|
Home
Archive
October
November
December
Comments
and/or Questions
|
Tuesday,
November 13, 2007
Honorable Mention
Matthew
6:1-4 Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them:
otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. Therefore
when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the
hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have
glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But when thou
doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: That
thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself
shall reward thee openly. (KJV)
Do
you want the honor from above then quit seeking it here on earth. Many want
the approval of the Lord, but waste their time seeking it from man. What
are the true motives of your heart? What is the true reason you serve the
Lord? Is it to please a pastor, parent, wife, husband, boy or girlfriend or
your boss at work? God see’s the secret inward heart of man, and only gives
His stamp of approval to those that do serve Him no matter what the
consequences are, or who on earth it offends.
Colossians
3:22-25 Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh;
not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing
God: And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto
men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the
inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ. But he that doeth wrong shall
receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of
persons. (KJV)
What
about the job you have, are you doing it to please man, or is it being done
to please God? I have worked with those that claim to be of God, only to
have lousy work ethic, and basically flush their testimony down the drain.
Do you only work when the boss is around or looking, then slack off when he
or she is not? The Lord said in order to be faithful in spiritual things we
need to be faithful in earthly things first. There are many who think they
can serve God who haven’t learned this lesson, so they spend more time
putting on a front, rather than being up front with the truth. And so as it
is written in Matthew, they will have no reward of our Father. So smile,
you’re on the Lord’s very candid camera, which sees and knows the thoughts
and intents of the heart, and will only reward those that do those things
heartily unto Him and are not concerned with what man thinks. It doesn’t
matter who you are, or who you think you are, or how long you claim to have
known God, He does not play favorites like man does, and does not waver one
bit concerning His word.
Galatians
2:9-11 And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars,
perceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas
the right hands of fellowship; that we should go unto the heathen, and they
unto the circumcision. Only they would that we should remember the poor;
the same which I also was forward to do. But when Peter was come to
Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed. (KJV)
Cephas
was another name given to Peter, the same Peter that walked with the Lord,
and ended up writing letters in the Bible, was one perceived to be a pillar
by many, until the Lord instructed Paul the apostle otherwise. We know
Peter denied the Lord three times before the crucifixion of our Lord, but
have you ever read how he denied the Lord even after his conversion and who
God used to bring the correction?
Galatians
2:12-14 For before that certain came from James, he did eat with the
Gentiles: but when they were come, he withdrew and separated himself,
fearing them which were of the circumcision. And the other Jews dissembled
likewise with him; insomuch that Barnabas also was carried away with their
dissimulation. But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to
the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, If thou, being
a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why
compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews? (KJV)
Basically
Peter was playing musical chairs, he would eat with the gentiles, but when
the Jewish religious people showed up, he would jump over to their table
and try and appease them, even to the point that others were getting caught
up in the charade. Trying to please people rather than God, a double minded
man will not receive anything from the Lord, including His reward if the
warning is not heeded. Ever wonder why God used Paul to write most of the
epistles? Are you willing to stand up and speak the truth, no matter who it
is or who they think they are? No matter how much of a pillar in the
community man considers them, are you willing to tell them where God sees
them no matter where that may be?
2
Peter 3:15-16 And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation;
even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto
him hath written unto you; As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of
these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they
that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other
scriptures, unto their own destruction. (KJV)
God
did continue to use Peter, and as Peter wrote in his second letter, he
acknowledges his beloved brother Paul, and his willingness to be used of
God. Though many times Paul would meet opposition, especially with those
that claim to know God, the ones that would heed the warning and correction
were able to be used of God, while others would twist and pervert the
scriptures to their own destruction. So don’t take it personal if God asks
you to speak the truth, and you too are met with opposition, especially
within the realm of Christianity, or those that claim to be Christians,
because though many are called, few are truly seeking the honor from above.
Remember, it was the religious leaders that rejected our Lord, and
ultimately betrayed Him. Today not much has changed. There are still many
religious people who are still crucifying the message of our Lord today,
trying to please the congregation rather than the Lord.
Luke
19:45-47 And he went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold
therein, and them that bought; Saying unto them, It is written, My house is
the house of prayer: but ye have made it a den of thieves. And he taught
daily in the temple. But the chief priests and the scribes and the chief of
the people sought to destroy him, (KJV)
Our
Lord Himself did not get a standing ovation from the crowd, but rather was
sent to set things in order the way God intended it to be. The more He
chose to please God, the less appealing He was to those that were perceived
pillars in the temple as well. So what are you going to do if you are not a
crowd favorite anymore? Will that alter your stand and commitment, or will
it just strengthen it further? Will you fold under peer pressure, or will you
continue in the faith grounded and settled and be not moved away from the
hope of the gospel, as many before you have, and as many as hope to be
honorably mentioned before our Father in heaven?
|
