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I Kings 18:43-45 - He said to his servant, “Go up now, look toward the sea.” So he went up and looked and said, “There is nothing.” And he said, “Go back” seven times. It came about at the seventh time, that he said, “Behold, a cloud as small as a man’s
hand is coming up from the sea.” And he said, “Go up, say to Ahab, ‘Prepare your chariot and go down, so that the heavy shower does not stop you.’ ” In a little while the sky grew black with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy shower. NASU
Having people not believe in your dreams is a commonplace experience. In our text above Elijah had a vision or a dream where the Word of the Lord came to him. In this vision God had told him that it was going to rain: 1 Kings 18:1- Now it happened after many days that the word of the LORD came to Elijah in the third year, saying, "Go, show yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the face of the earth." NASU Now, no one else knew it was going to rain. Everyone had been programmed to believe it wasn't going to rain because it hadn't rained in over three years. In verse 41, Elijah could hear and see a storm coming. While Elijah was on Mt. Carmel he knows a storm is coming but only he is able to see and hear it. He says to his servant (vs.43) “go…look towards the sea.” The servant does as Elijah said, but when he returns he informs him he saw nothing. They go through this ritual six times and each time his answer is the same, “There is nothing.” Imagine going through this same routine six times and coming back with the same answer, “There is nothing.” Elijah’s servant was not able to see what Elijah saw. God said (vs.1) that He was sending rain and Elijah believed him and he could see the rain coming. He didn’t see it physically but he saw it spiritually.
So what are you to do when you can see what no one else can see? You keep on displaying your faith in what you believe. At least that is what Elijah did and on the seventh time, his servant came back with a different answer, a "don’t get your hopes up too high" answer. He says, “Behold, a cloud as small as a man’s hand…” The servant doesn’t have much faith in this little cloud. In fact, he says it is a “small” cloud. It is only the size of a man’s hand. Now if you think about that for a moment, physically speaking, that size of a cloud isn’t going to do much. That is what makes this story all the more fascinating.
You might have a vision or a dream and you have shared it with your family or friends and they all think you are “crazy” or worse yet: they even call you a “dreamer”. All I can say is keep believing or having faith in your dreams. This is how to keep your dreams alive. Elijah did and in the end, he was right and they were wrong. You may be the small cloud and God is going to do great things with you. Don't stop believing you are partnering with God. Think About These: Small minds are the first to criticize large ideas. If you want your dreams to come true, don't oversleep. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word
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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.
Please don't forget many years ago the Bread of Life, Jesus, and the Lamb of God, Jesus, was born in Bethlehem. This all happened so that we could be fed spiritually and our sins could be atoned for by the Blood of the Lamb, which is Jesus. 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 Heb.2:17 - For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people.
You will read it on signs in people’s front lawns, you can read it in store windows, and on Christmas cards. But is Jesus the reason for the season? I think not. Now I am sure I have some people’s attention now. I did a communion meditation using this topic. I laid out my premise this way. I asked, “How good is your imagination?” If we go all the way back to Adam and Eve and come forward in time and imagine if you can that every person who had ever lived did exactly what God wanted them to do. In other words, no one ever sinned. We all lived according to God’s laws. Would there be the need of a sacrifice? The answer is “No”.
The Greek word “logos” when translated means “word”. Would the “word” have to come to earth if man had never sinned? The answer again is no. The Heb. 2:17 passage informs us the “word” became flesh so that He might make atonement for the sins of the people. Paul said it this way in 1 Timothy 1:15 - "It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners,..." Jesus' purpose for coming was to save sinners. Like I said "If there were not any sinners He wouldn't have had to come."
If man had never sinned there would be no reason for a Savior. BUT since mankind has sinned there is a need for a Savior so the reason for the season is “the sins of man”.
Would the “logos” have come to earth and put on flesh and become a sacrifice for you? The answer is “Yes” He would do that for you. Why would He do that for you? The answer is because the “logos” loves you and He wants the best for you. You are the reason for the season. I hope you will go and be a blessing in someone’s life today. Think About This: The real reason for the season is so God could save sinful man (John 3:16). The dreams of your future should motivate you more than the history of your past. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word Exodus 16:14-15 - When the layer of dew evaporated, behold, on the surface of the wilderness there was a fine flake-like thing, fine as the frost on the ground. 15 When the sons of Israel saw it, they said to one another, "What is it?" For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, "It is the bread which the LORD has given you to eat." NASU
Ex 16:31 - The house of Israel named it manna, and it was like coriander seed, white, and its taste was like wafers with honey. Manna from God was a blessing but the Israelites didn't recognize it as such at the beginning. What blessing have we received from God but at the beginning we didn't recognize it as such?
In fact, some of His blessings when they first arrive were not viewed as blessings at all. As can be seen in the above text about the "manna" with the Israelites. The mature Christian will always wait on the Lord and allow the situation of life to play itself out and it will be then we recognize the blessing(s) from the Lord. One of my favorite passages of scripture is 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, to preserve many people alive." In this Genesis passage, Joseph was talking to his brothers who had sold him into slavery. He tells them like it is. You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good. As you travel through this life remember there are evil people and they may do evil things against you, but God can take their evil and turn it into good for you. Be Patient! One of the best lessons we can learn in our Christian life is give God time to work. You will be amazed what He can do with your life. Let God show you that He can take any evil done to you and turn it into a blessing. Think About These: We learn some lessons from prosperity, but we learn more lessons from adversity. Never be afraid to trust your unknown future to God. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word Rom. 8:18 - "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us." NASU
We all are going to suffer in this world. We may suffer physically, mentally, or emotionally, but we will all suffer in some way. It really doesn't matter how we suffer. What matters is how we deal with our sufferings when they come. The way I picture this scene is this way: first visualize a set of scales. On the one side we place all of our present sufferings and on the other side you place your future glory of being in Heaven. KABOOM! The side with your future glory being much heavier immediately forces the pan down and your sufferings go flying off of the other side. Paul is basically saying that, our present sufferings in this life are not worthy to be compared with our future eternal glory in heaven. When you suffer please remember to compare your sufferings with your future reward of being in God's glory, Heaven. The apostle John said it this way: Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, 4 and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away." Rev. 21:1-4 NASU
On the other hand with God our glory is eternal. There will be no end to our glory. It is a no brainer. When you are suffering compare them to eternal glory with God in Heaven. There really is no comparison. Think About These: People always get into trouble when they think they can handle their lives without God. God isn't just a present help in time of trouble, but a great help in keeping us out of trouble. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word |
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