Christianity – Page 13

Stewardship

Hey Family,

A while back, the Lord blessed me with a thought about stewardship and what our responsibility is, so I thought I’d share a condensed version. Let’s start of with some background. So what is a steward?

In the Old Testament a steward is a man who is ‘over a house’ (Genesis 43:19; 44:4;).

Similarly, in the New Testament, a steward is a person who’s been entrusted to care or honor something. This could apply to Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard:

“So when evening had come, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, ‘Call the laborers and give them their wages, beginning with the last to the first’ (Matthew 20:8).

Steward also means a manager. This would likely be more around the parables of the Talents and the Unjust Steward.

After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them. “So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.’

His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’

He also who had received two talents came and said, ‘Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.’ His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’

“Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard
man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. “But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest (Matthew 25:19-24, 26-27).

He also said to His disciples: “there was a certain rich man who had a steward, and an accusation was brought to him that this man was wasting his goods. So he called him and said to him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be steward.’ (Luke 16:1-2)

WOW! Since we know what NOT to do, what are some areas can we exercise good stewardship in?

Money–besides tithes and offering, alms or giving to the poor.

He who has pity on the poor lends to the Lord, and He will pay back what he has given (Proverbs 19:17). When God pays back, it’s going to be FANTASTIC! He gives good gifts to His children.

Time–we make time for what we want. Ask God for better time management skills and commit with His help to break the cycle of tardy. We also should allocate proper time for things like chores, family time and of course, prayer and time with Christ. We should be thirsty for Him!

O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water (Psalms 63:1 NKJV).

Body–Physical health–How are you feeling?

Yes, yes, we are not here to stay, gotta die of something, etc. While that may be true in theory, why purposely self-inflict illness? Isn’t it a blessing to witness, praise and worship God in a working temple? Sometimes things just happen and we fall ill, but we want to do what we can to honor the temple or home God gave us by giving it whole foods, vitamins, rest, water and treats in moderation.

What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s (1 Corinthians 6:19, 20 KJV).

Gifts–God does gives gifts and talents, what are we doing with them?

Are we burying the gifts God gives us? Or are we using them well? Think back to the parable of the Talents.The servants that took risks had to get up, go out and do something to earn the other talents! While the Bible doesn’t say, I wonder if they immediately got the new talents or if they messed up a couple of times? Most things take some trial and error to perfect and God will honor your faithfulness. There is a cost of not using what God gave you:

‘For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ (Matthew 25:29-30). If fear, doubt or concern of failure, what others will say comes up in your spirit, take it to God and trust He has properly equipped you. The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe (Proverbs 29:25).

Bottom line? ALL things, including time and money that we have are on loan to us by God. He trusts us to take good care of His things, so we should want to always do our best with His help! Amen? Amen.

God bless you!

BlenCouragesU

4 Nov 201319 Dec 2015

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A Fixed fight—David & Goliath

Hey family!

Happy July to you! Can you believe we are more than halfway through another year? I have heard the older you get, the faster time goes and I am certainly a witness to that! Anyway, I’d like to share a classic Bible story with you–David and Goliath. While many of us know and remember the story from Sunday School, I was recently reminded of the spiritual significance.

I Samuel 17 tells how giant Goliath, champion of the Philistines taunted the Israelites twice daily for over a month–looking for someone to fight him. He was “kind” enough to make a deal with the Israelites: if they won, the Philistines would be their servants, but if he won the Israelites would be servants to the Philistines. I wonder if Goliath and his crew rested assured thinking, “yep, we got them right where we want them.”

Meanwhile, the word tells us the Israelites were dismayed and greatly afraid! These were the same people who experienced the blessings (and punishment) of God, but likely because Goliath was so big (almost ten feet) weighted with all that armor, and so confident, he frightened his opponents so NO one wanted to fight him. That is until David, a youthful shepard came by, heard Goliath, and was incensed that he would defy the army of the living God. David went to Goliath with no armour, rather with The Lord on his side, and a rock to Goliath’s forehead. As I was reading this story, a couple of things came to me.

Notice Goliath never touched the Israelites—he just spoke to them and they fell to pieces. In comparison, the adversary is a type of Goliath. He taunts, accuses, brings feelings of doubt, fear, worry —sometimes paralyzing us so we fall apart and we will not fight. We allow the enemy to stop us from doing what God called us to. We draw back when we notice the stern, unsmiling faces at church when we speak. We stop praising God freely because someone is looking at us. We stay out of the prayer line fearing the congregation will be wondering why we are up for prayer–again. We think,”what if God doesn’t…..” or “maybe people will laugh” or “what if I mess up?” The list can go on and on, but you get the picture. Proverbs 29:25 reminds us, the fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe. Whose side are we trusting on?

Also, while what we feel may be real, we have to recall what David said to Goliath: You come to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou has defied (1 Samuel 17:45). David had total confidence in God and the ability God gave Him. AND David didn’t have the Holy Ghost, but WE do. We’ve got THE power in the name of Jesus, we just have to use it!

Also, while we do not wrestle against flesh and blood (no stones needed) 😄, we do wrestle against principalities, powers, the rulers of the darkness of this world, and spiritual wickedness in high places (Ephesians 6:12). Those battles are fought and won with fasting, prayer, reading your Word, and knowing that our God is God! While things may not go the way we want them, God in His infinite wisdom has won every battle–the fight is fixed!

Bottom line: while there are some “Goliaths” in all our lives from time to time, those of us who are Holy Ghost filled have the privilege to know the same God on whom David relied, is the same one we can call on for help. Psalms 98:1 reminds us His [God’s] right hand and His holy arm has gotten Him the victory. Because He lives in You, you can rest in knowing God is working on your behalf to ensure you will be victorious, according to His will! Fight on!

Thanks for reading and may God bless you richly!

~Blen

9 Jul 201319 Dec 2015

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CELEBRATE JESUS!

Hey family,

The world celebrates Easter with bunnies, chocolate, baskets and new clothes. As people of God, we know the real reason behind this season and it is Jesus!

While Jesus walked among people, He gave–by demonstrating how to love and treat one another. He also healed blessed, delivered, encouraged, corrected, chastised and saved (see the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John). After dying a horrific death on the cross for EVERYONE’S sins, (yes–even that ornery neighbor), Jesus triumphantly rose again three days later, so we can all be saved by receiving the Holy Ghost (Acts 2:38-39). Not only can we be saved and go to Heaven, we can live life abundantly here on Earth! (John 10:10). “Abundantly” does not mean trouble-free, or a guaranteed life on “Easy Street” mind you, rather, God does promise to take care of us (Matthew 6:25-34), and promises never to leave or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). Is that GOOD news or what?! Just these few reasons should prompt you to celebrate Jesus!

May God bless you and your family this Resurrection season and always!

Love,

Blen

Infographic from Pinterest. Repinned from Home –> The Truth Has Been Spoken or More Words For My Walls by Holly Martin
From pinterestbest.net Repin Edit

28 Mar 20133 Jan 2016

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Benefits.God

Hey family!

As 2012 goes out and 2013 comes in, while in prayer, The Lord put in my spirit that He doesn’t wait until a new year comes to bless His children. In fact, David praised God as he listed the benefits God gives in Psalm 103:1-18.

Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul,

And forget not all His benefits:

Who forgives all your iniquities,

Who heals all your diseases,

Who redeems your life from destruction,

Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,

Who satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

The Lord executes righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed.

He made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the children of Israel.

The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.

He will not always strive with us, nor will He keep His anger forever.

He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor punished us according to our iniquities.

As the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear [reverence] Him;

As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.

As a father pities his children, so the Lord pities those who fear Him.

For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust.

As for man, his days are like grass; as a flower of the field, so he flourishes.

For the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more.

But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him,

and His righteousness to children’s children, to such as keep His covenant,

And to those who remember His commandments to do them.

AMEN!!!

How about THAT?! In addition to salvation, those who obey God get these benefits, too! I don’t know about you, but that’s enough to excite and bring me to a another level of gratefulness, not only Easter, Christmas or New Year’s Eve, but EVERYDAY! “Blessed be the Lord, who daily loads us with benefits, even the God of our salvation” (Psalm 68:19).

As we bring in 2013, keep these in mind and heart as you go through the year as a reminder of that even in these uncertain times, we can count on God’s unfailing love, mercy, salvation and benefits.

May God bless you with His best blessings this coming year and always!

Love,

Blen

Pic from: http://www.hqmc.marines.mil/hrom/NewEmployees/WelcomeAboard/HowOnboardingWorks/Phase1BeforeYouArrive/YourBenefits.aspx

p.s. I have seen some ads appear on my site without my permission. I’ll be checking into how to remove them. Thanks!

31 Dec 201216 Dec 2015

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Seasoned saints: The importance of salt in your life–Part 2

Hey family!

I trust God blessed you all with a wonderful Thanksgiving! Mine was fantastic, filling and went by fast! 🙀

Last post, I started on a “salt series” that talked about salt production and how vital it is to our natural body and in the body of Christ on a spiritual level. This time around, lets see what the Word is on salt.

“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men (Matthew 5:13).

One of the earliest mentions of salt is in Leviticus 2. That chapter outlines detailed instructions on how sacrifices had to be prepared to be given to the priests and then offered to God. In verses 4-6, you’ll see God was very specific about the flour, oil—and even if the grain sacrifice was made pan versus a frying pan. (Side note: note how you just couldn’t bring God a sacrifice any ol’ way. That’s important for us to think about when we bring Him our sacrifice of praise, worship, time, money..anything we have for Him). Looking at the verses 11-12, God specifies the “seasonings” on the offering–that there should be no leaven or honey, but:

“Every offering you shall season with salt. You shall not allow the salt of the covenant of your God to be lacking from your grain offering. With all your offerings you shall offer salt” (Leviticus 2:13).

Okay, Blen, so what does that mean? I am glad you asked! Salt was just not a food enhancer or monetary trade items like we learned last time, it was also used as a covenant symbol.

History mentions that people used salt as a sign of binding loyalty and a symbol of alliance. In fact, in Europe and parts of the Middle East, salt and bread are offered to guests as a sign of friendship (hence the phrase “we have salt between us”). Additionally, treaties and truces were formalized using salt. Each person would take a lick of salt (similar to shaking hands) to “seal the deal”.

Salt was also used to heal a rift between parties as well. If there was a disagreement between folks, you would invite the person into your home to share a dish of salt. Each of you would lick your finger, dip it in the salt and then eat the salt together. Peculiar as this may sound, when a promise was seasoned with salt, it was so serious, that people would rather die than break that promise! Let’s examine another Scripture on the Covenant of salt.

2 Chronicles 13 tells of a war between Israel (King Jeroboam) and Judah (King Abijah). Jeroboam had the bigger army and was pretty sure he could take Abijah down. King Abijah reminded Jeriboam of God’s promise.

“Should you not know that the Lord God of Israel gave the dominion over Israel to David forever, to him and his sons, by a covenant of salt? Now look, God Himself is with us as our head, and His priests with sounding trumpets to sound the alarm against you. O children of Israel, do not fight against the Lord God of your fathers, for you shall not prosper!” Then the men of Judah gave a shout; and as the men of Judah shouted, it happened that God struck Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah” (2 Chronicles 13:5,12,15 NKJV). Yessss–God ALWAYS keeps His word and Judah triumphed!!!!!!

Are you connecting the dots, Family? Isn’t it wonderful to see how God shows us how He keeps promises with something as simple, yet as powerful as salt? How about the promises we make? 🙊Are they “salt-worthy”? Solomon warns us think before we vow:

Do not be rash with your mouth, and let not your heart utter anything hastily before God. For God is in heaven, and you on earth; Therefore let your words be few (Ecclesiastes 5:2 NKJV).

I cannot speak for you all, but if someone promises they will do something and they don’t follow through, I am so disappointed! Because the Lord has made me more mindful about keeping my word, He reminds me to say “with God’s help I will”…or, “if nothing changes, I plan to”, or “Lord will, I’ll…” Keeping that last verse in mind, it really helps us to rely on our perfect God to help us keep our word. Also, if we something does happen, it’s a good idea to circle back to the person quickly and fulfill your promise as soon as possible.

Bottom line: If you can’t season your promise with salt, it really best not to promise at all. I heard a cartoon character say, a broken promise cannot be easily put back together. How true.

I’ll leave you to meditate on this post, as we prepare for the next salt installment, that will talk more about why we need (more) salt in our natural and spiritual lives.

I pray you all were blessed by what you have read! Thanks and God bless you for stopping by!

Love,

Blen