules and standards set in place, by God. Our bodies are the temple of the Holy Ghost, and we are required to maintain a healthy spiritual, and natural diet. When our desires are aligned with God’s, we will consistently make right choices, but when we submit to the will of man, we tend to do things contrary to what God created us for.

In our text, Saul was preparing to continue his onslaught against the disciples of the Lord. Saul was no doubt, a very wise man, well-educated, and actually well-versed in spiritual concepts. Saul knew to do right, but chose to acknowledge the opposite. Why? When a man knows to do right, but doesn’t, this is sin. Saul not only hated the believers of Christ, but he gained more pleasure putting them in chains, and graves.

Being deemed the chief persecutor of Christians, Saul was free to approach those in authority, who would assist him in his wicked ploys. To his surprise, God had other intentions for the bold and determined persecutor. On his way to do more harm to innocent disciples, Saul was met by Jesus, who’s very presence of light, brought him to ground. When the presence of God shows up, all things evil must submit. After a brief conversation between Christ and Saul, the once flamboyant persecutor of the church, had a sudden change of heart. Without hesitation, the temporarily blinded Saul, was led by his men to the place where Jesus instructed him to go, in order to receive further direction.

This story is significant in a number of ways, but it’s interesting to note how, a man can be so caught up into his own will, until God can still penetrate his heart, with the right experience. Everyone was created in God’s image, and after His likeness, so we all have the capability of submitting to His way. Unfortunately, many allow temptation to change their hearts, so much until they turn away from even common sense, at times. But, no matter how far away we stray from doing what’s right, God can always reach us, and reel us back into His arms of safety.

Walk in love,

Ell

Fighting Temptations

Matthew 4:1-11

One of the most valuable words of advice I’ve ever received after giving my heart to the Lord was, never underestimate the power of the devil. There’s a misconception that’s been going around for years that satan is powerless, and can do nothing to harm the believer, but if you study the Word carefully, and even look back over your own life, you’ll discover that the devil is more powerful than you can imagine. Satan is the master of deception, and he delights in twisting God’s Word, in order to serve his devilish purposes. Not only is he skilled in his deceptive arts, but He knows the Bible better than many of God’s own children (sad, but true). One of satan’s most successful strategies is, confronting the believer with temptation. If the devil can get the believer to focus on his distractions for only a few moments, that’s long enough to ensnare them in his traps. For this reason, it’s vital that the children of God know the Word for themselves, so that when temptation comes knocking, they’ll be strong enough to resist.

In our text, Jesus gave the perfect example of how to effectively resist temptation. After fasting 40 days, Jesus was “led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil” (vs. 1). Why would God purposely lead His Son into a trap? Could it be, because He knew Jesus was strong enough to overcome what lay ahead of Him, and also needed us to see how we are to handle the temptations in our own lives? Yeah, I think that’s about right. God also wanted to prove that His Word was more precious than anything satan could offer, and that even in a weakened physical state (Jesus), the strength of God’s Word was enough to drive evil away.

I mentioned earlier that satan has power, and in our text, we see two instances where the devil took Jesus into the holy city, and set Him high, atop a pinnacle of the temple, then took Him up into an exceeding high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world. If you ask me, that sounds like more power than the average super hero. In all his desire to see Jesus submit to his own will, satan was disappointed, as Jesus dealt with the scheming serpent by using God’s written Word.

When facing temptation in our own lives, how we approach it can mean the difference between overcoming it, or being overwhelmed by it. If Jesus had given in to His “hangry” pains, He probably would have turned those stones into barbeque ribs, macaroni and cheese, and corn on the cob, but His spiritual hunger far outweighed the natural, and He was able to easily deflect the devils temptation.

Allow this lesson to be strength to you, as you face your daily struggles. Never give in to temptation, no matter how appealing it may seem, because the grass may be greener on the other side, but it might be overrun with serpents, waiting for the right moment to strike you down. “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matthew 6:41 KJV).

Walk in love,

Ell

God needs no house

2 Samuel 7:1-11

A few lessons ago, I mentioned the time when king David contemplated building a temple to house the presence of God, and this text is where the story of David’s desire to build a house for God can be found.

David was a great man; one who esteemed others over himself, and never took glory away from God. While celebrating during a festival (in the previous chapter), after placing the ark of the covenant in a new tabernacle, David’s wife, Michal, misjudged his worship to God, and bodily manifestations, as if he was representing himself in a vile manner. This was ironic, because David had returned home with the intentions to bless his family, but encountered the opposite from his ill-mannered wife. For some reason, Michal was always critical of David’s actions, so much until it caused her to be barren until her death. In her heart, she despised the very man whom God loved, and blessed abundantly.

I mentioned that brief summary of the end of chapter six, to bring to light how cool, calm, and collected David was, as He kept his focus on pleasing God, no matter who tried to hinder him. Many times we lose our composure, when others are critical of our relationship with God, but rather than change our praise to accommodate our haters, we should intensify it, in hopes that our fervent worship would possibly set them ablaze as well.

A while after putting his wife’s nonsense behind him, David pondered in his heart to build a house for God to dwell in. After gazing at the beautiful place he resided in, and wishing to build something greater for the Lord, God gave His servant a short lesson concerning His dwelling place. While his intentions were pure, God thought it best to teach David a short lesson by reminding him how He walked in a tent and tabernacle for hundreds of years, walked with Israel, never spoke of building a permanent house, took David from the sheep to be ruler over Israel, guided and protected David in all his adventures, cut off all his enemies, and made his name great! In other words, God put it simply, no place could hold all of His glory. While the tabernacle was the place where His presence was housed, God was never limited to that one location.

Aren’t you glad, the God we serve isn’t limited to time and space? Our God is awesome! He can do wondrous, and marvelous things! His love extends far beyond time itself! What makes Him even more special is, He lives inside of all who love Him. While king David was unable to build a house for God, you can invite Him to live inside your heart forever.

Walk in love,

Ell

Duties of the Levitical priesthood

Deuteronomy 18:1-5

When God calls someone to do a specific assignment, He designs their purpose in such a way as to keep all distractions from hindering their production. For example, Jesus was sent to the earth to fulfill a very unique task, so God thought it unnecessary for Him to delve in the normal dealings of man, including marriage, sexual relations, and other things, that possibly could have distracted Him from His purpose. Another example involves Samson, who was assigned to be a Nazarite, and vowed to be separate from others, while consecrating himself to God. The vow of a Nazarite involved abstinence from wine and strong drink, refraining from cutting one’s hair off the head during the whole period of the continuance of the vow, and avoiding contact with the dead; all of which eliminated possible distractions from fulfilling God’s purpose. Our text introduces the Levites, one of the twelve tribes of Israel, who God also set aside for a special purpose.

Only the Levites were allowed to be a part of the priesthood, where they would be able to stand, and minister in the name of the Lord. Unlike the rest of Israel, the Levites were given a separate agenda to live by. They weren’t allowed to share in the inheritance with Israel, they lived by offerings made by fire to the Lord, they received specific portions of all sacrifices, and they received the firstfruits of the land and animals.

Being a priest during these days, was similar to being a king, where only the sons of priests could assume the same role. God knew that ministering in His name was an integral part of His divine plan, so He needed the priests to focus all of their attention on carrying out their assignment. Has God called you to do something special in this life? I’m certain He did, whether you know it, or not. While carrying out His will for your life, be certain to remove all possible distractions from your path, so that all your focus and attention can be directed toward the purposes of God.

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

Observing the Sabbath

Exodus 16:22-30

Why is resting the body and mind important to our overall health? Well, I’m glad you asked. Our society moves at such a fast pace, that many rarely find time to chill, and allow their bodies time to recuperate. We are all privileged to one body, and one mind, and they support us, no matter what we subject them to. However, if we don’t properly monitor the use of our mind and body, we can find ourselves suffering both physically and mentally. Without sufficient sleep, our bodies will suffer a variety of physical and psychological effects, including impaired memory and judgment, poor concentration, lowered stress threshold, reduced sociability and optimism, changes in vital signs and tissue repair, and possible weight gain. Even before doctors and scientists developed the technology to reveal such effects, God knew that rest was important, and commanded His people to observe the Sabbath regularly. While they may not have understood the full reasoning for such an observance, God knew the limits of the human body, and made certain they set aside time for rest. Below, I’ll list a few benefits associated with proper rest, and mental relaxation:

• Restores/refreshes us when tired
• Repairs the body – The activities of the body slow down when we sleep, therefore body building cells carry on their recuperative work. When we sleep, nature builds up and repairs the waste of our organism. Sleep invigorates the tired body, and prepares it for the next day.
• Gives more energy
• Gives better sleep
• Enhances immunity
• Helps increase concentration
• Gives better problem-solving abilities
• Gives greater efficiency
• Ensures smoother emotions — less anger, crying, anxiety, frustration
• Results in less headaches and pain
• Gives the heart a rest by slowing the heart rate
• Reduces blood pressure
• Slows the rate of breathing, which reduces the need for oxygen
• Increases blood flow to the muscles
• Decreases muscle tension

Not only did God want His children to dedicate time to spend in His presence, and with their families, but He was fully aware of the dangers of overworking, and neglecting the body of rest. While we’re not obligated to observe the sabbath as the children of Israel did in time past, resting our bodies is necessary to maintain a balance in our physical, mental, and spiritual health. Don’t allow the pressures of work, or sacrificing sleep to get bills paid to cause you to become sick or mentally ill. Do the best you can with what God gives you, and trust that He’ll make up the difference. Rest well everyone!

Walk in love,

Ell

King David gives in to temptation

2 Samuel 11:1-5

Living as a Christian requires much prayer and discipline to help keep one focused on God, and aware of the dangers of sin. Throughout history, satan has used all sorts of temptations to break the focus of those striving to live a godly life. That shrewd devil was so bold once when he tried to tempt Jesus after He had fasted 40 days. As a man, Jesus more than likely was hungry and needed nourishment, so satan attempted to have Him turn stones into bread, to prove His oneness with God. Turning stones into bread would have been disobedient to God the Father, and it would have been a frivolous use of Jesus’ abilities. Christ did not come to be served, but to serve. That is why he says He does not live by bread alone. He lives by being obedient to God His Father.

Although we may suffer persecution and rejection from the world, living in obedience to God will guarantee a place for us in Heaven. Unfortunately, there are times when believers allow their flesh to supercede spirit, thus causing them to give in to various temptations. There was a man after God’s own heart, who fell into temptation, because he allowed what he saw to take precedence over what he knew was right. One day, as king David was basking in the news of a recent victory over the children of Ammon, he decided to take a late night walk on the roof of the king’s house. Notice here that David usually would go with the army to ensure complete victory, but he had decided to stay behind this time. It’s been said of old that evil spirits typically lurk during the night, seeking to claim innocent victims. As a man of God, and mighty in numerous battles, David fell victim to sin as he allowed the lust through his eyes to create vain imaginations for the beautiful Bathsheba, who was bathing herself in the night. This makes me wonder; why was she washing herself in public view of the king’s roof? Did she not know that washing herself from that position would be temptation to the king? Or maybe she didn’t know, and was totally innocent. However, David put his evil thoughts into action, and enquired after her. Back then, when a ruler took a fancy to woman, he would send an officer to where she lived, who would then announce the royal pleasure to have her removed to the palace. So David had the woman brought over to his domain, despite discovering who her father and husband were. Now we know they didn’t spend the night in Bible study or organizing community events, but David knowingly committed adultery with Bathsheba.

Some have asked, how can a man so full of God, fall so easily to sin? Well, the moment you take your eyes off God, is the very moment satan waits for to try and distract you with temptation. As believers, we must take serious our profession, and put in the work necessary to keep our focus, because broken focus is an open invitation for the enemy to come in and distract the believer from their purpose.

(Deuteronomy 31:6) Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.

(1 Corinthians 10:13) There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

(Isaiah 40:31) But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; [and] they shall walk, and not faint.

(Psalms 31:24) Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD.

(1 Corinthians 16:13) Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.

Seek peace,

Ell