What can you do for others?

Do you sometimes wish you could do more for others? Some people seem to have a knack for doing for others. I'm proud to say my daughter is one of those. She is always picking up someone from somewhere, taking an elderly person grocery shopping or just visiting them to see how they are doing. And she thinks nothing of it. She does it cheerfully and willingly, despite having a busy schedule of her own and a home and family to look after. Karon lives what Jesus instructed his disciples to do when he spoke about His second coming. He said the King (referring to Himself) will say to the people on his right:

"I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me." (Matthew 25 : 36)

And the people will answer Him, "When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?" (v 39)

Jesus continued, "And The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’" ( v 40).

Jesus went on to teach that He will say to those on His left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels' (41).

This is a serious thing. You can get thrown into hell for not looking after the sick, or visiting those in prison or feeding the hungry? According to Jesus, you can because it shows you do not have love. 

The apostle John put it this way:  "We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love each other. Anyone who does not love remains in death" (1 John 3: 14). 

He continues,  "Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth" (v 18). 

Is there someone you can show love to today? God bless.

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Lenten Reflections cont'd

In my last post, I wrote about the opportunity we have to draw nearer to God during this Lenten season. If ever we needed God it is now. I believe it is no accident that Easter comes during the season of spring, at least in the northern hemisphere. Spring is a time of new beginnings, therefore what better time to begin a new life in Christ or recommit our lives to Him than during this Easter season.

Some questions we may reflect on are:

1. What does God require of me as a Christian?

"And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this , Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these" (Mark 12: 30 - 31).

 2. How can I demonstrate God's love in my dealings with others?

Many of us will readily admit that we love the Lord, but how about our neighbor? When was the last time we spoke to them, smiled or offered to help them in some way? Other scriptures you may want to reflect on: Matthew 22: 37 - 39; Luke 10: 27; John 13: 34; 1 Corinthians 13 : 3. 

But love ye your enemies, and do good , and lend , hoping for nothing again ; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: (Luke 6: 35).

 On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head” (Romans 12: 20)
 
On the cross, Jesus forgave the Roman soldiers who crucified Him. He also forgave the thief who hung next to him.  

3. How can I fulfill the great commission?

The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep" (John 21: 17). 

 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. (Matthew 24: 14).

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (Matthew 28: 19).

Jesus's last command to us before leaving this earth was for us to go and make disciples of all nations. Not all of us will be able to travel extensively to spread the gospel like Paul and some of the other disciples did. In fact, we don't have to leave our little neck of the woods to tell others about Jesus Christ. We can begin right where we are.

Today marks the beginning of Holy week. As we pray and reflect this week, I trust that you will keep some of these questions in mind along with those the Holy Spirit lays on your heart. To help you in your reflections this Lenten season, I have written a little book that won an honorable mention on Writer's Digest. I trust that you will be blessed by it.





 

How To Overcome Tiredness

When was the last time you took a break from your busy schedule to rest and spend some time with God? One of the complaints I hear very often is tiredness. In today's busy world with so many demands being made on our time, it's easy to become tired. And tiredness leads to irritability, frustration and eventually resentment at our way of life. God does not want His children to be tired all the time. In the book of Exodus, he commanded the children of Israel to rest.

Six days thou shalt do thy work, and on the seventh day thou shalt rest : that thine ox and thine ass may rest , and the son of thy handmaid, and the stranger, may be refreshed - Exodus 23: 12

Everyone, including the animals, had a time of rest. Later, God commanded that the land be allowed to rest.

And six years thou shalt sow thy land, and shalt gather in the fruits thereof: 11 But the seventh year thou shalt let it rest and lie still; that the poor of thy people may eat : and what they leave the beasts of the field shall eat . In like manner thou shalt deal with thy vineyard, and with thy oliveyard. - v 10 - 11.

When He walked the face of this earth, He often called away His disciples for a time of rest and relaxation.

And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going , and they had no leisure so much as to eat - Mark 6 : 31.

Jesus knew the benefits of rest to the human body. However, He also promised rest for the soul.

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden , and I will give you rest . Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.  Matthew 11 : 28 - 30.

Hebrews 4 : 3 states, For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said , As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. 

If you find yourself being tired and irritable all the time, examine your lifestyle. Are you taking on too much? Are you reluctant to ask those around you for help? Do you find it difficult to say 'no' sometimes? Could you find an easier or simpler way of doing things? Are you a perfectionist?

Some or all of the above can contribute to a perpetual state of physical tiredness if we are not careful.  Mental or emotional tiredness is another matter. Sometimes we need a retreat from people and everyday situations. We need to get away from the crowds, as Jesus urged His disciples to do, so we can rest and refresh our souls.

As you meditate on the above scriptures, ask the Lord to show you how to deal with those areas of your life that are causing you tiredness, then do what He tells you to do.

Speed Bumps On The Road To Destiny

He said to them, "Listen to this dream I had. We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it"( Genesis 37: 5).


Many of you may be familiar with the story of Joseph, the boy who had a dream. His brothers envy him because of his dreams which seem to foretell that he will one day rule over them. Worse, their father Israel favors him over them. Israel has made Joseph a special coat of many colors and this makes the brothers hate Joseph even more. At first they think about killing him, but Judah, one of the brothers, suggests they sell him to the Ishmaelites.

So when the Midianite merchants came by, the brothers pulled Joseph up out of the cistern and sold him for twenty shekels of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt (v 28).

Little do the brothers know that they are sending Joseph on the road to his destiny. But along the way, he will encounter many speed bumps. The Bible tells us that the Lord is with Joseph and he prospers in the house of his Egyptian master, who places him in charge of his household. But, look out, because here comes another bump.

Potiphar's wife has her lustful eyes on the handsome young man, and tries to entice him to sleep with her. But Joseph fears God and resists her charms. Then one day when no one else is around, the woman grabs his cloak and tries to force him into bed with her. Joseph runs, leaving his cloak in her hands.

Enraged, the woman tells her husband that Joseph tried to rape her. Bump! Joseph is thrown into prison. But guess what? God is with Joseph. The prison warden puts Joseph in charge of the prison. He is eventually released after he interprets a dream for Pharaoh.

Joseph tells Pharaoh that there will be seven years of abundance followed by seven years of famine in Egypt, and that Pharaoh should store up enough grain during the time of abundance so they will have enough for the lean years. So impressed is Pharaoh with Joseph's interpretation, he places him in charge of all Egypt.

Then Pharoah said to Joseph, "I am Pharaoh, but without your word no one will lift hand or foot in all Egypt" (41: 44).

And so Joseph finally reaches his destination. He has gotten over all the speed bumps the enemy placed in his path and is now head over Egypt. The famine begins. Joseph's brothers come to Egypt looking for food, and bow before him just as he had dreamed years ago.

There will always be obstacles in our path when we are trying to accomplish something. In Joseph's case, he had a dream that one day he would rule over his brothers. What is your dream? What speed bumps are blocking your path or slowing you down on the road to your destiny?

Notice that Joseph feared God throughout all his trials. He never turned his back on God and he never complained. When Potiphar's wife tempted him he said, "How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?" (39: 9). That is the attitude we must have in the face of difficulty. Fear God, follow His commandments and He will eventually bring us into our divine destiny. God bless.

Rest And Relaxation

This weekend I decided to take some much needed time for R&R and spend it with God. You know, we rush around so much doing this and that, and sometimes when we should be relaxing we find it hard to just unwind and do nothing. Well, this weekend with my grandchildren away at a camp, I decided I would do something I had been postponing for a long time.

I think God was pleased with my decision, because even the weather conspired to keep me indoors. If you live in Atlanta you know what I'm talking about.
So with the rain gently washing my window panes, I sat on my bed, read, prayed and sang. When I tired of that I lay still and just meditated on God and what I had read in His word.

Want to know what I read? Exodus. One of my favorite Bible stories. The part where God gave the Ten Commandments to Moses. Then I flipped over to Matthew and read where Jesus said, speaking of the Law, "... I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill" (5:17). Then on to Romans where Paul explains that "a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law" (3:28). And then he sums up how the law is fulfilled in the life of a believer: "Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law" (13:10).

Rest, relax, love God, love your neighbor as yourself. It doesn't get any better than that.