Tag: Plan

All For His Glory

John 11:1-11

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to an exciting episode of, “All For His Glory”! Starring, Martha, Mary, Lazarus, Jesus, and the Disciples! I’m your host, “holyell”, and I’ll be bringing you all the details of tonight’s most fascinating scenes!

Lazarus: (Moaning in pain and agony) Mmmmm… ugghhh… Martha…. Mary….

Martha: Lazarus! Lazarus! Oh no! Mary, his condition is getting worse!

Mary: God, if you’re listening, please help our ailing brother.

Martha: If Jesus was here, He would save our brother. Mary, let’s send word to Jesus that we desperately need His help.

Mary: Alright sister, I’ll make haste to do so. Lazarus, you hold on. I’m sending a messenger to find Jesus.

Lazarus: (Moaning goes from intense, to subtle, as Lazarus drifts into sleep) mmm…hmmm…Mar..

(Messenger arrives where Jesus is, and is met by the disciples)

Messenger: Excuse me. Pardon me, but is the healer here?

Disciples: If you’re referring to Jesus, yes. He is.

Messenger: If possible, could you bid Him to come, because I have an urgent message to deliver.

Disciples: Whatever you have to tell the Master, you can say to us.

Messenger: Well, if you insist. The message reads, “Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick.”

(Jesus overhears the message)

Jesus: Worry not kind sir, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of man might be glorified thereby.”

Disciples: Oh, hello Master. We were just…

Jesus: It’s ok men. Tell them I will come soon (to the messenger).

Messenger: Thank you my Lord. I shall.

Disciples: Master, what’s going on? What was that all about? Do you know who the man was referring to?

Jesus: Prepare yourselves men, for in two days, we will journey again to Judea.

Disciples: Woah woah woah! Wait a minute. My Lord, a few weeks ago the Jews there sought to stone you. It’s too dangerous to return there now. Don’t you agree?

Jesus: Gentlemen, when you know the plan of the enemy, you can wisely plan around it.

Disciples: Oooooh, right. That makes so much sense. You are beyond man’s wisdom, my Lord

Jesus: Besides, you’ll soon see and understand my purpose in doing things the way I do, then youI’ll believe.

*The disciples often questioned the methods Jesus used in certain situations, and failed to see the spiritual significance behind it, but the longer they observed His works, the more they realized how amazing the power of God was, working through His Son. Oftentimes we see things in our own lives that may appear as dead, but God allows things to be put on hold, long enough for the world to assume it’s over, so that He can then restore life and purpose to that dead situation. In times when you don’t understand God’s plan, keep the faith, and watch how He works things out in your favor.

This concludes the exciting episode of, “All For His Glory”! Thanks for tuning in.

Conditioned To Endure

Isaiah 7:10-15

The average athlete trains hard, putting their bodies through extensive and repetitive training, so that when the time comes to compete in their event, they’ll be conditioned to perform accordingly. It’s easy to tell whether or not an athlete of a specific sport has trained or conditioned properly, by how long they last while performing, or the effort they put forth during an event. A boxer who’s legs get weak and shaky halfway during a fight, probably decided not to take his training seriously. Another example is, when a swimmer gives up halfway through a lap, because their conditioning wasn’t up to par.

Throughout the years, I’ve often stressed, “Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance”. The better we plan and prepare for what’s ahead of us, the better we’ll perform, when that time comes. This same fact holds true for the body of Christ. All our lives we train daily, showing love and kindness to others, shunning things that are evil, and resisting temptation when it comes, so that as the end-time prophecy continues to be fulfilled, we won’t cower nor fret, when times become more severe. God daily loads us with benefits, in order that we gird and guard ourselves against the evil one. In addition, every situation we overcome now, will increase our faith in God, and better prepare us to face what’s soon to come.

The world is suffering greatly because of sin, but the Bible plainly states that perilous times will indeed come, in the last days. Make it your business to grow daily in the knowledge of God, and ask for His wisdom to help you understand the times, and how you must conduct yourself, as these last days pass by. “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord”. (1 Corinthians 15:58)

“The way may seem hard, but you’ll endure, by the power of God.” – Ell

Favor For The Dreamer

Genesis 37:29-36

One of the most challenging, yet rewarding jobs many people will experience in life is, parenting. While raising children (especially in this time) should be taken seriously, and with the proper precautions, one of the most unwise things to do is, show favor to one child, over all the others. Favoritism is good when it involves things like selecting foods you prefer, or the color you want to paint your house, but when dad and mom show more love for Cinnamon, while treating Nutmeg and Cashew like the neighbor’s kids, then those seeds will eventually come back to haunt them.

A great example of this can be found early in Scripture, in the lives of Jacob, and his sons. The average Bible reader should have already been exposed to this inspiring story, but if you haven’t, then you can read it in less than an hour (Genesis chapters 37-45). The text reveals, “Jacob (Israel) loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age” (vs. 3a). Some history records that Jacob was over 90 years old when Joseph was born, and after the death of Rachel, little Joseph became his father’s special helper in being the agent between him and his brothers.

Unfortunately, the other brothers strongly disliked the relationship between their father, and little Joseph. Usually, when a mob of angry people have ill feelings toward someone, they tend to devise a plan to destroy their credibility. This was precisely the case with Jacobs sons. When Jacob had sent Joseph to check on his brothers one day (who were supposed to be feeding the flock in Shechem, but took a stroll to Dothan), they saw him from afar, and instantly plotted to slay him. Aside from labeling him, the dreamer, the brothers decided they’d kill him, then throw him in a pit. If it had not been for Reuben, who convinced the others to spare Joseph’s life, and only throw him in a pit, the little dreamer would have left the earth without fulfilling his promised assignment.

It’s amazing how people can hate you for things you had nothing to do with. Some people were blessed with gifts, talents, and abilities, that others dream to have, but rather than appreciate their gifts, they plot to hinder them from exercising them. Never allow jealousy, hatred, envy, nor strife to invade your mind, simply because God shows someone favor. Whether it be a brother, sister, friend, or even someone you aren’t too fond of, value, appreciate, and respect those who God uses in great ways.

Jacob suffered heartache for years, thinking that his son had been killed, but in the end, the love he had for Joseph was restored. Parents, be careful how you treat your children, because one day they’ll grow up, and act upon all you said and done to, and for them. Also, be certain to raise all of them in the fear of God, and teach them the value of love and respect for others.

Why does the living man complain?

Ell

Do Your Job

Genesis 37:12-17

What role do you play in God’s divine plan? Were you called to preach, teach, or prophesy? Or, are you more inclined to work behind the scenes, doing things that help many, while refusing recognition? All members of the body of Christ play a major part in fulfilling God’s overall plan for this present earth. Whether your duties require hard physical labor, or other approaches, the end goal for all believers is to see God in peace, but along our journey to Heaven, we are urged to influence others to join us on the righteous path.

“For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many. If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling? But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him. And if they were all one member, where were the body? But now are they many members, yet but one body. And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you. Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary: And those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness. For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked. That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another. And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it. Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.” (1 Corinthians 12:12-27)

Why does the living man complain?

Ell

It Ain’t My Fault

Romans 5:12-17

The whole earth is jacked up, and out of whack, because of one man, Adam. Because of Adam’s disobedience to God, sin was granted access to inhabit God’s beautifully created planet. Not only did sin pass through earth’s gates, but death followed close behind. Sin and death were unwillingly passed upon all men, because of one man’s error. This occurrence took place nearly 6,000 years ago, yet we continue to feel the effects of it.

It’s amazing how one person’s mistake, can cause rippling effects in the lives of others. Can you recall moments in your life, when you made a decision that negatively affected not only your life, but many others as well? In the same way Adam’s decision to go against God’s Word, affected the entire earth, including man and beast, Jesus’s decision to follow-through with God’s plan also affected the earth, but in a more positive way. If Adam hadn’t sinned, then the world would be in a very different state, but if Jesus hadn’t come down to fix Adam’s error, I refuse to imagine what the state of the world would be.

Jesus came to the earth, with one goal, to redeem man back to God. Despite how hard the enemy tried to stop Him, the Son of God never wavered, nor gave in to the pressures men applied to Him. Jesus did nothing to cause the evil in the world, but He did everything to redeem man from it. There will come times in our lives, when we will have to fix situations from the mistakes of others. Whether you’re a parent cleaning up after a child, or a mentor, making amends for a mentee’s unruly behavior, we can all be like Christ, and make good of other’s bad decisions. By one man, sin came into the world, but by another man, the free gift of salvation was given, so all could be forgiven.

Walk in love,

Ell

A Little Too Late

Amos 5:1-3, 16-17

If you were in a position of great authority, and were presented the opportunity to save a life, by use of extreme punishment, or to refrain from executing discipline, so that the convicted could continue on a path to their eventual demise, which would you choose? It’s never a good feeling when bringing discipline upon others, because it hurts to see them suffer, especially when they could have chosen a better direction. Judges and jurors are met with this challenge on a daily basis. It’s not easy to condemn someone to punishment, because most people have a heart, but when your hand is forced to put someone away, because of their consistent unlawful behavior, there’s no choice left, except judgment. Parents also experience these feelings quite often, when they are forced to discipline their unruly children. It matters not how cute and precious those little rascals can be, when daddy and mommy lay down the law, those little ones are expected to obey. But, when they consistently refuse to adhere to the standard, parents are forced to execute plan “pow pow”.

The God of all creation has had His own share of similar instances, when the children of Israel forced His hand to bring judgment upon them, through their continual disobedience. God loved the nation of Israel unconditionally, and had amazing blessings in store for them, but they found more pleasure in their hypocrisy, than in remaining steadfast in His will.

Our text presents prophecy of future lamentations Israel will face, because they had fallen so far away from God’s standard, until there was “none to raise her up” (vs. 2b). After reminding the people of their blatant sins, God offered them one last chance to change their ways. In verses 14 and 15, God said, “Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live: and so the LORD, the God of hosts, shall be with you as ye have spoken. Hate the evil, and love the good, and establish judgment in the gate: it may be that the LORD God of hosts will be gracious unto the remnant of Joseph”. After all the hypocrisy, sinning, and wicked things Israel were undoubtedly guilty of, God gave them another opportunity to clean up their ways. Are you generous and compassionate to others, when they wrong, or offend you? Do you give second, third, fourth, and fifth chances, so others can eventually get themselves together, and have time to ask your forgiveness? Or, do you bring down the hammer, the moment someone comes at you in an unacceptable manner?

God’s mercy is everlasting, and the truth of His Word, will endure through every generation, but there will come a time when those second, third, and tenth chances will be taken away, and God’s hand will be forced to bring judgment down on all who remain in sin, and refuse to correct the error of their ways.

Walk in love,

Ell

A New Home

Acts 1:6-11

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to another exciting episode of, “A New Home”! Starring, Papa, and little Johnny! I’m your host, “holyell”, and I’ll be bringing you all the details of tonight’s most fascinating scenes!

Papa: Okay family, I called you all here to tell you that I’ll be going away for a while, on business, but I won’t be gone too long, so I expect everyone to be on their best behavior.

Children: Ohhh no pappa, where are you going, and how long will you be away, and why are you leaving?

Momma: It’s okay kids, papa’s going away to work a new job, and guess what? He’s building a new house for us as well!

Papa: Ahh honey, you spoiled the surprise!

Children: Yaaaaaaay! We’re getting a new house! We’re getting a new house! We’re getting a new house!

Little Johnny: Papa

Papa: Yes Johnny

Little Johnny: Umm… while you’re away, who will take care of momma and this house?

Papa: Johnny, I leave you in charge.

Little Johnny: Really papa?!

Papa: Yes. And, I expect you to always listen to momma, do your chores and homework consistently, and without complaining, protect your sister’s from those pesky Johnson boys across the street, and never forget, although I’m away, I’m always watching you.

Little Johnny: Okay papa! I promise I’ll do my best to protect our home while you’re away, and I’ll be nice to Cindy and Rachel (most of the time), and ummm I’ll beat up the Johnson boys if they mess with them, and I will always do my chores and homework, and listen to mommy everyday, and…

Papa: Okay okay little Johnny. I believe you’ll do great while I’m gone, but remember, I’ll be back soon to see whether you kept your word, or not. So, I leave you in charge of keeping things right while I’m away. You represent me, little man, so I expect you to behave the same, as if I’m still here.

Little Johnny: Scout’s honor papa. I will do my best!

This concludes another episode of, “A New Home”! Thanks for tuning in.

This story conveys a similar message Jesus left to His disciples before He ascended into the clouds. They were to carry on, where He left off; witnessing of His purpose to all the world. Knowing the journey wouldn’t be easy, Christ was also sure to leave them with a comforter, to assist them on their endeavors.

The power that ignites believers to boldly proclaim the message of the Gospel comes by way of the Holy Ghost, and absolutely NO OTHER SOURCE. In order to effectively preach God’s message, one must have God’s Spirit within them. When Christ returns, He’ll do as Papa did in our story, and check to see whether we obeyed His commands, or not, so live today, as if Jesus was still here, and allow His Spirit to empower you to be great until He returns.

Walk in love,

Ell

Solomon’s request

1 Kings 3:5-14

Before taking on any major task or duty, proper preparation is essential to ensuring one’s success. For example, when firefighters receive a call of a burning building, they must be certain to bring all the necessary equipment to put out the flames. It wouldn’t be wise for the firefighters to bring gallons of ice cream, or butter to dispel the flames, instead, gallons of water would be more appropriate? In another example, teachers are advised to compose lesson plans, that will prove beneficial to their student’s academic success. The right lesson plan can be the difference between a child’s future success, or failure. One thing I’ve learned in life is, “Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance”, and trusting in the Lord is the basis of all great thoughts, plans, and ideas.

Following the reign of the great king David, his son Solomon was chosen to rule in his stead. The children of Israel were a great people, not only in fame and prestige, but also in number. In Solomon’s own words, he mentioned, “And thy servant is in the midst of thy people which thou hast chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude” (vs. 8). Leading people, in general, is no easy assignment, so imagine trying to lead millions.

King David ruled successfully, because he allowed God to guide his hand, and from his example, Solomon learned the importance of submission to God. When presented by God, the opportunity to make any request, and He would grant it, Solomon surprisingly asked for wisdom. A more accurate description of Solomon’s request was, “Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad:” (vs. 9a). Solomon could have asked for money, fame, slaughter of his enemies, or anything else, and God would have granted it, but his heart was set on doing the work of the Lord, so his desires were in line with God’s will. God was pleased with Solomon’s request, and granted him the wisdom he desired, but also added riches, honor, fame, and conditional long life (if he walked in the ways of the Lord, and kept His statutes and commandments as David did).

If God asked you to make a request for anything, what would it be? Be honest. Would you ask for those things money can’t buy like wisdom, understanding, favor, or knowledge, or would you be so consumed in life’s affairs, until you’d seek pleasures of this would, that eventually fade away? I’ll be honest, I’d consider asking God for super powers like the ability to fly, breath under water, ability to touch people and instantly heal them, or X-ray vision (so I can see who’s responsible for always holding up the elevators at work…gets me so ANGRY!!!), but after pondering for a moment, I’d probably ask for something with a bit more spiritual significance, as Solomon did.

Seek to be wise in God’s eyes, and consider those things that are relevant to His will. As you plan and prepare for your daily duties, acknowledge God in all your ways, and He’ll guide you on the path of success. “Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding. (Proverbs 4:7)

Walk in love,

Ell

God’s gracious compassion

Psalm 106:40-48

Have you ever heard of the doctrine, “once saved, always saved”? In other words, there are men and women who preach, the moment one gives their heart to God, they are forever joined to Him, and nothing can keep them from seeing the Father in everlasting peace. Does that ring a bell? I’ve heard men speak that phrase since my childhood years, but I never developed an opinion on it, until I matured in godliness.

God loves every man born into this world, especially those who come into the knowledge of His Word, and commit to His ways. The compassion of the Lord has been known to rain on the just, as well as the unjust, because He has no respect of persons. God also devised a predestined plan for every individual to carry out on the earth, but whether those plans are actually carried out, is based on one’s personal choice. When we choose to follow after the things of God, He will direct us in the ways we should go, but when we make a choice to follow our own path, we align ourselves with others who will eventually miss God’s mark, and be judged according to their disobedience.

In our text, God’s chosen people, the Israelites, put Him through an emotional roller coaster, in the same way an undisciplined child does to a loving parent, as they constantly went against His will. Despite all the miraculous and wondrous works God performed for the people, they willingly chose to delve into things He warned them to stay away from. “Many times did He deliver them; but they provoked Him with their counsel, and were brought low for their iniquity” (vs. 43). For their continual disobedience, God allowed many unfortunate circumstances to overtake the people, in an effort to persuade them to turn away from all ungodly behaviors. As long as the people remained in their disobedience, they were never at peace, but when they cried out to God, He “regarded their affliction”. It’s important to note, God never went against the covenant He established with His people, but when they willingly did things contrary to their agreement, all promises were nullified, until repentance was in place.

The question remains, is “once saved, always saved” legit, according to Scripture? No, because if a person accepts Jesus as their savior, then willingly turns away from following after Him, they’ll be left to fend for themselves under their own wisdom, until they wholeheartedly turn back to God, and His gracious compassion. In natural life, it’s difficult to help a man who refuses assistance. In the same sense, God will withhold His hand from those who live outside of His covenant, until the moment they are ready to repent, then He’ll welcome them back to sit at His table.

“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).

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9 KJV).

“Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord” (Acts 3:19 KJV).

Walk in love,

Ell