Who moved my cheese?
Haggai 1:6
You have planted much but have harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.
Teddy Pendergrass had a song where he sang, ‘The more I get the more I want.” We could add to that song today by saying, “The more I get the less I have.”
The law of diminishing returns states that in all productive processes, adding more of one factor of production, while holding all others constant, will at some point yield lower per-unit returns. For example; the use of fertilizer improves crop production on farms and in gardens; but at some point, adding more and more fertilizer improves the yield less and less, and excessive quantities can even reduce the yield.
Many of our lives are like that field. We’ve poured so much fertilizer on our selves (money) but we have failed to fertilize other fields (giving). As a result we stopped growing with what we were wasting on ourselves. When we spend more on ourselves and fail to bless others we will experience diminishing returns. At some point in life we fail to get anything productive out of what we get because our returns have diminished through greed. We think that somebody has moved our cheese when in fact we are responsible by over consuming and under giving.
In the classic business book, “Who Moved My Cheese?” Itchy and scratch, two mice, have a dilemma. The place they used to find cheese is running out of cheese gradually. Itchy stays put waiting for more cheese to show up in the same place while scratch uses his instincts to find more before the old runs out.
Many of us are like Itchy standing still in the same place doing the same old stuff expecting something new. The reason the cheese has moved is because of the law of diminishing returns. We’ve wasted so much time consuming without being obedient to the Spirits leading and sowing in new places.
If we can be honest we’ve all had seasons where we gave more attention and resources towards our physical house instead of sowing into our spiritual house. Haggai had to confront the people of Israel for building up their houses while God’s house lay in ruins. Bishop Rudolph McKissick said , “Our Mother’s generation believed in taking care of the church this generation just believes in taking from the church.”
When you are trying to find your cheese the solution is simple: Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be added to you! What things?
1. Your money! The Message version says, “You have spent a lot of money, but you haven’t much to show for it.” The prophet Haggai had to remind the people that they spent so much money on themselves but neglected God’s house. When we give our tithes and offering to God’s house it’s to help God’s people. Many times you can’t keep anything in your house because you’ve neglected God’s house.
2. Your food! You keep filling your plates, but you never get filled up. In third world countries, people are dying from starvation. Children are walking around with skin and bones. We know they need food but in America a lot of poor people are overweight. How is that?! The problem is not that we are not eating, we are not eating right! When I was growing up poor we shared our food with people who didn’t have it. You will never get full being greedy with your bread.
3. Your Drinking! You keep drinking but you’re always thirsty. I wonder why they call it “happy hour?” maybe because you’re only happy for one hour after you get drunk. When you sober up your problems are still there. Many of us choose to self medicate by getting drunk instead of being filled with the Holy Spirit. David said, “The lord anoints my head with oil and my cup overflows. When God uses us to bless others there is no greater feeling than God’s filling!”
4. Your Clothes! You put on layer after layer of clothes but you can’t get warm. Clothes don’t make the man but the man makes the clothes. We waste too much money buying clothes to cover our outside while we are empty inside.
God says the reason I took away your cheese is:
Haggai 1:9-11
The Message (MSG)
8-9Then God said:
You've had great ambitions for yourselves,
but nothing has come of it.
The little you have brought to my Temple
I've blown away—there was nothing to it.
9-11"And why?" (This is a Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies, remember.) "Because while you've run around, caught up with taking care of your own houses, my Home is in ruins. That's why. Because of your stinginess. And so I've given you a dry summer and a skimpy crop. I've matched your tight-fisted stinginess by decreeing a season of drought, drying up fields and hills, withering gardens and orchards, stunting vegetables and fruit. Nothing—not man or woman, not animal or crop—is going to thrive."
Dear God,
Help us to be faithful in our giving even when it seems that our cheese is dwindling. You can do more with our little than we can with a lot. Thank you Lord for giving me my daily bread, now let me share it with those around me.
In Jesus Name,
Amen
Thursday, September 29, 2011
How to Catch a Man
Luke 5:10
Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid, from now on you will catch men.”
So many women today are afraid that they will never be able to catch a man who is suitable for marriage. When you see a man or woman find a good match for a spouse, you will often hear them respond that he or she is a “good catch.” When people break up and lose someone significant friends will try to console them by saying, “There are plenty more fish in the sea.”
With the ratio of men to women being more men than women in the United States you would think that women would be more optimistic, huh? Yes, according to the US Census Bureau the global population totals 6,830,586,95. There are 3,440,026,130 men and 3,390,560,846 women. The sex ratio is 101.5. There are 49,465,293 more men than there are women. Then what’s the problem with women being afraid that they will not find a husband?
Maybe the question is, “Why are there so many single African American women that are afraid of remaining single?” Between the ages of 20 and 29, one black man in nine is behind bars. Michelle Alexander says that the prison system is the new Jim Crow. In her book she says that the “war on drugs” during the Reagan years put a disproportionate amount of black men behind bars through unjust laws targeting black men. Removing so many men from the marrying market has profound consequences. As incarceration rates exploded between 1970 and 2005, the proportion of U S born black women aged 30-44 who were married plunged from 62% to 33%. Because most seek husbands of the same race-96% of married black women are married to black men they are ultimately fishing in the same pool.
One woman wrote, “I thought I was a good catch,” sighs an attractive black female doctor at a hospital in Washington, D.C. Black men with good jobs know they are a “hot commodity,” she observes. When there are six women chasing one man, “It’s like what are you going to do extra to get his attention?”
The disciples had been fishing all night and hadn’t caught anything. They had given up and washed their nets.
1. Sometimes your breakthrough comes when you wash your nets. Sometimes when you stop looking is when you find something. We can expend all our natural energy fishing all night but it might be in the daytime when you are empty that God shows up.
2. Jesus got in the empty boat with Peter to teach. When your boat is empty of relationships, it’s a good time to listen to Jesus teach. It’s through personal spiritual development that God prepares you for a good catch.
3. Put out into deep water and let down your nets. Putting out might get you into deep water. Giving up your body prematurely in a relationship may get you in deep water that you can’t recover. Jesus told Peter to put his boat out into deep water and let down his net. Going out deeper symbolizes moving out of your cultural comfort zone in meeting people you would not have met staying in shallow waters of a myopic cultural outlook. Instead of fishing in the same small pond you might go deep sea fishing.
4. Be obedient to what Jesus tells you even though it defies your limited cultural understanding of how to fish. The disciples were professional fishermen. They knew how to fish! Jesus tells them to go fishing at an odd time and in an odd place. Can you let go of your paradigm for fishing to embrace what Jesus tells you to do? You might catch more than you ever could have using traditional modes of fishing. I’m just saying.
5. There are more fish not only for you but for your friends who can help you get out of your comfort zone. There is nothing wrong with loving your race but do not exclude the human race in your selection process.
Dear God,
Bless the single sisters who are praying for a good catch. Help them to be obedient in their approach to selecting a mate. Open the eyes of the right man so he can see that she is a good catch. Help us all to put out deeper and cast wide our nets. Teach us how to catch men.
In Jesus Name,
Amen
Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid, from now on you will catch men.”
So many women today are afraid that they will never be able to catch a man who is suitable for marriage. When you see a man or woman find a good match for a spouse, you will often hear them respond that he or she is a “good catch.” When people break up and lose someone significant friends will try to console them by saying, “There are plenty more fish in the sea.”
With the ratio of men to women being more men than women in the United States you would think that women would be more optimistic, huh? Yes, according to the US Census Bureau the global population totals 6,830,586,95. There are 3,440,026,130 men and 3,390,560,846 women. The sex ratio is 101.5. There are 49,465,293 more men than there are women. Then what’s the problem with women being afraid that they will not find a husband?
Maybe the question is, “Why are there so many single African American women that are afraid of remaining single?” Between the ages of 20 and 29, one black man in nine is behind bars. Michelle Alexander says that the prison system is the new Jim Crow. In her book she says that the “war on drugs” during the Reagan years put a disproportionate amount of black men behind bars through unjust laws targeting black men. Removing so many men from the marrying market has profound consequences. As incarceration rates exploded between 1970 and 2005, the proportion of U S born black women aged 30-44 who were married plunged from 62% to 33%. Because most seek husbands of the same race-96% of married black women are married to black men they are ultimately fishing in the same pool.
One woman wrote, “I thought I was a good catch,” sighs an attractive black female doctor at a hospital in Washington, D.C. Black men with good jobs know they are a “hot commodity,” she observes. When there are six women chasing one man, “It’s like what are you going to do extra to get his attention?”
The disciples had been fishing all night and hadn’t caught anything. They had given up and washed their nets.
1. Sometimes your breakthrough comes when you wash your nets. Sometimes when you stop looking is when you find something. We can expend all our natural energy fishing all night but it might be in the daytime when you are empty that God shows up.
2. Jesus got in the empty boat with Peter to teach. When your boat is empty of relationships, it’s a good time to listen to Jesus teach. It’s through personal spiritual development that God prepares you for a good catch.
3. Put out into deep water and let down your nets. Putting out might get you into deep water. Giving up your body prematurely in a relationship may get you in deep water that you can’t recover. Jesus told Peter to put his boat out into deep water and let down his net. Going out deeper symbolizes moving out of your cultural comfort zone in meeting people you would not have met staying in shallow waters of a myopic cultural outlook. Instead of fishing in the same small pond you might go deep sea fishing.
4. Be obedient to what Jesus tells you even though it defies your limited cultural understanding of how to fish. The disciples were professional fishermen. They knew how to fish! Jesus tells them to go fishing at an odd time and in an odd place. Can you let go of your paradigm for fishing to embrace what Jesus tells you to do? You might catch more than you ever could have using traditional modes of fishing. I’m just saying.
5. There are more fish not only for you but for your friends who can help you get out of your comfort zone. There is nothing wrong with loving your race but do not exclude the human race in your selection process.
Dear God,
Bless the single sisters who are praying for a good catch. Help them to be obedient in their approach to selecting a mate. Open the eyes of the right man so he can see that she is a good catch. Help us all to put out deeper and cast wide our nets. Teach us how to catch men.
In Jesus Name,
Amen
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Keep It Moving!
Luke 4:42
At daybreak Jesus went out to a solitary place. The people were looking for him and when they came to where he was, they tried to keep him from leaving.
People realize that you have a lot to do, they just want to make sure you do what they want you to do.—Scott Wilson
If you are not careful you can get tied up in other people’s agenda for your life. God has equipped you and gifted you to be a blessing to others but he has a schedule and plan for your life that is separate from what people want from you. You have to always make sure that you are working at your pace and not march to the cadence of other people’s expectations.
When you have fulfilled your time and obligation to a place and a people you have to learn how to keep it moving. It’s not that you are being rude or stuck up but it’s that you are being purposeful.
Jesus had helped a great many people in Capernaum and they tried to keep him there longer for their own personal miracle worker. Jesus withdrew to a solitary place to get his mind right. When you are always surrounded by people and activity you can lose contact with God’s purpose. People can pump you up into believing that your place of productivity is permanent. Just because you were productive in a place doesn’t make it permanent you have to keep it moving!
Jesus said, “I must preach the good news in other towns also this is why I was sent.” You’ve got to keep it moving because…
1. There are other towns to see. It’s good to be productive in one place but in order to fulfill all that God has for you there are other towns that God wants you to take your gift. There are other people, who are going to be blessed by your gift, don’t limit yourself to one location. Now on the flip side you have to be faithful where you are until God tells you to leave.
2. This is why you’ve been sent. When you know your purpose you can’t be put in a box by other people’s expectation. Be clear about who you are and what God has called you to do. When you know why you’ve been sent, you will know where to go and when to go. Keep it moving!
Dear God,
Help me to be true to my purpose without being side tracked. I’ve got more towns to preach to, more towns to do ministry in, more towns to start business in, and I know what my purpose is. I will not be held hostage by other people’s agendas or expectations. Today, help me to know when it’s time to keep it moving and when it’s time to stay so I can be more productive before my release date. I’ve got to keep it moving.
In Jesus Name,
Amen
At daybreak Jesus went out to a solitary place. The people were looking for him and when they came to where he was, they tried to keep him from leaving.
People realize that you have a lot to do, they just want to make sure you do what they want you to do.—Scott Wilson
If you are not careful you can get tied up in other people’s agenda for your life. God has equipped you and gifted you to be a blessing to others but he has a schedule and plan for your life that is separate from what people want from you. You have to always make sure that you are working at your pace and not march to the cadence of other people’s expectations.
When you have fulfilled your time and obligation to a place and a people you have to learn how to keep it moving. It’s not that you are being rude or stuck up but it’s that you are being purposeful.
Jesus had helped a great many people in Capernaum and they tried to keep him there longer for their own personal miracle worker. Jesus withdrew to a solitary place to get his mind right. When you are always surrounded by people and activity you can lose contact with God’s purpose. People can pump you up into believing that your place of productivity is permanent. Just because you were productive in a place doesn’t make it permanent you have to keep it moving!
Jesus said, “I must preach the good news in other towns also this is why I was sent.” You’ve got to keep it moving because…
1. There are other towns to see. It’s good to be productive in one place but in order to fulfill all that God has for you there are other towns that God wants you to take your gift. There are other people, who are going to be blessed by your gift, don’t limit yourself to one location. Now on the flip side you have to be faithful where you are until God tells you to leave.
2. This is why you’ve been sent. When you know your purpose you can’t be put in a box by other people’s expectation. Be clear about who you are and what God has called you to do. When you know why you’ve been sent, you will know where to go and when to go. Keep it moving!
Dear God,
Help me to be true to my purpose without being side tracked. I’ve got more towns to preach to, more towns to do ministry in, more towns to start business in, and I know what my purpose is. I will not be held hostage by other people’s agendas or expectations. Today, help me to know when it’s time to keep it moving and when it’s time to stay so I can be more productive before my release date. I’ve got to keep it moving.
In Jesus Name,
Amen
Monday, September 19, 2011
Take This to Heart
Luke 2:19
Mary was keeping within herself all these things (sayings), weighing and pondering them in her heart.
There are rare moments in life when God reveals his Glory in our lives. His Glory is the weight of his presence. Sometimes the people who experience his Glory are the ones who share it with those of us who are waiting on it. You can be carrying something and not even see his Glory because what you are carrying is so close to you that you can’t see God in it. When people confirm God’s gift in you treasure what they share because you will need it later.
Mary carried the greatest gift ever…Jesus. There were seasons where Mary saw the Glory of God and seasons where she was just Mary. How do you go from being, “Highly favored” to just plain old Mary? How do you go from being praised by a group of strangers to being persecuted by family and friends? How do you go from being serenaded by angels to being homeless in route to Egypt? You have to treasure the Glory moments to make it through your human moments.
Life is filled with Glory moments when you are high on life, God is showing you favor, people are speaking and confirming God’s hand on you. Then there are seasons where nobody is saying anything. You are struggling financially. People are hyper-critical of your life. You are wondering if God is still with you. That’s where you have to go to your treasure box and pull out what you put away. Where your treasure is, is where your heart is.
When the shepherds and Jesus spoke to Mary in verse 19 and 51 she kept these things within herself, weighing and pondering. God will send people to speak in your life and instead of dismissing it with false humility or emotional discontent we should receive it and put it in our hearts to weigh and ponder for later.
Weight it. Does it equal what God already told you? Do you feel the validity based upon your own experience with who God is? Do you feel the weight of God’s presence in what they are sharing? If you do hold onto it, you’ll need it later. Mary would need it when she was going through difficult seasons.
■ When she had to flee to Egypt with her newborn son.
■ When she couldn’t find Jesus in the caravan and had to go find him in the temple
■ When Jesus started his ministry and drifted away from the family. She thought he had lost his mind.
■ When he was arrested on trumped up charges.
■ When they tortured him all night.
■ When they nailed him to the cross.
When he was crucified a ‘sword’ pierced her heart but the treasure came out. She was reminded of what everybody had spoken earlier. It didn’t make the suffering go away but it helped her to make it through to the resurrection.
Remember what God spoke to you through others in your hard seasons and keep them in your heart, you will need them later.
Dear God,
Thank you for speaking to my heart. Thank you for the gifts you’ve given me to carry. I will reflect on the words you have spoken over me through others and allow those words to get me through difficult seasons. Your word will not come back void; it will accomplish what it was sent out to do.
In Jesus name,
Amen
Mary was keeping within herself all these things (sayings), weighing and pondering them in her heart.
There are rare moments in life when God reveals his Glory in our lives. His Glory is the weight of his presence. Sometimes the people who experience his Glory are the ones who share it with those of us who are waiting on it. You can be carrying something and not even see his Glory because what you are carrying is so close to you that you can’t see God in it. When people confirm God’s gift in you treasure what they share because you will need it later.
Mary carried the greatest gift ever…Jesus. There were seasons where Mary saw the Glory of God and seasons where she was just Mary. How do you go from being, “Highly favored” to just plain old Mary? How do you go from being praised by a group of strangers to being persecuted by family and friends? How do you go from being serenaded by angels to being homeless in route to Egypt? You have to treasure the Glory moments to make it through your human moments.
Life is filled with Glory moments when you are high on life, God is showing you favor, people are speaking and confirming God’s hand on you. Then there are seasons where nobody is saying anything. You are struggling financially. People are hyper-critical of your life. You are wondering if God is still with you. That’s where you have to go to your treasure box and pull out what you put away. Where your treasure is, is where your heart is.
When the shepherds and Jesus spoke to Mary in verse 19 and 51 she kept these things within herself, weighing and pondering. God will send people to speak in your life and instead of dismissing it with false humility or emotional discontent we should receive it and put it in our hearts to weigh and ponder for later.
Weight it. Does it equal what God already told you? Do you feel the validity based upon your own experience with who God is? Do you feel the weight of God’s presence in what they are sharing? If you do hold onto it, you’ll need it later. Mary would need it when she was going through difficult seasons.
■ When she had to flee to Egypt with her newborn son.
■ When she couldn’t find Jesus in the caravan and had to go find him in the temple
■ When Jesus started his ministry and drifted away from the family. She thought he had lost his mind.
■ When he was arrested on trumped up charges.
■ When they tortured him all night.
■ When they nailed him to the cross.
When he was crucified a ‘sword’ pierced her heart but the treasure came out. She was reminded of what everybody had spoken earlier. It didn’t make the suffering go away but it helped her to make it through to the resurrection.
Remember what God spoke to you through others in your hard seasons and keep them in your heart, you will need them later.
Dear God,
Thank you for speaking to my heart. Thank you for the gifts you’ve given me to carry. I will reflect on the words you have spoken over me through others and allow those words to get me through difficult seasons. Your word will not come back void; it will accomplish what it was sent out to do.
In Jesus name,
Amen
Thursday, September 15, 2011
An Open Book
Revelation 20:12
And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books.
Our lives should be an open book. There is no greater feeling than to live without something hanging over your head or something you fear might be exposed. When businesses are audited, the auditors go through the books to make sure there are no indiscretions and the work or business they said they were doing is indeed what they did. Sometimes what we say we do, doesn’t match what we say we did. We live in a time where people have an attitude that says, “It’s my business as to how I live my life and only God can judge me!” They are partly right. If you choose to live without accountability that’s your business and God will judge you. Now is that the smartest way to live your life? No. If I can avoid being judged and my life condemns me for something that could have been avoided I will choose to live my life as an open book.
John had seen a vision on the Isle of Patmos of Heaven and he saw the dead, great and small standing in front of God’s throne and each one had books that were opened. We will be judged for what’s written in each one of our individual books. Every day you are adding to your book or your story. Many of you are authors without even knowing it. Everything we do is written in our book, good and bad. God is the recorder of your life. When we write our autobiographies we tell what we want people to hear, when God writes he records everything uncut. What’s in your book?
When I write books I think that I’m finished but there is one more step I need. I need an editor. The editor’s job is to catch my mistakes and errors. The editor’s job is to say something better than I could have expressed. The Editor is not going to allow me to publish something that doesn’t really represent who I am. The Holy Spirit and Jesus work together in your life to edit out what goes into your final revision. Some of the stuff you did won't show up in the final book because the Holy Spirit brought it up to you and you were so convicted by the mistake that you asked Jesus to forgive you and make you over. As a result of Jesus being in your life he took out what could have made it into the final draft by dying for your sins on the cross.
The final book is the book of life. The only way you can get into heaven is that your name is written in the book of life. When you have a relationship with Jesus your mistakes are edited out and you are presented Holy and acceptable before God.
Is your life an open book?
1. Do you live with transparency? Can you take an innocent child with you everywhere you go? If not could you take Jesus with you? Why or why not?
2. Do you have a clear conscience? Are you doing anything that could embarrass you or hurt your reputation?
3. Have you done more good than you have bad? Do you have enough “good works” to make a book? Only what you do for Christ will last and faith without works is dead.
Dear God,
Help me to live my life in a way that everybody can see that I live for you. Please forgive me for my sins and don’t let them show up in the Book of Life but please write my name in the book. I just want to hear you say, “Well done good and faithful servant you’ve been faithful over a few things, now come on up and I will make you ruler over many.”
In Jesus Name,
Amen
And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books.
Our lives should be an open book. There is no greater feeling than to live without something hanging over your head or something you fear might be exposed. When businesses are audited, the auditors go through the books to make sure there are no indiscretions and the work or business they said they were doing is indeed what they did. Sometimes what we say we do, doesn’t match what we say we did. We live in a time where people have an attitude that says, “It’s my business as to how I live my life and only God can judge me!” They are partly right. If you choose to live without accountability that’s your business and God will judge you. Now is that the smartest way to live your life? No. If I can avoid being judged and my life condemns me for something that could have been avoided I will choose to live my life as an open book.
John had seen a vision on the Isle of Patmos of Heaven and he saw the dead, great and small standing in front of God’s throne and each one had books that were opened. We will be judged for what’s written in each one of our individual books. Every day you are adding to your book or your story. Many of you are authors without even knowing it. Everything we do is written in our book, good and bad. God is the recorder of your life. When we write our autobiographies we tell what we want people to hear, when God writes he records everything uncut. What’s in your book?
When I write books I think that I’m finished but there is one more step I need. I need an editor. The editor’s job is to catch my mistakes and errors. The editor’s job is to say something better than I could have expressed. The Editor is not going to allow me to publish something that doesn’t really represent who I am. The Holy Spirit and Jesus work together in your life to edit out what goes into your final revision. Some of the stuff you did won't show up in the final book because the Holy Spirit brought it up to you and you were so convicted by the mistake that you asked Jesus to forgive you and make you over. As a result of Jesus being in your life he took out what could have made it into the final draft by dying for your sins on the cross.
The final book is the book of life. The only way you can get into heaven is that your name is written in the book of life. When you have a relationship with Jesus your mistakes are edited out and you are presented Holy and acceptable before God.
Is your life an open book?
1. Do you live with transparency? Can you take an innocent child with you everywhere you go? If not could you take Jesus with you? Why or why not?
2. Do you have a clear conscience? Are you doing anything that could embarrass you or hurt your reputation?
3. Have you done more good than you have bad? Do you have enough “good works” to make a book? Only what you do for Christ will last and faith without works is dead.
Dear God,
Help me to live my life in a way that everybody can see that I live for you. Please forgive me for my sins and don’t let them show up in the Book of Life but please write my name in the book. I just want to hear you say, “Well done good and faithful servant you’ve been faithful over a few things, now come on up and I will make you ruler over many.”
In Jesus Name,
Amen
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Turn Around Now!
Ezekiel 33:11
As surely as I live, declares the sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die?
If you saw somebody you loved heading towards a condemned bridge and you knew the bridge was out would you let them continue to drive in that direction? Many times when we see people headed in the wrong direction or doing something detrimental but we don’t speak truth in love, it’s like allowing somebody to drive past you knowing full well that the bridge is out. We should scream, “Turn around now!”
We are all waiting on a turn around with the economy. President Obama pleaded with Congress the other night to “pass the jobs bill right away!” 13 million people need jobs right now! We are waiting on a Turn Around with our relationships. We need our marriages to get healed right now! We are waiting for a Turn Around with our personal finances, we need money right now! But could it be that God is waiting on us to Turn Around to him right now?
God doesn’t want any of us to perish or go without. He’s giving us time to get it together but he also expects those of us in the church to give a word of warning to the people we care about that it’s time for a Turn Around.
God prescribes how we are to Turn Around in Ezekiel 33:15:
1. Give back what you owe. The bible is very clear that we should owe no man anything. This is a hard one for everyone going through financial difficulties. People are filing bankruptcy, unemployed and facing foreclosure. This is not to make poor people feel worse. This command is for those who have the power to pay something back and choose not to. If you have the income to pay your bills, do so and give God the praise. If you don’t have the money pray that God gives you a way to do so.
2. Return what you stole. When Zacchueas met Jesus he told Jesus If I have stolen anything from anybody I will pay back four times the amount. He was so overjoyed to have met Jesus he was willing to pay back double what he had stolen. When you meet Jesus you can’t keep stealing and you have to give back what you stole.
3. Follow God’s decrees for Holy living. Jesus said, “if you love me then keep my commandments.”
4. Stop doing evil. Right is right and wrong is wrong. There is no right way to do the wrong thing. If you are doing something that God is not pleased with you have to stop doing it in order to experience your turn around.
When you turn from your wicked ways God will hear from heaven and heal your situation. Why should we die before our time when we don’t have to? Turn Around Right Now!
Dear God,
Thank you for letting me know that the bridge is out. Give me the courage to let others know that the bridge is out and to Turn Around Now! Thank you Jesus for being a bridge over troubled waters and a way out of no way.
In Jesus Name,
Amen
As surely as I live, declares the sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die?
If you saw somebody you loved heading towards a condemned bridge and you knew the bridge was out would you let them continue to drive in that direction? Many times when we see people headed in the wrong direction or doing something detrimental but we don’t speak truth in love, it’s like allowing somebody to drive past you knowing full well that the bridge is out. We should scream, “Turn around now!”
We are all waiting on a turn around with the economy. President Obama pleaded with Congress the other night to “pass the jobs bill right away!” 13 million people need jobs right now! We are waiting on a Turn Around with our relationships. We need our marriages to get healed right now! We are waiting for a Turn Around with our personal finances, we need money right now! But could it be that God is waiting on us to Turn Around to him right now?
God doesn’t want any of us to perish or go without. He’s giving us time to get it together but he also expects those of us in the church to give a word of warning to the people we care about that it’s time for a Turn Around.
God prescribes how we are to Turn Around in Ezekiel 33:15:
1. Give back what you owe. The bible is very clear that we should owe no man anything. This is a hard one for everyone going through financial difficulties. People are filing bankruptcy, unemployed and facing foreclosure. This is not to make poor people feel worse. This command is for those who have the power to pay something back and choose not to. If you have the income to pay your bills, do so and give God the praise. If you don’t have the money pray that God gives you a way to do so.
2. Return what you stole. When Zacchueas met Jesus he told Jesus If I have stolen anything from anybody I will pay back four times the amount. He was so overjoyed to have met Jesus he was willing to pay back double what he had stolen. When you meet Jesus you can’t keep stealing and you have to give back what you stole.
3. Follow God’s decrees for Holy living. Jesus said, “if you love me then keep my commandments.”
4. Stop doing evil. Right is right and wrong is wrong. There is no right way to do the wrong thing. If you are doing something that God is not pleased with you have to stop doing it in order to experience your turn around.
When you turn from your wicked ways God will hear from heaven and heal your situation. Why should we die before our time when we don’t have to? Turn Around Right Now!
Dear God,
Thank you for letting me know that the bridge is out. Give me the courage to let others know that the bridge is out and to Turn Around Now! Thank you Jesus for being a bridge over troubled waters and a way out of no way.
In Jesus Name,
Amen
Monday, September 12, 2011
I'm Back!
Daniel 4:36
At the same time that my sanity was restored, my honor and splendor were returned to me for the glory of my kingdom. My advisors and nobles sought me out, and I was restored to my throne and became even greater than before.
It’s good to see Michael Vick back where he’s supposed to be. For a while it looked like his legacy was over. He had a brilliant career that skyrocketed with the Atlanta Falcons, great salary, commercials, endorsements, but it all came to a screeching halt when Michael was convicted for dog fighting and animal cruelty. It wasn’t just the dog fighting that got him in trouble but it was the “ego drift” that got him caught up with the wrong things and the wrong people. After coming out of Prison and losing everything. He got his job back with Philadelphia, his contract with Nike, but more than that he’s doing better than he was before.
We all can get in a place of “Ego Drift” where we think we are above the law and we are our own god. Where we have a big Ego we can Edge God Out of our lives and lose our minds.
God sent Daniel to interpret King Nebuchadnezzar’s nightmare. God will always send warning before destruction. Daniel told the King in verse 27: “Renounce your sins by doing what is right, and your wickedness by being kind to the oppressed. It may be that then your prosperity will continue.”
Instead of listening the King started bragging: verse 30 “Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?”
God drove him away from the people and made him lose his mind. His hair grew so long it looked like eagle feathers and his nails like claws. He lived out in the wilderness eating grass like a cow and drenched by the rain.
We are all in danger of going through seasons where we can lose our minds. Because we think we should get all the glory for our story. When we forget to give God the credit and the Glory we begin an “ego drift.”
When we start an Ego drift we tend to:
1. Brag on ourselves. The bible tells us to “let another man boast about us.” You shouldn’t have to toot your own horn.
2. Become condescending. We talk bad to people and think more highly of ourselves than we should.
3. Become Stingy and Greedy.
4. Don’t acknowledge God.
Sometimes God has to break us all the way down to build us back up better than we were before. In order to get back to where you were before your breakdown you have to do what it says in verse 34:
1. Raise your eyes toward heaven. This is a posture of prayer.
2. Praise the Most High. God inhabits the praises of his people.
3. Honor and Glorify God.
When you do that God will give you back what you lost, look in verse 36:
1. Your sanity will be restored.
2. Honor and splendor will return.
3. Important People will seek you out.
4. You will be restored to position and prosperity.
5. You become even greater than before.
Dear God,
Thank you for building me back up after my breakdown. I lost my mind for a season but now I’m back better than I was before. Everything that happened to me that was good, God you did it. Thank you for restoration.
In Jesus Name,
Amen
At the same time that my sanity was restored, my honor and splendor were returned to me for the glory of my kingdom. My advisors and nobles sought me out, and I was restored to my throne and became even greater than before.
It’s good to see Michael Vick back where he’s supposed to be. For a while it looked like his legacy was over. He had a brilliant career that skyrocketed with the Atlanta Falcons, great salary, commercials, endorsements, but it all came to a screeching halt when Michael was convicted for dog fighting and animal cruelty. It wasn’t just the dog fighting that got him in trouble but it was the “ego drift” that got him caught up with the wrong things and the wrong people. After coming out of Prison and losing everything. He got his job back with Philadelphia, his contract with Nike, but more than that he’s doing better than he was before.
We all can get in a place of “Ego Drift” where we think we are above the law and we are our own god. Where we have a big Ego we can Edge God Out of our lives and lose our minds.
God sent Daniel to interpret King Nebuchadnezzar’s nightmare. God will always send warning before destruction. Daniel told the King in verse 27: “Renounce your sins by doing what is right, and your wickedness by being kind to the oppressed. It may be that then your prosperity will continue.”
Instead of listening the King started bragging: verse 30 “Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?”
God drove him away from the people and made him lose his mind. His hair grew so long it looked like eagle feathers and his nails like claws. He lived out in the wilderness eating grass like a cow and drenched by the rain.
We are all in danger of going through seasons where we can lose our minds. Because we think we should get all the glory for our story. When we forget to give God the credit and the Glory we begin an “ego drift.”
When we start an Ego drift we tend to:
1. Brag on ourselves. The bible tells us to “let another man boast about us.” You shouldn’t have to toot your own horn.
2. Become condescending. We talk bad to people and think more highly of ourselves than we should.
3. Become Stingy and Greedy.
4. Don’t acknowledge God.
Sometimes God has to break us all the way down to build us back up better than we were before. In order to get back to where you were before your breakdown you have to do what it says in verse 34:
1. Raise your eyes toward heaven. This is a posture of prayer.
2. Praise the Most High. God inhabits the praises of his people.
3. Honor and Glorify God.
When you do that God will give you back what you lost, look in verse 36:
1. Your sanity will be restored.
2. Honor and splendor will return.
3. Important People will seek you out.
4. You will be restored to position and prosperity.
5. You become even greater than before.
Dear God,
Thank you for building me back up after my breakdown. I lost my mind for a season but now I’m back better than I was before. Everything that happened to me that was good, God you did it. Thank you for restoration.
In Jesus Name,
Amen
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Favor in an Unfavorable Place
Jeremiah 42:6
Whether it is favorable or unfavorable; we will obey the Lord our God, to whom we are sending you, so that it will go well with us, for we will obey the Lord our God.
One of the hardest things to do is to stay someplace where the conditions are no longer favorable. For some, it may be a community that seems to have taken a turn for the worst and God is calling us to that community to stabilize it through gentrification. For others it may be a marriage that is rocky but God is calling you to stay in it because there’s still a chance for reconciliation. Maybe it’s a job that is not an ideal job but it pays the bills. Can you stay put in an unfavorable place and depend on God’s favor to get you through?
The Israelites were nothing but a remnant of a people left after the Babylonian exile. They went back to a destroyed city and wanted to know from God what they should do. So they sent Jeremiah the prophet to inquire of the Lord for them under false pretenses. On the surface it looked like they really wanted to know God’s will but underneath they already had their minds made up to go settle in Egypt. They were hoping that they could get the Prophet to cosign on their vision for convenience. They even dressed up their request by saying they would do whatever God said do, whether it was favorable or unfavorable.
Jeremiah told them to stay in an unfavorable place. Verse ten, “If you stay in this land, I will build you up and not tear you down; I will plant you and not uproot you for I am grieved over the disaster I have afflicted on you.”
Instead of listening to Jeremiah they called him a liar and went back to Egypt anyway. As a result of them settling for and in Egypt, more of them died because they refused to stay in an unfavorable place in spite of God’s promised favor.
Why do we settle for Egypt over where God asks us to stay?
1. Where you are takes work, Egypt is already established. The Israelites would have to rebuild their desolate cities, Egypt already had furnished homes. It’s so much easier to go somewhere that appears to already be ready to move in but the question is, “Does God want you to be there?” I’d rather have to work on something that needs building then to go against God’s will and occupy something I was never supposed to settle for.
2. You are glamorizing the past but forgetting you were a slave there. The Israelites used to be slaves in Egypt but were trying to go back as citizens. We should never try to settle for a place that used to have us in bondage.
3. You forget that the idols you worshipped got you in this mess. What’s the use to going back to the things that couldn’t deliver you in the first place?
4. You associate past behavior with past success but overlook present misery. When some people find themselves in unfavorable places they start reminiscing about the ‘good ole days’ when they had money or were happier. The only problem is they remove the connection that their association with that behavior led them to their present consequence. Ex; you might have sold drugs a decade ago and now you are struggling financially. What you don’t see is that God spared your life and now you are struggling, but the struggle is part of your process toward redemption.
You can’t go forward going backwards, no matter how unfavorable our conditions appear. We will go through seasons where the enemy has temporary authority over us because of our disobedience but if we turn back to God and endure hardships as a good soldier and do the work he asks us to do we will find favor in unfavorable conditions.
Dear God
Thank you for giving us favor in unfavorable places. Give us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change, the courage to change the things we can and the wisdom to know the difference.
In Jesus name,
Amen
Whether it is favorable or unfavorable; we will obey the Lord our God, to whom we are sending you, so that it will go well with us, for we will obey the Lord our God.
One of the hardest things to do is to stay someplace where the conditions are no longer favorable. For some, it may be a community that seems to have taken a turn for the worst and God is calling us to that community to stabilize it through gentrification. For others it may be a marriage that is rocky but God is calling you to stay in it because there’s still a chance for reconciliation. Maybe it’s a job that is not an ideal job but it pays the bills. Can you stay put in an unfavorable place and depend on God’s favor to get you through?
The Israelites were nothing but a remnant of a people left after the Babylonian exile. They went back to a destroyed city and wanted to know from God what they should do. So they sent Jeremiah the prophet to inquire of the Lord for them under false pretenses. On the surface it looked like they really wanted to know God’s will but underneath they already had their minds made up to go settle in Egypt. They were hoping that they could get the Prophet to cosign on their vision for convenience. They even dressed up their request by saying they would do whatever God said do, whether it was favorable or unfavorable.
Jeremiah told them to stay in an unfavorable place. Verse ten, “If you stay in this land, I will build you up and not tear you down; I will plant you and not uproot you for I am grieved over the disaster I have afflicted on you.”
Instead of listening to Jeremiah they called him a liar and went back to Egypt anyway. As a result of them settling for and in Egypt, more of them died because they refused to stay in an unfavorable place in spite of God’s promised favor.
Why do we settle for Egypt over where God asks us to stay?
1. Where you are takes work, Egypt is already established. The Israelites would have to rebuild their desolate cities, Egypt already had furnished homes. It’s so much easier to go somewhere that appears to already be ready to move in but the question is, “Does God want you to be there?” I’d rather have to work on something that needs building then to go against God’s will and occupy something I was never supposed to settle for.
2. You are glamorizing the past but forgetting you were a slave there. The Israelites used to be slaves in Egypt but were trying to go back as citizens. We should never try to settle for a place that used to have us in bondage.
3. You forget that the idols you worshipped got you in this mess. What’s the use to going back to the things that couldn’t deliver you in the first place?
4. You associate past behavior with past success but overlook present misery. When some people find themselves in unfavorable places they start reminiscing about the ‘good ole days’ when they had money or were happier. The only problem is they remove the connection that their association with that behavior led them to their present consequence. Ex; you might have sold drugs a decade ago and now you are struggling financially. What you don’t see is that God spared your life and now you are struggling, but the struggle is part of your process toward redemption.
You can’t go forward going backwards, no matter how unfavorable our conditions appear. We will go through seasons where the enemy has temporary authority over us because of our disobedience but if we turn back to God and endure hardships as a good soldier and do the work he asks us to do we will find favor in unfavorable conditions.
Dear God
Thank you for giving us favor in unfavorable places. Give us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change, the courage to change the things we can and the wisdom to know the difference.
In Jesus name,
Amen
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Who Are You Leaning On?
Ezekiel 29:7
When they grasped you with their hands, you splintered and you tore open their shoulders; when they leaned on you, you broke and their backs were wrenched.
Lean on me when you’re not strong and I’ll be your friend and help you carry on.—Lean on Me, Club Nouveau
"Lean on Me" was a popular song in the 80’s revised by Club Nouveau. It was a humanitarian anthem that seemed to resonate with young people because we all needed somebody that we could lean and depend on.
With youth comes the inability to always accurately discern who we can in fact lean on. Everybody is not strong enough for you to use as support. If you lean on the wrong person they could hurt you worse than you were before you depended on them.
Egypt had always been a place of refuge for the Israelites in the time of trouble. Joseph bought his family there when there was a famine in the land. Different Kings of Israel called on Egypt in times of trouble to help fight against foreign armies. Even Jesus went to Egypt with his mother and father to hide out as a baby when Herod was trying to kill all the male babies. This fulfilled the scripture, “Out of Egypt I called my son.”
Somewhere between the time of exile and Jesus’ birth Egypt became arrogant and forgot about God. They had always defied themselves. Pharaoh thought that he was God himself. At some point God grew tired of their delusions of grandeur and allowed them to experience exile themselves.
You have to be careful of who you lean on:
1. You can’t make allies with people who don’t acknowledge that God is sovereign. God will not share his Glory with another.
2. You can’t lean on people who are arrogant. Pride comes before the fall. Arrogant people eventually come crashing and if you are leaning on them, you will come down with them.
3. You can’t lean on people who are little gods. When we make gods of people it robs us of our fellowship with God.
Why Can’t I Lean on them?
1. They will splinter your hand. They will put thorns in your fellowship. God compared Egypt to a splintered reed that Israel had been leaning on. They used it for support but ended up with splinters. When we lean on the wrong people they hurt our fellowship.
2. They will tear open your shoulder. You will no longer be able to bear your responsibility. When you depend on the wrong people you will forget how to do things for yourself and will over compensate on that relationship.
3. They will cause you to become stiff and immobile. Bad relationships freeze your forward mobility.
When you have the right people in your life and you can lean on them they provide:
1. Good fellowship. You feel better about God and yourself when you lean on the right people.
2. Accountability. They will be there for you to lean but they are not there to lift. They are there to assist not takeover.
3. Help you to keep moving forward. A good friend will encourage you to keep going forward not get stuck where you are. Some people only want to be your friend to keep you in misery with them. A real friend pushes you forward even if you are ahead of them.
Dear God,
Send the right people in my life in the right season. If I have splintered relationships keep my hand from picking them back up. Strengthen my shoulders so I can carry my own weight. Heal my back so that I can keep it moving. Most of all help me to lean and depend on Jesus. I’m leaning, leaning on the ever lasting arm.
In Jesus Name,
Amen
When they grasped you with their hands, you splintered and you tore open their shoulders; when they leaned on you, you broke and their backs were wrenched.
Lean on me when you’re not strong and I’ll be your friend and help you carry on.—Lean on Me, Club Nouveau
"Lean on Me" was a popular song in the 80’s revised by Club Nouveau. It was a humanitarian anthem that seemed to resonate with young people because we all needed somebody that we could lean and depend on.
With youth comes the inability to always accurately discern who we can in fact lean on. Everybody is not strong enough for you to use as support. If you lean on the wrong person they could hurt you worse than you were before you depended on them.
Egypt had always been a place of refuge for the Israelites in the time of trouble. Joseph bought his family there when there was a famine in the land. Different Kings of Israel called on Egypt in times of trouble to help fight against foreign armies. Even Jesus went to Egypt with his mother and father to hide out as a baby when Herod was trying to kill all the male babies. This fulfilled the scripture, “Out of Egypt I called my son.”
Somewhere between the time of exile and Jesus’ birth Egypt became arrogant and forgot about God. They had always defied themselves. Pharaoh thought that he was God himself. At some point God grew tired of their delusions of grandeur and allowed them to experience exile themselves.
You have to be careful of who you lean on:
1. You can’t make allies with people who don’t acknowledge that God is sovereign. God will not share his Glory with another.
2. You can’t lean on people who are arrogant. Pride comes before the fall. Arrogant people eventually come crashing and if you are leaning on them, you will come down with them.
3. You can’t lean on people who are little gods. When we make gods of people it robs us of our fellowship with God.
Why Can’t I Lean on them?
1. They will splinter your hand. They will put thorns in your fellowship. God compared Egypt to a splintered reed that Israel had been leaning on. They used it for support but ended up with splinters. When we lean on the wrong people they hurt our fellowship.
2. They will tear open your shoulder. You will no longer be able to bear your responsibility. When you depend on the wrong people you will forget how to do things for yourself and will over compensate on that relationship.
3. They will cause you to become stiff and immobile. Bad relationships freeze your forward mobility.
When you have the right people in your life and you can lean on them they provide:
1. Good fellowship. You feel better about God and yourself when you lean on the right people.
2. Accountability. They will be there for you to lean but they are not there to lift. They are there to assist not takeover.
3. Help you to keep moving forward. A good friend will encourage you to keep going forward not get stuck where you are. Some people only want to be your friend to keep you in misery with them. A real friend pushes you forward even if you are ahead of them.
Dear God,
Send the right people in my life in the right season. If I have splintered relationships keep my hand from picking them back up. Strengthen my shoulders so I can carry my own weight. Heal my back so that I can keep it moving. Most of all help me to lean and depend on Jesus. I’m leaning, leaning on the ever lasting arm.
In Jesus Name,
Amen
Thursday, September 1, 2011
The Sin of Congress
Ezekiel 16:49
Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy.
For the first time in history the President of the United States has been refused permission to speak before the House of Representatives. It’s not surprising considering also that no House of Representatives has threatened to let the United States go into default if its demands were not met. The economy is in a bad state and the President should be allowed the opportunity to address lawmakers before the State of the Union given the suffering so many Americans are feeling. We need jobs!
Rep. John Boehner needs to repent of his sin for misrepresenting the American people. Hard working people. Unemployed people. Poor people. People are waiting with baited breath for good news about jobs in America and Congress wants to play games with the President. Prolonging the misery of the poor through political play is a sin.
It’s time for us to hold the people we elected accountable because too many people are hurting.
Like the daughters of Sodom, our leaders have become disconnected from the people they serve because:
1. They're arrogant. How can you refuse the President of the United States the right to speak about jobs when that is the number one priority in the nation?! The first time in History; really?! Pride comes before the fall. The United States is in danger of destroying itself through arrogance.
2. They are overfed. Maybe the reason they can take their time in helping poor people find jobs is because they are overfed. I can guarantee that nobody in Congress missed a meal last night. Nobody in Congress ran out of gas going to work. Nobody in Congress got foreclosed on. While poor people go hungry from not working Congress is overfed. Maybe they should work for free and give their salary to the unemployed.
3. They are unconcerned. How can you say you are concerned about the American people when you almost let the country go into default and hold the country hostage while you get your demands met? We need jobs and Congress refuses the President the right to speak on Jobs!
We need leaders who are concerned about the poor and needy. As Christians, if we repeat the sins of Sodom or Congress we are no better than they are. If we have it in our power to help the poor and needy but don’t do it, our religion is worthless. God’s greatest command is to Love God and Love people. It’s time for the people of God to take action. Jesus said, “When you do to the least of these you also do to me.” How we treat the poor and needy shows how much we love Jesus. To care about the poor and needy we must do the opposite of Congress we must:
1. Stay humble. God promotes the humble but demotes the arrogant. Make sure you have an approachable spirit so that people can come to you for help if they need it.
2. Share your food. If you have something that could help somebody and you can afford to do without it make sure you share it.
3. Help somebody. James 2: 14 What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? 15 Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead[1]
1. It's time for congress to stop playing games with our jobs! http://my.barackobama.com/page/s/o2012-Time-To-Act-signon?source=20110831_bo_nd&utm_medium=email&utm_source=obama&utm_campaign=20110831_bo_nd&keycode=%25%25CUSTOM_DATASET%5Bslug%3Dfile_dataset%2Ckey%3Dfile_hash%5D%
Dear God,
We need jobs. We also need leaders who really care about the poor and needy. Your people are crying out for help. Please send us the jobs, the food, the shelter and the help we need. Please don’t let the righteous be forsaken nor their children be in the streets begging for bread. Lord we need you right away. Please unite our President and leaders in Washington so that they can work on behalf of the poor and needy.
In Jesus Name,
Amen
[1] The Holy Bible : New International Version. electronic ed. Grand Rapids : Zondervan, 1996, c1984, S. Jas 2:14-17
Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy.
For the first time in history the President of the United States has been refused permission to speak before the House of Representatives. It’s not surprising considering also that no House of Representatives has threatened to let the United States go into default if its demands were not met. The economy is in a bad state and the President should be allowed the opportunity to address lawmakers before the State of the Union given the suffering so many Americans are feeling. We need jobs!
Rep. John Boehner needs to repent of his sin for misrepresenting the American people. Hard working people. Unemployed people. Poor people. People are waiting with baited breath for good news about jobs in America and Congress wants to play games with the President. Prolonging the misery of the poor through political play is a sin.
It’s time for us to hold the people we elected accountable because too many people are hurting.
Like the daughters of Sodom, our leaders have become disconnected from the people they serve because:
1. They're arrogant. How can you refuse the President of the United States the right to speak about jobs when that is the number one priority in the nation?! The first time in History; really?! Pride comes before the fall. The United States is in danger of destroying itself through arrogance.
2. They are overfed. Maybe the reason they can take their time in helping poor people find jobs is because they are overfed. I can guarantee that nobody in Congress missed a meal last night. Nobody in Congress ran out of gas going to work. Nobody in Congress got foreclosed on. While poor people go hungry from not working Congress is overfed. Maybe they should work for free and give their salary to the unemployed.
3. They are unconcerned. How can you say you are concerned about the American people when you almost let the country go into default and hold the country hostage while you get your demands met? We need jobs and Congress refuses the President the right to speak on Jobs!
We need leaders who are concerned about the poor and needy. As Christians, if we repeat the sins of Sodom or Congress we are no better than they are. If we have it in our power to help the poor and needy but don’t do it, our religion is worthless. God’s greatest command is to Love God and Love people. It’s time for the people of God to take action. Jesus said, “When you do to the least of these you also do to me.” How we treat the poor and needy shows how much we love Jesus. To care about the poor and needy we must do the opposite of Congress we must:
1. Stay humble. God promotes the humble but demotes the arrogant. Make sure you have an approachable spirit so that people can come to you for help if they need it.
2. Share your food. If you have something that could help somebody and you can afford to do without it make sure you share it.
3. Help somebody. James 2: 14 What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? 15 Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead[1]
1. It's time for congress to stop playing games with our jobs! http://my.barackobama.com/page/s/o2012-Time-To-Act-signon?source=20110831_bo_nd&utm_medium=email&utm_source=obama&utm_campaign=20110831_bo_nd&keycode=%25%25CUSTOM_DATASET%5Bslug%3Dfile_dataset%2Ckey%3Dfile_hash%5D%
Dear God,
We need jobs. We also need leaders who really care about the poor and needy. Your people are crying out for help. Please send us the jobs, the food, the shelter and the help we need. Please don’t let the righteous be forsaken nor their children be in the streets begging for bread. Lord we need you right away. Please unite our President and leaders in Washington so that they can work on behalf of the poor and needy.
In Jesus Name,
Amen
[1] The Holy Bible : New International Version. electronic ed. Grand Rapids : Zondervan, 1996, c1984, S. Jas 2:14-17
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