Fully Persuaded

Romans 4:19-21

If your faith and confidence level in godliness was based on percentages, could you boldly say that yours would be an easy 100?! Do you literally trust God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength? Or, are there moments, when you doubt whether or not God will step in to help resolve some of your issues? In order for anyone to please God, they must have faith, because without it, it’s impossible to please Him. Having faith is one thing, but developing your faith to greater levels, is necessary in order to benefit from all the things God has for those who trust Him.

Oftentimes, men and women stagger at the words God spoke in Scripture, and as the children of God, we sometimes fall short of His glory, by taking our focus off God, and doing things our own way. An example of this took place in the Bible, when Abraham and Sarah decided to help God and bring forth the promise He had made to them, that they would have a child. Rather than continue to wait patiently for God’s plan to play out, Sarah presented her handmaid to her husband, in hopes she would bring for the child of promise. Contrary to their unwise plan, Abraham and Sarah were told, the child would come from their union, and not another. In due time, Abraham’s faith was rewarded, when His 90 year old wife was blessed to conceive. Although Abraham took unwise counsel from His wife, his faith in God’s promise was not weak, but strong. Abraham was fully persuaded, that what God had promised, He was also able to perform.

During times when our faith grows weary, take a moment to consider all who came before us, and the trials and tribulations they endured until their end. Learn from our pioneers of the faith, and strive to grow daily in wisdom, understanding, and faith. The more your faith grows, the more confident you’ll become in the words of Scripture.

How Bad Do You Want It?

Proverbs 2:1-11

When we desire something, like we really really want it, we’ll go through great lengths to obtain it. A man who yearns to be with a specific woman, will do all he can to study her, so that he can do all the things she likes, in hopes of winning her favor. Men have been known for buying women cars, expensive clothing, and even jewelry, hoping they’ll eventually fall for them. Real women desire things that are more fulfilling, rather than material things, but men still try nonetheless. Another example is, how college scouts go over and beyond, to try and convince high school student-athletes to enroll in their school, and athletic program. They sacrifice time and money, to schedule visits to meet and greet with the child, and their family. Some have even been fined and put in jail, from taking risks like buying homes and cars, in order to convince the family that their university is worth attending. People have done strange things, to prove that what they desire, is worth fighting for. Unfortunately, most of those things offered little to no eternal value. If men sought diligently to learn the knowledge of God, more than they do worldly things, their lives would produce entirely different outcomes.

Many who claim to be Christians, struggle with understanding their purpose in life. One reason this happens is, they neglect to handle the first steps in growing, and maturing in God. The Bible teaches that we are to incline our ears unto wisdom, hide the commandments of God in our hearts, and seek after knowledge and understanding wholeheartedly. When it comes to understanding things like the stock market, politics, and other worldly interests, men go all out to understand all the juicy details, so they can gain an advantage in obtaining benefits for themselves. But, when it comes to pondering through verses of scripture, to gain a better understanding of what God expects from us, we automatically become lax, and prefer to hear sermons from televangelists, or YouTube. Why is it, when some people read the Bible, they always get sleepy? Hmm… in any case, it’s imperative that we obtain, and utilize the wisdom God gives, so that our souls can be kept, and our bodies preserved.

Do you desire God enough to spend at least an hour per day, meditating on His Word? If not, what is currently taking the place of the time God deserves? Always remember, only what you do for Christ, can impact your eternity in a positive way, but lacking a desire to grow in godliness, proves that the love you should have for God, is being invested in something else.

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

Ell

The Gentiles will listen

Acts 28:23-28

The apostle Paul preached the Gospel of the Kingdom of God boldly in every city and town he visited. Whether facing shipwreck, or the bite of a venomous serpent, Paul allowed nothing to keep him from spreading the Good News.

This message was delivered to the Jews first, possibly due the commission that Jesus gave to His disciples saying, “Go not into the way of the Gentiles…But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” This was not saying the Jews were better than the Gentile nations, but that many of the sheep had been abandoned by the worthless shepherds of Israel, so Jesus sent his disciples to proclaim the kingdom to those who had been failed by the current leadership.

As I mentioned in the previous lesson, a family is stronger when working together, so unifying the body of Christ would make witnessing to the Gentile nations much more effective.

Paul’s visit to Rome came with an unexpected arrest. He called for a meeting with the elders to explain to them that his chains would bring hope to Israel. They weren’t concerned with Paul’s heart and compassion for God’s people, but they wanted his opinion on a particular “sect”, mentioned in verse 22. No doubt this was the sect of Sadducees mentioned in chapter five, who had the apostles thrown in prison after showing miraculous power in the streets of Jerusalem.

Instead of indulging the question posed to him concerning the Sadducees, Paul set before the men the divine fulfilment of Scripture in Christ. Paul literally spent the whole day expounding on the kingdom of God, reminding his audience of the truths in the law of Moses, and the prophets.

The text says that Paul persuaded them concerning Jesus, and he caused them to actually believe that what he spoke concerning Christ was undoubtedly true. Unfortunately, knowing the truth doesn’t always convince some to change. Paul noticed that some believed what he spoke, while others believed not.

This is the case in most instances where God’s word is being delivered. There will always be some who love God, and will adhere to His words, whereas others will turn a deaf ear to the truth, despite finding no fault in it.

This division among the people actually fulfilled a prophecy that was spoken in Isaiah 6:9-10. All the men heard the word, but they failed to show a common agreement of faith in it. Verse 27 gives the reason some didn’t receive Paul’s message. It reads that their hearts waxed gross, their ears were dull, and their eyes were closed.

Oftentimes we blame God for the trouble and problems we face in life, when in fact our issues are our own doing. God isn’t responsible for what comes after our mistakes, but He longs for us to commit fully to Him, so that many of our mistakes can be avoided.

Since the Jews weren’t appreciative of the privileged opportunities to hear God’s word, Paul said the salvation of God is sent to the Gentiles, and they will hear it. Gentile nations have been hearing and receiving the word ever since Paul gave this word. Jesus came so that the world, through Him, might be saved. God still loves the Jews, but He loves all other nations just the same.

We all have a choice to choose death or life, blessings or curses. The consequences of these choices are fairly obvious, so be sure to make the right one.

Seek peace,

Ell