Matt. 18:10 - "See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven continually see the face of My Father who is in heaven." NASU
First, who is the "you" Jesus is referring to? The "you" is a reference to His 12 disciples (see vs.1). The disciples were discussing with themselves "who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." They present this question to Jesus and here is how He answers it. Jesus calls a child to His side and informs His disciples that if they don't become like this child they will not be entering into the kingdom of heaven (vs.2-6). Second, who is the "little ones" Jesus is referring to in verse 10? When He says, "See that you do not despise one of these little ones…"? The "little ones" is a reference to "little children" mentioned in verse 2 and 3 and to "young or new believers" in Jesus mentioned in verse 6. We are told not to despise or "think down upon" these little ones. Matt.18:1-14 uses the phrase "one of these little ones" three times (verses 6, 10 and 14). Matt. 18:6 - "…whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble,…" Matt. 18:14 - "So it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones perish."
The disciples were discussing who was the greatest in the kingdom of God. You can be sure at the top of their list would not have been a little child nor a new believer in Christ. Yet, Jesus says, "…their (the little children and new believers) angels in heaven continually see the face of My Father who is in heaven." We never want to forget this: God is interested in children and new believers in Christ. In fact, He is interested in them so much that He has assigned an angel to them and the angels have immediate access to Him to inform Him of what is happening in their lives. So what do Guardian Angels do? They report to God what is happening in the lives of the "little ones."
"SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND, UNTIL I MAKE YOUR ENEMIES A FOOTSTOOL FOR YOUR FEET"? Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation? NASU Angels are ministering spirits sent out by God to render service to those who will inherit salvation or Christians. Yes, Christians have angels helping them during their life. In fact, Jesus even told this story about what happened to a man named Lazarus after he died: Lk 16:22 - "Now the poor man (Lazarus) died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham's bosom;…" The angels carried him away after he died. I believe you and I have angels helping us. We might not be able to see them, but that doesn't mean they are not there. Ps 91:11 - "For He will give His angels charge concerning you, To guard you in all your ways." Now would probably be a great time to say, "Thanks" to the Lord for the angel who ministers to you. Think About This: When you believe in angels, you have friends in High Places. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word
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John 2:10 - "…and said, "Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now." NIV
The reason for this Pump Up is not about Jesus turning water into wine and saving this family from a life time of awkwardness. This Pump Up is about those last 7 words I have underlined above for us. The words I want us to consider are "you have saved the best till now."
As we continue to get older day after day we have the opportunity to give God our best. When we read the Bible we find servants of God who gave God their best.
Isaiah was ready to go and go he did and the ironic thing is Isaiah knew the Israelites were not going to listen to his preaching. Yet that didn't stop him from doing what the Lord asked. The second servant that came to my mind was Daniel. Daniel is an old man, most likely in his mid 80's, when he is cast into the lions den. King Darius comes to the den where Daniel had been cast early in the morning after Daniel had been cast into it and this is the conversation between them: Dan. 6:20-22 - The king spoke and said to Daniel, "Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you constantly serve, been able to deliver you from the lions?" 21 Then Daniel spoke to the king, "O king, live forever! 22 "My God sent His angel and shut the lions ' mouths and they have not harmed me, inasmuch as I was found innocent before Him;…" These two servants of God continued to give God their best till the very end of their lives. What better statement could be made about us that we had saved our best for God to the very end of our lives. Think About These: You can give without loving, but you can't love without giving. The measure of life, after all, is not its duration, but its donation. It's what you sow that multiplies, not what you keep in the barn. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word Nehemiah 6:1-4 - Now when it was reported to Sanballat, Tobiah, to Geshem the Arab and to the rest of our enemies that I had rebuilt the wall, and that no breach remained in it,.... 2 then Sanballat and Geshem sent a message to me, saying, "Come, let us meet together ...." But they were planning to harm me. 3 So I sent messengers to them, saying, "I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?" 4 They sent messages to me four times in this manner, and I answered them in the same way. NASU
What is a leader to do when confronted with this type of situation? Leaders will follow in the footsteps of Nehemiah by refusing to associate with the wrong people. If you are going to be a leader you need to realize there are certain people with whom you will not associate. "Bad company corrupts good morals," the apostle Paul said. Nehemiah had three powerful enemies who were trying to get him to stop building the wall and meet with them. They wanted to kill him. Your enemies may not want to kill you but they would like to kill your influence. Stop for a moment and think back over the last five to ten years of all the business, sports or political people who have lost their influence. The cause of their loss of influence may have been they succumb to drugs, fraud, greed or sexual promiscuity. The wise leader will avoid people who would introduce them to these types of temptations and so should you.
Nehemiah said, "NO. I can't come down. I am doing a great work." He didn't say this just once he had to say it over and over again. When your enemy attacks you better be prepared to fight more than one battle. You better be focused on your goal and your God. There are going to be times in your life where you are either going to take a stand and say, "NO" or give in and live with the regret. The choice is yours.
It has been said, "Trust takes years to build, seconds to break and forever to repair." Once again the choice is yours. There is no doubt in my mind that the reason Nehemiah said, "NO" was he never lost focus of rebuilding the wall and his God. He was not interested in losing his reputation and the trust that he had built. These meant more to him than any thing in his life at that time. By rebuilding the wall he was going to once again bring honor and glory to the city of Jerusalem, his people and his God. Jerusalem, the city of David, was the city that God chose for the Israelites and he wanted it to be held in high esteem once again. What is it that you need to reevaluate at this time? What has been tempting you? What is it that you need to say, "No" too? Are there some people with whom you should not be associating? Think About This: It is easier to judge people by what they fall for than by what they stand for. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word Gen. 22:5-8 - Abraham said to his young men, "Stay here with the donkey, and I and the lad will go over there; and we will worship and return to you." 6 Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son, and he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So the two of them walked on together. 7 Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, "My father!" And he said, "Here I am, my son." And he said, "Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?" 8 Abraham said, "God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son." NASU
In Abe's mind he and Isaac were coming back after he sacrificed him. This is clearly written down in the book of Hebrews - Heb 11:17-19 - By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was offering up his only begotten son; it was he to whom it was said, "IN ISAAC YOUR DESCENDANTS SHALL BE CALLED." He considered that God is able to raise people even from the dead, from which he also received him back as a type. Abe believed God was able to raise people from the dead. What has your faith believed about God that sounds impossible?
Isaac was a type of Christ in that he carried his own wood to his sacrifice. What are we carrying today that we shouldn't be?
Jesus makes it very clear He is referencing His crucifixion when He states -"When you lift up the Son of Man…" This is a direct reference to His crucifixion. We are able to see that Jesus is telling us He is going to be crucified but He will not be alone when this happens. For Isaac it was the same his father was with him the whole time. Jesus was like Isaac He was on His way to being sacrificed yet He was not alone. Jesus' Father was with Him just as Abe was with Isaac. Another passage that very clearly informs us when Jesus is led to be crucified He will not be going it alone. In fact, it will be just the opposite His Father is with Him. John 16:32- "Behold, an hour is coming, and has already come, for you to be scattered, each to his own home, and to leave Me alone ; and yet I am not alone , because the Father is with Me. When we go through the trials of life I want you to know we are not going through it alone.
God will provide for us what it is we need when we feel like we are being sacrificed in this life. The thing we have to do is allow our faith to be influenced like the faith of Abraham. We must never forget that God will provide. Think About These: Promises are only as dependable as the person who makes them. God has never broken one of His promises. I would say that makes Him very dependable. Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word Luke 2:15 -16 - When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, “Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us. So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger." NASU
I send this Pump Up out every year at this time for all my new subscribers. I have made some updates to it this year. May you have a very Merry Christmas.
What some may not know is the meaning of Bethlehem. It means "house of bread." Jesus was the Bread of Life or the Bread of God that came from the "house of bread" to give spiritual life to the world. John 6:33 - "For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world." John 6:35 - Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst. John 6:41 - So the Jews grumbled about him, because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” John 6:48 - "I am the bread of life." John 6:51 - "I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” Jesus was and is the Bread of Life. If you are spiritually hungry Jesus is the One who can take away all of your hunger pains. If you have been wondering "What is my purpose?" Then look to Jesus for your answers.
The sheep were offered on the altar were special as they were sheep without a blemish. When John the Baptist saw Jesus he said this about Him. John 1:29 - The next day he *saw Jesus coming to him and *said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! John saw Jesus as the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world and this Lamb was born in Bethlehem where a lot of other lambs were born and would sacrifice their blood. But only the blood of the Lamb of God, Jesus, could totally atone for the sins of mankind. I hope and pray you have allowed the blood of Jesus to wash away your sins.
What greater gift could anyone receive? Truly, Jesus is the Gift that keeps on giving. Think About These: Blessed are those who can give without remembering, and receive without forgetting. The Christmas season is only as meaningful as we make it. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word |
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