Prosper and Success

 Gen 39:23
The keeper of the prison looked not at anything that was under his hand; because the Lord was with him, and that which he did, the Lord made it to prosper.

To prosper or have good success is a subjective word in our language and culture. We would say that a person who has obtained a good paying job, saved money for his/her retirement and was able to provide for their family has had prosperity and success for life. One would not think that ending up in prison for something they did not do would be prosperous. Joseph was such a man. He was mistreated by his brothers, falsely accused, and thrown into prison for what appeared to be for a very long time. Yet, the Bible says that the Lord made him prosper. 
This is where the world view and the Christian view are viewed from different perspectives. Joseph lived a life of surrender to his God. He no doubt had his time of discouragements, and questioned his circumstances, but his life was not his own, it belonged to God. Even in the dark times of our lives, we can trust God that all things will work together toward a prosperous and successful journey. Knowing that we are in the will of God on our pilgrim journey, we can be confident that He is in control and will use our circumstances for the good. 
In the case of Joseph’s journey, God turned evil into good, and Joseph’s attitude and spirit demonstrated the fruit of righteousness and holiness. He did not become bitter or resentful, he trusted God to make him prosper and have the success that was planned for his life. 
It is good to have goals and aspirations, but all is for nothing and of no success if we are not following the will of God for our lives.

Pressing Toward the Prize

 Philip 3:13,14
Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,.. I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

The past is behind me. The things of the world have been left behind. I have come to the understanding that I am nothing, and all my good works are but waste and fruitless in obtaining salvation. Going to church, following all the rules of behavior and ritual all come short. Like the rich young ruler, evening keeping all the moral laws of God, I still come empty handed. I now press toward the cross of Christ, looking only to Jesus for grace and forgiveness. There is now a higher calling, a calling to be more like Jesus, a desire to obtain the perfect mind of Christ. Looking for the day where this body will be resurrected and adamic perfection is obtained, mortality becomes immortality. But until that day, we press toward Christian perfection, our hearts can be perfect before God. Keep your eyes on the goal, the prize of eternal life. The journey may not be easy, but it will be worth it all. Keep pressing on!

Servant of All

Mark 9:36

 …If any man desires to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all.

Being first is the prize that we often seek to achieve. We like to be in first place. We strive to achieve the gold ribbon, and the award and recognition it gives us. In many cases, we work hard to achieve that goal. In the arena of sports this is the ultimate goal to say you are the best. I don’t believe that such aspirations and desires are sinful. It is possible that it could become a sinful aspiration, if obtaining the goal is in opposition to being a servant of Christ. Your ability and desire to serve others. If your means to an end keeps you from doing the will of God in your life, then it is time to change your goal to be first. Jesus said that if you truly want to be first, you must first seek the kingdom of God, you must be last, and be as a child and take on the actions of serving others. To be first in the Kingdom of God is to have a servant's heart, looking for opportunities to help others, often sacrificing your own desires and comfort. This is the ultimate goal of a Christians, to be first in the service for Christ. 

To Be Likeminded

Roman 15:6,7 “Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another, according to Christ Jesus, that ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

To be likeminded is to have a common goal and desire. To think with the same purpose and outcome. When everyone works together there is strength in unity. This is the essence of collaboration and team work. It is the ability to lay aside your own wants and desire and look to the common good of all. It was the prayer of Paul that Christians look to Christ as the focus of unity. According to Christ Jesus, what was essential and most important? In everything we do, it was to glorify the Father. As a body of believers, it is our purpose to be focus on eternal matters, keep our eyes and mind on things eternal. United together in our goal to keep Christ first and foremost in our hearts and mind.

Life is a Race

Thurs. 27th, 082015

1 Corinth 9:36 “ I therefore so run, but not with uncertainty; I so fight, but not as one that beateth the air.”-

Life is a race, there is a start and there is a finish line. Everyone is running this race, but not everyone runs with purpose. Living life day by day, going through the motions and routines, it is easy to forget our purpose. Those who don’t know God, live their life for earthly gain and self satisfaction. They strive to be their best, so they can obtained a temporal award. Having such goals and aspirations are not wrong in themselves, but they should not be the motivating factory that drives a Christian to run the race. We all should set goals and plan for the future, but we do all things for the purpose to gain an eternal award. It would seems at times that we are just “beating the air” going through life without seeing any fruit of our labor. This is no time to give up and quit, we must continue to run the race, strive to be our best for Christ, bring our mind, body, and spirit into subjection to the law of Christ. Let us not forget, that we live that Christ may be lifted up and that we may be an example for Christ to gain the world for Him.