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1 Kings 17:2-6 - Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah: 3 "Leave here, turn eastward and hide in the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan. 4 You will drink from the brook, and I have ordered the ravens to feed you there."
5 So he did what the LORD had told him. He went to the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan, and stayed there. 6 The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook. NIV
I am not sure what you know about "ravens" and sharing their food but that just doesn't happen unless you are one of their babies. God orders the "ravens" to feed Elijah and they obey Him. Isn't it amazing how animals will listen to God but humans won't.
Daniel has an encounter with some lions. The king comes early in the morning to find out if Daniel's God had protected him and he says in 6:22 - "My God sent His angel and shut the lions ' mouths and they have not harmed me,…" Jesus tells Peter to go fishing and the first fish he catches will have a shekel in its mouth. He is to take that shekel and pay the tax (He is actually exempt from paying this tax but so that He doesn't offend them He will pay it). Peter does what he is told and the first fish he catches has the shekel in its mouth. Peter goes and pays the tax. Mt 17:27 - "However, so that we do not offend them, go to the sea and throw in a hook, and take the first fish that comes up; and when you open its mouth, you will find a shekel. God used a donkey, some lions and a fish to work a miracle.
A friend of mine told me about the time he helped a lady at the gas station pump her gas. She was elderly, confused, frustrated and tears were rolling down her cheek when he went up and helped her. He said she must have thanked me 100 times for helping her. You might be thinking, oh Serago, that was not a miracle and I would say, it was to that lady. Let's be like the ravens in Elijah's day and allow God to use us to bring a miracle into someone's life. Think About These: The most difficult thing to open is a closed mind. Minds are like parachutes they only function when they're open. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word
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Luke 16:15 - And He said to them, "You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts; for that which is highly esteemed among men is detest-able in the sight of God. NASU
People have done many good deeds for others only to be judged by a few as to what their real motive was behind the action. You don't have to worry about what others think of why you do what you do. God is your Judge and trust me He will not judge you incorrectly. He never makes mistakes. His judgment is always 100% correct every time. He knows your heart. He knows your motive for doing good deeds for others. It doesn't matter what anyone says about you and why you blessed someone's life. Don't worry about people speaking maliciously about you. They are not your judge.
Jesse has all 7 of his sons pass by Samuel and God doesn't choose any of them. Samuel asks Jesse, "Is this all of your sons?" and Jesse basically says, well I have one more, he is the youngest and he is tending sheep. (Being a shepherd is the worst job in the world according to Israelites and this is the one God chooses to be the next King of Israel.) Before Jesse parades all of his sons by Samuel, notice what God says to Samuel: 1 Sam. 16:7- But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." It is a common mistake that we look at someone's physical stature, their looks or their wealth and we determine from these if the person is the proper candidate for the position. This is not the way God determines if this is the correct person. Some people may put the measuring tape around their arms or chest to see if they qualify, but God measures the person's heart as only He can do. Only the Lord can tell if the person will quit when times get tough. David then teaches his son Solomon the same lesson God taught him through Samuel when He states: 1 Chron. 28:9- As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a whole heart and a willing mind; for the LORD searches all hearts, and understands every intent of the thoughts….
So have you wanted to quit on the Lord lately? If yes, welcome to the club. Now get back up and get in the fight. The Lord needs you to help others on the road that leads to Eternal Life. Think About This: Our aim should be service not success. Service is nothing but love in work clothes. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word Micah 6:8 - He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? NASU
First, we are to do justice. We are to practice justice. If we see someone being denied justice we are to speak up for the person being denied justice. We are to uphold what is right in the eyes of the LORD. This may cost you a friendship, a position at work or it may cause you to be ostracized within the Lord's body, aka His church. Just look at how the Scribes, Pharisees, Sadducees and Priests turned on Jesus in fits of envy and jealousy. Matt 27:17-18 - "Whom do you want me to release for you? Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?" 18 For he knew that because of envy they had handed Him over. As Christians, we must always remember being excommunicated from man's church doesn't mean one has been excommunicated from the Lord's Church. Second, we are to love kindness or as some translations say to love mercy. If we are to understand this verse completely we must go back to verse 6 and 7 and see what verse 8 is being compared to: Mic 6:6-7 - With what shall I come to the LORD and bow myself before the God on high? Shall I come to Him with burnt offerings, with yearling calves? Does the LORD take delight in thousands of rams, in ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I present my firstborn for my rebellious acts, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? Kindness and mercy is being compared to sacrifices and offerings. God expects the child of God to be a just person, a person who loves being kind to all people and especially to the ones who can never repay you. If you show them acts of kindness and mercy then you are pleasing the LORD of all creation. Third, you are to walk humbly with the LORD your God. In other words, you walk with God confessing He is the One you worship, love and adore. He is the One who can forgive you of your sins and allow you to be in a relationship with Him. He doesn't want any of your possessions (burnt offerings, calves, rams, oil or sacrifices). He only wants you and all you can give Him. The "all" that you can give Him is your obedience to His desires. In our text today He shares with us His desires. He desires we do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with Him. Now I ask you, do those three desires seem unreasonable to you?
Enoch walked with God. We don't know what they talked about as they walked over the years but we know one thing Enoch made a habit of it and it served him well. One day Enoch was walking with God and the next second he was gone from earth to live with God for all eternity. How cool was that? This is the greatest hope of the Christian to be walking with God while here on earth and then one day life as we know it is changed. We are now just a spirit separated from this body in the presence of God where we will await the end of this world as we know it. We will enter what is called the New Heaven and New Earth after the final judgment day. The question is why will we get to go to the New Heaven and New Earth? The answer is Jesus sacrificed Himself on the cross at Calvary, we believe in His sacrifice, and we believe in the atonement of His blood for our sins. This belief led us to be baptized into Christ and resurrected from that watery grave to serve our Savior Jesus Christ. So if you want to please the Lord: 1. Do Justice 2. Love Kindness/Mercy 3. Walk Humbly with the LORD Think About These: It is just as well that justice is blind; she might not like some of the things done in her name if she could see them. If you were arrested for being kind, would there be enough evidence to convict you? A breath of kindness is more moving than a gale of flattery. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word Habakkuk 1:5 - "Look among the nations and watch — Be utterly astounded! For I will work a work in your days Which you would not believe, though it were told you. NKJV
God says, "Be utterly astounded!" The Hebrew word could also be interpreted "Be amazed, or be astonished". What are we to be astounded, amazed or astonished by? The answer is a work of God? Wow! How familiar does that sound? God is doing a work that blows our mind.
Of all God's works which one really blows your mind? Would your question be about the creation of earth, or birth of humans, animals, stars, planets or galaxies? Would it be about how He developed the human body (the eyes, ears, brain, heart, and spirit, etc)? What "work of God" would you want Him to speak about and enlighten you?
God has ordained that the Chaldeans/Babylonians were His instrument to exercise judgment upon Judah. In case you don't know why God is doing this it is because of Judah worshipping the Chaldean's gods aka Baal and others. Hab. 1:6-7 - For indeed I am raising up the Chaldeans, a bitter and hasty nation which marches through the breadth of the earth, to possess dwelling places that are not theirs. 7 They are terrible and dreadful; their judgment and their dignity proceed from themselves…." This is more than Habakkuk can handle. He basically says to God, You can't do this. You can't use the Chaldeans/Babylonians for they are wicked, very wicked. Your eyes are too pure to watch the atrocities they will commit. He is not wrong that they are wicked and even God says they are terrible, dreadful and arrogant people. He then asks God a question we have probably all wondered about at one time or another: Hab 1:13 - Why do You look on those who deal treacherously, and hold Your tongue when the wicked devours a person more righteous than he? God why do you let wicked, evil people devour the righteous? I don't understand. Why don't You get involved and put a stop to this unrighteousness. I speak only for myself when I honestly admit I have asked God this same type of question that is being asked by the prophet Habakkuk. God what are you doing? Why haven't You stopped this nonsense that is going on in the world?
However, because He uses the wicked doesn't mean we have to participate in their wickedness. It is still up to Christians to be the light of the world. In Isaiah the Lord asked a question "Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?" The prophet Isaiah said, "Here am I. Send me." If we don't like God using the wicked then the best thing we can do is live a righteous life and ask the LORD to send us. The best way I know to defeat evil is to convert them. Have you seen the Lord working through you lately? Think About These: God does things His way because His way is always right. You have no idea how many people God wants to influence through you. John 11:40 - Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?" Are you seeing the Glory of God today? Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word Gen. 1:1 - "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."
If you take a basic Theology class one of the characteristics of God that you will learn is that it is in His nature to create. So His nature hasn't changed because it can't change. Therefore, I believe God is still creating things.
In other words, the world or universe has been made "from nothing or ex nihilo".
I am sure we can agree that God has really done an amazing job of creating things "from nothing". Imagine what He could create using us? I always find it very interesting when talking to certain Christians when they share their life stories. Some people just turned their lives over to God early on and said, Here I am Lord use me. This reminds me of Isaiah who said it this way: Isa 6:8 - Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?" Then I said, "Here am I. Send me!" Isaiah was saying go ahead Lord and use me. Take this man and create something out of him for Your service. What could God create with you today, this week, this month or this year? When David prayed he asked God to create a clean heart within him. Are you in need of God creating a clean heart within you? Ps 51:10 - Create in me a clean heart, O God, God says in Isaiah and the book of Revelation that He is going to create a new heavens and a new earth. I hope that all who read my Pump Ups will get to enter into the new heavens and earth that God is going to create in the future. Isa 65:17-18 - For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; And the former things will not be remembered or come to mind. 18 "But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create;… Think About These: Faith builds a bridge from this world to the next. Heaven is a state of thankfulness for having received what we didn't deserve, and for not receiving what we did deserve. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word |
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