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Find Your Balance In What You Do For Others

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Being in a ministry that requires so much of your time allows you to learn many lessons along the way, and I thought that I would share one today that would help all of us grow together as individuals, ministries, and churches all the same.

There are people that I know as well as people that I do not, but nonetheless my ministry has been called to reach out to all of them with the same love and compassion that was showed to me with no regard to my past or persona. I hope that the church of today turns no one away or treats them differently or would chose one over another. Favoritism is just another one of those things that has to stay outside of the doors and should go and live with the “popular opinion”.

Jesus went to heal the sick and afflicted, reached out to the lost and rejected, and loved whosoever would come to believe. We are supposed to attain the mind of Christ, or in other words, take on that same frame of mind. So whatever need comes across your path, no matter how big or small it may be, we have to meet it with a balance of equal love. Just to put it simply in an example: if you spend 20 minutes praying for someone and two for someone else, those things are noticed; especially if you are a leader or someone that is a person depended on in your local community.

Please be considerate, and never forget the compassion once shown towards you! Do this, and people will take on what they see by the example set in you.

Very big words today, but very important.

The Parables Of Prayer

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The Friend at Midnight – Luke 11:5-10

[5] And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves;
[6] For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him?
[7] And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee.
[8] I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.
[9] And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
[10] For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

One word sticks out when it comes to reading this passage.

Inconvenient. I’m sure a lot of people found it or will find it inconvenient to do the work that God has called them to do, but nonetheless with the love and willingness will be bless for the good work. The question that comes to my mind is, will WE as a church be prepared when they come knocking when it is inconvenient for us? Because I’m here to tell you that they ARE going to come. And they will come when you least expect them, and especially when you do not want them to. Those are the tests of a church versus the tests of an individual. Those are how the churches bear the infirmities of a weak and come together to help people.

At first, we are going to want to be selfish and refuse to help. We will not want to sing our song, give our testimony, hug their neck. We’ll say, “Lord I’ve done this all before for someone else” or “Lord I’ve done this 1,000s of times”, but as the passage reads we are FRIENDS so we MUST give to meet the need. I hope that the church never fails before the given time when God calls us to come home. I hope that people always have a place to come where they will feel loved and have the natural conviction power to draw them to an altar to find salvation. We can go to God in this manner, but we as a church must prove ourselves by asking for God to keep us as a body strong in prayer!

And remember, if it ever feels inconvenient for you, check and see why in your heart. You’ll find the problem.

The Unjust Judge – Luke 18:1-8

[1] And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;
[2] Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man:
[3] And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary.
[4] And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man;
[5] Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.
[6] And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith.
[7] And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?
[8] I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?

Persistent. This man, this judge, had no regard for God or man, and yet, after continual persistence from the widow, avenged her. God has no regard for the enemy, and if we continually seek him, our adversaries will be destroyed. Wouldn’t it be good if we began to have a heart that was persistent and never tiring after God? I hope and pray that we began to be determined to never let go until we see the needs met. We do not have time to stop. We do not have time to let people slip through our fingers and not make Heaven their home.

The Pharasee and the Publican – Luke 18:9-14

[9] And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:
[10] Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.
[11] The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.
[12] I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
[13] And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.
[14] I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

“I not as others are” Two points here with the first one being more important than the latter. Having the outlook of “I not as others are” should probably be a good indicator first of all. If we ever get ourselves to a place where we esteem ourselves so high, God has to bring us back to a place where we are abased (lowered, brought down one way or another). And I don’t know about you, but I would rather be a humble person in general and give glory to God where it was due rather than abusing pride in things that I should not take the credit for. If you ever see yourself soaring high in confidence and feel above others, you better take the “I not as others are” test. Because it might be time to be abased.

“God be merciful to me a sinner” If all we can say is God be merciful to me a sinner, it’s good enough for me. You have to admit that you stand before God as a person with flaws and mistakes. Come on. You are not perfect, and will never be. And on your best day, there are handfuls upon handfuls of sin that you cannot control. He that humbleth shall be exalted. In other words, you don’t have to lift yourself up at all when your low before God, it does it for you. It shows on you. There’s a glow, a confidence, there is just something about you. Perhaps then that is the sweet Holy Ghost that encourages you along the way, huh?

Be A Friend And Lay It Down

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Let’s start with scripture:

John 15: 13-17

[13] Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
[14] Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.
[15] Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.
[16] Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.
[17] These things I command you, that ye love one another.

This series of verses have probably been preached in many ways, and I personally have sat and heard this taught in many ways, but God showed this to me in a whole new view. Sure it might be old news to you, so let it be a refreshing thought to your mind.

Jesus Christ came and died for us that we would have grace through him, and that we would have salvation, therein, giving these verses meaning in the significance in the physical sense of laying down one’s life.

But how does it apply to me now in the life I live today? What does it mean to be a friend now? It’s not meaning for you to go and lay down your physical life for someone else. Christ made that sacrifice that our sins be forgiven and that we find the path to Heaven through salvation. Praise God for that.

The meaning goes a little deep then that. This is what God was showing me. See, there are many people that come into our churches, which come into our midst no matter where we are, that need us to get past ourselves, to lay down ourselves, our flesh, so that we can be about God’s business, and help them find the path to Christ.

God has ordained us to bear fruit, to speak the great things about him, to be that witness, therefore, to share our testimony, and not to be stuck up or too proud to share what God has done for us; in other words, to not be too busy for someone in need. We need to be more Christ-like then ever in these days that we are living in, for we are the only light that people will ever see. And if we are not shining the light, how will they ever find the way through the darkness they walk through every single day?

Be willing to lay yourself down, just as Christ did, in the spiritual sense, so that someone else might have a chance to have a breakthrough and have that great experience as you once did, to find that compassion that someone once showed you. What a powerful word God has shown me, if we can only apply this quickly and do it at a more even quicker rate! Help me get this out to the masses! I know you can!

Are You Ready For An Update?

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It’s good to be back writing on the HOG blog once again! lol! We might as well give it a catchy name everyone loves, so there you go!

Sometimes it is hard to allow technology to capture how good that God has actually been in our ministry. The places we have been have been just as much of a blessing to us. We have learned many things a long the way, and even though we have grew up and had many experiences, we always learn something new.

The Lord God is wonderful. Simply put. The singing seems to only get better, even when we get more tired. The ministering that we do in spoken word and truth seems to be more magnified, even when we feel more and more weary from the journeys that we take. And though we know there are more ahead of us, we know that there is more strength to be had, and more blessings to give to others. For we do not stand as a group to get a pat on the back, but to hold our hand out and help to pick others up in need.

I hope the day comes that we all become strong enough to obtain and retain that power from on high, that when people see all of us that carry Christ within us, they KNOW beyond all doubt, and that we have NO fear of come what may.

Thanks to all of the past churches for the wonderful fellowship, the wonderful food, and the wonderful experiences! We can’t wait to see you again! Be sure to stay tuned. We are in the works for some new news! I’ll stay on it, I promise!

Where Is The Love?

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There are so many times when we find ourselves in complete disarray, and everything that we know changes. And only until we reach this place do we realize that we should have “known” better.  I want to use the opportunity that I have here to speak on something that have been trying to understand and gain a better understanding on.

I remember when I was a child growing up in church. I remember hearing the people have joy in their voices and happiness on their faces. It made being at church a fun and joyous experience, and it captivated me. It was so clear and easy for me to see that the people that were happy were in possession of something that brought good things in their heart that made them want to share that joy with others.

I miss those days so much. I remember them very vividly. There are so many memories of hearing grown men turn humble in front of large crowds, giving their hearts testimony for everyone to know just how good that God was to them. I remember even hearing some of the women of God shouting will all their heart, sometimes in joy, and more often in faith for things to come.

I remember the songs that I used to hear. Some of them I still try to sing today, but I could never compare to hearing songs like “Consider The Lillies” and “Two Coats”. Oh how those songs used to bring such an uplifting to me, and now how they are counted so little. People are searching for the newest songs, the newest things to try and replicate a feeling that we used to know old so well.

There are many of you out there probably reeling at some of these points, and I hope that you are. I hope that this is starting to get you to wonder how in the world this ties to a positive devotional.

To be honest, we go out into the churches of today and find that the humbleness, faithfulness, and true established desire of the people is going out. I know that it is not intentional for it to dwindle away, but everyone cannot question what we see; it is what it is. More than anything, I hear people wanting to issue complaints about how bad things are where they go, wanting to relocate in hopes of finding a place to feel like that they belong.

People get offended, upset with each other, and want to settle nothing. We want to just write someone off and go on, or do whatever we must to get them to go. Rather than address anything, things go unresolved and it’s just one more reason why we can’t worship the way we use to anymore. And if enough of this happens in one place, you then soon see the doors close up, literally and spiritually.

At this point, it is really hard to find a certain place to begin, but I think I have a pretty good idea of what to ask first.

So where is the love of God that is supposed to dwell within us? Well, it is easy to say “of course I have love”, but it’s completely different when push comes to shove. It’s easy to say that we love everyone, but turn away from someone that stands in need right in front of us. It’s easy to say that we love God and would do anything for him, and yet, we sit idly by in church services where we know good and well that people need help and encouragement. The bible talks about how without charity that most of what we can even do means nothing. Why are we forgetting this principle? We can preach the best, sing the prettiest, look the holiest, and yet, without that true love of God running our lives, it really bears no benefit to anyone or ourselves.

I believe that we should begin to start being in active practice of love. That means having all the qualities and virtues of it. Things like mercy, compassion, forgiveness, charitable, selflessness, are a MUST. That means being welcoming to those that you love and those you don’t know. That means opening your heart to those you favor, as well as those that you don’t. Most importantly, we are held accountable for our actions, so if we so chose to just blow off being obedient in this area, all that I can tell you is that we are what we eat.

This concept is hard to grasp, but if learned and used in the best spiritual capacity, is the most powerful way of not only leading people to Christ, but keeping people from ever feeling like that they do not fit in. We want you to know that we at Heart of Grace love you very much, and encourage you to be the best that you can everywhere that you are. Public or private, friend or foe, church or not, be the loving person that God has called you to be. Make it your goal to never let one person feel out of place. Remember, as the bible speaks on, greater is the joy when we find the one and leave the 99. And we only understand that joy when we do it. And we will only do it with love.