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Exo. 7:15-16 - Go to Pharaoh in the morning as he is going out to the water, …16 " You shall say to him, 'The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, sent me to you, saying, " Let My people go, that they may serve Me in the wilderness. NASU
Exo. 8:1 - Then the LORD said to Moses, "Go to Pharaoh and say to him, 'Thus says the LORD, "Let My people go, that they may serve Me. In Exodus Chapters 7-10 God says, 12 times the Hebrews are to be let go so they can "serve" the Almighty God. The Hebrews were chosen by the Almighty God to "serve" Him and not chosen to receive salvation. However, if they served Him correctly this would result in them being saved from an eternity separated from the Almighty God. Some people erroneously believe that all Jewish people are going to be saved simply because of their Jewish nationality, but this is not true. People who lived in the Old Testament days would be saved because of their relationship with God.
The Hebrews had their Exodus where they were called out of Egypt. So have sinners had their "exodus" where we have been called out of "darkness". Now that we have been called out of "darkness" what are we to be doing? Peter tells us very plainly now that we have been called out of darkness and we are to "PROCLAIM" the excellencies of God Almighty. In other words, we have not been called to be "saved" we have been called to "serve" the LORD God, Almighty by proclaiming the excellencies of Him. Look what God has done for us: He has made us a Chosen Race, A Royal Priesthood, A Holy Nation, A People for God's own possession, we once were NOT the people of God, whereas now we ARE the people of God, we once were without mercy, but now we have received God's MERCY. Now that we have this knowledge of what God has done for us it is our turn to PROCLAIM how great our God truly is because after all we have been called to "serve". Think About This: The smallest good deed is better than the grandest intention. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word
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Philippians 4:8 - Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true….think on these things. ASV
He had to be thinking things that were NOT true. He must have thought I can't win this battle over depression, or life is not worth living, or I am not needed here any longer. All of these thoughts if he had them would be untrue. As you read this Pump Up think about what the apostle Paul said, "Think on the things which are TRUE." If you are thinking you are not needed here, life is not worth living or you can't win this battle over depression you are thinking things that are NOT true.
It matters how we think. As a coach he has instilled that into his wrestlers. One of his wrestlers who was seeded 9th at the NCAA's was wrestling the number 1 seeded guy in the quarterfinals. His wrestler won that match. I am sure he was thinking, "I am going to win this match."
Let's think like the apostle Paul has told us, "to think on the things which are TRUE." Let your thoughts be based on the things that are true not on things which aren't. Here are some things that are true for us to dwell on: You and I have been created in the image of God (Gen.1:27). John 10:10-11 says, "…I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. "I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep." NASU You and I are loved so much a man died so that we could live and live life abundantly. As you read your Bible you will discover a lot of truth and these are the things we are to dwell on. Think About These: The actions of men are the best interpreters of their thoughts. The right train of thought can take you to a better station of life. Test the value of your thoughts by deciding whether you'd want them said out loud. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word 2 Kings 18:28-31 - Then Rabshakeh stood and cried with a loud voice in Judean, saying, "Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria. "Thus says the king, 'Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to deliver you from my hand; nor let Hezekiah make you trust in the LORD, saying, "The LORD will surely deliver us, and this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria." 'Do not listen to Hezekiah, for thus says the king of Assyria,…" NASU
I laugh at Rabshakeh's statement "…nor let Hezekiah make you trust in the LORD,…" Hezekiah had a reputation of trusting in the LORD and these Assyrian's knew it. Would anyone know that we trust in the LORD by our lifestyle? 2 Kings 19:9-12 -Rabshakeh… sent messengers again to Hezekiah saying, "Thus you shall say to Hezekiah king of Judah, 'Do not let your God in whom you trust deceive you saying, "Jerusalem will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria." 'Behold, you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the lands, destroying them completely. So will you be spared? 'Did the gods of those nations which my fathers destroyed deliver them,…' The answer to his question is "No" those gods didn't deliver them, but there is a big difference. Those nations didn't have the God of Creation as their God. They had gods that were not gods. Their gods were made of wood and stone. Our God is Spirit and wasn't made by the hands of men. Rabshakeh is trying desperately to destroy the confidence of Hezekiah and the Israelites that they have in the LORD. The devil is trying today using other "Rabshakehs" who will mock and ridicule Christians for trusting in the LORD God Almighty.
If you have some available time I would recommend reading I Kings 18 and 19 and see how Hezekiah is ridiculed for his faith in God. Christians today are likewise ridiculed for believing in God. We are told not to trust in the LORD, but to trust in the government or in ourselves. If you trust in the government how is that going for you today? Inflation is out of control, people have lost over 25% and more in some case of their retirement. So do you really think trusting in the government or your finances is the answer? When people tell you not to trust in the LORD my advice is simple "Don't Listen To Them".
God sent Isaiah the prophet with a message and the message from God was "I have heard you". When we pray God hears us. When we trust in God others hear us. Don't be silent! Trust in God! When others don't want you to trust in God, Trust in Him anyways. Think About This: The tragedy of our day is not unanswered prayer, but unoffered prayer. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word Prov. 13:20 - He who walks with wise men will be wise, But the companion of fools will suffer harm. NASU
My good friend and wrestling Coach Barry Davis told me about quite a few different wrestlers that he knew and coached over the years that associated with the wrong people. One wrestler connected with the wrong girl friend and instead of returning the next year and becoming a National Champ, he didn't even finish as an All American as he had done the previous year. Solomon said it many years ago and this is still great advice today. Choose your friends wisely. If you become friends with a fool it will cost you dearly.
All in all both men are simply saying something like this: "Show me your friends and I will show you your future."
We all have this in common and that is we are going to die. So what are you going to do with your life before death comes knocking on your door? The one thing you don't want to do is waste your time associating with the wrong people. Serago's paraphrase of what Solomon says reads like this: "You associate with fools and it will bring guaranteed suffering into your life." THE MESSAGE says it this way, "Become wise by walking with the wise; hang out with fools and watch your life fall to pieces."
Read God's Word because it will tell you the type of people to have as friends. Think About These: A wise man learns by the experiences of others. An ordinary man learns by his own experiences. A fool learns by nobody's experiences. Knowledge knows a fact. Wisdom knows what to do with that fact. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word Matt. 5:41 - "And whoever shall force you to go one mile, go with him two." NASB
I was speaking to a well known college wrestling coach a few years back about one of his National Champions. I asked him this question, "What is the difference between him and your other wrestlers? He said without hesitation, "Oh that is an easy question to answer. He does more than he is asked." "How so?" I inquired. He said, "If I tell the team to do 100 pushups he will do 110. If I tell the team I want 20 laps he runs 25. If I tell them 25 pull ups he will do 30. Everything I ask the team to do he will always add more to it." Jesus taught what this wrestler was doing 2,000 years before he was born. He was going the second mile.
So what is happening in your life right now where you need to make a commitment to go the second mile?
Another wrestler said he visualized his opponents in bed sleeping and he was up training getting the edge over his opponents. I am not sure which type of motivation will work for you, but my recommendation is find the one that works and allow it to catapult you to the next level. Think About These: The world might be improved with less television and more vision. The largest room in the world is the room for improvement. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word |
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