Tag: forsake

Wise Counsel

2 Timothy 4:9-18

Times have changed from the days of old, to now, when the young would glean wisdom and wise counsel from the elderly. It always amazes me, how a child can claim to know more than anyone who’s lived more than twice the years they’ve been alive. But, I digress, and allow all to get enough bumps and bruises necessary to force them to seek after wisdom. Wisdom is a coveted virtue, for anyone seeking a productive and blessed future. Unfortunately, the years of knowledge and counsel the younger generations need to be successful (in God’s eyes), are shunned away for the cares of the present world.

The apostle Paul proved to be one of the most influential of all godly men mentioned in Scripture. He was not only motivated by his humiliating and regretful past, but his drive to spread the goodness of the Gospel was fueled by the sincere love shown to him by Christ Himself. Paul’s 180 degree turn from darkness to light, was a miraculous event, but he would soon learn that the journey set before him would not be as smooth as he would hope. The apostle Paul was bold, and sure of that which he preached, and he never allowed any situation or circumstance to deter him from his mission. He was inspired by the Spirit of God in all he set his mind to do, even when establishing churches. God guided Paul’s hand, and gave him strength and wisdom on how to teach those who sought after righteousness.

Along his journey, Paul’s message wasn’t well received by everyone, especially those whom he assumed would offer their support. Demas, once a minister and fellow laborer with Paul, had surprisingly forsaken him. Paul mentioned that Demas “having loved this present world, departed unto Thessalonica.” (vs. 10). It’s easy to get over losing people who were never there for you, but being forsaken by someone who fought beside you, leaves a sting that is not easily relieved.

There were many others who stood against Paul during his ministry of preaching the Gospel, but God sustained him long enough to fulfill the will He set before him. Many of the valuable lessons Paul learned throughout his life, he made sure to pass them along to young Timothy. Paul knew, just as he faced ridicule and rejection from men of the “cloth”, Timothy should always be prepared for similar experiences.

Living a godly life will present the church with challenges and struggles, but it’s unfortunate when those struggles come by way of those who are supposed to be fighting alongside us. The Bible teaches that we are to pray for our enemies, but we should routinely set aside time to also pray earnestly and fervently for those who claim to be children of God.

“Despite how young or old you are, seek after wisdom, and allow the Spirit of God to give you understanding.” – Ell

God will not abandon you

Deuteronomy 4:25-31

God’s mercy endures forever, and what He promised, He’s sure to fulfill. Regardless of how far away we may stray from the confines of covenant agreement with the Father, He will never go against His word, while allowing us time to regain focus, and turn back to following after Him. God’s patience is immeasurable, and His forgiveness knows no limits, but He can only release His favor once we are standing in alignment with His Word, will, and way. This was proven time, and time again in Scripture, when God promised to bless Israel, they would disobey His commandments, wallow in their misery, then reconsider their actions and turn back to Him. God is not like man, who holds grudges against one another, and refuses to forget times of mistrust and failure, but He’s always ready to forgive, and forget those things we do, that are not pleasing in His sight. God loves to bless His people, not only because He promised to do so, but so that others can see His God works through them, and hopefully be influenced to learn His ways as well. How often do you meet people who are willing to support you, no matter how much wrong you may have done to them? Even relationships between good friends fall apart when trust is broken, and one is unfaithful to the other, but when God makes a promise, He’s willing to keep His word, so long as we repent, turn away from distractions, and commit to a life of dedicated service to His plan. “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Hebrews 13:5). “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” (Deuteronomy 31:6).

Walk in love,

Ell

A costly call

Mark 1:16-20; Luke 14:25-33

When starting a new business, the most important hires are those with strong work ethics, and positive attitudes. Could you imagine opening a restaurant, where all your cooks have no experience in the kitchen, and couldn’t get along with each other? That would be a disaster! The meat would more than likely be either undercooked, or burnt, while the rice would always turn out hard as rocks. To keep a business running successfully, it’ll require employees with extensive knowledge in the field in which they’ll operate, along with a dedicated and proven commitment to perform well.

When Jesus set forth to begin His ministry, He no doubt sought out men with strong and consistent work ethics. During His day, the best place to find such men was near the seaside, where fishermen were in abundance. Being God in the flesh, Jesus knew who He was searching for, even before He stepped out, so He wasted no time and called unto two sets of brothers; Peter and Andrew, and James and John. These men shared common beliefs in their private lives, as well as knowledge of the coming Messiah, so it was wise for Christ to gather those who were familiar with each other, especially when introducing them to an unfamiliar assignment. The most important thing to note concerning all four disciples was, they all left everything and went after Christ. According to human logic, that makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. What man in his right mind, would lay aside his primary means of income, in order to support a business that just got off the ground? Try the disciple’s shoes on for a moment. Would you quit your current job to join a company you’ve never heard of, but knew the man or woman starting it? I’ll add to that, would you still go, not knowing whether you’ll get paid or not? I bet that changed your tune. But Peter, Andrew, James, and John forsook work, and their families so that they could be numbered amongst Christ’s discipleship.

What does it cost to follow Christ, and are you willing to turn away from things you love, so that God’s will can be done through your life? Well, I’m glad you asked. Jesus said to those following Him, in the book of Luke chapter 14, “If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple” (vs. 26, 27). Are you thinking what i’m thinking? Sooooo, to be a disciple of Jesus, I must first hate everyone I love, and bear a cross? Sounds brutal. How could the Son of God tell me to love everyone, but hate them at the same time? The words Christ spoke were idioms of preference. According to the Savior, one must prefer God, or love Him more than anything and anyone else, to be saved. Now that sounds better, but still a tall task for some. In this last day, many place family, friends, and material things ahead of God without a second thought. As was prophesied in the Scriptures, men truly have become lovers of themselves, more than lovers of God. This is why men and women allow the love of money to cause them to do some unseemly things like overworking and killing their bodies for a dollar, or murdering the innocent to get a few bucks. Christ desires that we forsake all, as his disciples did, and follow after Him. It’s obvious that many of us must work to make ends meet, but we must never put our work before the purpose of God. In other words, all we do should bring glory to the name of the Lord, and nothing should restrict us from sharing His Gospel to the world.

As believers, we are to prefer God over all others, bear our own cross, and stay consistent in the faith by living godly on a daily basis. “Ye shall walk after the Lord your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him” (Deuteronomy 13:4). “Ye shall observe to do therefore as the Lord your God hath commanded you: ye shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left. Ye shall walk in all the ways which the Lord your God hath commanded you, that ye may live, and that it may be well with you, and that ye may prolong your days in the land which ye shall possess” (Deuteronomy 5:32-33).

Walk in love,

Ell

Entry into the kingdom of Heaven

Matthew 19:23-30

Our sole purpose for living is simply to live again. That sounds rather confusing, because if we’re alive now, how can we come alive a second time? The life we live here on earth was limited after the fall of man. Because of sin, God had to alter His original plans for us in a way that we could still live with Him in eternity.

These borrowed flesh bodies, that house our soul and spirit, will soon return to the dust of the earth, from whence it came. But after these bodies dissolve, we will receive immortal bodies not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

There’s a scripture in the book of Isaiah that brings to light how unimportant and irrelevant worldly riches are. Isaiah 65:17 reads, “For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.” Wait one hot minute…if this earth and the things within it won’t be remembered, nor be thought about when we enter the new heaven and earth, then why do men cling so tightly to riches and wealth? Why is it so hard to grasp God’s biblical concepts, rather then the philosophies of men?

God said, “love your neighbor as yourself.” Men say, “get rich, or die trying.” For this reason, it will be much harder for those who cherish their riches to make it into Heaven, than those who have forsaken all, and followed Christ. God offers unimaginable rewards to those who commit fully to His will.

God does not respect the rich any more than He does the poor. They have to meet the same conditions as others and this is why it’s hard for them and why so few pay the price to get saved.

Have you forsaken everything, to follow Christ? Or are you holding on to your goals and dreams of becoming rich and famous in this life? Seek only to do the will of God, and let Him add to your life what’s necessary to fulfill your purpose in your limited lifetime.

Seek peace,

Ell