Stewardship and Faith

Often times our Christian walk seems to have contradictions in it.  Today’s lesson deals with stewardship and some conflicting attitudes that pop up in our everyday life. 

Let’s look at God’s stewardship first. Since we glimpse God’s character in the things He teaches us, I’ll begin with Luke 12:27-28;

“Consider how the lilies grow.  They do not labor or spin.  Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.  If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith!”

Jesus instructed us to not worry about the things of this life because God is a good steward.  God takes care of the grasses, even causing them to be beautiful.  God is such a good steward of all His resources that taking care of the lilies does not prevent Him from taking care of birds, animals, or even us.  Jesus wants us to have faith, which is the opposite of worrying, and offers God’s care over the little things in life as evidence that He will be faithful in caring over the bigger things.

Jesus intends that we also will be good stewards on this earth.  Though we do not have big jobs like making flowers grow in the grass, none the less, we have responsibilities in our lives.  Our second scripture is Luke 16:10-12;

“Whoever can be trusted with very little can be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.  So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?  And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?”

Jesus has an expectation that our stewardship will be like His Father’s.  We are to care for the “little”, and be honest about the “little”.  We need to learn to steward money, and also care about other things entrusted to us that may belong to another or to God.  You see, true stewardship is about the heart.  It comes from a heart of caring and integrity.  Stewardship of money, people, the environment, etc. should come from the heart, and caring about the “little” things brings us into alignment with God’s heart.

I mentioned that our Christian walk often has contradictions in it.  If we take the first scripture to imply that we should not worry because God will take responsibility for our lives, we might become tempted to be irresponsible and inactive.  The worldly say “don’t worry about it” to mean “don’t do anything about it.”  That concept, however, is not what Jesus is saying.  In the first scripture He is telling us to have faith in God’s stewardship instead of worrying about those things we are not responsible for.  In the second scripture Jesus tells us that God’s provision for us is tied to our stewardship of those things we are responsible for.

God does not have impartations of blessings for those who have inactive faith.  But He does have blessings and empowerment for those who find work for their faith to do.  Babies and small children expect their parents to do everything for them, but adults are exercised by applying their faith to their lives.  Therefore, as we grow in our understanding of stewardship, our hearts should care more and more, not less and less.  God is pleased to press “true riches” of His love into our lives when He sees that we can be trusted with that which is temporary and not our own.  The next time you feel prompted to not worry about something as the world teaches, instead, tackle it with faith and steward the resources God brings into your life, even the “little” things.  Amen.

Relationships

The Lord loves special relationships and puts them in our lives with our family and friends. Yesterday I read about Jesus raising the son of the widow from the dead (Luke 7:11-17). This part stood out; "When the Lord saw her, His heart went out to her and He said, 'Don't cry.'" It seems that, not only does Jesus have enormous compassion for our suffering, but that He knows it hurts to be alone. The woman was going to be terribly alone in her life, and so He brought her son back from the dead. Relationships are so important that Jesus gave hers back to her.


The widow's relationship with her son was a special relationship. It had depth and quality, such that no other person could fill it. In John 14:18 Jesus tells His disciples that He will not leave them alone, but will send them the Comforter. Also, Jesus tells them that the world cannot receive the Comforter. The relationship between the Lord and His disciples would remain special, deep and meaningful. No one else could replace it then, nor now.

I believe we are meant to have deep, special, meaningful relationships with a few people on this earth (as well as with the Lord!). We need them. Those people nourish us, and we them. Just as the world could not have a relationship with God unless they took Him seriously, so others cannot have a deep relationship with us unless they also take us seriously, and that is a side that we show guardedly. It is our human nature to be superficial with many, and deep with a few. The more people that we are involved with in our lives, the thinner we spread ourselves. If we do not take a break from thinness we feel it because we not only have less to give, but we hurt for the opportunity to be nourished. In all our busyness, we can feel all alone.

We need to give ourselves permission to say "no" to people and activities when we are feeling thin, and not feel guilty, as if we aren't being a good Christian. We are wonderful Christians . . . just ones that are beginning to count the cost of building their lives in a world full of busyness. When we are nourished, we will give deeply to others. When we are scattered and worn thin, we will be superficial. Let us come aside today, away from obligations and demands, and find those few relationships that are nourishing. And above all, let us find time to go deeply into our relationship with the Lord. Amen.

Walking a Mile or Two

“If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.” (Mt 5:41)


We all have needs. The demands of this life bear down on us some seasons more than others. When we are strong, the Lord will bring those who are weak to us. We will be asked to “walk” with them on part of their journey, to help our brother get strong.

One of the greatest hindrances to walking with our brother is found in the word “walk”. Our lives are busy, and we often “run” through them. If the Lord wants us to walk with a weaker brother, it takes time. However, the Lord will bring a season of slower pace just for that reason. All we have to do is be flexible and lay our busyness aside for a mile, or two.

Who would go the second mile with the weaker brother? Those who are generous with their time. This is a difficult thing to give, for those of us who are busy. Yet it can be the greatest and most necessary gift to give to those who are weak. When we spend time with people, we discover how to help them. When we do not spend the time, we give pat answers and thread-bare counsel.

People are individuals with unique needs. We find that each time he met a different person, Jesus healed them differently. He did not develop the assembly-line ministry where individuals were cut out of the same mold, like cookies from a cookie cutter. He treated people as if He had time to spend with them, attending to whatever their needs were. When Jairus, the synagogue leader, sent servants to ask Jesus to come heal his daughter, Jesus walked with them, and Jairus’ daughter was healed.

We are not asked to walk a mile with everyone who has a need. We cannot help every man who is weak. But we can walk a mile or two with one man at a time, in the seasons allotted. Short or long, God will slow our lives down for a mile, or two, if we are willing. Amen

Take Away the Offal

Take Away the Offal

Today the Lord said to me that His people need to take the stink, or the “offal” away from their offering of thanksgiving.  In the Old Testament, the offal was the entrails of the animal that was to be sacrificed.  It was not part of the offering and therefore was burned, along with the animal’s skin, outside the camp (Ex 29:14).  Under the New Testament covenant we no longer offer sacrifices of animals.  Our spiritual sacrifices, including the lives we live, should have the sweet savor of Christ on them, identical to the fragrance of incense that was offered on the altar during animal sacrifices.

The Lord considers our sacrifice of thanksgiving stinky when we praise Him for what He has provided but fail to thank our brethren who have made the provision.  He also condemns the practice of having people work for us gratis when we fail to bless them in return (see Jms 5:4).  People who do not recognize the labors and sacrifices of others on their behalf are ungrateful.  They develop a sense of entitlement, which they hide in the belief that those who give to them and who labor for them are only obeying the Lord, and it is only from the Lord they will receive their reward.  Because of this “offal” brethren do not develop affection for one another.

How do we look at the subject of gratitude between brethren?  First, Paul quotes Jesus as saying that our desire to give should exceed our desire to receive (Acts 20:35).  Giving is the greater blessing and it is a privilege when God provides these opportunities in our lives.  Secondly, if we cannot give monetary payment to those who labor on our behalf, we should seek the Lord for the opportunity to be a blessing to them.

When Dave and I were putting “sweat equity” into the new house we were building, many good friends helped us. We could never have afforded to finish our house on time without their willing, capable and skilled hands.  Each day the Lord impressed me with what I should cook for our friend’s lunch.  He wanted me to serve the best cuts of meat, make homemade potato salad, buy watermelon, and serve dessert also.  Our BBQs were a fun way to break up the work of the day and for Dave and I, a way to honor our laborers.  In cooking for those who helped us on our house I caught God’s heart for them; He treasured them.  

God had me give more than a cup of cold water to give to our righteous friends, though they had been willing to do the work with no return.  The fact remains that, if we fail to give a cup of cold water to our brethren then we are not receiving them as we would receive Jesus (Mt 10:42).  God’s reward waits on our giving, and He is honored when we honor each other. Today when we give thanks to the Lord for all His goodness let us offer our praises with the incense of gratitude and blessings given to those who blessed us.  Amen.

Rescue and Freedom

When we are in need of a rescue, God has more than one event in mind. He wants to do more than rescue us because He wants us to be more than conquerors. God does have a plan in mind . . . one that will change our circumstances. But His plan sees beyond our present circumstances. He wants us to have a life-time of victories.


God has written us a prescription for good spiritual health. The good health will include strengthening in the inner man. He will bring to life scriptures that give us victory over long-time enemies that have repeatedly defeated us. God is not into easy cures and quick answers. He is with us for the long-term benefits of placing satan beneath our heels, for that will build faith and confidence for each and every trial that is to come. And come they will.

God’s prescriptions for faith may look different than what we expect. Instead of prayer and fasting, He may give us an opportunity to do something, which in turn will undo spiritual illness. If we are in poverty, He may set us in an opportunity to work for someone else in need. If unloving, He may bring people to us to love unconditionally, even at personal cost. If self-promoting, God may bring an opportunity to promote others, even ahead of ourselves. For those who have a family stronghold of divorce, they may be placed in a less than perfect marriage where self-crucifixion is a daily occurance. Wherever our lack is, it is sure that our gain will come by obeying God’s Word. In fact, freedom itself comes from knowing the truth and obeying it (Jn 8:32).

Obeying God’s truthes is the evidence of our faith. We will forever become stuck, and repeatedly defeated if we only exercise our faith on our knees. The authorities in heaven listen to those who walk the walk of Jesus, God’s Word in the flesh. Yes, God could rescue us from our every trial . . . but then He wouldn’t have the overcomers, the sons of glory all creation is waiting for. So He writes us a personal prescription for spiritual healing.

For those who keep God’s word, obeying the scriptures, today is the day of your wholeness and freedom. “’ But for you who revere My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in His wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall. Then you will trample down the wicked; they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on that day when I do these things,’ says the Lord.” (Mal 4:2-3)

The strongholds and personal enemies, curses and family dysfunctions will all come tumbling down and lay in ruins at the feet of those who live the word of God. Today is the day to overcome and walk as free men and women on this earth. Amen.

The Desert Experience

Have you had times when you feel parched spiritually, emotionally, and eventually, physically? If this has happened to you, do you find remedy talking to friends and family? Many do not. Perhaps the Lord is leading you away from bondage and into a new life. Does this seem absurd? When you have hindsight . . . looking back on your journey after you come out of the desert . . . you will find that God had His purposes in it.


Jesus met a woman who was going through a desert experience. She was a Samaritan who had come to draw water from a well (Jn 4:7-42). The Samaritan woman, having no real friendships, came to draw water around noon when there were few other people at the well. The Samaritan woman also had no real committed husband in her life. Love was off and on, having had five husbands, and presently living in an unmarried union. This lovelessness was her desert experience, and meeting Jesus at the well was God’s divine appointment for her. The woman’s wounds were deep, her life was barren, and she needed a way to water her life and make it fruitful.

What keeps our inner well full enough to water a fruitful life? The answer is in Jesus’ words “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (Jn 4:13) Earthly water will satisfy temporarily, but Eternal life fills us to overflowing with a Life that never runs out. Eternal life is not for later; it begins when we drink from the Holy Spirit.

“Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” (vs 23-24). What begins for believers at our point of salvation fills us continually as we worship God in Spirit and in truth.

For some, worship is a Sunday morning event. For others, worship is a life style. God enters into each one of our lives to deepen us so that our well will not run dry. Only our Lord, who loves us deeply, can take us through dry desert places and turn the deep ruts into pools of refreshing (see Ps 84:5-7). When friendships and fellowship are stripped away . . . when there is no one who sincerely listens to our heart . . . it is then that we come into the true freedom of God’s strengthening love. And we will have a deep well full of water to give to others on their journey.

There are many in the body of Christ who need nourishment. They suffer from meaningless responses and pat answers. When you meet one today, dip into the well within you. There is an unlimited supply of fresh water to give. And as we journey with Him, whether in abundance or in a desert land, may we ever seek after His love. Amen.

Waiting on the Lord

Have you ever been hit with a long waiting period?  Sometimes, waiting on God can be the hardest thing in the world.  And yet it is appointed to all men, this “waiting” trial, because it develops trust in the One on Whom we are waiting.  Just as the Hebrews had to learn to trust God for their Promised Land, so Christians have promises from God we need to trust Him for too.  God wants us to inhabit the promises He gives us, and to bear a good harvest.

Often we sin in our attitudes while waiting either for direction, or for God to come through with His promises.   We search and strive, until our searching and striving become our ministry.  We are gradually tempted to take off under our own steam, and then good intentions and prayers full of wishful thinking, like aliens, begin to occupy the land of our promise.  When these foreigners dwell in our land, our harvest fails before our eyes, for it is not planted with faith.

Waiting on the Lord will build faith, not in what we see, but in God’s character.  If we look at the prosperity of those around us we will become disheartened like the Hebrews who accused God in their hearts.  They saw that the wicked prospered, and therefore thought that it was futile to serve the Lord (see Malachi 3:13-15).  When we do not have what we are waiting for, the intentions of our hearts are tested.  It is when we learn to trust God with the governing and outcomes of our lives that the fruit of the Spirit ripens on the vine and we have a good harvest of righteousness.

Those who have been miserable waiting for God to make something happen can testify that the fruit they bear is rotten.  But those who have good fruit also have reward while they wait.  Let us trust in the goodness of God’s character and pass our time on this earth with joy, whether we have what we are waiting for, or if we still wait.  Amen.

Time Imploding

Today is the second day gazing at the field where yesterday's prophecy came.  Here is what the Lord said to me;

"My congregation is mindless. They do not know how to be in the moment with Me. People are bombarded with communication until it becomes meaningless. At a time when I have most important, pertinent, and time-sensitive things to say, the listeners have been ruined by a glut of seldom-important matters. And during a season of refinement where time is appointed for accomplishments and the fine-tuning of important works, time has become over-taxed by the many trivial demands of this life. My people’s spirits are dull and their minds are weary. Who will point them to the Way?


The form of this life is passing away, with its glut of communication and over-taxing demands. Sow into things that are eternal, which will never pass away. Learn once again how to sit at My feet and listen. Be in the moment with Me and you will feel My pleasure. But if you follow the pattern of this life it will leave you empty and devastated. Then what will you have that you will not lose? All who live as the world will eventually feel the stress of time imploding around them."

Knowing God

On July 2nd I has an awesome dream.  I was parked near a field and beheld an open vision of God and His angels.  He talked to me there.  When I awoke from the dream I didn't know what to think.  Though I knew the Lord had spoken to me, there was no recollection of His words.  So I sought Him about the meaning of the dream.  I finally concluded that I should just drive over to the field and see what happens.  This field was across the street from a large church that had closed.  I parked in the driveway, facing the open field.  All I could think was that God has something to say, and I want to listen.  That first day was July 4th.  Though I did not see the Lord and His angels, I was right; He did have something to say. 

The Lord spoke to me in prophecy.  What I have recorded and will continue to record from my visits to the parking lot across from the field prophecies.  They are different that prophetic lessons.  They are not meant to bring understanding throught the gift of teaching.  The understanding of prophecies comes from the Holy Spirit alone.  Please lean into Him today, and each day that you read prophecy.  Here is the first one;

"The days ahead are dark. My people don’t know Me and will feel insecure, giving way to fears and dread. They will feel abandoned, though I love them dearly. If they knew My nature, they would see My hand at work.


I have tried to raise up prophets in My name to testify of My nature, but they had no faith to believe I would speak contrary to their understanding. Because they misrepresent Me, My own people do not know Me.

One of the prophet’s purposes is to make Me known to the people. They are given faith to see Me as I am, if their hearts are pure. Every man, woman, and child can see Me as I am, if they set their own understanding aside. But they reject what they cannot understand and hold on to what seems reasonable to them. Therefore, their hearts will faint with fear in the days to come (Lk 21:26), for they will not be prepared, neither will they have a compass for the times.

Issachar had sons who know the times of Israel and what the people should do. They were wiser in their times then My people today. They knew they had enemies. Today, My people do not know the times of their enemy nor of their God, therefore they do not know what to do."

Sojourning

God has appointed works for us to do (Eph 2:10). Paul spoke about building upon the foundation he laid. Each generation lays a foundation for the next to build on, which becomes a foundation for the future generation to build on. Though we never leave the holy foundation laid by the apostles, we are each appointed to build our own works which will benefit the generation we live in, and those that follow us. If we build well, our works become a foundation others benefit from.


A few weeks ago I read a book called “The Greatest Generation” by Tom Brokaw. It was a compilation of the accounts of people who had served in World War II, and included what they did with their lives following the war. I read about heroic deeds, and generous hearts. I read about men and women who were willing to risk their lives at war, and who sacrificed their earnings for high ideals at home. Most of the stories I read were full of the ambitions of great people and how they accomplished their goals. It was an impressive book and caused me to wonder about the following generation’s love of ease, and sense of entitlement.

Almost as if the Lord anticipated my wondering, He had given me a dream about a great tent before I ever read “The Greatest Generation.” The tent represented sojourning; not being tied to this life. Last night the Lord referred to the generation that is passing away, the “greatest generation”, saying that it was full of human effort, which was the foundation many of them laid for their children. Because human effort causes self-focus instead of God-focus, many of the parent’s post-war works were done to bring them worldly benefits and an easy life instead of building God’s kingdom.

The generation that followed the “greatest generation” were also appointed to build, just as each generation before them had done. Many chose the worldly foundations that their parents laid; human effort. Because many of the parents were self-focused, their children’s works tied them to this world, for human efforts have rewards and benefits in this life time. When Christians build on worldly foundations, they also are tied to this world because those that love this world and its benefits see things differently than the apostles (1 Jn 4:5), whose foundations are eternal.

We are sojourners in this life, looking for a city built by God in which righteousness dwells (Heb 11:10 & 13; 2 Pet 3:13). We must lay eternal foundations for our children to build on. Our materials cannot be self-interest, ease of life, and acceptance by our fellow man, for these are the wood, hay and stubble that will be destroyed by God’s purging fire (1 Cor3:12-14). God is looking for those who will build with a servant’s heart, for His glory . . . those who will empty themselves of all self-benefit, who will trust in His wisdom in exchange for their own. These people build with gold, silver and costly stones. God will lead the next generations to build on these eternal foundations until the City of God is completed (Rev 21:19), and each man has glorified God with his works.

We do not know which generation the Lord considers the “greatest”. But we each are admonished to build, choosing our materials carefully. Our works will last forever if we choose to glorify God. Amen.