Three Kinds of Givers!

Someone once said that, "there are three kinds of givers, the flint, the sponge, and the honeycomb. To get anything out of a flint you must hammer it. And then you get only chips and sparks. To get water out of a sponge you must squeeze it and the more you use pressure, the more you get. But the honeycomb just overflows with its own sweetness. Which kind of giver are you?"
God's word says in 2 Cor. 9:6-7, "But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver."

Passion!

Nothing shows our condition quite as much as a loss of passion for the Lord, for others, for the word, for lost souls, for life itself. Do our fires need stoking?

They Just Don't Get It!

I Peter 4:3-4 says, "For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revelings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries: Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you." When we get saved and all things are becoming new and the old is put off, those we partied with and did evil things with, just don't get it. They don't like the fact that we are in love with Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior and not into carnal things. Rest assured that they will speak evil of you for your righteousness. They didn't get it when it first happened and they don't get it now. Remember that light and dark have no fellowship with one another. If we walk in the light as He is in the light we will have fellowship with one another.

Discernment!

I remember it as though it were last week and yet it was in the early 1950's. My mother and all of us kids rode the bus to downtown Phoenix. As we got off the bus there stood a wild-eyed looking man who was holding a sign. It read, "Jesus Christ is coming soon and as we walked past him I looked back and the other side of his sign said, "I am the Christ." He was my first exposure to a heretic, a liar who had departed from the faith and given heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils ( see I Tim. 4:1-2). One side had truth the other a lie. Many who say they are working for the Lord are putting out some of each, truth and lies. We live in an hour where we Christians need discernment. Hebrews 5:14 says, "But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil." Let's all stay awake watching and praying.

Working in Agreement!

Two men were riding a bicycle built for two when they came to a big steep hill. It took a great deal of struggle for the men to complete what proved to be a very stiff climb. When they got to the top the man in front turned to the other and said, "Boy, that sure was a hard climb." The fellow in back replied, "Yes, and if I hadn't kept the brakes on all the way we would certainly have rolled down backwards." Funny story and yet there are truths to be discovered in the story. In the book of Amos 3:3 it says, "Can two walk together, except they be agreed?" We have in the Bible the greatest guidelines for walking together and working together in agreement. All that we do, must be done in love all the while preferring the other person or the others. Does it sound impossible? Have you been in groups, christian or others, where the leader is peddling with all his might only to have others putting on the brakes creating great resistance. How could the back rider in the bicycle story have not seen what he was doing to the front or lead rider? Maybe fear blinded him or rebellion or maybe he was just mean spirited. What else can you think of that could have caused such resistance? Would you care to share your thoughts?

Let's Go Fishing!!

I watched a fishing show on TV and when they started catching these very large catfish, the man who had not been cat fishing started hollering and jumping up and down and hollering even louder.
This guy was so excited that it is a wonder that he didn't fall overboard. Have you ever been fishing for men. Jesus told a group of fishermen to come follow him and he would make them fishers of men. When someone gets saved it says in the Bible that the angels rejoice. How excited would we be to lead someone to the Lord? Enough to jump up and down and holler? I don't remember ever hollering but I do remember being very excited. Are you ready? Let's go fishing.

A Good Attitude!

Matthew Henry, the famous Bible scholar, was once accosted by thieves and robbed of his purse. He wrote these words in his diary: "Let me be thankful first because I was never robbed before; second, although they took my purse, they did not take my life; third, because, although they took my all, it was not much; and fourth, because it was I who was robbed and not someone else." What a good attitude and outlook on life. He truly put others before himself. Have we had much success in this arena?

Vengeance belongs to the Lord!

We live in the hour where we need to live according to what is said in Psalm 37: 1,2 which reads, "Fret not thyself because of evil- doers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb." We need to rest in the Lord and not get ourselves all lathered up over these evil ones. God is not mocked for whatever man sows he shall also reap. Evil doers will be cut down by the Lord. He will not wink at sin in their lives. God has a time to take care to these ones for it is written in Romans 12:19b, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay saith the Lord." Rest assured that He will take care of these matters.

Love!

On the subject of love, an unknown author penned the following:

Love is Silence - when your words would hurt.
Love is Patience - when your neighbor's curt.
Love is Deafness - when a scandal flows.
Love is Thoughtfulness - for others' woes.
Love is Promptness - when stern duty calls.
Love is Courage - when misfortune falls.

Proverbs 10;12 says, "Hatred stirs up contentions: but love covers all transgressions." (Amplified Bible) What do our lives have to say about Love?

Continue In The WORD!

Paul the Apostle wrote Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:2-4, "Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables." Paul said the time is coming when Christians will want something more than the truth of God's written word and will seek after teachers who will be great story tellers or great orators who will be promising deliverance and healing while they are in personal bondage themselves. They will be like clouds without rain, or ships without a rudder. In Chapter 3:13 of the same book, it says, "But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived." We live in such an hour, so let's be in the word and not doing things the way the world does them. Our weapons aren't carnal but they are mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds. In the Old Testament the children of Israel were instructed to stone to death those who said thus saith the Lord when the Lord hadn't said. They were called false Prophets back then. What are they called today? Maybe unique or unorthodox. Let's be careful to see that we endure hardness as good soldiers of Jesus Christ, and don't fall into the enemies traps.

A Righteous Guide!

Psalm 48:14 says, "For this God is our God forever and ever: He will be our guide even unto death." The song writer wrote,"Where He leads me I will follow, I'll go with Him, with Him, all the way." God is a righteous guide for us all and the one who knows the way. What are we waiting for, let's get in step right behind Him.

Self Love!

Benjamin Franklin once said, "He that falls in love with himself will have no rivals." The Apostle Paul warned Timothy in II Timothy 3: 1-2 by saying, "This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves,..." I believe that we are living in this perilous time for men are in many ways manifesting their love of self. A, me- first attitude is permeating our society and the church. Our call is to love God and our neighbor while self love needs a trip to the cross.

A Great Mystery!

I Timothy 3:16 says, "And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory." What is this great mystery? Christ in us the hope of glory would be an appropriate answer. Colossians 1:26 - 27 says, "Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory." We are most blessed to know this mystery.