“Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works” (James 2:18 KJV). Your house was just flooded. You appreciate well wishes, but anyone helping to rescue you, clean up, and restore you couldn’t be more appreciated! If you can help someone, especially in the household of faith, what better way to express Christian love!
Read:
From the beginning, God commanded Adam and Eve to “replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth” (Genesis 1:28 KJV). Replenish, not destroy. Subdue and dominate, not to become victims of the Earth. The Almighty made us stewards of the Earth. The Creator gave us the tools to wisely make Earth a sustainable home. Profitability is where there is more gain than loss, and it assumes sustainability. Short term profits elevated above sustainability are shortsighted, unwise, and greedy. Sustainability and profitability should not be at odds, unless short term greed controls. Where sustainability is wisely implemented, Christians should support. I recently viewed “Sustainable: The future of our food system determines the future of mankind” (starring Marty Travis, a farmer in central Illinois). Heaven is our future home, but this is home for now.
“Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints” (Ephesians 6:18 KJV). This commandment reveals our capability of praying “without ceasing” (1Thessalonians 5:17 KJV), which indicates the Spirit supernaturally intercedes through us for His Body (Romans 8:26), while we maintain purpose of heart and focus of understanding. “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for [Greek, huper, on behalf of] us with groanings which cannot be uttered” (Romans 8:26 KJV). This means more than not giving up. Even more than groaning while praying. But, the Holy Spirit is using us like a continuously linked network coprocessor, but most importantly, with our consent and awareness. Hallelujah!
Would you change your behavior, if only God saw what you are doing? Would you make an anonymous donation to a worthy cause? Would you obey a rule others are breaking? Would you act solely because you love Him, not because You were afraid of Him? Hagar fled from Sarai because of harsh treatment. The LORD found her, instructed her to return, and gave her the promise of making her the mother of a great multitude. She realized God was concerned about her, because He had been watching her. “She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: You are the God who sees me, for she said, I have now seen the One who sees me” (Genesis 16:13 NIV). Wouldn’t you also want to please God, for He is watching you?
Rapture is a theological term not translated from the Biblical text. It is just like the words, Trinity or the Second Coming of Christ. However, harpazō or “caught up” is found in 1Thessalonians 4:17. Whether the Rapture occurs before or during the Tribulation, or even a combination of the above, Christians must be Ready to Go, But Prepared to Stay. Like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, we need to have the heart attitude: “If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up” (Daniel 3:17-18 KJV). Either way, “Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh” (Matthew 25:13 KJV).
“Can we all get along?” was Rodney King’s emotional plea at the height of the 1992 Los Angeles rioting. Good question for the Church nearly 2,000 years after Jesus ascended back to Heaven. “Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on Me through their word; That they all may be one; as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that Thou hast sent Me” (John 17:20-21 KJV). Our unity in Christ persuades the world for Jesus, but our disunity will push them away. Remember the supernatural unity of the Original Church, where “all that believed were together, and had all things common” (Acts 2:42 KJV). May Christ who unites us be greater than the differences that divide us.
“For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith” (Mark 11:23 KJV). Removing a mountain represents the impossible. Yet, Jesus compared casting a mountain into the sea with commanding the fig tree to dry up, which He just did (Mark 11:21). True, a mountain will be cast into the sea, if you will “not doubt” (11:23) in your heart. But first, does God want and need that to happen? Remember, prayer is not determining how to get God to do what we want, but petitioning the Almighty to do what He is determined to do. Here, Jesus is encouraging us to actually pray whatever prayer needs to be prayed, no matter how seemingly impossible, if we do not doubt in our heart that this is what the Lord is determined to do. Father, encourage us to pray.
“Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God” (1Corinthians 10:31 KJV). Paul is giving us the secret for Christian Dieting. The reason we seek weight control, greater agility, better mobility, greater flexibility, more utility, increased longevity, and overall better health is the glory of God. We do not seek it for the vanity of man’s esteem or simply our own pleasure, but solely for the glory of God. We are willing to change our affection for different foods, exercises, and lifestyles because there is no greater cause than the glory of God. Anything less than the glory of God, our discipline would give way to weakness, because we know God’s Spirit gives us the power to fulfill the goal of eating, drinking, and doing for the glory of God.
When it comes to healing, what about Paul’s thorn in the flesh? “And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure” (2Corinthians 12:7 KJV). First, God gave Paul a thorn in the flesh to prevent him from becoming conceited about all his divine “revelations” (12:7). Second, “messenger” (12:7) is aggellos in the Greek for angel, which Paul described as the “messenger of Satan to buffet me” (12:7). This was not poetry or metaphor, but the evil presence of a Fallen Angel. Are all physical maladies necessarily demonic or a demonstration that we sinned? No. “Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him” (John 9:3 KJV). But, in this instance, Paul’s suffering was necessary in God’s Cosmic War. Remember, at other times, Paul prayed and secured healing for others (Acts 28:8) and encourages us “in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God” (Philippians 4:6 KJV). This should not prevent us from seeking in prayer for the Lord to heal us; instead, it only justifies us for the grace, peace, and demonstration of the “power of Christ” (2Corinthians 12:9 KJV) to sustain us, when suffering is necessary. Our godly suffering then encourages the godly and frustrates the Enemy. Remember, our King wins this battle, and whenever we must suffer, it contributes to the Final Victory. Hallelujah!
When it comes to suffering, what about Job? Didn’t it prove that even good people have to suffer, and suffering was not necessarily a sign of God’s anger because we have done something wrong? Was Job wrong for expecting deliverance from his suffering? Weren’t Job’s friends condemned by God for attacking Job? Wasn’t Elihu not condemned by God because he attempted more to justify God than just condemn Job? Didn’t Job finally confess, “Who is he that hideth counsel without knowledge? therefore have I uttered that I understood not; things too wonderful for me, which I knew not” (Job 42:3 KJV) and repented? God is sovereign. We are earthly soldiers in a Cosmic War between the Almighty and the forces of Lucifer. If my suffering or death is needed for the Lord God Almighty to achieve His Final Triumph over the Wicked One, Thy Kingdom come, and Thy Will be done. And, if my deliverance will frustrate the wicked and encourage the godly, do unto me Lord, as You will. Amen and amen.
We Need A Miracle 
You must be logged in to post a comment.