Despise not the days of Small Beginnings - In His Word 1-15-18

Despise not the days of small beginnings - In His Word 1-15-18

It has been 20 years since this blog/article was started!  We have never charged for it; it is offered up free! 

 What began as a favor for a dear friend's home schooling group grew to become what it is today; in His Word. 

I am amazed at the fact that in all those years God has continued to give me something to write about! He is amazing, why am I amazed? I should expect it but then maybe not? I could have not listened to what He gave me to write and gone off on a tangent. Or I could have just decided to blab on about things that I found fun to talk about. The fact is I can find a lot of topics or ideas to share about; I love talking. After all, it is a part of who I am. I am delighted that God gives me a platform in which to share the delights He has give me each week! I have decided over the years to write intentionally; to write when God gives me the words and when He gives me the purpose to write.
When we read the Word of God, the writers of each book of the Bible wrote with intention. They were gathered together and put in this wonderful life living book by the collaborators but the words were written with the intention to bring us to the saving knowledge of God Himself. They wrote to guide us in our walk; to give us hope when we find life dragging us down… they were inspired by His greatness to share His love, hope, wisdom, strength, and direction.

As I was reading today I came across the words ‘be brave’ in 1 Corinthians 16:13-14. This was a big enough talk to the people reading Paul’s letter. He as speaking to the hearts of people who were waiting for him to come to them, giving them guidance in preparing for his arrival and instructions on how to attend to his needs as he entered a dangerous zone for Christians of the early years. He spoke the words below.

 Now about our brother Apollos—I urged him to visit you with the other believers, but he was not willing to go right now. He will see you later when he has the opportunity. Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong. And do everything with love. According to the New Living Translation and in KJV it is written as follows;

Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.  Let all your things be done with charity. 1 Corinthians 16:13-14

When we read this it says to be courageous and strong but a little more study gave me the translation of “play the man” or “be the man”; in modern terms we would say “man up!”

So as not to offend, I would say we could translate that further to woman up as well, in other words don’t be afraid to do the work of the Lord. He is the one guiding you in the thing, right?  When we are heading into the territory of sharing God’s Word with someone, whether by verbal or written word, we need to be sure that we are speaking and writing in the Spirit. If we are writing or speaking of the flesh we can do more harm than good, God is with us in all that we do but realizing this as we share His story is essential to hitting the hearts where the arrows are meant to go! So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power^[a] of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins.  He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit. Romans 8: 1-4

If we follow God via the Holy Spirit we cannot go wrong, even if we think we have messed it up or spoke too much, God will reach the hearts and minds through His Holy Spirit. Our part is to walk in the Spirit, and walk in love.

But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.) And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life^[d] because you have been made right with God.  The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you. Romans 8:9-11

When we choose to walk in the walk that Christ encourages us to follow then we need to trust God to bring us to the place He has planned for us. This is not always easy; many have tried and failed for lack of guidance and direction via the Holy Spirit. There are many so called Preachers out there in T.V. land that have attempted to go beyond their calling when the lure of fame and fortune came to them. We people have a history full of putting people on a pedestal. Peter and Paul and their buddies all had to deal with either being put up as ‘gods’ or stoned and left for dead not to mention being locked up in prisons.

Still His Word got out and reached the people, the jailors, the peasants, the kings and queens that God wanted. It’s all over in the Word of God!

We need to remember that without God nothing will prosper. Even when it seems the wicked are prospering we can trust that God has a plan in it. That may sound odd but it is true. God can take the money that an unrighteous man has and use it for His own benefit. In the same way we can use what God means for good and misuse it for our own glory. The thing we need to remember is that when we do that any reward we get on earth that is our reward.

 “Watch out! Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven. When you give to someone in need, don’t do as the hypocrites do—blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity! I tell you the truth, they have received all the reward they will ever get.  But when you give to someone in need, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. Matthew 6:1-3

I would rather get the reward in heaven! The mere joy that I receive when people share the Words God has inspired in this blog gives me such reason to rejoice! It is not about me, but about the Words in which He has given to write. I thank God daily for giving me fingers to write, and hands to move them for He is the author of all things.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for the past 20 years! Lord I pray that each week you continue to use me to send out the Word even to the uttermost regions of the earth. Open our ears to hear and our eyes to see what Your Word has for us this week, this day, this moment in time, in Jesus name, Amen.

Suggested Reading; Psalm 37:1-37. Mathew 6: 1-34. Romans 8:1-36 and 1 Corinthians 16:1-24.