Small Things

 Zech. 4:6,10
Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts…. For who hath despised the day of small things?

Small things done in Jesus' Name are great in the eyes of God. God takes our little efforts and uses it to do great things. Like the widows with her vessel with little oil, God took what little she had and multiplied it. Like Gideon with his small band of 300, the Spirit of God did a miracle and defeated their enemy. We may feel that our efforts amount to little, but God takes the things we do in Jesus' Name and uses it for His glory. Jesus said, “And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward. Even a cup of cold water, a little thing will be a great gain in the Kingdom's work. You don’t have to be wealthy or talented to do little things to help build the Kingdom of God. Serving tables, reaching out to those that are hurting, listening to and caring for those who are broken in spirit, in everything we do, even the small things matter to God. Don’t despise the small things that are done for Him.

Fellowship in Christ

 1 John 1:3
That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.
Fellowship with Him, fellowship with the Father, and fellowship with one another. Fellowship, the bond of perfection, communion with God, a child of the King, adopted into the family of God. Fellowship, a cord that binds us together in our faith and love for Christ. The mutual belief that Christ died for our sins, and through confession of sin, we enter into fellowship with Him. When we come into contact with a fellow believer, there is an instant connection. We may be divided by land or sea, social class, or culture, but our kindred spirits connect in Christ, we have instant fellowship with one another.  We gather together on Sunday to worship the Father and give thanks to our Redeemer, but we also gather to break bread and have fellowship with each other. A time to build each other in the most holy faith. Time to share life and our walk with Christ, how God is answering prayers,  and share the burdens we carry. Our hearts become heavy when we hear about someone who no longer is in fellowship with Christ. They are no longer walking in the light, and are now walking in darkness. We must be aware that believers may not always agree, but when one denies the power of Christ, and continues in sin and darkness, they have dis-associated themselves from the body of Christ. As fellow believers, we must pray that God will restore that person, and return back  into the fellowship of Christ. Let us gather together to worship our Savior, and have fellowship one with another because we have seen and heard what Christ has done for us.

Ask God in Prayer

 Matt 6:8
..your Father knows what things you have need of, before you ask him.

We come to God daily, not because we always need something. It is good to keep in touch daily with our heavenly Father. He does take pleasure in our petitions, and He entreats us to “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. and all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.” Asking God in prayer helps us to realize that we depend on Him, that our life is in His hands and we can’t do anything without His help. Volumes of books have been written on the subject of prayer, and not enough pages can be written about what God wants to do for us through prayer. The prayers of the hypocrites stem from spiritual pride and arrogance. They ask so that they may be seen for their ability to speak eloquently, and appear that they are spiritually enlightened. Their hearts are far from God, and God turns a deaf ear to their request. It is but vain repetition, without sincerity of heart. Our heavenly Father is all knowing, and already knows what we need. We don’t need to form a perfect prayer in our asking, we just need to come to Him with a humble heart and contrite spirit. Bow your head, bow your knees, but most importantly, bow your heart, and ask.

Wisdom From Above

 James 3:17
But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.

Wisdom is knowing God and applying God’s truth with gentleness and mercy. Standing for what is right in a harsh and judgmental spirit is not wisdom from above. Wisdom from above is given without guile or evil intent. It seeks to bring peace to a situation and not division. Wisdom from above is transparent, it does not seek to deceive or manipulate. The danger that faces Christians is that the influence of the world can impair our thinking and attitude toward others and life. The wisdom of the world is to look out for self, depend on human ingenuity, and the arm of flesh. Instead of depending on God to see us through, we try to figure it out ourselves. When we seek first the kingdom of God, we are seeking the wisdom from above. Each day we face situations where we need wisdom in the words we speak and the actions we do. May we pray that God will give us the wisdom from above to do what is right, full of mercy and good fruit.

Heavens Declare God

 Psalm 19:1
The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shews his handiwork.

Being creatures of curiosity and discovery, we look to the sky above us and marvel at the vastness of the universe. Man, in its quest to explore the unknown and discover what is beyond our atmosphere, continues to seek technology to go farther into the unknown. We let our imagination run wild with all the fantasy movies that flood the entertainment world. It is without question that there is a Mastermind behind all that we see in the heavens. The Psalmist realized this as he gazed upward and observed the multitudes of stars that glittered in the night sky. Even without the modern space technology we have today, he could see that God’s handiwork was evident. From the vastness of the universe to the microscopic world of atoms and molecules, God's glory is declared. Man without God, looks for ways to explain the existence of our world and the world’s beyond our human sight, but one cannot deny that mere chance did not make all this happen. The Bible speaks clearly of this creation, “For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him.” Col. 1:16. The Apostle’s Creed begins with, “I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth...” I believe He is who He says He is. “Open our eyes Lord, let us see your glory.”

Speech Season with Salt

 Colossians 4:5-6
Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time. Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.

Overseers and those who have been charged to rule are given a responsibility to lead with love and grace.  Seasoning your conversation with salt. What does that look like? How we treat and speak to those in our charge is important to the spreading of the gospel and the impact it will have on others who are watching. It is not only important in what we say, but how we say it. We can be caught up in trying to be right, that we lose the purpose of our message. We don’t have time arguing for the sake of being right, people need to know that God is good and desires to show Himself with love and grace to a world that is lost. Adding salt to the words we say. Salt is a flavor enhancer, it brings out sweetness to food. Salt can also counteract bitter flavors in food. Adding words of kindness and being sensitive to others in the words we speak will go a long way showing Christ to others. Salt is also a preservative. Many disease-causing microbes are also simply unable to grow in the presence of salt. Our words and speech can help temper a conversation from turning bad and hateful. Let God be our overseer in our speech and conversations. Words mean things and can be very powerful in influencing others for good or evil. Let our speech be always in harmony with what is pleasing to God and glorifying Him

God Sees & Knows You.

 Psalm 147:3,5
He heals the broken in heart, and binds up their wounds..Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite.

Does God really understand what we are going through? The current world population is almost 8 billion people. Does He really care about you and me? I see the mass of people each day go about their daily life and routine, and wonder what God is doing in their lives. Luke says, “But even the very hairs of our head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.” The great power of God not only sees each person that walks this earth, but He knows everything about us, even the number of hairs on our head. Wow! How amazing is our God! He is the “Way Maker, Miracle worker, Promise keeper, Light in the darkness, healing the broken hearts and binding people’s wounds, My God, That is who you are!” We may feel insignificant and small in the eyes of others, but in the eyes of God, He sees and hears the cry of our heart and our desire to love and serve Him. He is not only an Omnipotent God , but He is also Omniscient, He knows what troubles you, He knows the burdens you carry, and what is causing your heart to break. Jesus says, “Fear not.” Cast your cares on Him, for Jesus cares about you. You are not alone, He will not leave you or forsake you.

What Do We Really Need?

 Philip 4:19
But my God shall supply all your needs according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
What do we really need? Human survival is dependent on food, water, and shelter, the basic needs to stay alive. Going without for any stretch of time will eventually lead to death. Good people who are Christians have died from lack of food and water. Lack of proper shelter from the elements of nature and casualty of war have brought death to many good people who have known God. So, did God not supply their needs during these times? We also know that all things work together for good for us according to His purpose. What do we really need? We need God’s grace, God’s help during hard times, times when all seems to be going wrong. We need His strength, His love and peace. Peace that passes all understanding. We may not receive what we think we need to stay alive on this earth, but our lives are according to the will of God and His purpose. Grace to live, and grace to die. Jesus, He is all that I need.

Sanctified Heart

1 Peter 3:15
But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:

The doctrine of sanctification was flush out in its current teaching by John Wesley and other circuit rider preachers in the 17th century. The teaching to live holy and blameless in Christ is a Pauline Epistle teaching given to us by the Apostle Paul in the first century, and in this scripture, Peter instructs us to be sanctified.  The idea that Christian should have a sanctified heart is not something that the earlier founders of Wesleyan conjectured from some new revelation given to them. It was a revival of God’s word, revealing to us the life that God desires all His children to live. The word sanctify shows up in scripture in many different contexts, but the root of the word is to make holy or to set apart. God desires that our heart be made holy and used for His glory. A sanctified heart does not mean that a person is perfect in their humanity, but their heart’s can be perfect before God in motives and intentions. The world will do everything to discount the life of a Christian who stands for truth and righteousness. As Christian we are to be ready to give an answer to the unbeliever, the hope of Christ that lives within us. Our witness for Christ should reflect the life of Christ, and the power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in the believer to live a life blameless before the world. A heart that is sanctified is not infallible to failure, but it will empower a Christian to overcome temptation and live right before God and those who are watching our walk with Christ.