Acts 20:35 - "...Remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'"

We always hear about what it is that someone wants. Some want a car, a house, a new loan, a husband, or a wife, or a child who would just listen for once in his/her life. 

Would you like a dollar for every time you heard someone say they wanted to win the lottery?

• If You Don't Give What You Have, You Won't Give.

Let me explain what I mean by that statement. If you say you will help so and so if you win the lottery, or you say you will give to the church if you win the lottery. 

I ask, "What are you giving to them now?"

If you say, "Nothing" then guess what? I don't believe you will give to them if you win the lottery.

Why do I say that?
 
It is because we are creatures of habit.
 
We will do what we have always been doing. If you spend everything on yourself now that habit will continue.

• What Jesus Didn't Say

 
Jesus didn't say, It is more blessed to give when you have an abundance. He said, "It was more blessed to give than to receive."

We are to give from what we already have. God has blessed us all.
 
If you don't believe you are rich right now I suggest that you travel to a third world country and see for yourself. Do you have water and electricity in your house? I stayed at a missionary's house in Uganda and they only got electricity every other day.
 

• Unprepared When I Was In Peru

In 2005, while traveling in Peru on a mission trip I saw a naked man begging for a handout. I was riding on a bus at the time and no way to stop and help him. I made a promise to God right then if I ever saw another naked person begging I would help them.

• Promise Kept In Liberia

 
In 2011, I was in Liberia on a mission trip and I was sitting in a vehicle while others in our party were buying some supplies. I saw a man walking down the street in Monrovia, the capital city of Liberia, totally naked. The promise I made in Peru immediately came to my mind.

I always carried extra underclothes and socks in my computer backpack in case my luggage was lost on an overseas trip.

I pulled out a pair of boxer shorts and a T-shirt from my bag. I approached him holding out the clothes and he accepted them. Before I left Liberia I gave all my clothes to those who were in need. When I gave one man my tennis shoes you would have thought I had given him a $1,000.00.
 

• Jesus' Promise Is True

 
It truly is more blessed to give than to receive. So let me ask you a question, What is on your give-a-way list?

Certainly, you have something to give to others. I am sure you have something in your home that you are not using that could be a blessing in someone else's life. So, why not give it and receive a blessing that comes with giving it away?

If you are a coach can you find one thing to compliment one of your athletes today?

If you are a boss can you find one thing your employee did to receive a compliment from you?

Believe this passage of scripture, "It is more blessed to give than to receive." So start being a giver today, which in turn will make you a receiver. You definitely will not regret it. 

Think on This:

Some of the greatest gifts are not monetary ones. If you have lost a loved one how much money would you give to have 10 minutes with them? Time, we all have time, and others could use some of our time.
 
 Stay Pumped,

Gary A. Serago

Minister of God's Word
 

Gen. 42:21-22 - Then they said to one another, "Truly we are guilty concerning our brother, because we saw the distress of his soul when he pleaded with us, yet we would not listen; therefore this distress has come upon us." Reuben answered them, saying, "Did I not tell you, 'Do not sin against the boy; and you would not listen? Now comes the reckoning for his blood."    NASU
​

•  The Cause of their Guilt 

Jacob's sons are in a dilemma. They had years ago sold their brother, Joseph, into slavery. They took his coat of many colors and stained it with animal blood and then lied to their dad, Jacob, about what they had done to Joseph.
 
There had been a famine and Jacob sent his sons to Egypt to buy grain.
 
Little did they know their brother, Joseph, who they had sold into slavery is now in charge in Egypt. Joseph sees his brothers and he recognizes them but they don't recognize him.
 
Joseph has them placed in prison and accuses them of being spies. He leaves them in prison for three days and tells them they must leave one of the brothers in prison, travel home and bring their younger brother, Benjamin, to Egypt to prove they are telling the truth and they are not spies.

•  The Guilt of the Past Returns 

Now is when their guilty consciences kick in and they remember what they had done to Joseph, their brother, and this is why this disaster is coming upon them. We probably all have done something in our past that periodically comes back from time to time to haunt us.
 
The two best ways I know to overcome a guilty conscience if you have hurt someone:

1. Apologize and ask for forgiveness from the hurt person.
2. Apologize and ask for forgiveness from God if the hurt person cannot be contacted.

After their father, Jacob, dies the brothers send a message to Joseph asking him to forgive them. Gen. 50:16-17 -"Your father charged before he died, saying, 'Thus you shall say to Joseph, "Please forgive, I beg you, the transgression of your brothers and their sin, for they did you wrong." 'And now, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father.'"         
 
The brothers asked Joseph for forgiveness and it was granted to them.  

• The Hope We Have In Christ

When your conscience brings up your past here is what I have found works for me.
 
During those times I remind myself that I am not that person any longer. That Gary died and was buried March 2, 1975, in the watery grave of baptism. Jesus was and is the perfect sacrifice that atones for the sins of mankind. The best way to defeat your guilty conscience is to be born again.
 
I am not perfect now but thank God I am not what I used to be nor am I what I want to be.  I want to do what 2 Pet. 3:18 says, "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."
 
Like the sign says, "Under Construction: God isn't finished with me yet."

• Guilty Conscience About Something Done After Your Baptism?

In case you didn't know Christians aren't perfect and sometimes our guilty consciences come from things we have done after we have become a Christian. You may have done something that hasn't hurt anyone but yourself so you don't have to ask for anyone's forgiveness.

People have told you, "To let it go." You wish you could but everything you have tried isn't working. 

So what should be done in those situations? I would say, "You need to remember what God has done for you and He Has Forgiven You so forgive yourself." 

• I Am Plagued By Feeling Guilty Constantly

Some people have a personality that dwells on the past and if you are a Christian that is constantly fighting your past mistakes then, by all means, you need to dwell on God's ability to forgive you of your sins.

• Christians Have The Same Enemy As Jesus

Christians must remember that we have the same enemy as Jesus had when He was on earth.
 
I like this saying, "When the devil wants to remind you of your past, remind him of his future." 

God is going to CRUSH him one day and so it says in Romans 16:20 - "The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you."    
 
If you want to dwell on something dwell on what God has done for you and what He will do to the devil. 

Think About These:

The head usher to happiness is a well-kept conscience.
 
Your conscience is not the voice of God; it is a gift from God.

Stay Pumped,

Gary A. Serago 

Minister of God's Word

Psalm 35:9 - And my soul shall be joyful in the LORD;
It shall rejoice in His salvation.    NKJV 

• Knowing Where You Are 

As I write this Pump Up I have prepared myself to leave in the morning for a motorcycle trip. First, I am going to Birmingham, AL and connect with a good friend of mine, Mike Puleo. When I leave him I will continue to ride to my house in FL and store my bike there this winter.
 
I have no less than eight times looked at MapQuest to go over my planned trip route. I have been lost before and the uneasy feeling you get is not for me. I like knowing where I am and where I am going.
 
The Psalmist knows where he is. He is in the LORD and because of this fact, he is JOYFUL. He is one who possesses salvation because of what the LORD has done for him. Please remember, the Psalmist, at this time didn't know the feeling of having his sins forgiven by the blood of Jesus. 

• Should We Be Joyful? 

No one should be more JOYFUL than Christians. We all have sinned and fallen short of God's glory. What did God do? He provided us salvation through Jesus Christ. Jesus' blood has atoned for our sins.
 
Look at what the apostle Paul says in the book of Romans 6:23 - For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
 
Christians should be constantly rejoicing in this world. Why? We have salvation IN Jesus Christ our LORD.
 
I may get lost driving and make a wrong turn but spiritually I am on the road that leads to eternal life. I am on the straight and narrow as Jesus called it.
 
Should we be Joyful?
 
I would say we have the greatest reason in the world to have a smile on our faces.
 
The Goins Brothers are a Bluegrass band that I have known for over 40 years and I remember hearing them singing the song below. I hope it will put a smile on your face today.
 TREASURES MONEY CAN'T BUYby: Dee Gaskin

1. While driving one day through the quiet countryside
An old man was walking, so I offered a ride.
His face was all wrinkled, his hair turned to gray
And these are the words that he had to say:

2. I may look like a beggar but I'm rich as a king
What I have in my heart gives me reason to sing
I'm a joint heir with Jesus so why should I sigh.
For these are the treasures that money can't buy.

CHORUS:
Money is worthless when a soul is at stake
If gold bought redemption, how much would it take?
But He loved me and saved me and I can't explain why.
These are the treasures, these are the treasures that money can't buy.

3. So if you look at my garments and you notice they're torn,
Well, I've a new royal garment that's never been worn.
And the cabin I live in is home till I die.
But I've a mansion in glory that money can't buy.

CHORUS:
Tag: Yes, He loved me and saved me and I can't explain why,
And these are the treasures, These are the treasures that money can't buy.

Think About This:

If you don't enjoy what you have, how could you be happier with more?

He who forgets the language of gratitude can never be on speaking terms with happiness. 

Stay Pumped,

Gary A. Serago 

Minister of God's Word

​Mark 4:14 - 20 - "The sower sows the word. These are the ones who are beside the road where the word is sown; and when they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word which has been sown in them. In a similar way these are the ones on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy; and they have no firm root in themselves, but are only temporary; then, when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately they fall away. And others are the ones on whom seed was sown among the thorns; these are the ones who have heard the word, but the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. And those are the ones on whom seed was sown on the good soil; and they hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold."  NASU
 

• Realize Hearing The Word Isn't Enough 

Jesus begins teaching His audience a parable about the Sower and the Seed at the beginning of this fourth chapter of Mark. The verses I am using for this Pump Up are Jesus' explanation of His parable.
 
Jesus says, "…when they hear…" something is going to happen and then He tells them "immediately Satan, God's adversary, is going to come and take away the word which had been sown in them.
 
You and I must realize we have an adversary and when the Word of God is sown in our hearts the wrestling match begins. Our adversary is going to try and wrestle the Word of God away from us.
 
The devil knows the Word of God can help us be more like Jesus, avoid sin and by obeying the Word we will be led into Eternal Life.
 

• Afflictions and Persecution Lies 

If the devil can't steal the Word away from us he will try another method.
 
It is the method of afflictions and persecutions. When you are going through your afflictions and persecutions I can tell you this much there will be thoughts that flood your mind saying, "So this is how an all-loving God treats one of His own."
 
The devil does everything within his power to get us to doubt God loves us. His tactics have not changed. When you read about his lies to Eve in the Garden and his lies to us today there isn't any difference.
 
He fraudulently besmirches God's character.
 
Like a wrestler who gets his face shoved into the mat because of a poor single-leg shot, so must we shove the devil's face in the ground when he tries to take us down with a lie about our God not loving or caring for us.
 

• Worries, Riches, and Desires 

If the devil can't steal the Word of God away from you and afflictions and persecutions don't get you to exit the straight and narrow path that leads to Eternal Life then he has another more sinister method.
 
He tries to steal your peace by getting you not to trust God and worry about everything. Jesus explicitly told us not to worry and the devil says, "Don't listen to Him, you need to worry."

The Word of God is not heeded when you are worrying. In fact, according to Jesus, it is being "choked" because you are worrying.
 
You might not be a worrier, but do you love having money, riches and wealth?  Do you never have enough and are your desires always to have more stuff?
 
We need to be very careful. The devil will see to it you receive riches if it means you lose your way on the road to Eternal Life. He doesn't care how rich you are here if it means you spend your eternity with him in hell.
 

• Good Soil  

What we should do after we hear the Word of God is allow the Word to work in us. We are to become fruitful.

We need to allow the Word of God to produce fruit in us. We are to grow spiritually. Every day we should read the Word and see if there is one new thing we can learn or one way we can improve our walk with the Lord.
 
There is a day coming when God will either say, "Enter in… or depart from me…" The choice is ours. It is my prayer all of us who are reading this Pump Up will hear His Words - Enter In My faithful servant.
 
Think About This:
 
The one who expects to go to heaven must take time to study the route that will get him/her there.

Stay Pumped,

Gary A. Serago 

Minister of God's Word