Have You Ever Lived?
Wednesday's Devotion (1-3-07)
"Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth." Ephesians 4:28 (KJV)
Check out this verse... It's telling people who steal to steal no more, but instead to work so they can give those in need. What I get out of this is that if you have committed your life to something evil, since you are born again (through Christ,) not only do you need to give up the evil deeds... But you need to work the opposite of that evil towards the good. If you've been a thief or just someone who takes and takes, then it's time for you to give! If you were a witch (Which is also the sin of rebellion,) then you need to dive into the Word of God and OBEY the Lord (I know someone who was a witch, and this is how they over-came.) Of course these are all things that we need to do anyway, even if we didn't commit these sins... BUT if we did, then we should give back double and then some. Not because we feel guilty, but because we're kind of like specialists in these areas of life. You'll notice that some of the converted child molesters are out there teaching people how to prevent child molestation. That's not the only example, but it's the first one I could think of at the moment. My point is that you have a special knowledge, everyone has a sin of choice... A disease that they have battled with. You need to use that knowledge to help others.
So many people think that they can't have a ministry, but I believe that every follower of Jesus Christ can have a ministry and SHOULD have a ministry! By ministry, I do not mean that all of you should be preaching at a church. What I mean is that you should be using what knowledge you have to help people who need it. The most important of your knowledge is knowledge of Jesus Christ, of course. However, to be effective in ANY ministry you need to know the Word of God! I have given people advice, and they acted like I was so smart because of the advice I've given them. They're especially surprised because of my age, I'm so young. But the truth is that I'm not smart, I just study God's Word. The advice you need is right there, and has been for generations! A lot of the people who have come to me for advice were WAY smarter than me, but because they did not study God's Word they did not have the answers they needed. If you have kids, have they ever come to you for homework answers and you told them, "Stop being lazy and go study yourself to find the answers?" That's what I'm trying to say here. Go study God's Word, because just like with your kid's homework if you give them the answers then they don't learn everything that they need to learn. If you don't study the Bible, then you don't learn everything that you need as a believer or a person in ministry.
Well, I'm just about finished here... But before I go I
want to get one thing off my chest. A problem among us is that we've been
brain-washed to believe that only people in ministry should even think about
picking up a Bible and reading it. In other words, we've been brain-washed to
believe that only our minister is capable of feeding us the scriptures. That's
the farthest thing from the truth! The truth is that WE ALL need God's Word just
to survive in this world: Mentally, spiritually, and yes even physically. Study
it, it is your guide to life! If you haven't lived by it, then you have never
lived! Have you ever lived?
Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for this message and for all things. Please forgive us of all our sins as we forgive all those who've wronged us. Help us to know and live by your Word. Also, help us to give back where we have taken. Help us to live a godly life in you. In Jesus name. A-men!
God bless