 |
| Voice of Prayer |
37 And as He spoke, a certain Pharisee asked Him to dine with him. So He went in and sat down to eat. 38 When the Pharisee saw it, he marveled that He had not first washed before dinner. 39 Then the Lord said to him, "Now you Pharisees, make the outside of the cut and dish clean, but your inward part is full of greed and wickedness.40 "Foolish ones! Did not He who made the outside make the inside also? 41 "But rather give alms of such things you have; then indeed all things are clean to you.
In the above reading, the lamp is useful for light. With regard to the eye having light, our lives are to be useful providing light to others. Letting our light shine is " that which produces words of life" to another. We are to have a positive affect. Serving God is about serving the needs of others. Washing can make you clean on the outside, but what do we hold inside our hearts that prevents us from helping a neighbor, giving time, or counsel that is of compassion revealed?
Matthew 6:22-24 nkjv 22 "The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. 23 "But if your eye is dark, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness." 24 "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.
As mammon represents the materialistic of a system, that which is considered the "bad eye" is one of being selfish, covetous and miserly. It looks like looking out for number one!
Being loyal to God counts for everything. Making a commitment for some is hard to make. We see from the rise of divorces among Christian couples, that work is hard and communication is greatly needed. It is commitment and hard work to raise children together. So if two people within one house cannot get along, how can a whole family get along?
Being sensible about what is right and wrong, means looking toward God always, making the adjustments, learning not to make the same mistakes, and be led in peace without any compromise anywhere in our lives. We can find at times the need to lose weight. We implement some workout time, but fail to cut out the sweets. Eating healthy can be expensive, too, and take some time of learning what is best for any age group. Even healthy eating desired for a young child takes a lot of work and much planning. Ask a parent with a young baby and what it takes to get the child to try new foods! In truth, ask an older couple when one or both must change their eating habits!
Being responsible is looking how to care for those around you with a compassionate love that speaks words to edify, yes correct some, too. If a child is not corrected, and goes on with their own desires they can end up, well, "like front page news". (for those who still like to read a newspaper that you can hold in your hand)
Are we glowing with light to guide others? Are we illuminating truth? Or are we like the Pharisees' and caught up with ceremony and not really taking care to see our heart is right?
In writing this about glowing, I think of when a woman finds out she is pregnant. And many take notice as to the woman's look of vitality and brightness. The woman's face appears to exude healthiness out of her pores. I remember that of our daughter when she and her husband were expecting our grand-child. She was already planning to have one of those pillows that had a cassette or some type CD player in it, so she could have the word of God played in our grand-baby's hearing before she was born. In our daughter's rest time, that pillow was centered on her abdomen, and that baby heard Johnny Cash read the Bible.
Then after her birth, her room was wired with the Word of God that sounded a lot like Johnny Cash. (I can only imagine that day she meets Mr. Cash for the first time in heaven, and wondering what she will say to him.)
Our giving to others starts well before conception of a child. Our giving begins in our hearts and grows. But if we choose to believe that other's owe us because of whatever reason, then we lose the truth that God can and will bring to us a wonderful life that is filled with many diverse people and who all love God. He desires us to be open-handed to receive all the good He has to give us.
When our grandchild started to read a couple of years ago, she really like the picture books. She would point to those pictures when 2 or 3 years old and we would read to her. That was so much fun. And we loved when she spent the night with us, as we could read her many, many bedtime stories. But now she reads to us! And she does not read books with lots of pictures anymore. Her reading has certainly changed in these few years.
If we are a picture book to someone lost, without hope, without Jesus, could they read us, that is read our hearts and know that we have something that they need within their heart as well?
Finding light should give us light!
When giving that light, we should be bringing others to the light of the Lord. God sowed His Son for a family.
Luke 6:30-36 nkjv 30 "Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back. 31 And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise. 32 "But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34 "And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back. 35 "But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great; and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil. 36 "Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful. 37 "Judge not, and you shall not be judge. Condemn not and you shall not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven. 38 "Give and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you."
Yeah, heard that one taught as "offering message" at church.
But in truth, it has to do with every area of our lives, not just money.
Too many hold on tightly to "things" when God is wanting to release into their lives an abundance of blessing to them. Yielding all to God, means yielding all to HIM!
Being tight-fisted does not allow God to get anything into our hands.
Being tight-fisted does not allow God to get anything into our hands.
Are we giving out of every area of our life: spiritually, physically, financially, socially, and mentally? Yeah an area or two needs some work, right? But if our giving is to be pressed down and running over........remember the measure God uses....does ours come up to His standard?
How much needs to be sowed into other people and their children? How much needs to be sown into our kids and grand-kids? What about that weight loss program?
How much needs to be sowed into other people and their children? How much needs to be sown into our kids and grand-kids? What about that weight loss program?
In the essence of these verses we are to sow our lives into others. OUR Light is to glow and give a direction of where to meet Jesus. Do our lives do that?
Is any persuaded by what I write or what I teach? Is anyone directed to maybe changing something......and focus on Jesus........and then see if any "can read us like a picture book"?
Could we be a light shining out of the dark, with no chains, and give a loud voice that expresses glory to God? In this day and hour, let your light shine!
READY, SET, GLOW!
Notice:
The Voice of Prayer has a new teaching:
Persuaded: Finishing the Race to Receive the Crown https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9K5rD5HJcqc
You can also visit my You Tube channel The Voice of Prayer for more teaching at: http://bit.ly/1tNyBhV
No comments:
Post a Comment