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Luke 6:45 - The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks. NIV
Guess what crosses around your neck and Christian paraphernalia can not hide? What is in your heart and comes out of your mouth. It is as Luke said, "For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks."
My answer is always the same when they say, "Oh I'm sorry I forgot you were a preacher and I say you don't have to apologize to me I am not your judge." I have learned when people say, "god damn". They are not talking about my God. They are talking about and cursing their god. Do you remember when God led the children of Israel out of Egypt? God called Moses up on Mount Sinai and while he was up their what did the Israelites talk Aaron into doing? Exodus 32:8 - "They have made themselves a molded calf, and worshiped it and sacrificed to it, and said, 'This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!" NKJV They borrowed some pagan ways from the Egyptians when it came to forming and worshipping the gods. It has been said that over the course of time the Egyptians have worshipped over a 100 different gods. Somewhere around 3000 BC (which would have been 1554 yrs before Moses and the Exodus) the Egyptians started to worship the bull Apis. One can see why the Israelites may have chosen to have Aaron build them a golden calf. How does God feel about the Israelites worshipping an idol or false god? Moses pens it down this way in the book of Exo. 32:10 - Now leave me alone so that my anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them.
I am not sure God could make it any clearer for us if we misuse the name of the LORD we will be judged. We will be held accountable.
Matt.12:36-37 - "But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” If any passage of scripture should have us make sure that no profanity, gossip, or slander proceeds from our mouth it should be what Matthew just informed us. If what Matt said convicts you there is a simple answer "Confess and Repent". Tell God you are sorry and would like His forgiveness. Then show Him you meant it by repenting which means you change your mind and that will bring about a change in your behavior. Paul says in Ephesians 4:29 - Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. NKJV Does your speech edify anyone or does it impart grace to the hearer? If you honestly answer "no" then why not change what comes out of your mouth? Matt. 15:11 - "You are not defiled by what you eat; you are defiled by what you say and do." NLT
This should be a prayer we say on a regular basis. Prov. 21:23 -Whoever guards his mouth and tongue keeps his soul from troubles. (NKJV) In carpentry they have a saying, "Measure twice, cut once." In life we could probably benefit from a similar saying, "Think twice, speak once." Think About This: It is too bad more people are not thoughtless rather than speechless. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word
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James 1:2-3 - Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. NASU
There are many different ways for our faith to be tested and I will not even try to give a list. What I want you to do is identify the type of tests you have encountered or are encountering now and ask yourself this question: Did my faith help me to "stay calm or remain cheerful" while I was being tested? James is saying we are to "stay calm or be cheerful" while this test or trial is taking place.
I was going through the test in my mind after it was over and wondered, "How could I even call myself a Christian? I totally bombed this test. This is horrible." I needed to take a "Mulligan" on this one. If you are a golfer you know what a "Mulligan" is. If you are not a golfer it simply means you get a do over without being penalized. The Lord knows I needed a "Mulligan" on this one.
I couldn't live with this failure. I needed a chance to redeem myself. I needed another chance to build up my faith. I needed to be retested and I had to "stay calm or be cheerful" while going through this next one. I highly recommend this pathway. If you have flunked a faith test in the past that isn't the end of the story. Ask God for another chance. He wants you to grow in your faith and He will help you. Notice again what James says: "knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance." The only way you are going to have a stronger faith is to continue to overcome the trials you face. We have to endure gladly while being tested.
I hope you ask God for a retest the next time you flunk the first one. Think About These: Gladness is in the heart, not the circumstances. Gladness doesn't come from what you have, but from what you are. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word 2 Tim. 4:8 - Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day — and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. NIV
James 1:12 - Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. NIV 1 Peter 5:4 -And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away. NIV
We will receive this crown on Judgment Day and it will be given to all Christians who have longed for His appearing. James states the one who perseveres through trials and has stood the test of time will be the recipient of this crown of life. Then Peter states in no uncertain terms when the Chief Shepherd (aka Jesus Christ) appears the crown of glory is ours and it will never fade away. As you have probably noticed the crown isn't something we are going to place upon our head, but it is more than that. It is something that we will possess and something that will possess us. We will now be beings that live righteous lives. The day is coming when we will never sin again because we will have received a crown of righteousness. What is a crown of righteousness? It will be our new way of life. There will be no temptation to sin because the tempter will not be there. Plus, we will be in the constant presence of righteousness. There are two Greek words for crown. The first is "stephanos" and it was the one made of twigs and leaves intertwined together. This type of crown was awarded to the winners of athletic events. It was also given in marriage ceremonies much like rings are given today and it was given to the conquering Generals who returned from a war where he was victorious.
In Chapter 12 the dragon wears a "diadema", in chapter 13 the beast wore a "diadema" (crown) as well. In chapter 19:11-16 we are introduced to the Rider on the White Horse, the Faithful and True, the Word of God and the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He is the LORD Jesus Christ and He is the One with complete authority and this is why He is able to wear the "diadema" crowns.
As it has been said we are going to the land of "no mores". For Revelation 21:4 says, "And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away." NKJV Think About This: There will be no crown-wearers in heaven who were not cross-bearers here on earth. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word Luke 4:24-27 - And He said, "Truly I say to you, no prophet is welcome in his hometown. "But I say to you in truth, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the sky was shut up for three years and six months, when a great famine came over all the land; and yet Elijah was sent to none of them, but only
to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. "And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian." NASU
Jesus goes back to His home town of Nazareth and enters the synagogue. There He reads from the book of Isaiah. When He is finished reading, He informs them this prophecy of Isaiah has been fulfilled in their hearing it. He is truthfully telling them He is the Messiah, the Christ or the Anointed One. We know they didn't believe Him because He quotes their response, "…Whatever we heard was done at Capernaum, do here in your hometown as well." They have heard about His miracles in Capernaum, but they want to see some personally before they are going to believe in Him. It is going to take more than Jesus telling them the truth by reading scripture and saying, "This is now fulfilled…" for them to become believers that He is the Messiah.
His second reference is II Kings 5 where the Prophet of God, Elisha, heals a Gentile Captain of the hated Syrian Army from his leprosy. What enrages the people of Nazareth is Jesus' comparison and conclusion. He informs them that there were many widows in Israel during the 3 1/2 years of famine, but God never sent any of His prophets to help them. Then Jesus steps it up a notch when He said, "There were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian." This had to anger them severely. You want to talk about being stabbed in the heart with the truth. God helped the Captain of the hated Syrian Army, but He never healed one Israelite who had leprosy. Yes, that would have to sting. I have had people tell me they don't believe Jesus would ever hurt anyone's feelings. I always think they can't be talking about the same Jesus I know. Because the One I know who was and is the Son of God, would hurt your feelings if you were living the wrong way. The evidence is in this passage of scripture.
They were so enraged by His comments they literally want to kill Him. I guess you could say, "Jesus really upset these people." The truth will set you free but it generally makes you very uncomfortable at first. If you want to make people uncomfortable tell them the truth after all it is the only way to set them free from thinking incorrectly. If the truth has been making you uncomfortable don't hate the truth. Make the necessary changes to improve yourself. Think About These: The man who follows the crowd will never be followed by the crowd. Truth often hurts, but it's the lie that leaves the scars. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word Gen. 33:10 - "…for what a relief it is to see your friendly smile. It is like seeing the smile of God!" NLT
Jacob's mother, Rebekah, told Isaac, her husband, that she didn't want Jacob marrying one of the girls from Canaan. She wanted him to marry a girl from her family and she asked Isaac to send him to her brother Laban's house. So Jacob goes to Uncle Laban's house and lives there for 20 years in the Paddan-aram area. He learned what it feels like to be cheated (Uncle Laban was a master at cheating) and now he wants to go home with his family and livestock.
When they finally meet Esau has forgotten that he wanted to kill his brother. Esau has moved on since he had made that threat and now it was good to see his brother. As a member of the human race one thing I have detected is people say a lot of dumb things, myself included. We say some things and the moment we say them we wish we could get those words back into our mouths. Esau and Jacob were no strangers to saying dumb things. Jacob's encounter with Esau turns into a joyous occasion. Jacob says, "…for what a relief it is to see your friendly smile. It is like seeing the smile of God!" NLT (New Living Translation) Well, time might not heal all wounds but it has certainly healed the one in Esau's heart towards his brother, Jacob. Jacob's commentary on their meeting is that Esau's smile was like seeing the smile of God.
What has removed your smile? Maybe it is has been life in general that has removed your smile. Maybe you are getting older and your body is not being kind to you. Maybe your family members have died and life is not the same without them. There are a lot of events that can happen to us to remove our smiles but none of them should make our smile go away forever. Don't you think it is about time to put that big beautiful smile back on your face? It has been said, "One thing is certain smiles never go up in price or down in value". As Christians, we're to help others navigate through life and one of the best ways we can do that is by giving them a smile. One of my mom's famous quotes was - "Smile; there is always someone who has it worst than you." You don't have to travel to a third world country to realize that is true. Are people seeing the "Smile of God" on your face? Have you shared the "Smile of God" with anyone lately? Think About These: The thing that costs the least and does the most is a smile. You're never fully dressed in the morning until you have put on a smile. Sometimes a smile happens in a flash, but the memory of it can last a lifetime. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word |
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