2 Timothy 4:15-16, “Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all. Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.”

Loving God is not enough.

The love that we have for God should propel us toward works. James 2:17, “Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.” Work is basically putting God’s word to the test. We are not “fleecing” God as Gideon did. Rather, we believe God and take him at his word. We stand on it in faith, and use his word to battle the enemy.

When God says, “I will” our faith propels us to move as if it is already done. Our speech should line up with what God has said. Our vision should see what God says. Even though the thing promised may not have yet manifested in the natural, our faith takes it as a done deal.

Faith without works is dead!

Many say they love God, but are not willing to stretch out on faith and proclaim what God has said or done. They want to wait until the miracle has already happened, then spread it abroad. This is not faith. This is just stating facts.

But if we truly love God, we will take him at his word and act accordingly.

Faith is the hallmark of the believer. This is why we work.

People need to see us walking, talking, and living by faith. They need to see it before the manifestation occurs. As Bishop Fitzpatrick used to say, “they need to know there is a reality in serving the true and living God.”

People need to see you worshiping God through the pain. For when the healing comes, they can also testify to the power of God.

People need to see you work, and hear your testimony. They need to witness you working by faith as you walk into your promised land!

This is why we work!

Our journey is not so much for us alone. It is for the many people who watch us along the way. Our faith walk helps to increase their faith.

This is why we work!

2 Timothy says meditate upon these things (the word of God). Give yourself wholly to them. We must be completely invested in this walk!! We cannot afford to have an “on again/off again” relationship with God. We must be consistent and progressing. Why? Because those wha are watching us must see our prosperity. This is spiritual, emotional, physical, and financial prosperity. Because God’s word speaks to more than just finances.

2 Timothy goes on to encourage us to take notice of ourselves and the doctrine. We must examine ourselves to make sure we remain in the faith. We must also make sure we are walking according to the true word of God, and not someone’s interpretation of it. By self checking we not only save ourselves, but those who hear/see us!

We must seek God continually – asking him to reveal himself to us through his word. He is faithful and he will do it! As he reveals himself, we must make corrections to our walk to ensure that we are walking accordingly. Acts 2:40, “And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.” Philippians 2:12,”…work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.”

This is why we work!

There is a responsibility in salvation. We cannot afford to entrust our own salvation to someone else. We must work to make sure we are on the right path. We must give ourselves wholly over reading God’s word, and seeking his face as we walk on this life journey.

Ultimately, heaven is our goal. And we want to take as many people as we can with us.

This is why we work!

So I encourage you work too. You may never know who is watching you. But rest assured, someone is. Let you life tell the tale of just how good and faithful God is.

Have a blessed day…

1 Timothy 3:16, “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.”

Definitions:

Controversy: disagreement.

Mystery: something that is difficult or impossible to understand or explain.

Just sitting here thinking about the love that God has so graciously shown to us in so many different ways.

He is a great big God (for he is everywhere at the same time), but he is personal too. He dwells on the inside of us (after that Acts 2:38 experience), and he is always speaking. His desire is to lead and guide us, always.

He is there to encourage, to chasten, to rebuke, and to uplift us as we walk with him. He fathers us. And just like any other parent, he has unruly children at times, but that is another lesson :)!

When talking about Jesus, there are so many voices out there that would speak negatively. But that says more about the individual doing the speaking than It does about God.

I have come to realize that Jesus must reveal himself to the believer. Once that has been done, that person will be forever changed. It’s a Jesus thing!

I can only tell you so much about him.

His goodness, his kindness, his forgiveness, his great love. How he died for me, while I was yet in my sin, and not really thinking about him. How he provides for me. How he delivers me. How he has healed me.

At some point we all need to experience him for ourselves.

I could go on and on talking about him – he’s been that good, and done some much for me.

It truly is a Jesus thing…

The best part is after hearing all that, you will want to try him yourself. You’ll want to know him better for yourself. Jesus is just that good!!

Jesus is all about people. He’s was always going out to those that needed him the most – eating with publicans and sinners. It was his love for his people that made him so approachable. He dealt with rulers and common folk alike!

It is a great mystery – but God has revealed himself to us.

John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

Yes, it is a Jesus thing. However, for his children it is also a faith thing.

We don’t wake up one morning knowing or believing everything in the Bible. It is a faith walk. Many things we take it on faith, and ask God to reveal himself to us. And he will, because he is faithful.

Hebrews 11:6, “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”

For this reason we are instructed to walk and live by faith, not by sight. There are 37 Bible verses that talk about this, and 4 them outright says you must live by your faith!

When it comes to Jesus, it is all about faith.

Mark 9:23, “Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.”

I encourage you to take out your Bible and leave it somewhere handy. Read it every day. It does not have to be a lot of verses or chapters. Just a little, and the spend a few minutes throughout the day meditating (thinking / considering) on what you read. Ask god to reveal himself to you.

Don’t be surprised when he does. You will find yourself wanting to share with others the good news (gospel). And that is okay, for this is how we reach the world!

It’s a Jesus thing… and I am so grateful and thankful that it is!

Have a blessed day!

Acts 4:10-12, “Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole. This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”

I love the book of Acts for many reasons. But tonight I appreciate the way Peter takes the time to provide history – a reminder of what was done, and by whom.

He reminds the people of the direness of their present circumstances, and offers them the solution. Jesus is always the solution – he is the answer!

Sometimes, you just have to let people know the truth of where they are. And show them there is hope. We are not perfect and we make mistakes. We find ourselves in tough or hard situations. A lot of times. We have been in these challenging times that it is hard to remember a time of ease and joy.

It does not matter how long you may have been in your present situation. There is hope – and it is in Jesus.

Many times we get so use to being beneath. We learn to navigate the turbulent waters, and find a way to survive. We deceive ourselves into calling this low level of living “normal” because it is all we ever knew.

But God wants more for us.

He died to give us better. He arose again with all power in his hands to ensure that we have access to better. But we must choose his better over what we thought was our normal!

Sometimes, you just have to let people know (or provide a reminder):

– Jesus came to give us life abundantly!

– Jesus called us to be the head, and not the tail. To be above only, and not beneath!

So Peter, when he and John saw the man at the beautiful gate begging – he had to let him know. There is better for you – look on us and receive.

This daily begging at the beautiful gate was normal to the man. He was well know by the people because he was faithfully at the gate. He was so consistent that he had made arrangements with friends and family to get him there each day.

Many of us are the same way. We are faithfully consistent in navigating our brokenness that we do not see it for what it is. We have been tricked into believing it is normal and refuse to seek better.

But for those of us who have experienced the blessed liberty of Christ – we know better. We are so blessed by God daily. It is our duty to share what we have, freely.

We don’t ambush people. We don’t badger people. We don’t judge people. We don’t negate what they know.

But we do move in love as the Spirit of God leads.

When God opens the door, we just have to let people know. This same Jesus – he is our help, and theirs too!

Yes, I do love the book of Acts. If you have not yet taken the time to read it much, I encourage you to do so. You just might find yourself letting people know too!

Have a blessed day!