Your Loyalty, To God or To The Ministry?

Since most of us are leaders now, let us be true in examining ourselves. From the time we knew about our God and our savior, and from the time we get busy with the ministry, did we experience feeling so tired and felt like giving up? That it seems that we are already too exhausted and drained because of our busy schedules?
The truth is, it’s normal for people to get tired, but it’s not normal for us to give up and decrease in our faith in God.

Why do we get tired?

When the time I became a true Christian, I was taught that faith without work is dead. I guess this holds true with most Christians, they are challenge to get involved with the ministry because as they say that it is how a Christian should live.

Most of us believed that we should all need to be busy with those ministries that are around, like music, discipleship, outreach programs etc. But whether you like it or not, most people sooner or later get tired and fail to stay loyal with the ministry they got in to.

If it’s true that “faith without work is dead”, it’s also possible that “work without faith is dead”! In reality, you can be part of all those ministries even though you are not in good terms with God. It could happen, and sad to say that most leaders act like that.

Just like what our pastor normally says, sometimes, “we get busy with the kingdom, and not with the King!”

Now, our topic for today is:
Your Loyalty, TO God, or TO The Ministry?

This is a very tough question to answer. Why? It’s because we will all say that all we do is for the glory of God. right? But if it’s for the glory of God, why do we think of giving up?

Unfortunately, some of us serve because other people do serve. It’s like a TREND nowadays. Every action we do should be the outflow of our love for God.

Here's an example:
If your passion is to sing for God, then you should not get tired of singing, right?
If your passion is to dance for God, then you should not get tired of dancing, right?
If your passion is ushering for God, then you should not get tired being an usher, right?
If your passion is to preach for God, then you should not get tired of preaching, right?

Your motivation is being tested here. You can weigh your loyalty because of motivation.

By the power at work within us [God] is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine. Ephesians 3:20 (NRSV)

The primary thought in the area of religion is to keep your eyes on God. Not on people or ministry. Have no motivation other than to know your Father in heaven. Why? Because if your motivation is the people that God is using, you are missing the point. If ever they will reach the time that they will feel weak, same holds true to you.

Do you not wonder why our pastor talks about the church’s' vision always. It’s because we need to catch the vision before we do the action. Vision and faith is the strongest foundation we can have to stay connected and loyal to God.

We don’t need to be active in the ministry to show people that we are Christians, actions speak louder than words. Our lifestyle will dictate who we really are. What makes us a Christian is our faith in God, not our works. Though we will reap according to what we sow, still God looks at the heart and our motives.


Some points to know if you are loyal to God:

1.) You seek HIM always

Psa 14:2 The LORD looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God.

2.) You never quite
Jam 1:12 Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.

3.) You are passionate in doing things for God
Col 3:23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men,

4.) You pursue Gods plan, not yours
Pro 3:7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil.

5.) You do His commands
2Ch 16:9 For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.

6.) You Trust Him
Pro 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding

7.) You Love Him
Deu 6:5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.

Your faithfulness to ministry should be the fruit of your faithfulness to God. What’s happening is that we become faithful to the ministry before being faithful to God, right?

Don't ever forget that our motives are weighed by the Lord according to the Book of Proverbs.
(Proverbs 16:2 - All a man’s way seems innocent to him, but motives are weighed by the Lord.)


Take Note: This will be the last 3 verses.

According to Hosea 6:6:
Hos 6:6 I'd rather for you to be faithful and to know me than to offer sacrifices.

Your Everyday Personal Prayer:
Pro 3:3 Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man. Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil.

God’s Promise For Those Who Are Faithful:
Pro 28:20 A faithful man will be richly blessed, but one eager to get rich will not go unpunished.

Always Remember:
Your Greatest Ministry is when you become highly committed to God.
"Our loyalty to God is not tested when everyone is strong, but when they are not and you still are."



By: Edwin Joseph

BE SOMETHING YOU’VE NEVER BEEN

“If you know these things, happy are you if you do them.” John 13:17

How deceiving our hearts are. With great intent and motive, we seek, with all our innermost being, to form the mold that will pattern our life. We plan our future as if we had divine knowledge for doing so. We train and prepare to ends that we have conceived, and set our sails to accomplish. We rely upon our past to guide us to our future. We seek refuge in modes of strength we enjoyed in yesteryear. We rely upon the methods of success that we enjoyed during our past encounters. It seems … we are continually seeking refuge in the past, much of which is good and can be beneficial, but often, it becomes the “crutch” upon which we lean and seek support, rather than “stretching our faith and vision” to new horizons that will challenge the reality of our personal relationship with God, opening up our hearts to what HE wants to do in and through us … beyond our capabilities.

God waits for us to cease from looking back to the past to what we have done, or what we were … to when, in child-like faith, we will fix our eyes on Him, so HE can make us what He wants us to be … “something we have never been!” Such resignation of heart and the “fix of our faith,” will bring us into a measure of reality of the “Greatness of God.” He gives us a glimpse of WHO HE IS!

The boundaries that we have placed, that have encompassed our lives, are suddenly lost in the “light of His Presence.” HE becomes the “focus” of our lives … the consuming “vision” we have never entertained in our finite reasoning … the ONE who now “controls” our destiny. HE puts within our hearts the desire and faith to be all HE wants us to be … nothing less! It is then, the reigns of our life are turned over to ONE who can mold and shape our lives to something we have never been … a choice vessel for His glory … a channel through which the Holy Spirit can move freely and fully … empowering, leading, revealing, enlightening, and being unto us the strength and sufficiency “beyond ourselves.” We have been consumed by ONE outside of ourselves … no longer limited to “our” gifts, talents, strength, and ability. Our lives now venture into realms that speak of eternal values and fruitful results! It is His Life Living In Us without selfish restrictions. Free in Christ … Empowered by His Spirit Within … Living Under His Lordship and Authority. How Glorious!

Thus He begins to mold our lives, cutting us loose from the moorings of self-interests and self-concern. He enlarges our vision to launch out into the uncharted waters by faith, that we might see His wonders in the deep. Our fierce intense feelings give way to ‘implicit obedience’ … to present our bodies a living sacrifice to God … to an infilling of His love and grace in measures we never experienced before. Our spiritual destiny is now under His direction ... no longer looking back to what we once were, but now moving in the excitement of an abandoned faith in the ONE that never fails … and in an anticipation of letting God make us “something we have never been” … to the praise of His glory.

O that our desire and vision reaches out “beyond ourselves,” to entrust our lives to His providential care. It is not for us to limit reason to ‘our’ understanding … this is living in the “natural carnal nature” we inherited at birth. We have been “born again” by the supernatural power of God and have been made a new creation in Christ. Surrendering unto His Lordship enables us to live a “supernatural” life, empowered and directed by God Himself … a life that draws it strength, direction, and power from ONE without, WHO Lives Within. His purpose is to radically change our lives from who we are … and bring us into a relationship with Him, that we have never experienced before … “to be something we have never been!” HOW BLESSED !



From: Literature International Ministries - Ed Powell

A Spiritual Science Experiment

1 John 1:7
If we walk in the light, as he is in the light . . . the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.


Fruit of the Spirit

Suppose a student chooses to test the effects of light and darkness on the growth of seeds for a science fair project. He gets some marigold seeds from the store, plants them in four Styrofoam cups, and waters them. He places two of the cups in a dark closet. The others go into a sunny window. In a couple of weeks, the seedlings appear. For a few hours, the plants in the dark and the ones in the light are quite similar. Two tiny green leaves break through the soil and begin to grow. Within a couple of days however, the plants in the closet turn yellow and begin to die, while the ones in the light grow and get more and more leaves. The experiment proves that plants have to absorb light in order to have the energy needed to grow, bloom, and make seeds.

The same is true of our spiritual lives. We need to live in the light in order to grow and become fruitful. Galatians 5:22-23 describes spiritual fruit as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These attributes are in stark contrast to the ones Paul listed as acts of the sinful nature: Jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambitions, envy, etc.

Let’s imagine a spiritual science fair project in which we try to become more and more kind. At first, we determine to observe how we act after a few days of listening to rap music that encourages rebellion and watching television shows that glamorize gang members who commit violent crimes. We may continue the experiment by hanging out with some kids at school who like to sneak around after dark to paint graffiti on the sidewalks in their neighborhoods. Would we become more kind or less kind after a week or so?

Next, let’s imagine that we do exactly the opposite for a couple of weeks. We listen to music that encourages us to love others in the same way Jesus did. We read accounts of young people helping others through short-term missions projects. We watch uplifting TV programs and movies. We might even volunteer to paint some classrooms at the local community center or play games with the children who gather there after school. Would we become more or less kind after a week or so?

Clearly, kindness could grow much better in the latter situation. We tend to become like the people we hang out with. So, if we hang out with mean and violent people, we will become increasingly mean. If we hang out with kind, generous people, we will become kinder. Living in the light means developing relationships with people who will help us become more like Jesus. We grow in godliness when we choose our friends based upon whether they have the kind of qualities God approves.
Those friends will be more likely to do what Jesus would and that will help us do the same. Good friends definitely help us walk in the light as Jesus is in the light.


Today’s Prayer:
Dear Jesus, you are the very best friend I could possibly ever want. You always love me and accept me. You even forgive me when I mess up. Please help me choose friends who will help me grow godly fruit in my life. Also, please me be the kind of friend who encourages others to become more like you every day. Amen.




From: New Wine Skin - Written by Martha E. Menne

Humility and Thankfulness

Then Jesus told this story to some who had great confidence in their own righteousness and scorned everyone else: "Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a despised tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer: I thank you, God, that I am not a sinner like everyone else. For I don't cheat, I don't sin, and I don't commit adultery. I'm certainly not like that tax collector! I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income. "But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner. I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted." Luke 18:9-14

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. James 4:10

Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. - 1 Thessalonians 5:18

As I have meditated on these two qualities in the past week, it's become clear just how strongly they are linked. We cannot exhibit one without also exhibiting the other. As we grow in one, we grow in the other and where we fail in one, we fail in the other.

At the center of these two qualities, pulling them together, lies our sense of entitlement. In order to be truly thankful and humble, we must resist our natural tendency to exaggerate what we deserve, particularly in the area of material possessions. For example, if we are not truly grateful for the beautiful home God has given us, our pride roars when we look at what other people around us have been able to afford. Likewise, if we do not have our pride in check, we will not feel particularly grateful for our job when a co-worker is promoted ahead of us.

The Bible is full of reminders that inflated pride and a lack of appreciation inhibit intimacy with God. Psalm 10:4, says, "In his pride the wicked does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God."

Yet pride, arrogance, greed and selfishness are rampant today. Our culture has conditioned us to look out for ourselves and fight for what we're entitled to. More emphasis is placed on self-fulfillment than morality and our children are taught that it's more important to feel good than to do good. Clearly, we do not live in an environment conducive to humility and gratefulness. What can we do?

Notice carefully what James tells us. His command is to, "humble yourself." In a similar way, Paul tells us to, "Give thanks."

They are not telling us to, "be humble" or to "be thankful."

I can't speak for everyone, but I'm not certain how to make myself become humble or to force myself to feel thankful. If I were to attempt it and fail, then I might be inclined to shrug my shoulders and give up in despair. But no, we are commanded to do, not to be. Fortunately, I do know how to humble myself and how to give thanks, so I can concern myself with doing something tangible, instead of trying to be something intangible.

Though we may not succeed in becoming humble and thankful by striving for that directly, by humbling ourselves, we will become humble and by giving thanks, we will become thankful.

Every day, there are terrific opportunities to humble ourselves which we may overlook. It's a choice we have to consciously make whenever we feel that we may not be getting our due. When we discover that a co-worker has been promoted to the position we felt we deserved, then we can choose to be happy for them or we can choose to be bitter and resentful. When you volunteer for an event at your church and all that remains is the job of cleaning up, then you have a choice to make. Will you walk away in disgust because that job is beneath your talent, or will you gratefully accept the task and complete it joyfully? Humbling ourselves is as simple as making the decision to suppress our pride whenever it rears its ugly head. The more we do this, the easier and more natural it will become until, at long last, we will be humble.

Giving thanks is likewise a conscious decision we need to make daily. As part of our regular prayer time, we need to get on our knees (metaphorically and literally) and thank God for the abundant and rich blessings in our life. We should list all of our blessings such as our home, a warm meal, the love of friends and family and most importantly, our salvation, and take a moment to truly appreciate each of them. In time, we will evolve from someone who gives thanks to someone who is truly thankful.



From: Delve Into Jesus

A Pasture for the Soul

“He lets me rest in green pastures.”
Psalm 23:2

For a field to bear fruit, it must occasionally lie fallow. And for you to be healthy, you must rest. Slow down, and God will heal you. He will bring rest to your mind, to your body, and most of all to your soul. He will lead you to green pastures.

Green pastures were not the natural terrain of Judea. The hills around Bethlehem where David kept his flock were not lush and green. Even today they are white and parched. Any green pasture in Judea is the work of some shepherd. He had cleared the rough, rocky land. Stumps have been torn out, and brush has been burned…

With his own pierced hands, Jesus created a pasture for the soul. He tore out the thorny underbrush of condemnation. He pried loose the huge boulders of sin. In their place he planted seeds of grace and dug ponds of mercy.

And he invites us to rest there.


From: Max Lucado

The Divine Commandment of Life

. . . be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect — Matthew 5:48


Our Lord’s exhortation to us in Matthew 5:38-48 is to be generous in our behavior toward everyone. Beware of living according to your natural affections in your spiritual life. Everyone has natural affections— some people we like and others we don’t like. Yet we must never let those likes and dislikes rule our Christian life. "If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another" ( 1 John 1:7 ), even those toward whom we have no affection.

The example our Lord gave us here is not that of a good person, or even of a good Christian, but of God Himself. ". . . be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect." In other words, simply show to the other person what God has shown to you. And God will give you plenty of real life opportunities to prove whether or not you are "perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect." Being a disciple means deliberately identifying yourself with God’s interests in other people. Jesus says, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another" ( John 13:34-35 ).

The true expression of Christian character is not in good-doing, but in God-likeness. If the Spirit of God has transformed you within, you will exhibit divine characteristics in your life, not just good human characteristics. God’s life in us expresses itself as God’s life, not as human life trying to be godly. The secret of a Christian’s life is that the supernatural becomes natural in him as a result of the grace of God, and the experience of this becomes evident in the practical, everyday details of life, not in times of intimate fellowship with God. And when we come in contact with things that create confusion and a flurry of activity, we find to our own amazement that we have the power to stay wonderfully poised even in the center of it all.



From: RBC - Utmost For His Highest

Leaving Room for God

Wait for the Lord and keep his way.
-Psalm 37:34 (NIV)

THE company I work for has an internship program with a local high school. One day I was working with a young man from this program, trying to explain a complicated computer problem to him. He kept interrupting me, finishing my sentences with what he thought I was going to say. But often he was wrong, and his interruptions made my explanation longer and more complicated than it had to be.

As I reflected on our conversation, I realized that I often treat God the same way. In my anxiety to be in control, I often fail to stop and listen in order to hear what God would have me do. Like my intern, I often end up having to backtrack and consider what God was trying to get through to me in the first place. If I don't slow down and give God the chance to work in me, I make my life more difficult.

Learning when to listen and when to act, leaving room for the Holy Spirit to move in our life, is something that we learn through an active relationship with God. The key is to cultivate openness with God that makes our whole heart available to God. And if we are patient, God's work will be completed in us, at the appointed time.

Prayer:
Loving God, help us to open our hearts to you so that we may live for you and bring glory to your name. Amen.


Thought for the Day:
When we stop and listen, God will show us the way.



From: UpperRoom - Michael Albanese