Dear Church, I Came To See You - A Story of God’s Blessing on the Christian or the Non-Christian?

Dear Church, I Came To See You

A Story of God’s Blessing on the Christian or the Non-Christian?

Matthew 25:35-39

For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

Week to week I come in your doors.  I worship in your majestic buildings to this God you preach.  Looking for God I am often mesmerized by the lights and sounds from your stage. What a show and performance.  What grand pageantry; the instruments, the singers, better then anything seen on Broadway. I am captivated and held spell bound by the great oratory of the one you call Pastor.  I was even convinced once or twice of the many ways I could improve my life.

Then that day came.

I lost the job that I had given decades of service to.  With my spouse only working part-time, how do I provide for my family?

What great relief to be headed to Church today!   Surely, I can find the answers I need today.

“Dear Brother, so sad to learn about your lost job. Hope you know we are praying for you.”

Two months have gone by and still no prospects of a job.  Things get worse when the old kitchen stove breaks down and we cannot afford to buy one.   On Sunday, I share my need with my friend the Deacon. As he prays for God to provide for my family, I hear the prayers from the stage thanking God for meeting the building fund goal of $200,000.

What will we do?

Isaiah 41:17

When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue is parched with thirst, I the Lord will answer them; I the God of Israel will not forsake them.

Then the blessings start coming in!  From the church congregation?  You would think so, but no.  They come from the “world”.   Co-workers at my spouse’s part-time job start finding “excuses” to “miss work”.   Suddenly my spouse is working 5 days a week to fill in for them.  Bless them Lord!

“Dear Brother, how is the job hunt going?  By the way, we added your need to the Prayer chain”

“Today’s message is called:  ‘God’s Power to Provide’”

What a wonderful promise!  I am glad we had those non-Christians at my spouse’s job, so God could use them to help us and in turn they can be blessed by God.  

Proverbs 22:9  Whoever has a bountiful eye will be blessed, for he shares his bread with the poor.

Then one day, my spouse comes home excited. The boss at work wants to give us a stove!  A week later, co-workers handed us a gift totaling $200 in food and services for our children!  Within months, the same company offers my spouse a full time job.

Thank you Lord for your provisions through this employer!  Bless them exceedingly.

Dear church, the Lord will provide for his children whether or not you are too BUSY to hear the simple cries of help from his children.  There was a time in the book of Acts when the Apostles STOPPED their ministry to meet the needs of the Widows and Orphans.  It cost Stephen his life!  The church then was BLESSED because of what they GAVE and not what they were waiting at the altar to RECEIVE.

He wishes to work through his Bride the church but he will use whom he needs to accomplish his work.

Judgment begins at the House of God.

1 John 3:17

But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him?

Written 2009

Revised 2013

WDK

The Dirtiest Three Letter Word

The Dirtiest Three Letter Word

What is the dirtiest three letter word today?

I am certain you would not have said it was this word:  “SIN”

Don’t mention that word. It is the word that is least mentioned in our vocabulary.  Did you ever see it on a school spelling test? Ever see it mentioned on a prime time TV sitcom?  In our world today a person can do anything they want, go anywhere they want or act in any manner that they want to.  However, not once will the word “sin” be uttered in reference to their actions. Ask the person on the street to define the word sin.  Can they define it?  Mankind has determined that they cannot be held responsible for anything.  Therefore, why worry about what sin is? Just ask your lawyer.  However, do not ask God.  If you do ask God, you may find that what he says it is; will most likely contradict what you believe.

What is Sin?

A child might tell you: “it is doing something you are not supposed to do”.

Could it really be that simple?

We live in a complex world today.  We expect everything to be complicated.  There is nothing complicated in understanding what sin is.  Maybe the complication comes from understanding what we are not “supposed to do”.  If there is a belief that nobody can tell us what to do, then how can we be guilty of sin? Why can God tell us what to do, when as a society we do not believe in God?

Oh, now we are getting to the root problem.  How can we define sin, if we do not acknowledge that there is a God? Without an acknowledgement of God; there is no reason to be concerned with sin in our lives. Understanding and acknowledging the presence and influence of God in a man’s life is paramount to knowing that sin is in existence.  Without a God there is no one to sin against.  How can a child sin against a parent without having a parent?  How can an employee sin against the employer without having an employer?

Without an acknowledgement that God exists; and that he is the sole reason for each breath man takes, there will continue to be a rise in the viciousness of sin in our land.  We must show the world that God does exist and that the problems and issues of this world will only get worst as we decide to move further and further away from his will.  How can we show the world that there is a God without first cleaning up the sin within our own lives?

1. Acknowledge that there is a God.- Proverbs 3:6; Psalms 51:1-4; Isaiah 45:20-22
2. There is Only one way:
• God’s - Isaiah 55:8
• Not man’s - Proverbs 14:12
3. He took care of sin but all men will die and be held accountable – Hebrews 9:26-28; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:23
4. How will this take place?  Revelation 20:12-15
5. How do we get listed in that book – John 3:3; John 3:6; John 3:16; Romans 5:8-9
6. He is waiting to be received by asking – Acts 4:12; John 1:12; Revelation 3:20
7. Call on him and confess – Acts 2:21; Romans 10:13; 1 John 1:9
8. Sin is gone and no longer part of our life– Romans 10:9-10; 1 John 5:13; Ephesians 2:8-9
9. Then What?  Luke 12:8-9; Acts 1:8

Written March 2010

WDK

Joy On The Job?

**originally posted March 2009

John the Baptist talked about being content with your wages

Luke 3:8-9, 14: Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, ……..every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages.

John the Baptist is preaching repentance and telling the crowds that are assembled to show some fruit if they are truly repentant. Several different groups of people ask John what they should now do. It is the soldiers in verse 14 that we want to take note of.

Remember the time period of this passage. What soldiers is he talking to? These are Roman soldiers! Battle hardened, tough military men who were asking John what they could do to show that they were worthy. John’s answer was to do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages. He was addressing their jobs, their way of life. They were to now be different when doing their jobs. They would now stand out when they were among their fellow soldiers. Can you picture in your mind a gentle, and content with his job Roman soldier?

Solomon asks if there is injustice in doing labor

The justice or injustice of doing labor was something that bothered Solomon. Even with all the wisdom that God gave him, he had difficulties understanding what the purpose was with labor and how it was of any profit to a man to do it. This was not questions coming from a lazy man. On the contrary, study history and you will find that Solomon was far from being lazy. Here is what Solomon had to say in the book of Ecclesiastes 1:3-4; 2:4-26:

What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun? One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever.


I made me great works; I builded me houses; I planted me vineyards…..gardens and orchards….trees in them of all kind of fruits: I made me pools of water…got me servants and maidens, and …..had great possessions of great and small cattle above all that were in Jerusalem before me: I gathered me also silver and gold, and the peculiar treasure of kings and of the provinces: I gat me …singers, and the delights of the sons of men, as musical instruments, and that of all sorts. So I was great, and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem: also my wisdom remained with me. And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all my labour: and this was my portion of all my labour.


Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun. Yea, I hated all my labour which I had taken under the sun: because I should leave it unto the man that shall be after me. Therefore I went about to cause my heart to despair of all the labour which I took under the sun. For what hath man of all his labour, and of the vexation of his heart, wherein he hath laboured under the sun?


Do you find yourself thinking any of these very same thoughts? Is this a guy that is depressed about his job? He had everything in the world. He had done everything in the world. Yet he saw that it all meant nothing when it was all over. Is that the end of the story? Do we just continue through life with similar thoughts and feelings? Look at the conclusion that Solomon came to:

There is nothing better for a man, than that he should eat and drink, and that he should make his soul enjoy good in his labour. This also I saw, that it was from the hand of God. For God giveth to a man that is good in his sight wisdom, and knowledge, and joy: but to the sinner he giveth travail, to gather and to heap up, that he may give to him that is good before God. This also is vanity and vexation of spirit.

Let’s break that down.

God gives to a man that is good in his sight: Wisdom, Knowledge, Joy
God gives to the sinner: Travail, to gather up.

What is the sinner going to do? He is going to give to him that is good!

How does this apply to having joy on the job?

I want to make a suggestion.

Are you receiving “Wisdom”, “Knowledge”, and “Joy” from God while on your job? Are you “content” with your wages?
If not, who are you looking to for obtaining it? Are you looking to your supervisors for it? Are you looking to your co-workers for it? If so, WHY? Those items come from your creator and not from your employer!

So you say, yes I agree with you. I look to God for those things, but yet I don’t seem to get enough wisdom from the Lord each day. I don’t have enough Joy in going to work every day. Well, the answer may be hard to accept. The verse above said that “God giveth to a man that is good in his sight…..”

Are you “good” in his sight? BE CAREFUL how you answer that question! If you were to snap a quick response of yes, you should then be labeling yourself as one of the many things that Solomon lists as “vanities”.

There was only one good man and he went to Calvary for your soul. Our only desire must be to strive each and every day to live a life that is worthy of his death on the hillside of Golgotha. Remind yourself continually through out the day of his death and keep asking yourself one question: “Am I worthy of that sacrifice?” If you do that throughout the day, humbleness will begin to set in. With humbleness of spirit, the Lord begins to take control of your every action and thought. Then you begin that trip towards the “good” that Jesus modeled for us. As you go, watch how he provides the “Wisdom” in your speech and deeds. Watch as you begin to see “Joy” in doing that tedious task for the hundredth time. Watch as he brings “Knowledge” to you concerning things you never knew or understood before! Then start spending time daily with him in prayer and reading his word. He will take care of the rest.

WDK