Recieve One Another

Wherefore recieve ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God. Romans 15:7

This is an extremely important passage for Christians, yet one that is so often ignored. The passage (stretching back to the beginning of the previous chapter) deals with Christian liberty, standards, the differences between believers and dealing with one another. See, we're different. It's easy to color our world in black and white. We prefer it that way--we don't have to think or ask ourselves the hard questions. But, like it or not, there are many, many gray areas in life. And God deals with us each in a special, unique way. Certainly, there are things that are strictly right, some that are strictly wrong; however, there are many more that depend on the individual. Some things are ok for me that would be wrong for you, and vice versa. And, you know what? That's ok. We need to quit trying to enforce our personal standards or personal liberties upon one another. That means, if I feel your standard is too loose...I shouldn't live by it. But I also have no right to condemn you for it. We are accountable to God, the Holy Spirit, and our own conscience. Not to one another. Believer, just because someone doesn't do things the way you do, does not make them a better or worse Christian! It merely makes them different. Don't reject them for it! Accept them, love them, and remember that we don't have to be the same in standard--we just need to have the same Savior.

It Is Well

Run now, I pray thee, to meet her, and say unto her, Is it well with thee? is it well with thy husband? is it well with the child? And she answered, It is well. 2 Kings 4:26

I think I can speak for any parent when I say, a dead child is not "well". So why did this woman say that all was well with her and her family? She was speaking out of faith. She realized that, though to her eyes everything was a disaster, there was a perspective from which she could not see. And that, from that point of view, all WAS well. There is no greater faith than declaring in the face of loss and pain and devastation, "It is well". You want to show your faith? You want to exercise it? Then stop living like things WILL be ok...and live as if they ARE. Act as if. It's a powerful principle for living a successful life professionally, personally, or spiritually. Business people are told to dress for the job they want, not the one they have--the odds of achieving your goal increases greatly. If you want to be in a better mood than you are, start smiling and laughing--even if you don't feel like it, it's contagious--you might catch it from yourself. And if you want to be blessed by God and see your prayers answered, think as if He's already done it--go ahead and start praising Him in advance!

Slack Not

Then she saddled an ass, and said to her servant, Drive, and go forward; slack not thy riding for me, except I bid thee. 2 Kings 4:24

This was a motivated woman. Her son was dead, and she was determined to bring Elisha back to raise him. She had a need. She had faith. And she wasn't going to let up until she got what she wanted. She told her servant, "We're going to find him, and we're not slowing down until we do." She was willing to push herself to the max. I wonder how often we do that? When we've got a need, a desire, a burden, how often do we push for it? Do we storm the halls of Heaven seeking an answer, or are we content to just throw up a half-hearted prayer or two? I think God wants to see just how badly we want things sometimes. Don't hold back from God! When you have a burden, press Him for an answer. Bug Him. Pester Him. Bother Him. Tug on His arm until you get what you came for. Don't ever, ever slack up until you've got your answer!

Happy To, Not Have To

Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. 2 Corinthians 9:7

This may come as a culture shock to many, but tithing is not a New Testament principle, and you are not in any way bound to it. That's right, I said you are not biblically obligated to tithe. The tithe was the old covenant's way of taking care of the priestly tribe--it was Levi's inheritance (as they did not receive a portion of the land.) Nowhere in the New Testament are we told or even encouraged to tithe. But here we're given a replacement principle: the principle of cheerful giving. Notice, though, that this is not limited to giving to the church as a corporate organization. Throughout history, but especially in this era of grace, God has given us more than we could ever grasp. Is it really so much for us to show forth His love and blessings by being generous to one another? Of course not! God did away with the tithe because it's purpose had been fulfilled, and He didn't want us to associate giving with "having to". We ought to give because we're "able to" and because we "want to". Your choice is not one of are you going to obey or not obey; but of are you going to be grudging or generous.

Not Alone

He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Isaiah 53:3

Life can be a lonely place. People reject us, turn their backs on us, fail us, leave us; and sometimes it feels like, in the midst of this huge crush of humanity, we're all alone. But we have the promise that we are never alone, and that we have a Friend, a Father, a Comfortor, a Confidante who will never leave us for one moment. Nothing we do could push Him away. Nothing we say could offend or anger Him enough to make Him leave. No situation in which we find ourselves could be so bad that He would bail on us. But that's not even the best of it: He knows exactly how we feel. He's been despised and rejected more than any of us ever will be. He's is all too familiar with grief, pain, and sorrow. And, in your lonliest moments, He'll be there to listen, to love, to comfort.

Let God Be God

And he said, I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts: because the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thy altars, and slain they prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away. 1 Kings 19:14

"I have been very jealous for the Lord," Elijah says. Who in the world gave Elijah the responsibility of being jealous for God? Why did he think it was his place to speak for and represent God in that way? Friend, God doesn't need you to take over His place. He is well capable of doing the God thing all by Himself. We would all be much better off if we left being God and all that entails to God, and simply worried about doing what WE'RE supposed to be doing. Let God worry about judgement and sovereignty--that's His territory. When things are out of your hands, that's when the Lord steps in. Let Him! Don't try to insert yourself into His shoes...they're far too big for your feet.

Hold On

And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. Hebrews 6:15

Life is not short. It's long. And there's a lot of waiting involved. We often have to go through a great deal of loss and frustration before we see the fruit of our faith. Don't give up, though! God's timing is always right. And not seeing the answer to your prayers right away doesn't necessarily mean the answer is no. Wait. Hold onto the promises. God never, ever fails, but you might have to endure for a while to get there. It's worth it! Even when it looks like the promise will never be fulfilled, hold on...it's coming!

Not What We Deserve

He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. Psalm 103:10

God is merciful. He despises our sin, but delights in forgiving us. We lose sight of what we deserve very quickly, but the truth is, we deserve to have Him turn His back on us and forsake us for all eternity. We deserve hell. But God doesn't give us what we deserve...and it's a good thing! Remember next time you start to say, "I don't deserve this!" what exactly you DO deserve, and how wonderful God is to NOT give you what you deserve!

Good Things Come To Those Who Wait

It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD. Lamentations 3:26

Things don't always happen in the now, if you hadn't figured that out yet. Sometimes you have to hope and pray and wish and beg and work and cry and wait for it. And it is oh-so-easy to settle for second best...if we can just have that much NOW. Friend, the quick-fix is rarely in your best interest! Be patient. Learn to practice hope, for hope is the core ingredient of faith. Learn to wait, for waiting is the primary activity of faith. And good things come to those who wait.

Maximize Your Blessings

And as for me, thou upholdest me in mine integrity, and settest me before thy face for ever. Psalm 41:12

Does God bless us when we do wrong? Yes, sometimes He will. He loves us, He's redeemed us, and He is merciful and gracious. But more often than not the consequences of our wrongdoings inhibit God's ability to bless us. Our actions can, and frequently do, work against God's blessings on us. And while we're flailing about trying to move against the current of "karma" that we created ourselves, we want to look up and ask, "Why, God?" God works with what we give Him. You want to maximize the good in your life? To see God support and exalt you in your endeavers? Then be a person of integrity! Work WITH God instead of against Him. God will never turn His back on you, but He's also not going to support or endorse you when you're defying Him in your life. Give God something to work with when He's blessing you--give Him a life of integrity.

Silent Blessings

And when she was risen up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying, Let her glean even among the sheaves, and reproach her not: Ruth 2:15

Ruth knew that Boaz had favored her by allowing her to eat of his food while she gleaned. But I find it interesting that he waited for her to leave before instructing his workers to give her special priviledge and to intentionally leave ears of corn for her to take. You see, God doesn't always clue us in when He blesses us. Sometimes His blessings are subtle and quiet. That's what love does, though--love gives without needing either a reason or recognition. God blesses us because He wants to...and sometimes He does it without drawing attention to Himself. He just does it because He loves us. Try to keep an eye out for these silent blessings, the handfuls on purpose. You won't always catch them (God does far more for us than we could ever know), but when you do, they'll bring a joy equal to or greater than many of His more obvious blessings.

Gain Does Not Equal Godliness

Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself. 1 Timothy 6:5

There is a teaching that being a good Christian means everything is going to go your way and you will be financially, professionally, and personally successful. It's hogwash. Boloney. Garbage. And several other metaphors that you can fill in on your own. God never promised that things would always go well for you if you were a good Christian. He didn't say that being successful was a sign of spiritual strength, nor that struggles were a sign of spirtual weakness. Gain and godliness have little to nothing to do with one another. God blesses or does not bless as He wills, not as we deserve--we all deserve nothing short of Hell. If things aren't going your way, don't fall into the trap of thinking it's because you're a bad Christian! (Inversely, if things ARE falling for you, don't assume you've reached some higher spiritual plateau.) God promised to be sufficient and to supply your needs; He never promised wealth and great success. Strive to be everything you can...then be content with what God gives you. After all, He has both infinite wisdom and your best interests at heart. He'll do the right thing.