What Are You Equipped To Do?

"Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant,
make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever.  Amen."
Hebrews 13:20-21 (NKJV)

There were several places that I worked at in the past where I had to do different things.  Most of the time, when I was given some new thing to do, I would be trained to do that work.  But when I was trained to do some new job, which was different than what I had previously done, I could not just do things the way I had before.  If I tried to use some skill from a previous job to do my new job, it may not have worked, and it would certainly not have been something that pleased my boss.  To do my job effectively, I had to do the work I was trained for.

The Bible is very clear that God has a plan for each person, and God will help us in what He has planned for us to do.  But the key is that the plan God has for each of us is His plan, not our plan.  If we want to have success in life, and especially in the things that God has called us and equipped us to do, then we need to follow His plan.  If we do not follow God's plan, and we try to do our own plan, then we will be doing something we are not really equipped for, and as Hebrews 13:21 says, we will not be well pleasing to God.

God will help us and equip us do what He has planned for us, including helping us do what His Word says to do.  The key is as Hebrews 13:21 says, that God will help us do His will and what is well pleasing in His sight.  God will equip us to do His will, but if we are following our own will, we will be trying to do something we are not equipped for, we will not have the success we should have, and we will not be well pleasing to God.  The best thing for us to do is to find the will of God for every part of our life, get in line with God's will, and work with God in His plan.  

What Is Your Inheritance?

"that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him,
the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints."
Ephesians 1:17-18 (NKJV)

An inheritance is something that you receive from someone, usually a relative, after that person has died, and it is not something you earn or choose for yourself.  Depending on the family you are a part of, that person who died may leave you money, some possession, or even in some cases an official title.  Someone else in the family might receive something different than you as an inheritance, but you are not allowed to just take what someone else has and try to make it yours, each person is given their own inheritance.

The Bible has a lot to say about our inheritance in Christ.  Colossians 1:12 says that we have been qualified to be partakers of the inheritance, so it is not something that we earn.  While all the things we need to live a godly life have been provided for us through Jesus (2 Peter 1:3), we need to know specifically what God wants each of us to take hold of as our part of the inheritance in Christ.  We do not just pick our own inheritance, God is the One who gives it to us, and He will show us our part in the overall inheritance of Christ, and how to make use of it in our life.

In Ephesians 1, Paul prayed that believers would understand the inheritance we have in Christ.  As a part of God's family, because of what Jesus did for us through His death and resurrection, we have an inheritance in Christ.  That inheritance belongs to all of us, but there are some things that belong to us individually as a part of God's plan for our life.  For example, Psalm 2:8 says that we can claim the nations for our inheritance, but Psalm 47:4 says that God will choose our inheritance for us.  We learn about our inheritance in the Word of God, and with the help of the Holy Spirit, we can learn what our part of the inheritance is.

Walking In Love - Plank Awareness

"And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not perceive the plank in your own eye?
Or how can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me remove the speck that is in your eye,' when you yourself do not see the plank that is in your own eye?  Hypocrite!  First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck that is in your brother's eye."
Luke 6:41-42 (NKJV)

It can be easy to notice problems other people have, and be irritated and offended by them, without having any awareness of issues in our own life that cause problems for others.  A good example of this is how people deal with their luggage when boarding a plane, and they sometimes bump into others with their things.  And then they store their bags without any thought of how what they are doing affects anyone else.  It would be better if everyone paid a little more attention to what they were doing, and how it affects others.

While people seem to get more and more self-absorbed, this is not a good thing, and it is definitely contrary to what the Bible teaches.  Too often people are caught up in their own world and what matters the most to them, and they have no thought for how what they are doing affects others.  It can be hard to break the habit of selfishness, and to not be offended when other people act poorly, but as Christians, we have the love of God in our heart, and we can be kind and walk in love towards others.

In Luke 6, Jesus talked about people who saw a small problem that someone else had (which He compared to a speck), and how these people seemed oblivious to the problem they themselves had (which Jesus compared to a plank).  It is easy to see the faults of others and miss the things in our own life that need to be dealt with.  Rather than look at other people's problems (the specks), we need to walk in love and have some "plank awareness," through the help of the Holy Spirit and living by the standard of God's Word.  That way we can be more effective in helping others.

Prior Plan For Provision

"Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying,
"Get away from here and turn eastward, and hide by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan.
And it will be that you shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.
1 Kings 17:2-4 (NKJV)

Putting things off until the last minute is a normal part of life for many people.  If we are wise, we will plan ahead for things, instead of waiting until the last minute for something to happen, and then we would be ready and able to meet whatever challenge we face.  While we do not know everything, there are some things that we can do now to be prepared for what is coming in the future.  The better we are prepared for the future, the easier it will be to deal with whatever situation we might face.

No one knows the future, or is wise enough to be ready to deal with everything that will happen in the future.  But as Christians, our Heavenly Father knows the future and He is always ready to help us with whatever need may arise in our life.  Our God is the God who sees ahead, and He has a prior plan for provision.  No matter what the future holds, no matter what need may arise, or what situation we will face in the future, God already knows about it, and He is ready with the help we need to succeed in those situations.

In James 5:17, we are told that the prophet Elijah was just like us, he was not someone special who had a relationship with God that no one else could ever have.  In 1 Kings 17 we see that when Elijah had a need, God directed Elijah where to go and what to do so that the need would be met.  God was not surprised by the situation and had to tell Elijah to come back tomorrow for an answer.  God always has a prior plan for provision for our life, no matter what we face.  It is up to us to trust God, follow His direction, and do as He says so that as we move forward in our life, the provision that God has provided for us will be ours.

Bad Past? Bright Future!

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new."
2 Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV)

Many years ago, when I was traveling to raise financial support to live in Germany, I stopped at a hotel that did not look great, but the advertised price and location fit what I was looking for.  The hotel was not very nice, and I made a mental note to never stay at that place again.  Just because I stayed there once did not mean I had to stay there again, and it did not mean I had to stay in similarly bad hotels for the rest of my life.  Although I did stay there in the past, I never have to stay there again.

People receive Jesus as their Savior and Lord at different ages, and everyone has a past of some kind.  Some people come to know Jesus at a young age, while others are born again when they are older.  But whether our past before we met Jesus was good or bad, it has no bearing on our future with God and God's plan for our life.  God has a plan and purpose for every person, and our past, whether good or bad, does not change the plan that God has for us.  Our past is not the most important thing in our life, but what is important is that we are a new creation in Christ.

When Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:17 about being a new creation in Christ, and old things being passed away, Paul was writing about something he personally really understood.  In 1 Timothy 1:12-13, Paul talked about how God had put him into the ministry, even though Paul had been someone who persecuted Christians and had blasphemed God.  Paul's past did not ruin God's plan, and God's plan in our life does not depend on our having a perfect past.  We may have been like Paul and done some bad things, but we need to leave our past behind and move forward into the bright future we have with God.

Listen To The Tour Guide

"However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come."
John 16:13 (NKJV)

When visiting some famous sight or place of interest, you might have a tour guide.  While the tour guide is there to help you, and tell you about the place you are visiting, if you do not stay with the tour guide, if you are wandering around on your own or were not listening, the tour guide might give you some information about the place you are visiting, but you would miss it.  And if you did not follow the tour guide, you might get lost and end up somewhere you should not be.  The best thing to do is to listen to the tour guide.

The Holy Spirit has been given to us to lead us, to teach us, and as it says in John 16:13, to guide us into the truth and tell us things to come.  The Holy Spirit is ready to lead us, teach us, and guide us into the truth, but if we are not listening to Him we are going to miss out on the help of the Holy Spirit that we need in life.  We need to listen to the Holy Spirit, by spending time in God's Word, and as we fellowship with God in prayer.  We have a choice in life, to trust the leading and teaching from the Holy Spirit, or to figure things out on our own.

Jesus said that the Holy Spirit would guide us into the truth and show us things to come, but that means we need to listen to Him and follow His direction.  In the same way that a tour guide will show us important things and give us information about a place we are visiting, the Holy Spirit will guide us in life and give us the information we need to deal with problems, to answer our questions, and to show us what to do.  The Holy Spirit will speak to us through God's Word, and the Holy Spirit will lead us, but this requires us to listen to Him and follow His direction.

Beautiful Music, Or Just Some Noise?

"But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased.
And if they were all one member, where would the body be?
But now indeed there are many members, yet one body."
1 Corinthians 12:18-20 (NKJV)

During Middle School, I played drums in the school band.  Although I would not say I was the best musician, I was in the band, and I did my part.  Other people played flutes, trombones, trumpets, and other instruments.  We practiced songs that were later performed in a concert.  By everyone playing their specific part, we were able to make some "beautiful music."  If people tried to switch instruments, or just played whatever they wanted to play, instead of beautiful music, we would have just made a lot of noise.

Christians are a part of the Body of Christ.  We are all unique and different, but we all have an important part to play in fulfilling the will of God.  As it tells us in 1 Corinthians 12, God has set each of us, each part, in the Body of Christ.  The part we are in the Body of Christ is not the most important thing, but what is important is that we know what our part is, and we do it.  If we do not do our part in the Body of Christ, then something will be missing, and the entire Body of Christ will suffer.  We need to discover what our part is and then be faithful in doing that.

Just like everyone in a band or orchestra has their own unique part to play to make the right kind of music, each believer in the Body of Christ has a unique part to play to accomplish the will of God.  If someone is out of place, or just doing what they decide to do, then the band or orchestra will just be making noise, and the Body of Christ will not be as effective as it should be.  We need to learn who we are in Christ and what God has placed us in the Body to do.  With every believer taking their place and doing their part, the plan of God in the local and world-wide church can be accomplished.

What Have You Seen And Heard?

"that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ."
1 John 1:3 (NKJV)

If someone was called into a courtroom to be a witness, they would be asked to talk about what they know concerning the court case, they would testify about what they had seen and heard.  If someone was asked what they knew about a certain topic, they would only be able to talk about what they have seen or heard, what they know.  If you had not seen or heard anything, you would not be able to talk about it.  It is the things we know, what we have seen and heard, that we can talk about.

When John wrote his first Epistle, he said he was writing about what he knew, what he had personally experienced, with Jesus.  John was not writing about what Peter had told him about Jesus, John was not just relaying second hand information.  John said he was declaring, he was announcing something he had seen and heard, something he had personally experienced.  In the same way, we can only share what we have seen and heard, we can only tell others about what it is we know.

God has a plan for each person and for the entire world.  God has already sent Jesus and the Holy Spirit, so now we need to do something.  However, there are limitations to what we are going to be able to do.  What have we seen and heard about God?  What do we personally know about God that we can declare and announce to others?  We cannot give away something we do not have and we cannot talk about what we do not know.  We need to know God's Word to do what God has called us to do, and to be able to share the truth with others.

Part-Time Help, Or Full-Time?

"And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever -
the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him or knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you."
John 14:16-17 (NKJV)

Over the years, I have had many jobs doing many different things.  While most of my jobs have been full-time work, I have had some part-time jobs too.  The main and obvious difference between a full-time job and part-time job is the amount of time you are doing your job.  And, if you are hired to work full-time, but you only show up for part of the day, or part of the time you are supposed to be working, that is not good.  Full-time work means you are there to do all the work required and not just part of the work.

When Jesus was physically present on the earth, He was with His disciples and He was available to help them.  Jesus taught His disciples and explained His teaching to them, and Jesus was their leader to show them where to go.  When Jesus told His disciples that He was going back to the Father, Jesus said it was better for Him to go away, so that He could send the Holy Spirit, and that the Holy Spirit would be with the disciples forever.  The Holy Spirit was sent to Christians to help us in the same way Jesus helped His disciples.

Jesus said that the Holy Spirit would come to be with us, and be our Helper.  That is great news, but when we need help, do we turn to the Holy Spirit for His assistance?  The Holy Spirit is not a part-time Helper who only helps us sometimes with some big spiritual things, the Holy Spirit is a full-time Helper who is always ready to teach us, show us what to do, and guide us in our life. The Holy Spirit is our full-time Helper, He is always with us, and He can help us in every area of our lives.

Right There With You

"But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction.
And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed.
By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber."
2 Peter 2:1-3 (NKJV)

If someone was going hunting, they might wear special clothing to blend in with their surroundings to not be seen by the animals they were hunting.  And there are products available that can help someone mask their scent so that an animal would not smell the person hunting them.  These are both things that someone could do to get much closer to the animal than they would normally be able to, and then, by the time the animal knew that the hunter was there, it would be too late.

In 2 Peter 2:1-3, Peter wrote that in the past, there were false prophets among the people of Israel, and Peter went on to say that there would be false prophets among God's people today.  That seems a bit hard to believe, that there could be people teaching false doctrine that were right there with God's people.  But sadly, it happened back in Peter's day and it is something that is still happening today.  This is why we need to know God's Word so that when we hear something being taught, we will know if it is accurate, or if it is wrong teaching.

When Peter warned the believers that there would be false teachers among them now, just like there were false prophets among the people of Israel, Peter did not say that these false teachers would dress a certain way or introduce themselves as false teachers.  Peter said these people would use deceptive words to secretly bring in false teaching.  By knowing God's Word, and listening to the leading of the Holy Spirit, we can recognize false teachers and false doctrine and keep away from them.

Where Is The Word?

"My son, keep my words, and treasure my commands within you.
Keep my commands and live, and my law as the apple of your eye.
Bind them on your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart."
Proverbs 7:1-3 (NKJV)

Keeping things in the right place is very important, especially things that are useful.  For example, if you had a new pair of running or walking shoes, and wanted to go for a run or walk, you would need those shoes.  But, if you misplaced the shoes, if you somehow put them in the wrong place and you had lost them, then when you needed to use those shoes, you will have a problem.  By keeping your shoes, and other important things, in the right place, they are where they should be, and you can use them when you need them.

We live in a world where most people have easy access to the Bible, and good Bible teaching.  It is wonderful to have different versions of the Bible, as well as books and audio recordings of good Bible teaching, and there are many ways online to learn about the Bible and what it says.  But, if God's Word is only in a book, some audio recording, or online, and we have not made a habit of putting God's Word into our heart, we will have problems.  God's Word needs to be in our heart, our mouth, our thoughts, and our actions; it should be the main focus of our life.

There are several places in the Bible where it tells us to have God's Word in our heart.  If God's Word is in our heart, if we make His Word a part of our life, then God's Word should influence what we do and say.  If the Bible is just a book, and God's Word is only in some teaching somewhere or online somehow, then it shows that what God says is not an important part of our life.  We do not want God's Word to just be in a book, our notes, in some recording, or online, but we need to have God's Word in our hearts, as a vital part of our life.

What Are You Enabled To Do?

"And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry,
1 Timothy 1:12 (NKJV)

Once, while I was out running in the USA, I saw that someone had placed an upright piano out at the end of their driveway, so that anyone who wanted it could pick it up and take it with them.  When I saw that, I thought to myself, "who is going to be driving down the road and just stop to pick up a piano?"  As soon as I had that thought, I had another thought, "if someone who owned a truck drove past, they could easily pick up that piano."  The piano was available, and although not everyone was able to take the piano away, some people would be able to.

God has a plan for each and every person.  In 1 Peter 4:10, it says that each of us has received a gift from God that we can use to glorify Him.  But, while each person has a gift, we do not all have the same gift.  As Paul said in 1 Corinthians 12:12, the Body of Christ has many members and we are not all the same.  Just like there are many different parts in the human body, there are many different parts in the Body of Christ.  God places us in the Body of Christ as He sees best (1 Corinthians 12:18), and He has gifted each of us in some way to do something for Him.

In 1 Timothy 1:12, Paul said that God enabled (empowered) him and placed him into the ministry.  God had a specific plan for Paul's life, just like He has a specific plan for each of us, and God equipped Paul for what Paul needed to do.  In the same way, God equips each of us to do what He has planned for us to do.  Not everyone can, or should, do the same thing, because we are all equipped and gifted differently.  We do not pick our gift and decide what we want to do, we need to discover the gift God has given us, learn how He has equipped us, and put that gift to use.

God Knows What He Is Doing

"Now therefore, go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall say.
But he said, "O my Lord, please send by the hand of whomever else You may send."
So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses, and He said: "Is not Aaron the Levite your brother?  I know that he can speak well.  And look, he is also coming out to meet you.  When he sees you, he will be glad in his heart."
Exodus 4:12-14 (NKJV)

People can disagree for various reasons, but if you disagree with someone, it should not be just to disagree, but because you know something that is true that the other person does not know.  For example, I do not know very much about how to repair a car, but I have two brothers who know a lot about cars and how to fix them.  It would be strange for me to try and tell my two brothers what they should do to repair a car, or disagree with them about some car repair issue, since I know almost nothing about that.

Throughout the Bible, we see God calling people to do things for Him.  God always has a plan about what to do, and God works through people in the earth to do things.  But, one thing we know for certain is that God knows what He is doing.  God is not randomly choosing people to do things for no reason, God knows exactly what He is doing, and He knows the best way to get things done.  God understands every situation better than we do and He knows what is needed in every situation.

In Exodus 3-4, God spoke to Moses to go to Egypt and deliver Israel from their bondage.  But rather than just agreeing with God and doing what God said, Moses disagreed with God, more than once, and Moses tried to convince God to send someone else to do the work; this was displeasing to God.  Moses was trying to tell God that God's plan was not going to work, but God knows what He is doing better than any of us!  With God's help, we can do anything He leads us to do.  We need to realize that God knows what He is doing, and just agree with God and do what He is telling us to do.

Opportunity Knocks

"And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.
Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith."
Galatians 6:9-10 (NKJV)

It has been said that when opportunity knocks, you should open the door.  The idea is that when we have a chance to do something, when it is something good to do, we should take advantage of it.  The phrase is that opportunity knocks, not that opportunity breaks down the door.  What happens with many people is they do not recognize when it is actually opportunity knocking at their door, so to speak, and so those people miss their opportunity, in the same way that someone could hear a knock at their door and never open the door.

We all have opportunities every day, but what do we do with the opportunities that we have?  Another good question is that when we have an opportunity to do something, are we ready for the opportunity?  Does an opportunity come to us that we are unprepared for, and we are then not able to take advantage of it?  When talking about spiritual things, as well as opportunities we have in our natural life, we should take advantage of the good opportunities that come to us and not just wait for something to happen.

In his letter to the Galatians, Paul wrote to not grow weary in doing good, and right after this, Paul talked about taking advantage of the opportunities we have to do good to others, especially other Christians.  Paul did not say we should just wait for something to somehow happen, but that as we have opportunities to do good, we should take advantage of them.  When opportunity knocks, when God brings us opportunities to do good, if we will take advantage of those opportunities, it will help us to grow spiritually, and we will be better prepared for more opportunities in the future.

Assistance For Living

"And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever -
the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him or knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you."
John 14:16-17 (NKJV)

Sometimes when people get older, or due to a medical condition, they will need help doing some everyday things.  What often happens is that a person will move into a place, or have someone else come to their home, to help them.  This type of care is called assisted living, because someone is helping another person do the necessary, everyday things of life.  If a person was in a situation where they needed assisted living, and that help was available, it would be good for that person to take advantage of the help that was there for them.

When Jesus was on the earth with His disciples, He was their leader, their teacher, and their guide.  Shortly before His crucifixion, Jesus told His disciples that while He would be going away, He would send them another Helper, referring to the Holy Spirit.  When Jesus said He was sending the Holy Spirit, another Helper, Jesus was saying that the Holy Spirit would bring the same kind of assistance that Jesus Himself had given to His disciples, not that the Holy Spirit would be something completely different.

The Holy Spirit has been sent to be our Helper in life.  The Holy Spirit will give us the same kind of assistance that Jesus gave to His disciples; the Holy Spirit will lead us, teach us, and guide us in life.  The Holy Spirit is not here to do everything for us, but to assist us.  The question is, are we cooperating with Him, are we allowing the Holy Spirit, our Helper, to assist us in our life, or are we trying to do everything on our own?  We need to learn to allow the Holy Spirit to help us and assist us, by following His direction and guidance in our life.