Call for God's Worker

Matthew 9:35-38 reads


I. There is a NEED for God's Workers (v37)
II. A worker with COMPASSION (v36)
III. A DEDICATED worker (Philippians 2:30, I Corinthians 15:10)
IV. A worker worthy of God's REWARD (I Corinthians 3:8, I Corinthians 15:58, Hebrews 6:10)

What a great opportunity it is to become God's worker!


Lord, may I be truly become your worthy worker!

Be Wise! Build on the Solid Foundation

Time and again God is impressing on me to exhibit utmost wisdom and this is through His very Word in Matthew 7:24-29:

This passage reminds me

1. to be obedient to God's Word (v 24) - "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man..." Simply put hearing God's Word and knowing Christ is not good enough. Each of us who claim Christians should put to practice His teachings.
   
2. of the final test/judgment (v 25) - "The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house..." It's quite obvious Christians and non-Christians suffers the same test categories, but Christians should exhibit a more victorious results.
   
3. that true faith in Christ will last (v 25) - "...yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock." Jesus Christ is the rock of our salvation and we received it by grace through faith in Him. Keeping that faith alive conquers all adversities.
   

Go ahead and be wise.


Lord thank you for giving us the opportunity for your wisdom.

Finishing the Course

Today's message reminded me of my true calling: 1 Pet 2:9 "...a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light."

I've been living a life that I can say is *not* truly aligned with my calling. It's really unfortunate. You might agree that there will be times I can feel the emptiness inside, the longing for something better, the desire for more spiritual fulfillment, that I have been there at the pedestal of my spiritual life and now living laid back, far away from expectations, not doing what a Christian is.

The reminders came in 4 C's:

(1) Commitment - Acts 20:24; 1 Kings 15:14; Philippians 3:7
(2) Consistency - Philippians 1:3-5; Colossians 4:17; Philippians 3:16
(3) Courage - Joshua 1:6; 1 Chronicles 28:20
(4) Confidence - Philippians 1:6; Hebrews 3:14; 2 Thessalonians 3:4

Apostle Paul's letter to Timothy is very inspiring:

2 Timothy 4:6-8 For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

Maybe it's my time to be "Paul" to my "Timothys" and finish the course.

Redemption

This is the single message every so-called Christians should carry, speak of and boast upon: that they were redeemed at a price, a very precious price. And this redemption is for you also.

The world will come to a devastating end. Life is so fleeting and everything you do is vanity. Nothing in this world and life can be carried after death. You will leave every single thing behind and you'll realize that all is bound not for your keeping.

Except for one.

Yes, there is one worth keeping and that is God's gift of salvation by grace through faith in Christ Jesus. This is the only wealth that gives you benefit after death.

IT IS A GIFT - you don't have to work for it. You cannot earn it. You just have to accept it.
BY GRACE - it is given away out of love, kindness, mercy and favor to you
THROUGH FAITH - this is your only part in the process, believe.
IN CHRIST JESUS - the sole author and thereby sole recipient of all Praises, Glory and Honor. Jesus has paid it all at the cross. You read it right. Jesus has redeemed us and we can all be with Him should we believe and receive this gift.

This is God's way to redeem us. Try it and you'll secure a very good destination after life.

First Blood

Everytime I become a new employee, there is this so-called "First Blood" thingy. A ritual that "requires" you to give a blowout of some sort to new co-employees when you have received your first pay in the company.

Proverbs 3:9-10 reads "Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine."

Wow. Even God needs that sort of engagement. :) And we benefit from it.



Thank you Lord!

Yes, we can challenge God!

Malachi 3:10 reads "Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it." And this scripture is a key to harboring so much blessing in my life.

I. What is Tithing

It is giving the ten percent of what you have to the work of the Lord. It is generally accepted that tithe should be given to the organization which nurtures your spiritual life. To some extent the tithe is given directly to the head pastor. But in all these the principle reamins: since you are supporting these workers of the Lord, it is the Lord's obligation to throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have enough storage to contain them.


II. What to Tithe

Since we can give only what we have then we can tithe from three categories:

• Time - everyone of us have 24 hours in a day and as such 2.4 hours each day much have been offered to the work of the Lord - prayer, worship, evangelism, discipleship, etc...

• Treasure - financial gains from salaries, bonuses, profits, commissions, etc... WARNING: the economies of scale seem to drag us from tithing. Imagine you are earning ten thousand pesos a month, it would be easy to tithe one thousand. And God will bless you of course! Hence the next year you are earning fifty thousand pesos a month, would it be easy to tithe five thousand pesos? Of course! And God will bless you even more! So the next year you are earning one hundred thousand pesos per month? The ten thousand peso tithe would not worry you, right? How about God blessing your business with one million peso profit per month? It should not burden you to give one hundred thousand pesos each month to the work of the Lord.

• Talent - your unique abilities that provides help to the body of Christ. WARNING: almost all presume they have none but God is telling you otherwise.
  

III. Benefit of Tithing

When I tithe, I am spared of being accused of robbing God. Remember, tithing is NOT optional rather it is REQUIRED of God's people. It is really God's amusing way of getting us to riches/abundance/prosperity.

Imagine: God will throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that I will not have room enough for it! That is incredibly incredible!

Finally, this is the only act that God dares us to challenge Him. Funny isn't it? Yes we can challenge God!



Lord, thank you so much!

Living a Life of Holiness

God is calling His people to live a holy life. Holiness is a requirement and NOT an option for God's people.

1. The Necessity of Holiness
   
   
   
   1. Because God is Holy (Lev 11:44)
   
   
   2. It is the kind of life God requires (Heb 12:14; 1 Thes 4:7; 1 Pet 1:15-16)
   
   


2. The Way to Holiness
   
   
   
   1. Setting us free from sin and becoming slaves to God (Rom 6:22)
   
   
   2. By Christ's physical body through his death (Col 1:22; Heb 10:10; Lev 20:8)
   
   


3. The Result of Holiness
   
   
   
   1. You will be anointed by God (1 John 2:20,27)
   
   
   2. You will be used by God (Luke 4:18; 1 Sam 10:1)
   
   
   3. You will be protected by God (Ps 105:15; 1 Chron 16:22; 1 John 5:18)
   
   

Holiness is the way to live a life that pleases God.

Lord Jesus, may you find me holy in your sight.