Friday, May 24, 2013
2nd Timothy Series Completed - Starting 1st Peter!
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Started 2nd Timothy Series! (5-22-2013)
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Began New Series through 1st & 2nd Timothy! (Thurs. 9 May 2013)
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Paid by God for your Service (4-23-2013)
18 “Son of man, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon caused his army to labor strenuously against Tyre; every head was made bald, and every shoulder rubbed raw; yet neither he nor his army received wages from Tyre, for the labor which they expended on it. 19 Therefore thus says the Lord God: ‘Surely I will give the land of Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; he shall take away her wealth, carry off her spoil, and remove her pillage; and that will be the wages for his army. 20 I have given him the land of Egypt for his labor, because they worked for Me,’ says the Lord God.” -Ezekiel 29:18-20
Does God pay us for our faithful service to Him? Yes, a thousand times, the answer is yes! Jesus promised it over and over again. God will pay us with the wages of Heaven! But, even in this life we can receive blessings and rewards from God for our service to Him (See Matthew 6:4,6,18; 20:8; Luke 10:7; 2 Timothy 4:8).
In these verses from the book of Ezekiel God was paying back the nation of Babylon and it’s King for their service done to Him. God had wanted to send Judgment upon the wicked, proud, sinful city of Tyre! The armies of Babylon did their service to destroy this place. However, the spoils gathered from that destruction were not that great, but the cost was a little much for their army’s labor and travels. Therefore, God said, “I will reward them with Egypt and it’s riches also for their service to me.” God allowed them to overtake and destroy Egypt as well, thus finding the riches and getting the funds that were needed to pay for their military labors and to make it profitable for them. How nice of God to pay them for their services to Him. God also pays us for our services to Him!
You may think, “Oh, but when I do gospel labor there is not much profit. Oh, there is not much to be gained when I sell or give a Christian book to someone who has almost no money. Or when I do a Bible study freely for another person it is only for the value of our study and a soul, nothing more.” You may not get much apparently at this time for your efforts, but you can be sure that the rewards of God are on their way! You will be rewarded NOW with blessings from God, but rest assured that there is even a far greater reward that is coming from God in the future! Maybe at the next house (for you Colporteurs) your reward is coming. But, even more so when the Lord appears the greatest of all payments will be ours! The King of Babylon didn’t get his pay when he labored against Tyre, but God gave him what he needed as pay and profit at the very next military encounter. The treasures of the next campaign easily paid for both endeavors! God blessed these servants and rewarded them for their service! Maybe our kind act today, in service for God, will put us down a little bit financially speaking, but tomorrow God has plans to pay and to reward your kind service of faith! So, serve Him faithfully today, not counting the cost, but trusting that if it is God’s service, then He will richly repay you at just the right time! Be blessed in the Lord today!
[originally posted on our old CCM blog, April 23, 2013]
Saturday, April 20, 2013
Our Hebrews Series is now finished! 4-19-2013
Sunday, April 14, 2013
Is sharing sickness or disease love?
To the title question of this article, you might quickly say, “No!” That would seem like a reasonable response. However, believe it or not, there are people and cultures in the world who in practice (and/or belief) would think that sharing sickness and disease was love. After all, some people we really just “love so much!” Perhaps we think, well, if they can suffer it, then I will too. Is that love? The face of your spouse, that cute little child, or significant other; wouldn’t it just be love to share their sickness and feel their ill ease together? Is that right? To some, such an idea would seem like madness! And it is madness, isn’t it? Others would just buy it as “love” and suffer the illness of a loved one. However, despite people’s personal opinions and various cultural ideas, what does God have to say about this in His word? It is love, or insanity and sin? Well, let’s take a look at the Bible, the ultimate source for truth and right thinking! Surely, God has an answer for us!
The very first sin of man was done in the name of “love” to a certain dear one, but it savored much more of idolatry and rebellion against God, than it did of love. Certainly, SIN never deserves the name of “love.” It is the farthest cry from it! “Love works no ill to his neighbor: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law” (Romans 13:10). “Sin” however “…is the transgression of the law” of God (1 John 3:4). Sin is the disobeying of God’s law. But “love” is the keeping of God’s law (See also John 14:15,21; 1 John 4:7-9; 1 John 5:2,3). And certainly, “no man can serve two masters” (Matthew 6:24). Adam disobeyed God’s commandment by choosing to partake in the same sin as Eve, his wife. Thus, he became a transgressor too and was put out from the garden along with the woman who he had made an idol over God. Clearly, God hates sin, but loves people (John 3:16; Isaiah 13:9). He will destroy sin, and save those who are willing to escape through His Help. But those who love sin will perish with their sin.
Sin is like a disease. It affects the human race and spreads contagiously. Adam should have remained loyal to God, hating the sin of his own wife (while yet having love for her as a person), and loving God enough to remain faithful to His commands. Adam chose instead sadly, to take the disease of sin from his own wife, and to dishonor God. That was idolatry because he made her greater than God. We have to remember that God himself has the highest claims upon our lives!! It is not that child, or spouse, or significant other in this world, but it is God! Hate sin, and love people. Love God and hate sin!
Sickness, sin, and suffering all come from Satan, not God, and one day they will be done away with fully! (Luke 13:12,16; Revelation 21:4). They are enemies to us and to our loved ones. We should avoid them at all costs! God teaches us the principles of containment and desires to save us from the disease and suffering of the world. He wants us to be well and in good health! (3 John 1:2). Read Leviticus 13 sometime fully when you have the chance. Very serious and contagious diseases were dealt with very carefully. The policy of containment was ordered by God! An infected or contagious person was not allowed to pollute the environment around them or to contaminate others with their disease. They were to receive a certain amount of isolation, as needed, to contain the disease. Again, Romans 13:10 says that “love works no ill to his neighbor.” Therefore, it seems fitting that out of love, those with an infectious disease would labor to contain it. And out of love, those without the disease would labor to give care for one who was sick, while being careful not to contract such a disease themselves (Matthew 9:12; 10:8; 25:34-41).
What about other pesky illnesses and colds? Should we just shrug them off and choose to share them with the faces of those we love? Is that love? Well, to care for them is love. That does put us at some risk, but in the name of Jesus, that’s a necessary evil and Christ expects it. He will care for us and help us to maintain our own health in such a case. But, if we needlessly put ourselves into the risk of becoming sick and with careless regard perform acts that are highly likely to share a sickness, then maybe we should think twice before doing so. That is not love. Taking what no one in their right mind (not even your loved one) should ever want, is not love.
Before you choose, just remember that, “…your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s” (1 Corinthians 6:19,20). Can you or anyone else afford to get sick nearly on purpose and to lose time and service to God for even a day because you have become needlessly sick? God holds first claim upon all of us, and He expects faithful service of love from us. Let us not cheat God out of the daily service and energy that belongs to Him, but was lent to us. We can’t ignore the claim of God, even for a dear face. Take care of your health. Avoid becoming sick if at all possible. It will make a great difference in your ability to do faithful service for God! Be well, healthy, and strong to honor and serve God for as many days of the year as are possible! Every day belongs to Him! Us too!
[originally posted on our old CCM blog, April 14, 2013]