Luke 22:15 - And He said to them, "I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer;… NASB
Philippians 1:23 - But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better;… NASB 1 Thes. 2:17 - But we, brethren, having been bereft of you for a short while — in person, not in spirit — were all the more eager with great desire to see your face. NASB
This is the definition from Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance. We have taken the word "lust" and always connect it to something that is bad, but you can see from the scripture references above that both Jesus and the apostle Paul lusted, but not in an evil way.
He thought about it and He thought about it "earnestly," the text says. He thought about it, He was going to announce being betrayed by Judas (vs.22), and denied by Peter (vs.34). Wouldn't it be great if we thought earnestly about partaking of the Lord's Supper with our brothers and sisters on the Lord's Day? Have we ever thought about taking the Lord's Supper the week before? At times, I am guilty of not thinking much about it until Sunday. Shame on me!
I have had strong desires (lusts) to go to Heaven and I have had the same strong desires (lusts) to stay here on earth. The second way he "lusted" was about seeing his Christian brothers and sisters in Thessaloniki. I have experienced this type of great desire (lusts) also. It was when I departed Mbale, Uganda, Africa after teaching God's Word to some of the greatest brothers and sisters in Christ that I have ever met. It was that great desire (lust) that took me back four more times. One of my best friends, Dennis Okoth, lived and worked there. What an honor it was for me to serve the Lord with this gracious brother in the Lord. He has now moved to another ministry in Kenya and may the Lord continue to bless him, his wife Mary, and that special ministry. When I lust about Africa, I could say it like the apostle Paul, it is "with great desire to see your face."
Don't lust in a bad way. Lust in a good way. Hopefully, you will be lusting about taking the Lord's Supper, going to Heaven to be with Jesus, or going to see some family, friends or brothers and sisters in Christ. Think About These: Christianity is a way of walking as well as a way of talking. What can't be done by advice can often be done by example. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word
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John 12:3-5 - ”Mary then took a pound of very costly perfume of pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But Judas Iscariot, one of His disciples, who was intending to betray Him, *said, “Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and given to poor people?”“
This was very costly perfume, it should have been sold and the money given to the poor, says Judas. I wonder about this perfume being sold. What were the chances of that money ever making it to the poor? According to John slim to none: John 12:4-6 - But Judas… said, "Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and given to poor people?" 6 Now he said this, not because he was concerned about the poor, but because he was a thief, and as he had the money box, he used to pilfer what was put into it. That money was going to have a real difficult time making it into the hands of the poor.
Many times we just want to do the good deed and not have anyone notice. We certainly don't want someone bringing it to the attention of others. We know God has seen what we have done and that is all the reward we need. Well, that is the problem with expectations they don't always materialize. Many times we will get the exact opposite of what we expect.
Look what it says about Jesus in the book of Acts 10:38 - "You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. Jesus went about "doing good" according to this passage. Can anyone remember what happened to Jesus while He was here on earth? Oh yeah, they crucified Him. Mk 15:10 -"For he was aware that the chief priests had handed Him over because of envy."
The best thing we can do is expect to be slandered for "doing good". So when the people of this world who are more accustom to being under the control of the evil one are envious of you it won't come as such a shock. Doing good deeds doesn't always mean you will be rewarded immediately here on earth. In fact, "doing good" just might have a way of causing you some grief. Maybe this passage will help you to see why Christians or people who go about doing good suffer: 1 John 3:11-12 - …that we should love one another; 12 not as Cain, who was of the evil one and slew his brother. And for what reason did he slay him? Because his deeds were evil, and his brother's were righteous. You may suffer for doing good, but it is better to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. Peter says that if we suffer for doing good we will find favor with God: 1 Pet 2:20 - For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God. I can say this much we will never regret finding favor with God. How does this come about? It comes about by doing good or what is right and then suffering and enduring this suffering patiently. Think About This: Good deeds should be done with intention not for attention. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word Philippians 2:3-4 - Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. 4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. NKJV
Philippians 2:3-4 - Don't push your way to the front; don't sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. 4 Don't be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand. (from THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved.)
Do you remember when Paul calls Peter out for being a hypocrite? This story of Paul and Peter's encounter can be found in Galatians 2:11-13? Peter would eat with the Gentiles until some Jews from Jerusalem came to town and then he wouldn't associate with his Christian brothers any longer. He esteemed himself and his Jewish brothers better than the Gentiles. This hypocrisy even engulfed Barnabas. I knew of a congregation that wouldn't allow the men to serve at the Lord's Table without being dressed in a suit and tie. I always found this very sad because two of the men that would come dressed in their suits were later found to be guilty of being sexually immoral.
Keep your focus on Jesus and expect Christians to let you down and then it won't take you by surprise. Some people are motivated by "selfish ambition and wanting nothing more than being on the top rung of the ladder". They have made the wrong choice in life. We are not to be hypocrites. We are to be followers of Jesus. We are to allow His light to shine through us. Just remember the Bible states in numerous places that God will have the final words. His judgments will not be biased, they will be true and there is no way anyone can obstruct His justice. Think About These: If you hate hypocrisy then you really want to go to Heaven. Hell will be the last stop for all hypocrites. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word Luke 10:20 - "Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven." NASU
Well, they went out like He said and they were actually able to accomplish what He had asked of them. They come back all fired up. I mean they are excited. The exuberance is overflowing from them. They inform Jesus that even the demons have to listen to them when they cast them out in His name.
Jesus says, "Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you. "Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven." If you have experienced some great accomplishment(s) in your life it is okay to be happy and excited, but don't forget Jesus said this, if you want to rejoice in something rejoice in this, "that your names are recorded in heaven."
It is easy for us to lose sight of our goal from time to time. So let me encourage you to never lose sight of the fact that if you are a Christian your name is recorded in heaven. This world is not our home we are just passing through. The best news we will ever hear is our name is recorded in heaven. When we think about that truth for 10-15 minutes it seems to make the troubles we face less stressful. In fact, I would say our troubles completely vanish when compared to the "good news" that our names are recorded in Heaven. I would like for you to say this to yourself numerous times today: Your Name, rejoice because your name is recorded in heaven. When I say it I will say it this way: Gary Serago, rejoice because your name is recorded in heaven. Now you say it using your name. Think About These: He who seldom thinks of heaven is not likely to get there. The road to heaven is never overcrowded. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word Ps 71:5 - "For You are my hope; O Lord GOD, You are my confidence from my youth." NASU
The best way to gain confidence in your abilities is put them into practice. In other words, execute your abilities in the areas you need to increase your confidence. The more you practice or execute your abilities the more your confidence will grow. If you ever have the opportunity to watch a high school or college wrestling team you will see them doing something known as "drilling". When the wrestlers are "drilling" they are doing the same move over and over again to the point that it becomes automatic.
When I became a believer I was a few months away from turning 24 years old and I must admit I didn't immediately have 100% confidence in God in all things. It took me quite a few years to be able to say I have 100% confidence in God in all things.
How will your confidence in God increase? It has been my experience your confidence in God will grow as you walk with Him through your trials of life. Life has a way of putting some enormous pressures on us. Some of these pressures may be financial, health or family and they are so extreme we believe they are going to kill us. It is when we are experiencing these difficult times that our confidence in God has an avenue for growth. Don't detest the trials of life that you experience. Instead, see them as a great opportunity for you to increase your confidence in what God is able to do. To be the best you can be you need confidence in yourself and in God. Think About These: The strength that comes from confidence can be quickly lost in conceit. A good leader inspires men to have confidence in him; a great leader inspires men to have confidence in themselves. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word |
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