“If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you,” John 14:15-18 Sometimes I find myself trying to figure out how the Lord can be everywhere at once. With the millions of people in this world, it is hard to understand…
“But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.” Matthew 6:3-4 The last post was about letting the Holy Spirit guide us in our giving. I received a comment with the question: “How do you see that playing out in everyday life?” So, I will try to answer that question in today’s article. I want to emphasize that we are all different and have different incomes and obligations in our lives. God does not expect the same commitment from you as He does from me. So, I can only speak from my own experience. Here are some ways that I have felt the Lord wanted me to give beyond my tithes and offerings to my local church. Missions –send an offering to a missionary or the Pastor of a small church that may be struggling. Let the Spirit lead you. You may be the answer to a specific prayer. Homeless – a group in our church takes a day to deliver food and supplies to homeless people in our city. When you are out…
“Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.” Luke 6:38 At our Seniors’ Fellowship a few months ago, the subject of using cash arose. Most people said they did not carry cash. They rely on credit cards or online banking to pay bills and buy supplies. I asked them what they did when the Holy Spirit prompted them to give money to someone. One replied that they would go to the ATM and take out some cash. But that is not always possible. Each month when my pensions are deposited in my account, my first step is to pay my tithes and offerings to the church. I pay my rent and other monthly bills. Then I ask the Lord, “To whom can I be a blessing this month?” Then I go to the Bank and withdraw some cash. I am thankful for the way God has blessed me abundantly with everything that I need. And I want to share what I can with others. It seems the more I…
“When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek. Psalm 27:8 I like how the NLT phrases Psalm 27:8 – “My heart has heard you say, ‘Come and talk with Me’ And my heart responds, ‘Lord, I am coming.’” David loved the Lord and desired to please Him. But like you and me, he was human and made mistakes. Daily prayer was important in His life. Ways That David Approached the Lord in Prayer Adoration – Psalm 145:1-3 “I will extol thee, my God, O king; and I will bless…
“According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue.” II Peter 1:3 It is interesting to know that before God created man, He first created everything that man would need to survive. As we read the first chapter of Genesis, we see how God had a plan, and thoroughly He brought it to completion. Light was separated from darkness. Dry land and waters were divided. Grass, flowers, and trees appeared on the earth. The sun, moon, and stars appeared in the sky, dividing time into seasons. Fish filled the seas, and birds flew in the air. All types of animals appeared. Each of these creations would provide for all the needs of the man that God then formed out of the dust of the earth. In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve had everything they needed to sustain life. God met with them each day and communed with them. Yet they disobeyed and partook of fruit from the one tree that the Lord had told them they were not to eat. So, sin entered the world, and God…
“At the commandment of the LORD the children of Israel journeyed, and at the commandment of the LORD they pitched: as long as the cloud abode upon the tabernacle they rested in their tents. And when the cloud tarried long upon the tabernacle many days, then the children of Israel kept the charge of the LORD, and journeyed not.” Numbers 9:18-19 During the forty years that the children of Israel sojourned in the wilderness, their tents were all pitched to face the Tabernacle, where the presence of the Lord dwelt. Each morning as they rose to face the day, they would open their tent door and look toward the Tabernacle. Was the cloud still there? If it were, then they knew they would be staying put for another day. They would gather their manna for the day and go about their usual routine. If it was lifting, they knew that it was time to move. They would take down their tent, pack up their belongings, and wait for the signal to travel. Today, we do not see a cloud in the sky directing our movements. But we do have the Holy Spirit dwelling within our hearts, and we look to Him…