Ecclesiastes 8:14 - There is something else meaningless that occurs on earth: righteous men who get what the wicked deserve, and wicked men who get what the righteous deserve. NIV
Solomon has been known as the wisest man that has ever lived and he penned down the words above for us. Righteous men get what the wicked deserve and wicked men get what the righteous deserve. This proves that you don't always reap what you sow. If this world were perfect then we would reap what we sow. The world, however, isn't perfect and therefore we will not always reap what we sow. I remember teaching my children when they were young, Life Lesson 101: Life Isn't Fair and don't expect it to be fair or you will be rudely awakened one day.
A man who never sinned and yet, He was crucified because of evil men. Here is what Peter had to say about Jesus years after His death: "…since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, WHO COMMITTED NO SIN, NOR WAS ANY DECEIT FOUND IN HIS MOUTH; and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed." 1 Peter 2:21-24 Jesus left us an example to follow according to Peter. We will have no deceit in our mouths, we will not revile against those who revile against us and while we are suffering we will not use our mouths to spew out threats or vulgarities. What we will be doing is entrusting ourselves into the hands of God, the righteous judge. The next time we suffer at the hands of unjust men and women we will be in control of our body, mind, and spirit. We will not use our mouths to spew out profanities, slander or condemnations. We will look to the One who judges righteously.
Genesis 50:20 - "As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result,…" Sometimes in life, we have to endure the evil done to us by wicked people. In Joseph's situation, it was his own brothers. So in life, if your enemies, co-workers or family members inflict some of life's injustices upon you, look to the One who judges righteously. Think On This: When God allows a burden to be placed upon you, He will put His arms under you to help you carry it. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word
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Exodus 18:17-20 - “Moses' father-in-law said to him, "The thing that you are doing is not good. You will surely wear out, both yourself and these people who are with you, for the task is too heavy for you; you cannot do it alone. Now listen to me: I will give you counsel, and God be with you. You be the people's representative before God, and you bring the disputes to God, then teach them the statutes and the laws, and make known to them the way in which they are to walk and the work they are to do.” NASB
We all need someone that cares for us. We need to know there is someone who has our back. Someone who will confront us and let us know that what we are doing is not good. Do you have that type of person in your life? Jethro was this type of person. He didn’t want to see Moses wreck his life. There was no way that Moses was going to be able to keep up his grueling schedule and Jethro possessed enough wisdom to see he was traveling down the wrong road. Moses was setting himself up for failure and Jethro knew it.
Now they may not be familiar with Jethro so share with them this Pump Up and ask them if they would be like Jethro with you? Whenever they see you doing something that is not good they would meet with you one on one and say, “Hey, the thing you are doing here is not good for you.”
You need to be someone’s Jethro and in so doing a Jethro will come into your life. Hence, you will have reaped what you have sowed.
The correct answer is GOD. God called Moses from the burning bush in Exodus 3. Then why didn’t God give Moses the same brilliant instructions that Jethro gave him? Jethro gave Moses a plan that is spoken about in just about all “Leadership” books or seminars and that is the importance of “Delegation.” Jethro’s plan for Moses was one of “delegation.” Delegate to others what they can do, so that you are still alive to do what you can do. No one can do exactly what it is God has called you to accomplish, but God will not give you every minute detail. He has given us a brain and we need to discover the best ways to accomplish what it is we believe God has called us to fulfill.
We all need a friend who will tell us the truth even if it hurts us. So, if Jethro inspected your life for one day like he did Moses what advice do you think he would give you? Think On These: The only way to settle a disagreement is on the basis of what’s right, not who’s right. It is better to keep a friend from falling that to help him up after he falls. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word Share this Pump Up with others by Sharing on Your Facebook Page, Twitter or Forwarding to a friend. Romans 12:2 - And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. NASB
2 Corinthians 3:18 - But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit. NASB
According to the Apostle Paul, you need to know you are going to have to make some changes in your mind which will bring about changes in your lifestyle. Why do we need to go through this transformation? So we can prove what the will of God is. For years I have had people say to me, "I just wish I knew what the will of God was for me." I can tell you this much if you have not been reading His Word and praying to Him, you will never find out what God's Will is for your life. Notice what Paul says, "…the will of God is, that which is GOOD, and ACCEPTABLE and PERFECT."
In the Old Testament after Moses had received the 10 commandments from God and descended from Mt. Sinai, he had to put on a veil on that covered his face. This covering was to hide the Glory of God from the Israelites. It is just the opposite in the New Testament. We don't hide from the Glory of God. We are to reflect the Glory of God so that others can see this glory and desire to have the Glory of God in their lives. The issue here is if we are not going through a metamorphosis (aka- transformation) personally, we are hypocrites. We should become more and more like Jesus and Paul tells us why. The reason is, we don't have a veiled face and we are looking directly into the Glory of the Lord. Therefore, who else are we going to look like except, Jesus?
Paul said, "be transformed by the renewing of your mind,…" It is your mind that must be renewed and it is your mind that must have gone through a transformation. It is not enough to know a Christian you have to be one. So seriously ask yourself this question: "How much do I resemble Jesus?" Think On These: We can change the world by changing ourselves. Where we go and what we do advertises what we are. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word Share this Pump Up with others by Sharing on Your Facebook Page, Twitter or Forwarding to a friend. Prov. 1:5 - A wise man will hear and increase in learning,
And a man of understanding will acquire wise counsel, Prov. 12:15 - The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, But a wise man is he who listens to counsel. Prov. 29:9, 11 - When a wise man has a controversy with a foolish man, The foolish man either rages or laughs, and there is no rest… A fool always loses his temper, But a wise man holds it back.
Solomon says a friend like that may say things that hurt us but those "hurts" are called "faithful wounds" and they are better than kisses from an enemy. Prov. 27:6 says, - "Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but deceitful are the kisses of an enemy." In other words, we will have a friend who will inform us of the truth that is being said. We will have a real friend and not a "yes man" as they are known. "Yes men and women" will tell us want we want to hear and not necessarily what we need to hear.
A wise man will seek out wise counsel; and this is what needs to be said about us when we are not around? Do people say we are wise because we hear, listen and increase in knowledge?
Do we seek out wise counsel and obey it? Or are we more like the foolish man? Always losing our tempers, never listening to others, and of course we are always right about everything in our own eyes. Think On These: To profit from good advice requires more wisdom than to give it. The courage to speak must be matched by the wisdom to listen. You can buy an education but wisdom is a gift from God. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word Joshua 1:6-7 - "Be strong and courageous, for you shall give this people possession of the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. 7 Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go." NASU
A person who is courageous is one who tells himself he is going to be courageous at that moment. We all possess a courageous or brave spirit. Some of us fail at being courageous when we choose not to be. It isn't because we can't. It is because we chose not to be when a challenge arises. When a courageous person is faced with new circumstances or even dangerous situations, he believes he must confront them and does. All one has to do is remember the courageous NYPD and FDNY officers running into the burning twin towers on September 11, 2001 (911) to see courage in action. They choose to enter those towers. It was their choice. They choose to be courageous. There can be no running from the challenge as this would not be a person who is courageous but would be more in line with a person who is cowardly.
Moses had recently died and up to this point Joshua had been Moses' assistant. God spoke directly with Moses and Moses made the decisions based on what God had told him. This is all going to change. God is now going to speak directly to Joshua. Joshua will be the new leader. Joshua will be making decisions based on God's commands. Joshua was going to lead the Israelites into battle and all he has to do is believe God's promises. In Joshua 1:5 God promises him - "No man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you." NASU Now it is on Joshua's shoulders to believe what God told him. God tells us the same thing in Hebrews 13:5 - that He will not forsake us. Do you want to be courageous? Then believe God's promises when your faith is being given a test because that is what courageous warriors of God do.
When you take a stand to be courageous it is a mental decision. The more you know God's Word the easier it will be for you to be courageous. I heard a preacher say one time, "If you don't stand for something, you will fall for anything." People who know God's Word will not fall for anything or at least they shouldn't. Go ahead make your decision to be strong and courageous today. Stand up to the challenges that are before you today and every day and when you do you will be courageous. Think On This: Courage is not the absence of fear, but the conquest of it. Remember, you are your own doctor when it comes to curing cold feet. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word Share this Pump Up with others by Sharing on Your Facebook Page or Forwarding to a friend. To Read Other Pump Ups You Can Go To My Website. www.SeragosPumpUps.com |
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