It is in Giving that we Recieve

On the way to Church I was thinking about the tithing system in the bible and why we find it difficult to give to God what belongs to him. I thought about the amount I was to give this morning and a part of me felt like it was too much. Have you ever felt that way?

The Love Of Christ Constrains Us

She was despised, no one wanted to be associated with her. A harlot they called her and each day she felt alone. She knew in her heart that she was a sinner doing what was wrong. Ever felt this way?

Sibling Rivalry

Joseph stood out from his brothers and whenever they did something wrong he reported it to his father. In fact while his brothers were herding sheep he seemed to stay home with his father therefore it seemed like he didn't spend much time with them. Ever been in such a situation before or know someone in it?

No Longer Enemies but Friends

Many times I meet people and try to bring up the topic of the Lords return they always say something like "I need to change my behavior and be a better person". Is this the ticket to heaven? Lets have a look at what we ought to know on a deeper level.

Why Bother?

Verse: 2 Sam 9:1-13

And David said, is there yet any that is left of the house of Saul that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake.

Reflection:

During David’s younger days, the Lord had knit his heart to Jonathans. Many times Saul would try to kill David but Jonathan would help him escape or let him know his father’s plans. Later in life we are told King David went about asking if there was anyone left of Jonathan’s family that he could show kindness. While asking around he was told of Mephibosheth, a lame man. This man was brought in his presence by Ziba a servant of the house of Saul. As you read the rest of the story you will notice David offered Mephibosheth all the land of Saul. We are also told this man would eat at the King David’s table all his life ( 2 Sam 9:11). I can imagine this lame man never thought in his life that he would sit at the Kings table. Now David did not have to go out of his way to look for this man, why bother?  Notice the verse says, “Is there any left of the house of Saul” this led me to think this was not the first person he was helping. He had shown much kindness to many of the house of Saul that he was now looking for any left. As I was reflecting on this story I realized many of Gods faithful people always went out of their way to help others and sometimes strangers. Abraham while seating at the tent door in Mamre saw the travelers and ran towards them. He pleaded with them to enter his house, rest, eat something then go on their way. We are told he went out of his way to make them comfortable and provide them butter, milk and some meat. ( Gen 18) Now am sure he had many other things to do, why did he bother? Lot while in Sodom did the same thing, he saw visitors at the gate and ran to invite them to his house in order that they may spend the night. He knew how dangerous Sodom was and wanted to make sure they were safe. Lot might have told his wife that he was bringing visitors home and she might have said why do you bother yourself. As I read these stories I am lead to wonder how often I stop to help, how often I go out of my way to assist another. How often I plead with people who seem to resist my assistance..My heavenly father went out of his way to invite me into his presence; he actually died for me and has now adopted me into the heavenly family. Wretched and poor, lame and blind I was but now I sit at the kings table and eat for all my life. He provides all I need and lack nothing. As I spend more time with him I learn of his character and today I choose to go an extra mile. There are many in our paths of life who need help, everywhere we turn we will see someone in need. Take the time to invite someone this Sabbath to your house and share that little meal, give someone a ride to their home, open the door for that little child who is too short to do it, or say hallo to that person that everyone doesn’t talk to. It’s my prayer that the spirit of God may open our eyes to see those in need around us and my soften our hearts to go that extra mile. Remember we are his hands, to touch the world around us, we are his feet to go where he may lead us. We are his light burning in the darkness, we are his love shining in the night. God bless you!

And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai

Key Verse:
And Sarai said unto Abram, behold now the Lord hath restrained me from bearing; I pray thee
go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice
of Sarai. ( Genesis 16:2)

Reflection:
God had promised Abram a child however in the process of waiting his patience run thin.
Days, months, years were going by but there was no baby in site. During this time Abram
started to wonder whether God has forgotten his promise. Sarai his wife was getting older, all
around him were evidences that all hope was lost. While contemplating this His wife came by
and had an idea. Genesis 16:2 says she came up with the idea of Hagar her helper be a surrogate
mother.She believed that by doing that she would be helping God fulfill the process he had made to them in other words we would say she took matters into her own hands. At this point in time Abram gave in to her suggestion and months later Ishmael was born. We have heard the rest of the story how there was commotion in his family and so much strife between the two wives he had that God asked him to send Hagar away. oh the amount of trouble when bring on ourselves when we are impatient and think God is taking long to fulfill his promise. As children of God growing in his knowledge we fall. God allows certain situations to come our way to strengthen our faith. Sometimes he may let a painful experience come your way like that of Job or keep you waiting. In this times, it's easy to be led away from God by the ones close and dear to us. It could be your relative or a close friend who you really trust. I realized as a christian we have those friends close to us who are always growing in the knowledge of God. I share my christian experiences with them and they do the same..in time I develop that close trusting relationship with them and believe they are also led by God and will guide me in the right way. When faced with a problem I run to them to ask for direction since i believe God will speak through them. It is in this kind of situation that we may be led astray. As much as those close to us who have a relationship with God may give sound advice the ultimate person we should consult is God. Abram when facing this test of faith listened to his wife Sarai and failed the test. I personally through this story have learned to hold on to God's promise. when God says he will do something, he will do it. It can take years and years but his promises never fail. We can depend and trust fully on his promises to us. Whether the storms rage, we loose our houses, family members or anything dear to us we can count on his promises. In our daily lives we encounter challenges let us hold on to his promises. Also remember God is our guide and not the loved ones around us. Remember when Job lost everything, it is his wife that he devil used to lead him to curse God. Not that she was an evil person but our eyes should always be on God. In the garden of Eden when Adam fell it was because he hearkened to Eve. It is through those close to us that the devil sometimes tries to draw us away from what God was told us. It's my prayer that as we grow in faith we learn that he who has promised is faithful.

True Love

They say the only certain thing about life is it's uncertainty. This sure is true, things do change from time to time some for the good or others for the worst. In life we tend to look for something constant. Something we can hold on to and be sure that it will not change however as we get older we realize that thing is not easy to find or is it? Today while talking to a friend my eyes were opened to something we all view differently, Love. This is something we all chase after in life, some people
find it but some don't. As I talked to my friend she narrated how she can never stop loving her daughter, I went on to ask if she would really love her daughter after finding out that she had some something very bad. She still insisted that she would still love her and it would be impossible for her to stop. Now I thought this
sounds like real love, some call it storge which is the kind of love we have for family members. In fact there are different kinds of love namely; Philia, Eros, storge and Agape. If you take the time to look at love between family members you will realize they can do almost anything for each other. There seems to be this strong bond that cannot be broken easily.

As i go through my days, God opens up my eyes to learn life's lessons in the simple things in life. The other day I saw a very young boy walking holding his mothers hand. Now this baby doesn't know much
about life or even much about his mother but he places complete trust in his mother knowing she has his best interest in life and trust her with his life. Storge seems to be the strongest love we can see in our lives however there is a love that goes beyong storge..Agape, the everlasting love. This is the love that stops at nothing and will do all it can for the other. The true selfless love that does not seek it's own but does everything it can to ensure the other persons good. This is the love we all crave for in life but few find it. It is available to us all but few claim it, the love of God
to us.

Rom 5:8 - But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

In order for us a have a glimpse of this love we need to contrast it with human love. Human love is conditional which means it can change and is based on beauty, goodness and needs to be kindled. Usually when someone is good to you
you tend to say I love that person. On the other hand agape love is very different, it does not need to be aroused. It is not based on our goodness that is to say, whether you do good or bad this love will still be there. Now this is not easy to grasp because it is a love higher than human thoughts can grasp however it is the ideal Christ has for us his children. Picture someone loving you constantly, when you think you have sinned too much to be forgiven he still loves you as much as he did yesterday when you were so good. This reminds me of stories in the bible like the woman caught in adultery, the tax collector, the way Jesus treated the outcasts etc..It is easy to say God loves me when your doing right but how about when you have wondered from him? Agape love still loves you the same, what a contrast to human love. It is such a comfort to know that Gods love for me will always be the same and this is the ground or basis of my salvation. When we believe that Gods love for us will always be the same, wherever he takes us we are sure he will be with us
and it is for our own good. When God calls you to do something that seems like it may harm you, as a christian you can count on his constant unchanging love.

Many times I have found myself in situations where I felt like I was going to loose it all. God was calling me to stand up for him but if I did it I would loose something I thought of as precious. But the promises he gives us of his constant love kept me going, I was able to go ahead despite the uncertainty based on the assurance that he was with me and will not let me be hurt. There are times you will not see where your next meal will come from, or you will not see how you can pay for that house, or even how you can move on when you have lost someone precious.This is the perfect time to hold on to his unchanging love, and trust him to open a way where there seems no way. Hold on to his promise by faith that he will provide even though you have not seen it. You can rest assured knowing he who has promised is faithful. As I go through this day, I am comforted to know that I have a father who loves me more than himself. He was willing to give his life for me, this is enough to make me realize he will do anything it takes for me to not only survive in life but also be with him eternally. My salvation rests on him, my unchanging, loving and faithful father who will never let me down.

Matt 24:35 - Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

Be encouraged!