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Prov. 11:24-25- "There is one who scatters, and yet increases all the more,
And there is one who withholds what is justly due, and yet it results only in want. 25 The generous man will be prosperous, And he who waters will himself be watered."NASU The Way To Prosperity Comes By Being Generous Solomon says, "There is one who scatters, and yet increases…" In other words, there are people who share what they have acquired and the end result is an increase in what they have. The mind of man has a very difficult time accepting this truth because it seems so contradictory to basic common sense. If I have 5 apples and I give one apple away I now have 4 apples so how does that equate to an increase? Yet, a spiritually minded person reads this passage and understands it quite easily because they know God sees our liberality and He will bless our action of giving so that we will be blessed with an increase. A person of little or no faith will not understand this concept. Yet, a person of faith understands it perfectly. This course of action to the person of faith makes perfect sense and is crystal clear. The Pathway To Being a Loser The pathway the loser travels on is withholding what he should share. Here is how this pathway leads you down the wrong trail because the end result is all you have are feelings of "I Want More". There will be no contentment for the stingy person only a desire of wanting more. They are not able to be happy with what they have because of this deep longing down inside them that only wants more. Is There A More Pathetic Sight? Have you ever seen a person who in your mind has just about everything, yet the person doesn't have any contentment? There is no peace in their life because they are not happy with what they have. Is that pathetic or what? Seriously, wouldn't you want to have a little and be totally content with it, rather than have a lot of stuff and not be content with what you have? Every American Needs To Go On A Third World Mission Trip. Going on a mission trip to Mexico in 2003 is what opened my eyes more than anything else. I really believe every American Christian should go on a 3rd world mission trip. I led a men's group to Rocky Point, Mexico to build 13 houses for them on the first trip I led down there. The house dimensions are 11' x 22'. Yes, you read the dimensions correctly Eleven Feet wide x Twenty-Two Feet long. The stick built, stucco house had one door, two windows, no running water or electricity. The people cried tears of joy when we gave them a Spanish Bible and the keys to their door at the end of the project. Now most Americans who are reading this Pump Up are saying to themselves my garage is bigger than that and you would be correct. Yet, this house will be the home of any where from 4-6 people and sometimes more. I made God a promise during that trip I would never complain about what I have. This was an eye opener for me. Then I went on a mission trip to Peru and Africa and my eyes were opened even wider. I have more items in my basement stuffed in boxes than some of these people will ever own in a life time. Going Back To Uganda, Africa In October I have had numerous people ask me, "Why do you want to go back to Africa?" The answer is simple - There is one who scatters and increases all the more. I want to scatter the Word of God. I want the Word of God to increase. I want to be that generous man. Not so that I can prosper. I am already wealthy. The good Lord has already seen to it that I have prospered. It just isn't right NOT to give back. It just isn't right to be stingy with what you have. Would you please say a prayer for me and my upcoming trip in October? (I will be teaching 25 tribal pastors at the Messiah Theological Institute in Mbale, Uganda, who will in turn take what I teach them to hundreds of other Africans. I will be teaching the Gospel of Luke with the Theme of How To Build A Stronger Relationship With Jesus Christ.) The Way To Prosperity Comes By Being Generous I started this Pump Up by saying the way to prosperity comes by being generous and I am going to end it the same way that I started it. We can not improve on God's plan. Do you want to prosper? Then give. Hopefully, you noticed I never mentioned money. Money is not the only way you can give. When I went to Mexico I gave leadership, direction and time. I organized the trip. I made all the necessary arrangements and recruited others to help me and I even took clothes for them. Give things away that you are not using that would be a blessing to others and by all means give your time to a lot of worthy projects. You need to be one of the ones who scatters because in so doing you will be the one that prospers. Think On These: Generosity will always leave a more pleasant memory than stinginess. He who gives only when he is asked has waited too long. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word
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Philippians 4:8 - Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true….think on these things. ASV
Think On The Things That Are True The apostle Paul gives us some sage advice when he tells us to "Think" on the things which are TRUE. I am sure many of us can admit that we have been guilty of thinking about things that are not true and in so doing have gotten ourselves into some trouble. Death Of Robin Williams I enjoyed watching his movies. I especially liked Good Morning, Vietnam. I can still hear him yelling that over the radio microphone. I don't want anyone to think that I am going to judge Robin for his actions. I just want to say this, I believe if he would have thought on the things which were TRUE he would not have committed suicide. He had to be thinking things that were NOT true. He must have thought I can't win this battle over depression, or life is not worth living, or I am not needed here any longer. All of these thoughts if he had them would be incorrect. As you read this Pump Up think about what the apostle Paul said, "Think on the things which are TRUE." If you are thinking you are not needed here, life is not worth living or you can't win this battle over depression you are thinking things that are NOT true. The Benefit Of Thinking Correctly My son-in-law (Cary Kolat) and I were talking one time about his wrestling career and he told me this, "I always thought I could defeat every wrestler before I walked out on that mat." It matters how we think. He must have instilled that into one of his wrestlers last year at the NCAA tournament. His wrestler was seeded 9th and he was wrestling the number 1 seeded wrestler in the quarterfinals. His wrestler won that match. I am sure he wasn't thinking, "Oh, I will never beat this guy." We need to be thinking on the things which are true. Cary, as a wrestler thought he could win and win he did. Now as a coach I am sure he is teaching his wrestlers to think on the things which are true and that is you can win. So What Is It Going To Be For You? How are you going to think? Have you ever thought something one way only to find out later that your thinking was all wrong? I am sure you must have for we all have done that at one time or another. Maybe some of you can relate to this situation. I remember taking some tests in school and as I was walking out of the classroom thinking, "Oh, I didn't do so well on that one." Only to find out I not only passed the test I did really good on that one. I remember preaching a sermon one time and I thought it bombed as we were singing the invitation hymn and then I watched three people walk forward to give their lives to Christ and be baptized. Let's think like the apostle Paul has told us, "to think on the things which are TRUE." Let your thoughts be based on facts not on things which aren't true. Think on These: The actions of men are the best interpreters of their thoughts. The right train of thought can take you to a better station of life. Test the value of your thoughts by deciding whether you'd want them said out loud. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word Gen.3:9-12 - Then the LORD God called to the man, and said to him, "Where are you?" 10 He said, "I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself." 11 And He said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?" 12 The man said, "The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate." NASU
You Have Been Caught Red Handed. Adam was caught by God doing what he wasn't supposed to do "eating of the forbidden fruit". We have all been caught red handed by God doing what we weren't supposed to be doing in some way. For the scriptures say, "… for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (Rom.3:23) How would you respond if caught doing something you were not supposed to be doing? The answer depends on the type of person you are. If you are a person of integrity you would be honest and admit that what was done was your fault. You would not follow in the footsteps of Adam and blame anyone else. You would take responsibility for you actions. Adam The Originator of Blame Shifting When you have been caught doing something wrong one way to respond is to blame someone else. This means you don't want to take responsibility for your actions. This is what Adam did. He blamed God and Eve. WOW! Can you imagine the nerve of Adam? He actually blames God for his new problem when he says, "The woman whom YOU gave me…and SHE gave me from the tree…" Now I don't know how many of us have the nerve to blame God for our problems, but I am fairly certain we have blamed either one of our siblings, classmates, friends or co-workers at one time or another. Why would we blame someone else? The reason is because we have not learned to accept responsibility for our actions. If He Jumped Off A Bridge Would You Do The Same? I don't know how many times I tried blame shifting with my parents only to hear them ask me that famous question we have probably all heard, "If he jumped off a bridge would you do the same?" Why did they ask me that question? The reason is they were trying to teach me that we are responsible for our actions. We probably used that question on our children when we caught them doing something wrong and they followed the age old course of action-Blame Shifting. What Are The Results Of Blame Shifting? The first result is the guilty person doesn't accept responsibility for his/her actions and therefore, will never change his/her behavior. Second, you will teach those around you this same type of behavior. As we can see in the next verse Eve says when questioned by God that it was the serpent's fault. Third, the person will never truly repent of their wrongful actions. Media Sometimes Blames The Wrong Person Last week race car driver Tony Stewart was in an accident which left a young race car driver named, Kevin Ward Jr., dead. Some people in the media are placing the blame on Tony. Now I am not a Tony Stewart fan, but since this Pump Up is about accepting responsibility, lets put the blame where it belongs for this tragedy. Kevin should have never gotten out of his car. I am sure he was taught you don't get out of your car unless it is on fire, which it was not. Let's not blame people for that which they are not guilty. If Kevin wanted to disagree with how Tony was driving then the place to do that was after the race was finished. You can file a complaint with the proper authorities, but if you get out of your car when the race is still being run then you will have to accept responsibility for your actions regardless of how dire they are. How Then Should We Respond? If we are caught doing something wrong how then should we respond? We are to be men and women of integrity and admit it when we have been caught doing what we should never have done. God's word says it this way: 2 Cor. 7:10 - "or the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation,…" We should accept responsibility for our actions and repent, which means change our actions. How should we respond to those we catch not doing what they are supposed to do? Don't allow them to blame shift. Teach them to take responsibility for their actions and this may be in your household, at your place of employment or on your sports team. One of the greatest lessons we can learn or teach is "accepting responsibility" for our actions. Think On These: The most important person to be honest with is you. The honesty of most politicians has never been questioned. In fact, it has never been mentioned. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word Prov. 24:17-18 - "Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, And do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles; Or the LORD will see it and be displeased, And turn His anger away from him."
When You Just Want To Scream "Yeah" If you are a leader or successful in any area of life you made enemies along the way. Some times in life you didn't do anything. There are some people in life that will be your enemy and have flimsy excuses for a reason why they are against you. One of the hardest things in life we will ever accomplish is not rejoicing when our enemy falls. When we want to scream "Yeah" the LORD says, don't do it. You Have A Visual Of That Person When you read the scripture above a visual of that person came to your mind. When they fell you may have not known about this scripture and you did rejoice. When they fell you may have said to yourself, "Good, they got what they deserved." You were glad they were receiving some type of punishment. How Are We Supposed To Respond? We are not to be glad or happy. We are not to be jumping up and down with joy. Serago, you have got to be kidding me. You don't know what was said about me or did to me and you would be correct, but God knows and that is why he/she has fallen. God is dealing out the correct judgment, at the correct time, and He doesn't need us gloating about it. Well, I guess you're right this is very hard. So How Am I To Behave In This Situation? You are to realize that God is in control and that He is watching over you. He will judge those who mistreat us. He is the judge and we aren't. Let Him do what He is supposed to do. Also, it might help to remember what happened to Joseph in the book of Genesis. His brothers sold him into slavery and then lied to their father about what had happened to him. I am always amazed at Joseph's faith when he makes this statement to them in Gen. 50:20 - "As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive." NASU Your enemies may be just like Joseph's brothers. What they have said about you and done to you may have been done with evil intent, but that doesn't mean that God can't use it for good. He did in Joseph's situation and may be doing the same in yours. Give God time to work like Joseph did. Joseph had to wait for 13 years while God was working His plan. What Took God So Long Before He Acted? It is my opinion He was giving the brothers time to repent which they never did and God could be giving your enemies time to repent and avoid being punished which they may never do. When the ones don't repent within God's time schedule judgment will be passed down upon them. God's judgment will always be just and always on time. The penalty will always fit the crime. Think On These: We always want judgment to come upon our enemies immediately, and we want our judgment to be delayed as long as possible. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word |
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