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Acts 10:30-31 - Cornelius answered: "Four days ago I was in my house praying at this hour, at three in the afternoon. Suddenly a man in shining clothes stood before me 31 and said, 'Cornelius, God has heard your prayer and remembered your gifts to the poor. NIV
I wonder what went through Cornelius' mind after that conversation with an angel. I am fairly sure he was not giving to the poor to be noticed by God. Yet, that is exactly what happened to him. He gave to the poor and God noticed him. I believe that when we give to the poor we do not give thinking "Well, God is watching me so I will give a large sum to this poor person." When we give we do so to help this person. I am quite sure that if we think about it for a moment there was a time when someone helped us. Now it is our turn to return the favor.
In the Old Testament times when the Israelites lived in an agricultural society God told them not to harvest all of their crops. They were to leave the edges of their fields alone and the poor people could come and glean the edges of their fields for free. In other words, the poor people had to do something to help alleviate their poor condition. They were given an opportunity to better themselves by harvesting crop that was left in the field for them by the land owner. They could use this harvested crop to feed their families or sell the crop and bring money into their own pockets to support their family. This type of living is supported by the Apostle Paul in the New Testament when he writes in 2 Thes. 3:10 - For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either. NASU
So how do I make this applicable to me today? I will tell you who I give money too. I give to the ones working in the restaurants. I know the ones working there are definitely not rich. A lot of them are working there as a second job. They are trying to make ends meet. By their being at the restaurant working I see them like I would see a person coming to the field to harvest the crop that has been left for them. Some of these servers are in school during the day and working there at night or vice-versa. God's plan is to help those who are indeed working to try and get ahead in this life and I see waiters and waitresses doing exactly that. When I leave them a very nice tip I see this as a way to give to the poor.
Acts 10:4 - The angel answered, "Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God. NIV Proverbs 14:21 - But happy is he who is gracious to the poor. NASU Prov. 22:9 - He who is generous will be blessed, for he gives some of his food to the poor. NASU
Prov. 19:17 - One who is gracious to a poor man lends to the LORD, and He will repay him for his good deed. NASU Think About These: Poverty is often the sidekick of laziness. A man is truly poor, not when he has nothing, but when he does nothing. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word
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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 (What has become known as 911) to see courage in action. They chose to enter those towers. It was their choice. They chose 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 About These: The courage to speak must be matched by the wisdom to listen. Be bold in what you stand for, but careful in what you fall for. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word Acts 5:38-39 - "So in the present case, I say to you, stay away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or action is of men, it will be overthrown; 39 but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them; or else you may even be found fighting against God."
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Now the High Priest, the Sadducees and other very high ranking Israelites were jealous of the apostles and commanded them to stop preaching that Jesus was the Christ. (Acts 5:29 - But the high priest rose up, along with all his associates (that is the sect of the Sadducees), and they were filled with jealousy.) Peter informs them the apostles are not going to stop preaching because they have been given this directive from God. Acts 5:27-30 - The high priest questioned them, 28 saying, "We gave you strict orders not to continue teaching in this name, and yet, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and intend to bring this man's blood upon us." 29 But Peter and the apostles answered, "We must obey God rather than men. Peter and the apostle's answer only infuriate this council and their intentions have moved from putting them in jail to killing them (vs.33). A Pharisee named Gamaliel happened to be at this meeting and with a voice of reason he persuades them against their plan of killing these innocent men when he makes the following statement to the council: I say to you, stay away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or action is of men, it will be overthrown; 39 but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them; or else you may even be found fighting against God ."
A few weeks back I did a Pump Up about Jonah and how he tried to run from God. That is how he thought he could beat God. His plan was I am going to out run God. We all know that plan will never succeed. Killing the apostles at this time will also not succeed. One thing I have learned being a Christian doesn't exempt you from being killed by the evil one. But your death will not happen until God allows it to happen. God told satan he could do what he wanted to Job, but he was not allowed to terminate his life. The devil tried to have Jesus killed numerous times before His actual crucifixion but he never succeeded. What about us? I believe if God is using us to accomplish His will the evil one can't kill us until we have accomplished what God had called us to fulfill. Will the devil try to kill you? I am not sure it would be him personally trying to kill you but maybe one of his evil ones. I believe the devil's main targets are the presidents, kings, queens and judges of countries. He wants to establish policies that are evil and against Biblical principles. Will the devil win? The devil will not win his fight against God. Matt. 25:41- "Then He will also say to those on His left, ' Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels;…" Rev. 20:10 - And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. These two scriptures inform us the devil and all his followers will end up defeated and thrown into the Lake of Fire. It doesn't matter who you are you can not win a fight when your opponent is God. It is better to be on God's side than not to be. Think About This: There is a way to stay out of hell but no way to get out of hell. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word Matt. 10:24-28 - A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master. 25 "It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher, and the slave like his master. If they have called the head of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign the members of his household!
26 "Therefore do not fear them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. 27 " What I tell you in the darkness, speak in the light; and what you hear whispered in your ear, proclaim upon the housetops. NASU
If we are going to be a "disciple" we won't have an attitude that elevates us above our teacher, Jesus. We will see Him as He is the Son of God. Now you might be thinking, "Well that is not too hard." But remember, when Jesus was teaching these lessons, a lot of people didn't believe He was God's Son the way we do. In fact, one of the first controversies about Jesus was whether He was of the same substance as God (Gk. -homoousian) or a similar substance to God (Gk.- homoiousian). This was discussed at the First Council of Nicea in AD 325. As disciples, we should always have an attitude that leads us to always learn as much as we can about Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, and become as much like Him as we possibly can. Are you willing to be a disciple of Jesus if it means you have to study God's Word so that you can be like your Teacher, Jesus?
Jesus and His disciples are teaching that He is the Son of God and His enemies are saying He is a god, alright. He is Beelzebul, the god of dung (dung is manure). As disciples of Jesus, we know they maligned our Savior, and we will be maligned for our beliefs about Him as well. Are you willing to be a disciple of Jesus if it means you will have people say evil things about you? Or you may not get a certain job because of a prejudice the person doing the hiring has against Christians.
Can we overcome our fears? Yes, we can or Jesus would not have commanded it. He isn't going to ask us to do things that are impossible. Don't give into fear. Everything Jesus taught will be revealed. It will be revealed that He truly is the Son of God. Now instead of being conquered by fear, be conquered by the desire to go everywhere and speak the truth about Jesus Christ. We are to speak in this world what we have heard. What have we heard? We have heard that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, and He has come as the Lamb of God to take away the sins of the world. The world so desperately needs to hear this message and yet, the very thing they need to hear a lot of them don't want to hear. So we speak anyways. We are to spread the good seed into the world. So spread it we will. Think About These: If you are not afraid to face the music, you may someday lead the band. Courage is not the absence of fear, but the conquest of it. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word |
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