Do you want to be blessed today? I know... what kind of a question is that? Who doesn't want to be blessed. Some preachers spend a lot of time talking about being blessed. Some TV preachers make a lot of money telling people how to be blessed. So I thought I'd get in on the action. I have found some keys to blessing in the Bible. These keys are from Jesus, so I know they will work. If you practice these things, I guarantee you will be blessed. 1 - The poor in spirit are blessed, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs. 2 - Those who mourn are blessed, for they will be comforted. 3 - The gentle are blessed, for they will inherit the earth. 4 - Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness are blessed, for they will be filled. 5 - The merciful are blessed, for they will be shown mercy. 6 - The pure in heart are blessed, for they will see God. 7 - The peacemakers are blessed, for they will be called sons of God. 8 - Those who are persecuted for righteousness are blessed, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs. 9 - You are blessed when they insult and persecute you and falsely say every kind of evil against you because of Me. Be glad and rejoice, because your reward is great in heaven. For that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you. No need to thank me. No need to send me a seed offering. I don't have to pray over your request while drinking water from the Jordan River or anointing my salad with olive oil from the Mount of Olives. These are keys Jesus taught in the Sermon On The Mount, found in Matthew 5:3-12 Not what you were expecting? Well, maybe that is where the blessing is. Doing the right thing for the right reason is not as common as it used to be. Some people mock the ‘good old days’ suggesting that they weren’t. But they were. People had more of a sense of integrity, compassion, concern, etc. We might say that doing the right thing was just a part of life. Life wasn’t perfect in the good old days, but the right thing was the standard, and not so much newsworthy, as it often is today. There’s something to doing the right thing. Life is better when people so what they are supposed to. No one receives eternal life because they do enough good things. But that does not devalue the act of doing the right thing. Being in a right place with God and doing the right thing for others carries blessings that cannot be bought. There are more than I can mention here. But let’s look at a couple of benefits to a righteous life. In the Bible there is a book of wise sayings. In that book we find these two verses. “The righteousness of the blameless clears his path, but the wicked person will fall because of his wickedness. The righteousness of the upright rescues them, but the treacherous are trapped by their own desires.” (Proverbs 11:5-6) A Christian is righteous because God makes them righteous, and because He causes them to live a righteous life. Being righteous is being right, or being in a right place morally and in activity. So these verses are telling us that being in the right place with God and doing the right thing with others will do something for us. In fact, there are two observations here. Righteousness will clear your path. One of the greatest struggles in life is getting through all of the junk that is in our way. We know we should be going to a certain place emotionally, relationally, spiritually, etc. But getting there is difficult because there are so many roadblocks. It is true that sometimes other people are responsible for things that trip us up. But I think most of the time we trip over our own problems. Often times these problems are caused by us doing the wrong thing. If you want a clear path today, be in the right place with God and do the right thing toward others. It is amazing how doing the right thing will help you get to where God wants you to be, even as the wicked are falling all around you. Righteousness doesn’t just clear your path. Righteousness rescues you. Let’s be honest… no one but Jesus Christ has a perfect track record of righteousness. Most of us have found ourselves off the path and in the ditch. When you are in the ditch, the enemy will try to discourage you by keeping your failure right in front of you. But the way you stay on the right path is the same way you get back on the right path if and when you fall off. Being in the right place with God and doing the right thing with others will rescue you from the things that would destroy the wicked. The world does not value righteousness. It is lost in darkness. The wicked can’t see where they are going, and though they try, they can’t get out of trouble through more trouble. Another passage in Proverbs says, “The path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, shining brighter and brighter until midday. But the way of the wicked is like the darkest gloom; they don’t know what makes them stumble.” (Proverbs 4:18-19) So the idea is that righteousness is light and wickedness is darkness. And when you are walking, you’d rather have light, right? It really is this simple. Even the apostle Paul wrote to the church at Ephesus, “You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light - for the fruit of the light results in all goodness, righteousness, and truth - discerning what is pleasing to the Lord.” (Ephesians 5:8-10) Do you want to stay on the right path today? Do you want to have assurance that if you get into trouble that you can be rescued? Be in the right place with God and do the right thing toward others. Of course, if you want to crash and burn, you can always live a life of wickedness. [Bible quotes are from the Holman Christian Standard Bible, unless otherwise noted.] Find more of David’s work at Heart Of Ministry. I guess we all want to be rich at some level. There is nothing wrong with wanting to have more wealth, as long as it is not simply a greedy pursuit. Being rich can afford you the opportunity to better care for your family, as well as be more of a blessing to other people. Remember, it is not money that is the root of all sorts of evil… but the love of money. So it is good to appreciate money, but it is bad to put your desire towards it. Gaining more money is a big part of our lives. Money reflects material value for physical labor and assigned worth. It is a necessary part of how we all interact. Some people have more than others. There are various reasons for this. But the main reason some have more wealth is that they have applied themselves to acquire and protect it. The Bible commands and encourages us to be good financial stewards, both in the acquisition of wealth, and in the spending of it. There are certainly wrong ways to get rich, and bad ways to spend your money. I don’t want to talk about motives or methods regarding wealth-building. I want to focus on the amount of energy and effort spent gaining riches. We are told that getting rich is the goal… or at least a main goal. Usually we are told this by people who want us to be (or feel) rich because they want some of our money. Car companies want us to want that feeling of luxury. Jewelry ads sell us on luxury. In just one evening of watching your favorite TV shows, you will be told multiple times how much you need in order to feel happy. If you stay up late enough you can watch entire shows dedicated to helping you get rich… now. The Bible reveals many of God’s thoughts about money and wealth. One command we find in the book of wise sayings is, “Don’t wear yourself out to get rich; stop giving your attention to it. As soon as your eyes fly to it, it disappears, for it makes wings for itself and flies like an eagle to the sky.” (Proverbs 23:4-5) Pursuing wealth is a wearying process. And if you’re like me, you find that riches are fleeting. No matter how much time, sweat, and energy you put toward creating wealth, for some reason you aren’t any wealthier after you get it than you were before you spent yourself to acquire it. But when you spend yourself on those things that matter most, you end up living a more fulfilled life. There is an industry out there trying to get you to go after wealth… including the pursuit of someone else’s money. You weren’t created to be jealous of your neighbor’s status. God does not want you to be envious of the rich man’s money. These desires will not satisfy you. The rich man’s money will not buy you contentment. Let it go. Be happy for those with more than you. Do not follow the crowd that is pursuing material wealth. That journey does not lead home. Riches are not bad, but they are like a vapor in the wind. We say “Time is money.” That isn’t true. But they are both elusive. At the end of your life, you probably won’t want a few extra minutes to make a few extra dollars. And a few extra dollars won’t buy you a few extra minutes. Today, apply your energy to being faithful with what God has given you. He will supply the increase in your life. And when He does, it will satisfy you. Don’t wear yourself our chasing the wind. Harness the wind to chase important things. [Bible quotes are from the Holman Christian Standard Bible, unless otherwise noted.] Find more of David’s work at Heart Of Ministry. We live in a world that is unfair. Sin will do that to a planet. I’m not sure God ever intended for us all to have an equal amount of everything. God isn’t about everything being equal (the same in number). But He is about things being equitable (fair dealings). So while each person’s experience is different, God’s dealings with us are fair. He is a just and fair God. So He dislikes things that are unjust. And there is much injustice in the world. One of the most obvious areas of injustice is seen in sports. Now, cheating in a game does not rank up there with the greatest injustices in history, but it can give us a clear view of how injustice works, and hopefully cause us to avoid it in our own dealings with people. Sports have rules. If you break the rules, you are penalized… in many cases. Mostly the most obvious infractions are called out. But not every case of a rule being broken will bring the whistle of the official. There are basically three reasons a penalty is not called: · Referees aren’t perfect. They miss fouls/penalties. They can’t see everything that happens all the time, or in seeing it at full speed, they miss some stuff. · Players aren’t perfect. It has been said that in a game of football a referee could call a ‘holding penalty’ on every play. That would be no fun to play or watch. Each game has a flow, and part of the flow is to let the players play, realizing that ‘touch fouls’ will usually not determine the course of the game, but calling every touch foul could. · The game isn’t perfect. Rules are added and changed at various times to improve the game. Sometimes there is a judgment call on the part of the official in how to enforce the rules. Fouls happen in the course of action. But then there are rules that are broken outside of the game that affect the game. The New England Patriots are well known cheaters. The most recent infraction is a case where they, with the knowledge of their star quarterback, deflated footballs prior to a game. This deflation was just enough to make it easier for him to handle the ball. This gave him/them an advantage over the other team. The Patriots eventually won the Super Bowl after this cheating episode. Many people are upset. It is interesting, because the outcry over the incident encourages me that people still have a sense of justice. This doesn’t just come from our humanity, but is a reflection of who God is. In the book of Proverbs we find these wise sayings, “Dishonest scales are detestable to the Lord, but an accurate weight is His delight. When pride comes, disgrace follows, but with humility comes wisdom. The integrity of the upright guides them, but the perversity of the treacherous destroys them. Wealth is not profitable on a day of wrath, but righteousness rescues from death. The righteousness of the blameless clears his path, but the wicked person will fall because of his wickedness.” (Proverbs 11:1-5) In another chapter we find, “Differing weights and varying measures - both are detestable to the Lord.” (Proverbs 20:10) And again, “Differing weights are detestable to the Lord, and dishonest scales are unfair.” (Proverbs 20:23) So in one chapter we have two verses that basically say the same thing. Back in the old days, people would use rocks to weigh things. They would use heavier rocks if they wanted to charge more money for the same amount of flour or grain. In our grandparent’s generation, the butcher might hold his thumb down on the scales when weighing the meat to get more money. God is not happy when we tip the scales in our favor at the expense of another person. This doesn’t just happen in the NFL. It happens in business. We can throw stones at Tom Brady and the Patriots all we want, but how are we doing in our dealings with people today? Will you cheat someone in a business deal? Will you work an angle so you can pass someone at work on the ladder to success? God is angry at people who cheat in order to win because it goes against His nature, and He hates injustice. If you must cheat, cheat so that someone else will win. Today, be honest. Be fair. Be equitable. Be towards others the way you want them to be towards you. That way everyone wins… and no one feels cheated. [Bible quotes are from the Holman Christian Standard Bible, unless otherwise noted.] Find more of David’s work at Heart Of Ministry. As humans we sometimes feel torn between the important thing and the pressing thing. In fact, it is often difficult to tell the difference between the two. But we must. We can easily miss out on the glory of the most valuable by submitting to what is called, "the tyranny of the urgent." If we can navigate those waters successfully, we will likely find ourselves in a harbor of peace, and find that the 'urgent' was either accomplished, or unnecessary. The truly important things are those things that have eternal value. These are pretty much constants. Relationships, spiritual health, loving well, and knowing God would be on this list. Regardless of the time in history, or place in culture, these things matter most. You may add other things to the list, and you probably should. But be assured, this is not going to be a very long list. The truly important things in life can likely be counted on one hand. The urgent is usually more temporal, and is an ever-changing list. This list will reflect whatever crisis is happening at the moment. The items on the urgent list are often not bad things, and they are indeed of a certain level of importance. But the importance associated with the urgent need of the moment is inflated because there is a time concern. You know people who act like they are more important than they are. Aren't they fun to be around? Well, that is how the urgent presents itself... as more important than it is. I'm not suggesting we do not consider the urgent anymore than I am suggesting we do away with people who inflate their own value. I am saying that I need to strike a balance and not exchange the glory of the important for the grind of the urgent. Both are necessary, but only one deserves my steady allegiance. The Christian life is a balance as well. We are on mission in this world. We have tasks to accomplish in the name and power of Christ. Some of these tasks carry a sense of urgency. People are dying every day and are going into eternity separated from God. There should be an urgency to reach the lost and hurting. That is both important and urgent. To serve others is to serve Christ. He made that abundantly clear when He said, "‘I assure you: Whatever (act of compassion) you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me." (Matthew 25:40) But there is no task for the Christian that is more important than being in the presence of the Master. For it is in His presence where we learn what is important to Him. It is where we learn to love what He loves. It is where we actually learn how to act as He would act. There is a story from the life of Christ where this principle is illustrated. Jesus is traveling in His ministry and stop at a house. There are two women there who each approach the Lord differently. They both value His presence, and want to honor Him with their actions. One of the ladies, Martha goes into hospitality mode, making things nice and fixing some food for the refreshment of the Teacher. She was the one who had invited Christ into their home. Mary, her sister was simply sitting with Jesus, listening to Him talk. Martha was alone trying to make things nice for Jesus. Her busyness was distracting her from being with Him. Her sister was not helping,and eventually out of frustration Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, don’t You care that my sister has left me to serve alone? So tell her to give me a hand.” answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has made the right choice, and it will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:40-42) Now, who would be upset that a person was serving Jesus? No one. But when the good urgent thing replaces the most important thing, we miss out on the best things. It has been said that the greatest enemy of that which is best is that which is good. It may be that the greatest enemy of that which is most important is that which is urgent. The right choice in life is not always the thing that claims to be the most important. We must determine what is of greatest value and put our energy there. Most of the time I find that the thing which seemed most urgent at the time was still waiting later. The urgent will rule your life if you don't rule over it. This is not an encouragement to be lazy today. God knows we don't need more laziness. It is an encouragement to be more intentional about what we do. If you make a habit of doing the most important things, you will be more effective when those urgent things pop up. When given a choice, choose the most important and you choose the best. |
AuthorMy name is David, and I want to know God more, and help other people find Him. Archives
March 2019
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