Saturday, October 12, 2019
Blessed In Order To Be A Blessing
Verse of the Day: 1 Samuel 25:11, Shall I then take my bread and my water and my meat that I have killed for my shearers, and give it to men when I do not know where they are from?”
Can we imagine if God had decided to keep Heaven to Himself? What if He simply decided that He would just go ahead and start all over and create a new batch of humans that would not rebel against Him and just let us all perish? What a tragedy and what hopelessness we would live with, knowing that our end would be eternal condemnation with no hope of redemption at all. Praise to our God and Father, to our Savior, who chose to bless us by giving us His only begotten Son, that none of us who put our faith in the finished work of Jesus would perish (John 3:16). Note what God did with that blessing we received in Christ. He did not tell us to keep it to ourselves, but commanded us to go out and “preach the Gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15). So is His desire for the physical blessings we receive in life. Nabal was an evil, self-centered man. Although David and his men had served him well, in spite of the fact that it was not there duty to do so, he returned their kindness with insults and an unwillingness to provide for them even though he was a blessed man and had the resources to meet their needs. Far too often, we receive a blessing from the Lord and our first thought is, “How am I going to spend this on myself?” What our first thought should be is, “Lord, how can I use this to be a blessing and glorify You?” “Lord, was this meant for me or am I to use this to bless someone else?” Proverbs 11:25-26 says, “The generous soul will be made rich, and he who waters will also be watered himself. 26 The people will curse him who withholds grain, but blessings will be on the head of him who sells it.” 2 Corinthians 9:6-8 also says, “But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.” As born again believers we must be available to be used by God to be a channel of blessings. Philippians 2:4 clearly states, “Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.” Doing good to others and sharing is a form of life worship as stated in Hebrews 13:15-16, “Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. 16 But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.” God will certainly provide for all our needs. In some instances He may choose to bless us beyond what we deserve or imagine, but we are not meant to hoard our blessings, but be ready to share those blessings with others as the Lord leads and directs. What we will discover is that the more we bless others with what we have, the more the Lord will provide for us to keep the flow of blessings going forward. I want to stop here and caution us at this point and remind us of this one thing…God knows our hearts and knows the genuineness of why we give. We will never be able to twist God’s arm into pouring blessings into our lives by giving with the intention to get something back from the Lord. Our attitude in giving should be that we are giving because we know it is God’s will for us, expecting nothing in return. Our blessing may not always come in the form of material things. So if we are going to give under some false “name it claim it” or “prosperity” pretense, then it is better we keep it to ourselves until we can give it unselfishly and with no expectation of God giving us material gain. God will bless whom He chooses and gives us the free will to be a blessing for His glory. Let us avoid, at all cost, being a Nabal in our giving. Instead, let us be a people who recognize that all we have belongs to the Lord, and He gives to us so that we can be His channels of blessings, if He so chooses.
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
Thursday, October 10, 2019
Doing Good in Hard Times
Verse of the Day: 1 Samuel 25:7, Now I have heard that you have shearers. Your shepherds were with us, and we did not hurt them, nor was there anything missing from them all the while they were in Carmel.
To say that David was going through hard times is an understatement. Although anointed to be the next king by Samuel, at God’s direction, he spent many years literally running for his life. During those years, there was plenty of opportunity for him to think about how unfair all of this was, since he was a faithful servant to both God and Saul. Yet, his faithfulness was repaid with jealousy, envy, and being pursued for the purpose of ending his life. The many years of being on the run were an opportunity for David to become bitter, as he did not ask to be king, be given the opportunity to serve in Saul’s army or even be a part of those who served in the palace. His years on the run could have made him the kind of man who would pillage, steal, and harm anyone who might have come between him, his men, and surviving in the wilderness. Yet, this man, who was a man after God’s own heart, did not become bitter toward life or God because of his harsh circumstances. Although we read in many of the Psalms that there were times of distress and tears, the one thing we see about David was that he continued to have a heart of service to both God and man. This could not have been an easy task, especially after being joined by the group of men who chose to follow him. 1 Samuel 22:2 says this about these men, “And everyone who was in distress, everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented gathered to him. So he became captain over them. And there were about four hundred men with him.” This could have easily turned into a band of marauders who cared about nothing but themselves and their own survival. Instead, David’s own testimony of who he had been in tough times was confirmed by one of Nabal’s servants. Verses 14-16 of this chapter read, “Now one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal’s wife, saying, ‘Look, David sent messengers from the wilderness to greet our master; and he reviled them. 15 But the men were very good to us, and we were not hurt, nor did we miss anything as long as we accompanied them, when we were in the fields. 16 They were a wall to us both by night and day, all the time we were with them keeping the sheep.’” So often, in our own lives, we experience hard times, even as children of God. It has been said about surviving these times that it not so much about what happens that determines how we live through them, but how we respond to them. In other words, life is two percent what happens and ninety eight percent how we react or deal with it. In those trying times in David’s life he chose to respond by staying faithful to God and doing good to those around him when the opportunity arose. My personal observation has been that when difficult times come, God also presents opportunities for us to be a blessing to someone else. While dealing with our own difficulties and sorrows, God brings others who need help dealing with their difficulties and sorrows. The choices we make during these times are really opportunities to bring honor to God. David felt comfortable asking Nabal for help because he (David) knew that he and his men had chosen not to do evil against Nabal, even when such opportunities presented themselves. Of course, he did not know that the man he had been good to was a fool and a man of wicked ways. Nonetheless, it is always more important to be good to those who do not deserve it because God calls us show the love of Christ to all people, as He does, regardless of who they might turn out to be deep down inside. It is more about God’s glory than our feelings or people’s attitudes. So how do we, as God’s children, come to the place of doing good to other while living through hard times? Well, first it comes down to obedience to, and reverence for, the Lord. Next, we must remember this valuable truth as stated in 1 Peter 5:6-7, “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, 7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” When we cast our care upon God, it gives us the peace of mind and frees us to do what we are told to do in Galatians 6:2, “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” Our good works towards others, especially during hard times is evidence of our faith in Christ. James calls us to prove our faith by our works (James 2:14-26). Performance of good works, even in hard times is worship toward God (Hebrews 13:15-16). Jesus Himself said in Matthew 5:16 that our good works, seen by men, will glorify our Father in Heaven. Regardless of what happens during difficult times, know that God will always present us with opportunities to do good to others, not only to help us grow in our faith, but to be a blessing for His glory. Let us not be so self-absorbed in hard times that we miss out on heavenly reward when God presents us an opportunity to bring praise to His Name.
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
Sunday, October 6, 2019
Wait for an Abigail…Avoid a Nabal
Verse of the Day: 1 Samuel 25:3, The name of the man was Nabal, and the name of his wife Abigail. And she was a woman of good understanding and beautiful appearance; but the man was harsh and evil in his doings. He was of the house of Caleb.
How in the world does a foolish man like Nabal end up marrying such a beautiful and wise woman as Abigail? First, keep in mind that in those days, and in that culture, it was common to have a prearranged marriage where money and prestige could certainly buy you a bride, even to the hurt of that bride. Today, sadly, far too many of God’s daughters are choosing Nabals all on their own. Nonetheless, the fact that Abigail endured living with such a brutish, harsh, and selfish man, says so much about who she was as a woman of God. The Lord described her in His Word as “a woman of good understanding and beautiful appearance”. How many woman today could honestly be described this way, not by man, but by God Himself? We as men desire to have a woman such as this one, but I have to ask an honest question. How many of us men who desire a woman who is both beautiful inside and out have actually done all we can to be the godly men we need to be, so that we can truly appreciate such a woman? Far too often both men and women of God desire to be blessed with a godly spouse, yet we do nothing to become the godly husband or wife that the person we are asking for will need. So I ask you now, “What are you doing to prepare for such a life partner, should the Lord bless you with such a person?” Abigail was the ideal woman, as described in Proverbs 31:10-31. Proverbs 22:18 says, “He who finds a wife finds a good thing, and obtains favor from the LORD.” Nabal, in spite of his character, was greatly blessed. Yet, God’s blessings did nothing to change who he was deep down inside. Men, if we have been blessed with such a woman, what are we doing to show our appreciation to the Lord for such a blessing? How are we treating that woman, who, if she is also a born again believer, is also a child of God? If we have not yet met our “Abigail”, what are we doing to prepare for her arrival in our life? Are we doing all we can to be the godly men we are supposed to be? Are we focused on God and serving Him or are we too busy complaining about not having our Abigail yet? Are we a “Nabal” husband? If so, what are we doing to change? Maybe we have an Abigail who has been abused by our lack of godliness. Maybe the woman who was once an Abigail is tired and tattered because we have continued to be inconsiderate and selfish. Will we finally turn to the Lord so that He can make us the men we are supposed to be? Ladies…yes, I have not forgotten you. What are you doing to become an Abigail? Are you so busy trying to find a man that you are willing to compromise your Christian values and just settle for the first Nabal that comes along because you are lonely or afraid that you will never find the right man? Stop focusing on trying to find that man. If you have Jesus, you already have that Man! Let Him bring the right man into your life, when He knows that you are ready to receive him. If you are already married to a Nabal, a foolish and brutish man, then be an Abigail anyway. If your husband is far from the Lord, and you desire to have a man who will become a man after God’s own heart, then follow God’s advice in 1 Peter 3:1-6. It reads, “Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own husbands, that even if some do not obey the word, they, without a word, may be won by the conduct of their wives, 2 when they observe your chaste conduct accompanied by fear. 3 Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel— 4 rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God. 5 For in this manner, in former times, the holy women who trusted in God also adorned themselves, being submissive to their own husbands, 6 as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, whose daughters you are if you do good and are not afraid with any terror.” The bottom line is that women of God need to be more concerned with how God sees them, rather than how men see them. Be the kind of woman who wants a man to see her through the eyes of God, and not through the eyes of men who are lustful and selfish; then wait for God to bring that man to you. Men of God, if you want God to bless you with an Abigail, be a man after God’s own heart and not a foolish Nabal, then wait on God to bring that woman into your life. I praise the Lord that in spite of the fact that I have been a “Nabal” more often than I would like to admit, He has allowed me to have my “Abigail”.
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
Saturday, September 28, 2019
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