Give Or Get?

"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."
Luke 6:38 (NKJV)

Christmas is a favorite time of year for most people, because that is when they receive gifts.  But, while everyone likes to receive something, not everyone is quite as excited about giving something.  Most people do not get excited about Christmas because it is an opportunity to give something, but it is all about getting something.  There is a biblical principle here however, that is seen in the natural world, that to get you first have to give.  Getting something is great but giving something is actually a key to getting something.

The principle of sowing and reaping, giving and receiving, is seen throughout the Bible.  Unfortunately, many people have reduced this to just a monetary situation where someone talks about giving money in an offering, or helping someone by making a donation for some cause, and this has sometimes clouded the true nature of this principle.  What most people do not understand is that the principle of sowing and reaping, giving and receiving dominates much of our life, often without our realizing it.

In Luke 6:38, Jesus talked about giving and receiving, and while He was not specifically talking about money, this principle does work with material things.  Too often we only think about what we can get, without looking at what we can give.  What if everyone in a church, family, relationship, or on a job, looked for ways to give and help others instead of just getting something?  What would happen is that these situations would improve and everyone would reap benefits.  If we really want to be blessed and have what we need, we should first focus on giving, not getting.

Who Are You?

"Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God."
Romans 1:1 (NKJV)

We all have various forms of identification.  We might have a passport, a driver's license, a library card, or even a membership card to some store or organization.  When you go to different places, you need a valid form of identification.  For example, when I travel to different nations, I cannot show them my library card, which is not a valid form of identification outside of the library.  Although I may really like my local library, my library card is not my main form of identification, it is a secondary form of identification.

Knowing who we are is very important, and who we are is more important than what we do, especially as Christians.  The first and most important way we need to identify ourselves is in our relationship with God, not what we do for God.  To be someone that fulfills the calling of God and is a help to other people, we need to first develop in our relationship with God.  People can have problems if they focus more on what they do for God than they do on maintaining a strong relationship with Him, because doing what God has called us to do starts with our relationship with Him.

In the letter to the Christians in Rome, Paul first identified himself as a "bondservant" of Jesus Christ.  Then, after that, he talked about what he had been called to do.  Paul correctly identified himself first of all based on his relationship with God, not on what God had called him to do, his ministry work.  Just like Paul, we need to put our identity in Christ first.  What we are called to do is not as important as who called us to do it.  We are first of all children of God, then servants of God.  That is where it starts, and what we do for God grows from that.

Who Do You Give The Ball To?

"Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one's slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?
But God be thanked that though you were slaves to sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered."
Romans 6:16-17 (NKJV)

Soccer is played around the world, and it is a relatively simple game.  The goal of soccer is for one team to use the ball to score more goals than the other team.  But, what if only one team was able to use the ball?  The result would be that the team with the ball would score all the goals and win the game.  It would be foolish for the team without the ball to wonder why they lost the game, because obviously they never had the ball.  Whoever is given the ball, whoever controls the ball, will always win the game.

We all have choices in life about what we do.  And, while this is true, there are still some Christians who believe that God is in control of everything.  But, if God was in control of everything, then the Bible would never tell us that there is a right way and a wrong way to live our life, we would never be told to resist the devil, and there would be no point to the encouragement for believers to walk by faith and not by sight.  The truth is that we all have choices in life, and what we choose will have a major impact on the life that we live.

In Romans 6, Paul said that we should not allow sin to reign in our life.  Paul also said that whoever or whatever we yield to will become our master.  Just like in a soccer game, the team that is given the ball will score the goal.  In the same way, spiritually, whoever we "give the ball to," who we yield ourselves to, will become dominant in our life.  We can yield to God's direction and guidance of how to live our life, or to the wrong attitudes, actions, and desires.  Who we yield to is who we give the ball of our life to, and that is who will have dominance in our life.

Stay In Your Lane

"Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,"
Hebrews 12:1 (NKJV)

One thing that is very important while driving is to stay in your lane.  Although there may be times you will change lanes while you are driving, generally you need to stay in your lane.  The same concept is true in many events in track and field, where each runner needs to stay in their assigned lane during the race.  If you cross over to another lane while you are running, you could be disqualified, and if you move into another lane while you are driving, you could have an accident.  The best thing to do is to stay in the lane you are traveling in.

God has a plan and purpose for every person, and in the Bible this is sometimes compared to a race.  A race is a specific course that is followed by someone to reach a desired destination.  In our individual race, as a part of the plan that God has for our lives, there are things we are called to do, and there are things other people are called to do in their race.  We need to understand the race we are called to run, and encourage others in their race, but we should never judge anyone for the race they are running, just because it is a different race than ours.

Hebrews 12:1 talks about the race that is set before us, which is talking about the plan that God has for us.  It is our race, that is set before, in front of, us.  My race is what I need to run, and your race is what you are called to run.  In God's plan and purpose for our lives, His will is unique for each of us and the course of our life, so each person's race will look different than someone else's.  To successfully run our race, we need to stay in our lane and do what God has called us to do, and not get into the lane, the calling, that God has for someone else.

Walking In Love - Are You Keeping Score?

"does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;"
1 Corinthians 13:5 (NKJV)

Have you ever met someone who remembers the score from some sporting event, or the last time their team played a certain opponent?  Then, the next time that important type of game comes up, or when the other opponent is mentioned, that person remembers exactly what happened in the last game, what the score was, and they can even tell you about specific parts of the game.  That can just be a dedicated sports fan, or it can be someone who is obsessed with something in the past.  It is one thing to be a sports fan and have a favorite team, but often past games and scores are better left in the past.

People want to remember the good things in life, and to forget the bad things, usually.  But some people will keep in mind something that someone else did, that offended them or actually hurt them, and the person who was offended or hurt will remember that thing more than they should.  Everyone has been offended and hurt by someone else, but if we are keeping track of the wrong things people have done, and in some way we are keeping "score" with exactly what happened, when it happened, and how terrible it was, that is the kind of thing that can develop into a serious problem. 

In 1 Corinthians 13:5, we see that one of the characteristics of the God kind of love is that it "thinks no evil."  The word "thinks" here, in the NKJV of 1 Corinthians 13:5, means to take an inventory, with the idea of "counting up" something, like someone would keep score in some sporting event.  If we are going to walk in love, where we are fulfilling the will of God, living in the blessings of God, and being helpful to other people, we will need to learn to forget about past wrongs, accidental or intentional, and walk in love towards others.  We need to stop keeping score and start walking in the God kind of love.

What Is Your Supply, Your Share?

"from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love."
Ephesians 4:16 (NKJV)

You cannot give someone something that you do not have.  If someone asks you for a pen, but you do not have a pen, then you cannot give them a pen.  But if you have a pen, you could simply give it to the other person.  But what if you had a pen in your pocket, that you had forgotten about, or what if you had something else that someone asked for, but you did not know that you had it?  If you had forgotten what you had, or you somehow did not know you had something, you would not be able to give that item to someone, until you realized you actually had that thing.

A basic Bible fact is that believers make up the Body of Christ; Jesus is the Head, we are the Body, and each person has some gift from God, some ability that they can use as a part of the Body of Christ.  But what if someone does not understand that?  What if someone only thinks some people have a gift, but they themselves do not?  If you do not understand that you have a gift, you will not use that gift.  The result will be that your part of the Body of Christ will be lacking what you should give, and that is not good.

Ephesians 4:16 says that every part of the Body of Christ has a gift, something to supply and to share, so that the entire Body of Christ will grow and develop.  But some people do not even know that they have a gift, a supply, something to share.  We need to learn who we are in Christ, and what God has equipped us to do, through God's Word, and then be led by the Holy Spirit about how God wants us to give our supply, to share what we have, so that God's plans and purposes will come to pass.  What is your supply, what is it you have to share?

Just Turn On The Light

"For the commandment is a lamp, and the law a light; reproofs of instruction are the way of life."
Proverbs 6:23 (NKJV)

Imagine being in a dark room, and you need some light.  And imagine you were next to what you knew was a light switch that could turn on the light.  What would you do in this situation?  Would you call out to a friend in another room to come and turn on the light for you?  Would you just give up and sit on the floor thinking that maybe it is better not to be able to see anything, or would you just do the simple thing of turning on the light?  It is hard to imagine that someone would not use the easiest solution and turn on the light with the switch that is already there.

So many people are looking for direction and help in finding the right thing to do, in specific situations and in life in general.  This is one of the biggest areas that people deal with, and it seems to be one of the hardest things for many people to figure out.  Christians want to do God's will, but exactly what is it?  It seems that many people look mainly for some spectacular or supernatural external way to be directed, and there is a place for that, but there is always a place for us to get direction from God's Word and the principles that God has already given us.

As we see in verses like Proverbs 6:23 and Psalm 119:105, God's Word is a lamp, and a light that will give us direction and guidance.  Getting "light" and direction from God can be as simple as the Holy Spirit reminding us of a Scripture, but it can also involve our searching the Scripture to find the guidance we need for our life, and for individual situations.  Sometimes people are looking for a dramatic, external way to "turn on the light" of wisdom and direction, while missing the easy way of just receiving light and direction through God's Word.  The light is there, in God's Word, we just need to "turn it on."

Every Part Is Valuable

"But now indeed there are many members, yet one body.
And the eye cannot say to the hand, "I have no need of you"; nor again the head to the feet, "I have no need of you."
No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary."
1 Corinthians 12:20-22 (NKJV)

Playing chess can be complicated, because there are several different pieces on a chess board, and there are a variety of things those chess pieces can do.  You have to know how all the pieces work to do your best.  What would happen if someone played a game of chess with only half of the usual pieces, or if they had no idea how the different pieces moved?  Most likely, that person would do poorly.  But, if you had a person who was skilled at chess, and they knew how the pieces can move, that person would do well.

Some people think that there are only some Christians that God has a plan and a purpose for.  Every Christian, every part of the Body of Christ is valuable, and God knows this.  The devil knows this too, and he wants to limit our usefulness to God by trying to convince us that we are not necessary for God's plan.  But God wants to use all of us to do His will, and just like the natural body has many parts that all need to function correctly for the body to be healthy and do what it should, the same is true with the Body of Christ.  

God has a plan for each person and a way that He wants to use us.  And although we may have different functions in the Body of Christ, we are all a part of God's plan.  Just like every piece on a chessboard is valuable, and has a part to play, every part of the Body of Christ is valuable and has a part to play.  God knows us and how we can best function, but do we know that?  Are we doing things according to God's plan, or our own plan?  We all need to recognize our true value, understanding how God will use us, and be prepared to do our part in God's plan.

Are Big Steps The Best Steps?

"A man's heart plans his way, but the Lord directs His steps."
Proverbs 16:9 (NKJV)

When you are going somewhere, normally you want to get there sooner rather than later.  But if our goal is simply to get to our destination as soon as possible, we could actually go faster than we should and miss something along the way that could be important.  Or if we are in such a hurry to get to some place, we may accidentally leave something behind and not bring it with us on our journey.  The goal is not really how fast we get somewhere, but to get to where we need to be, with what we need to have when we get there.

Usually, when we have a goal in mind, the thing we obviously want to do is to reach that goal.  But we can make a mistake by just focusing on the goal itself and not on the best way to reach that goal.  We might think that the fastest way is always the best way, but that may not always be true.  We may think that if we can take one big step in the right direction it would be great, but is a big step always the best step to take?  It could be that we are trying to take a bigger step than we should take, or that we are able to take, and that can cause a problem.

Proverbs 16:9 tells us that our heart may plan the way, but God will direct our steps.  Moving in the right direction is more important than the size of the steps we take, or the speed we are going.  It is better to take the steps God directs us to take towards our goals, and in life in general, rather than just trying to take a big step that we may not be ready for; or we could be moving too quickly, and going in the wrong direction, which would be bad.  The steps we take, big or small, and the speed we are moving, are not as important as the direction we are going. 

A Trusted Source?

"But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them,"
and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus."
2 Timothy 3:14-15 (NKJV)

Today, it seems that everyone has an opinion on almost everything.  With the Internet, and social media, no matter what the topic is, you can find a lot of ideas and opinions about almost anything.  But we really need to know if that person, institution, or group that we are getting the information from is a reliable, and trusted source for the information.  How well do we know that source?  Do they always give good, reliable information that can be trusted?   If not, it would be foolish to get any advice from them.

Trust is not something that is built overnight, but when you know that someone is a trusted source of information, you can take their advice and the information that they give you.  There are many people and places we can get information from, but not every source is one we can always trust and rely on.  There are many people who could, and who would like to, give us information and advice, but are they a trusted source?  We need to test all things and hold on to what is good, which includes the source of our information.

In 2 Timothy 3, Paul told Timothy to continue with the things that he had learned, because Timothy knew who he had learned those things from.  Paul was not just someone who showed up one day and started to teach Timothy and give him advice.  Paul had taught Timothy, and he had a good relationship with him, so Paul was a trusted source that Timothy could rely on.  We should not just accept teaching or take advice from someone we have no real relationship with.  We can always trust the Word of God, but not every source of information is a source that we can trust.

Are These Your Only Choices?

"Thus Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel.  And Samuel said to Jesse, "The Lord has not chosen these."
And Samuel said to Jesse, "Are all the young men here?"  Then he said, "There remains yet the youngest, and there he is, keeping the sheep."  And Samuel said to Jesse, "Send and bring him.  For we will not sit down till he comes here."
1 Samuel 16:10-11 (NKJV)

Having a wide variety of choices is often a good thing.  If you want to eat at a restaurant, there are different places that you could go.  But what if there was one restaurant located next door to you, but it did not have the kind of food you wanted, and it was more expensive than what you were willing to pay?  And what if there were other restaurants to choose from, but they were not as close to you?  Would you just go to the restaurant that was nearby, or would you go a bit farther to the place you really wanted to eat at?  Sometimes our choices are only as limited as we allow them to be.

When God directed Samuel to go to the home of Jesse to find the new king, Jesse showed Samuel seven of his eight sons, leaving David out of the group.  After Samuel had seen the first seven sons, he knew that none of them were God's choice.  Samuel could have just said, "Well, none of these are the right one, but these seem to be the only choices that I have, so I will just pick one of them and move on."  Samuel could have done that, but he would have missed what God wanted to do.  Samuel knew what God had said, and Samuel was not willing to settle for anything less than what God had promised.

Sometimes, when we see something in God's Word, we then pray and take a stand in faith, but we do not see the results we expect.  This is when the devil will tell us that we cannot have and experience what God has said, and our choices are limited to something that does not really agree with God's Word or meet the need.  That is when we need to make the choice to stay with what God has said.  No matter what choices it seems like we are facing, we must choose to believe that what God says is true, and take a stand on that to receive what we need; that is our choice. 

Are You Ready To Move Forward?

"And when Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians marched after them.  So they were very afraid, and the children of Israel cried out to the Lord.
Then they said to Moses, "Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness?  Why have you so dealt with us, to bring us up out of Egypt?"
Exodus 14:10-11 (NKJV)

Moving from one thing to something better is good.  Receiving a promotion at work, having an increase in our finances, or getting some new phone or tablet, are all good things.  But, what if we get promoted, and we cannot actually do the work, what if we have an increase in our finances, but we do not manage our money well, and what if we get some new device, but we really do not know how to use it properly?  To truly be successful in anything and do well, we need to be ready when the opportunity comes.

God delivered Israel from bondage in Egypt to lead them to the Promised Land.  But, as we see Israel traveling to the Promised Land, not long after they left Egypt, there were problems.  Israel came to the Red Sea, and then they saw Pharaoh and his army coming after them.  Sadly, rather than call out to God to deliver them, just as He had already done, at the first sign of trouble, the people started to panic and complain. Even though God had delivered Israel from Egypt, Israel was not really ready to move forward with God.

Everyone would like to be successful and see things improve in their life.  But what if when the opportunity for improvement comes, and God starts doing something great in our life, we are not ready for it?  When God brings us an opportunity to do something for Him and to experience His blessings in our life, are we ready to move forward with God, or will we stay stuck in our old habits and attitudes and end up not really moving forward?  We need to live by faith and continually grow and develop spiritually, so that when God is ready to do something then we are ready too.

The Right Amount

"This is the thing which the Lord has commanded: 'Let every man gather it according to each one's need, one omer for each person, according to the number of persons; let every man take for those who are in his tent.'"
Then the children of Israel did so and gathered, some more, some less.
So when they measured it by omers, he who gathered much had nothing left over, and he who gathered little had no lack.  Every man had gathered according to each one's need."
Exodus 16:16-18 (NKJV)

Have you ever ordered food at a restaurant, and when it arrived, the amount of food was not what you expected, and it was less than what you wanted?  Or you may have had the experience of ordering something, and when it arrived you realized it was too much, and you would not be able to eat the entire meal?  Getting the wrong amount of food, or something else, whether it is not enough or too much, is not good.  While there are some things you can do to fix these situations, it would be great to always get the right amount the first time.

God's Word is spiritual food that will help us grow and develop spiritually (1 Peter 2:2).  Every Christian is at a different level of spiritual development, and what one believer needs from God's Word is not the same as what someone else needs.  So, what each person receives from God's Word would also be different than what someone else receives for their situation in life.  When we spend time with God in His Word, He can and will speak to us and show us the things we need to see, for us to grow and develop spiritually and to deal with the situations we face in life.  

When Israel was in the wilderness, God sent manna to feed them, and each person had to gather what they needed.  Some gathered more than others, but each person had just what they needed, no one lacked, and no one had too much.  In the same way that they needed to go and gather manna daily, we need a daily time in God's Word to get the spiritual food we need to grow and develop, and to help us to deal with our life situations.  By spending time with God in His Word, we can get exactly what we need, without having too much for us to handle, or too little to satisfy us. 

Where Does The Road Take You?

"Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, "Arise and go toward the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza."  This is desert."
Acts 8:26 (NKJV)

There are many places I have traveled to by car in the USA and in Europe.  Sometimes the roads have not been as nice to travel on as they were at other times.  There are places I have traveled to where the roads were not as good as other roads, but while the road was not so good, it did not change the quality of the destination.  There were times that I have traveled to some very nice places, but the road to get to that place was not very nice.  The type of road we are on is not an indication of our destination.

Many Christians have strange ideas about how God leads and directs His people today.  Sometimes we might think that to get to where God wants us to be, the road we need to take to get there will be a perfect road.  But while the road we are on may not seem to be the best, by following God's direction, we will always get to a great destination.  The point is not what the road you are on is like, but what is important is where you are going.  Your road may be small, but the destination can be big. 

In Acts 8, God directed Philip to go on the road that went down from Jerusalem to Gaza, which was desert.  Philip had been preaching in the city of Samaria, and great things were happening, but God led Philip to a place that was a desert for the next step in Philip's ministry.  Philip then met the Ethiopian eunuch, who received salvation before Philip was taken to another place.  God sent Philip to a place that looked bleak, but it led to a man's salvation.  God may lead us in a way that does not seem like the best way to go, but the results are always worth it.

What Identification Are You Using?

"If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.
Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.
For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God."
Colossians 3:1-3 (NKJV)

After I moved to Germany, there were times that I had to show someone my identification.  What I learned very quickly was that the form of identification that I always used in the USA, my driver's license, was not a valid form of identification in Germany.  When someone in Germany asked for my identification, I needed to show them my passport.  Even though my driver's license was once my valid form of identification, I cannot use it where I live now, because it is the wrong kind of identification.

There are many ways that we can identify ourselves, but not every form of identification is valid in every situation.  As Christians, we have been spiritually raised with Christ, and our real life is hidden in Christ.  Some Christians identify themselves by the church group they are a part of, some Christians identify themselves by a certain type of doctrine that they follow, and some Christians identify themselves by their title.  But, the only valid form of identification we have as a member of the Body of Christ is who we are in Christ.  

Colossians 3:3 says, our life is hidden in Christ in God.  Who we are now is based on who we are in Christ.  It does not matter what nation we come from, it does not matter who is in our natural family, it does not matter how much money we have or what our education level is; in God's Kingdom, the only valid form of identification is who we are in Christ.  If we are going to live in the blessings of God that were provided through Jesus, and if we are going to fulfill the will of God in our life, we have to identify with who we are in Christ.