Blessed To Be A Blessing

It seems that no matter how many times Scripture deals with it we are insistent on getting it backwards. Israel got it wrong and so many others have up to our present day. We insist on looking for blessings for ourselves whereas Yahweh's intention is to bless others through us. Jesus taught from that attitude, Paul stressed it and we find it throughout Scripture. I am going to use one simple verse from the early days to emphasize my point.

We all know Abraham was a man blessed by Yahweh. He was called out from his country and told to go to a new land. He was told that if he obeyed Yahweh he would be made into a great nation. We see how the Lord blessed him, multiplied his possessions, and made him a man of great influence in a foreign land. But have you examined exactly what Yahweh promised?

"I will make you a great nation;
I will bless you
And make your name great;
And you shall be a blessing." (Genesis 12:2)

From the very beginning Israel was intended to be a blessing to the world. The Lord never just pours his blessing in to be stored up and lived on. Consider the manna he sent in the desert. It wasn't sent once a week but every day. It was a blessing renewed every day. His blessings are renewed in us every day so that they are like a flowing stream, not to be dammed up but to be freely shared.

When Jesus gave his authority to his disciples and sent them out to minister, he told them:

"Freely you have received, freely give." (Matthew 10:8)

We have received tremendous blessings of love, grace, forgiveness, compassion, and these we are to give to others freely. But we have also been blessed with power. Jesus told his disciples to use that power freely to heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead and cast out demons. It wasn't about them but those the Lord was sending them to, to bless.Whatever gifts of the Spirit we have been given we are to be generous in the sharing and bless those to whom the Lord has sent us.

I don't think many of us have problems with this until it comes to our wallet. So often we can gauge our spiritual maturity by our attitude with our finances. With the rich young man that came to Jesus, it was his stumbling block and Jesus knew it. It is why he told him to get rid of it and then come follow him. Money is not ours to possess but a blessing we are stewards over. It doesn't belong to us, and like the Macedonians, we should hear when the Lord says to share the blessing, even when we have little of it:

For I bear witness that according to their ability, yes, and beyond their ability, they were freely willing, imploring us with much urgency that we would receive the gift and the fellowship of the ministering to the saints. And not only as we had hoped, but they first gave themselves to the Lord, and then to us by the will of God. (2 Corinthians 8:3-5)

But not us, because we have it backwards. We think that it is all about us. He don't see that we have been saved for others. We don't see that we have been blessed for others. We don't see that our life is about others. We honestly think it is about us and other people are missing out on an experience of Jesus because of it. Let's pray that the Lord will be gracious and show us more clearly his desire for our days and that we will deny ourselves for Jesus and others.

You Seriously Want To Live Like Jesus?

How much do you seriously know about what Jesus taught? What is governing your life? What principles do you live by? How are you following Jesus if you don't even watch him? Do you realize that we live by a completely different standard than this world? If we know that, why are we living by the patterns of the world instead of the principles of the Kingdom?

The Kingdom of Jesus is much different than anything we find on this earth and, although there are many benefits we will not receive until the world to come, some things can be lived here and now. There are principles that have been put in place that, if acted upon, will improve our living, but they come at a cost. We have to let go of what we see and trust what Jesus told us.

One of the Kingdom principles could be considered the original anti-bullying policy. During Jesus' ministry, society was greatly divided. There were Jews and Samaritans, Pharisees and Sadducees, Herodians and common folk. They hated on each other. Each thought they knew better but they were focused only on their own interest. There was a great deal of judgment; hurtful, adversarial, causing damage to leading a good spiritual life. Jesus made it clear that we do not adhere to such patterns but instead live by a new governance:

Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. (Luke 6:37)

People who think they are in a better position than others, with better knowledge, better revelation, better standing with Father, better conduct, often bully those they think are in a lesser position. This blocks any further spiritual growth and maturity in these people because it doesn't work this way in the Kingdom. Such hearts cannot grow.

It seems a bit odd that we get to decide what measure we receive but there it is. "Do unto others what you would have them do unto you." If you don't want to be judged by people, stop judging them. If you don't want to be condemned, don't go around condemning others. If you want to receive forgiveness for all the stupid things you do, forgive others for their stupidity. What measure of this you receive from others will depend on what measure you live by. Jesus said to make it a generous measure:

Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you. (v. 38)

People often use this in a financial sense but in context it has to do with our liberal generosity in not judging, not condemning and forgiving. Give forgiveness in a generous measure and it will be given back to you in the same measure. This is where we discover the incredible generosity of our Lord. That is the nature of the Kingdom, generosity in all things. It will be a good measure.

When measured out, it won't be fluffy, you won't be short changed or cheated in the matter. It will be packed down, like flour and sugar, so that as much as possible will be fit in. It will be shaken, like grain, so that it will settle together and as much as possible will be fit in. It will run over, wine and oil, so that it will be full capacity. That is generosity. But if that is what you want measured out to you, you need to be sure that is exactly how you are measuring it out to others; pressed down, shaken, and running over. Many will gladly do this with finances but will be scrooges in the things that matter most.

Each of us should have a great desire to be known as a generous people because Jesus has been incredibly generous to us. Any of us who think we have deserved his love, mercy, grace or forgiveness, are sadly lacking in a correct understanding and perspective. When we realize how generously it has been poured into us we will want to see the same being poured into the people we influence. Father will supernaturally touch their hearts and we will receive the same back from these people.

Considering this and playing back the events of last week, most of us will feel shame in the way we have treated others. We have not acted properly as citizens of the Kingdom of Jesus. Ask for forgiveness and consider this a new day to begin to live with a better understanding of how the principles of the Kingdom work. Give generously to others. Invest in them, because it is an investment. Throw away judgment and condemnation, which divide, and measure out a generous portion of love and forgiveness. Do it and be amazed how people change and your relations improve. Watch how many people will want to know more about Jesus.

Jesus' Instructions On God's Blessings

Our God is a God of blessings. It is his great pleasure to bless and not spoil his children. His ultimate desire is for us to join him for eternity but he also enjoys pouring out good things on those who love him. A person would have to purposefully ignore great portions of scripture and the underlying current of the Bible to miss this point. Just this one scripture alone:

Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! (Matthew 7:9-11)

The words of Jesus. But what the world considers good is not necessarily what God considers good. Scriptures also make it clear that God's ways are not our ways and his thoughts are so much higher than our own. Can I tell you, there is more to life than money? Too many of us associate God`s blessings with money. It`s like we are possessed by the thought of it. Jesus told us to consider money to be a tool. Do you remember that odd passage?

Jesus told a parable about a shrewd manager who was being fired so he went to all his boss' business associates who owed money. He cut what they owed so that when he was fired they would remember what he had done and would show kindness to him. When his boss found out what he had done he commended him and did not fire him. An odd parable but Jesus concluded it with this:

I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings. (Luke 16:9)

Money is a tool that will open many doors in this world for the purpose of relationship. Relationship is what is key. But Jesus also gave us plenty of warning not to allow money to become something that it is not. Remember the parable about the farmer who had a bountiful crop? It was so big he built extra barns to store it. Jesus said he was a fool because that night his life would be taken from him and what good would all that wealth have been.

We are all familiar with the passage concerning worry. Jesus told us not to chase after what the rest of the world chases after. We are not to be worried about what we need. We are God's instruments here and he will always make sure we have what we need for life and service. When we chase after wealth there is a change of who is our master. Jesus warned:

No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. (Luke 16:13)

Money is a tool, perhaps a blessing that is intended to be used on others, for others but with eternal benefit. Money is not power. Money is not to be possessed, stored away, hidden for other purposes. Jesus taught that we are to be as generous as our Father is extravagant in love. The possession doesn't matter and the relationship does. Jesus also gave us this warning:

Whoever can be trusted with very little can also 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? (Luke 16:10-12)

You are entrusted with many blessings from our Father. He is rich beyond compare and he pours these riches into your life, but it is not to be horded away. You are to be as generous toward others as your Father has been to you. He has entrusted you with great things, to pour those great things into people around you. Understand, generosity marks the children of the Father:

Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give. (Matthew 10:8)

It's not just about money but every material and spiritual blessing we receive. Do not be possessed by money but instead possess it. Do not treat it like a commodity but instead a powerful tool. Do not see it as something to be stored away for a rainy day as that shows you do not trust God, but instead, give it out as quickly as it comes in. You are a blessed child of God, so be blessed and be a blessing.

Take Care Of Your Pastor

Hard working pastors are worth their weight in gold. In fact, you can't put the value on a man of God. Yet too often they are treated as employees; someone who can be hired and fired. It's probably because we have allowed them to become managers instead of the men of God they are called to be.

If you ask a pastor for his job description it should be a simple thing:

- to preach, teach and admonish with the Word of God
- to set aside all worldly pursuit for the sake of serving the Body of Christ
- to guide and disciple
- to teach people so they in turn can teach

Instead we will find these things:

- to manage the affairs of the church
- to maintain a balanced budget
- to be financially accountable to the deacon's board
- public relations for the church
- to oversee 2 dozen various committees

And you will find this as a requirement for being a pastor:

- a B.A. in business administration
- a Masters in theology
- a B.A. in psychology
- a teaching degree

It is sad what we have allowed the Church to become when all God requires of his servant's is obedience. Jesus said not to worry about what we will say, that he would fill our mouths with his words. What we need is Holy Spirit filled, anointed, obedient servant's of God. Perhaps there is a reason Jesus called the fishermen and tax collectors and not the priests of his day.

Today we have reduced the pastor to an employee who must meet the credentials of man and earn a man's wages, giving account for his hours, just like any other job. The only problem is that being a pastor is not a job, career, or even a choice. It is a calling to strict obedience and a submission to the anointing of God. The responsibility to look after the servant's of the Church falls on the Church itself. The people have the responsibility to look after their pastors. Paul reminded Timothy:


The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops. (2 Timothy 2:6)

This principle goes way beyond just finances. Who do you think benefits the most from the preaching and teaching? The preachers and teachers do not just teach what they know but what they are receiving. As they study and receive from the Lord they are giving out from the new revelation, always keeping the meal fresh. You will also find pastors do this with everything they receive; time, money, gifts are all freely given out as they are freely received. They are never hoarders.

However, the church that refuses to bless their pastors will in turn discover that the blessing of the Lord stops flowing. If they hold back from these servant's of God, God will hold back from them. Not out of vengeance but just simply because these hearts that refuse to give do not have the capacity to receive. But honestly, what loving heart would not desire to bless those who bless it? Only the religious heart would put requirements on blessings. Freely we have received, freely we should give.

So as the Word says, bless your pastors so that you may be blessed. It is to your benefit.



PS - This is in no way a word directed at my church, which is a blessing to me, but simply the next lesson in the daily reading of God's Word.

Do Something Useful With Your Hands

What is your perspective on work? Is it a necessary evil? Something that has to be done just so you can afford some things in life, like food? I remember as a teen I thought books were the essentials in life. Forget food, clothes and shelter, it was books that sustained us. I remember sitting in a barber's chair one day and thinking that all I wanted in life was to get a small job that gave me enough money to pay for food, rent and books. My plan was to live alone and read all day long, except for when I had to work. But there is more to working than just a means to afford the essentials of life.

In Paul's address to the Ephesians, as he was explaining what it is to live as children of the Light, he told them this:

He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need. (Ephesians 4:28)

There was a saying around where I grew up, "A good day's work will make an honest man out of you". It's more like an honest man will do a good day's work. Work is something we were created to do. When Adam was put in the Garden it wasn't to lay around all day, he was there to work:

The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. (Genesis 2:15)

We never do well when we spend all our days reading, watching TV, or filling our hours with video games, FaceBook and Tumblr. It always does our spirit good when there is work for our hands to do. It is essential for us as followers of Jesus because the Spirit prompts us to be generous. It is not just about having provision for our family but it allows us to give to those in need.

Perhaps we have forgotten that this is a natural thing when we are living in the Spirit. The first Christians lived as if everything was in common. What was mine was yours and vice versa. People would sell off pieces of land to help those who were in need. After the great persecution in the Church in Jerusalem most of the Christians fled and spread out. Those who were left behind were facing difficult times as they were considered like lepers. So Paul took up a great collection among all the cities with congregations to benefit those left in Jerusalem.

So when we work it should not be with the thought that it is for ourself. We would do much better if we can see ourselves working for the Lord so we can contribute to the Church and to those who are in need. We need to provide for the Church so the Church can look after the widows and orphans. We need to work so we can be generous and share with those in need. There is purpose in keeping our hands busy. It goes beyond 10%, a tithe to a full giving, where everything we have belongs to God.

We need to work, it is only natural. We need to give, it is only natural. We need to work so that we can give, it is who we are in Jesus. There is greater purpose in our work than just providing for ourself and our family. As followers of Jesus, the essentials in life include generosity.

How Do You See Yourself In The Big Picture?

Sometimes it is hard for us to understand that we are not the center of the universe. Sometimes, from our perspective, everything rotates around us. That is, unless we have just fallen in love. In that case everything rotates around the object of our affection. But we are not always in that state of love and so we find ourselves fairly solid at the center of our universe.

Even when it comes to the latest brand of Christianity being peddled around the world, we have God placing us on a pedestal, as if everything around us is just for our benefit. Strange how the Word tells us to consider others more important than ourselves. Strange how Jesus never sought for himself but always gave out to others. Strange how he demonstrated the attitude and actions of a servant.

Have you thought for a moment that God is very pleased with you and has already prepared your reward which is to come? But right now, at this moment, he needs you in the role of a servant. Have you thought that his purpose for you is not to selfishly receive from him but to be one who administers God's great gifts to others? Have you thought for a moment that he has placed you where you are so that he can love others through you and glorify himself in you so others will come to know him?

You know about apostle Paul. Do you know that he realized that what he received was not for his benefit but for those whom he was sent to minister? All that grace he had received, the great revelation and insight into God's Word, he realized was for the benefit of those lost outside of the nation of Israel:

For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles—

Surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me for you, that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. (Ephesians 3:1-3)

"Given to me for you." Can you imagine waking up to the reality that everything you have ever experienced was never meant for you directly but was for others to have through you? Well, that is our reality which we have twisted so that we are the center instead of those to whom we are sent to minister. Of course there is a residual benefit. What passes through us also benefits us but we are not the sole intended target. Each of us have been placed her to administer the grace God has given to us.

Without a doubt our Father loves us but I wonder how often we disappoint him when we put ourselves ahead of those he wants us to love? I wonder how disappointed he is with the self-centered nature of this latest brand of Christianity? I pray for the conviction of the Spirit to come upon us, that we would realize what we are making it to be compared to what our Father desires it to be. I pray for a fresh revelation of God's truth, that we would be horrified that our neighbour is facing the eternal fires of hell and instead of being concerned about our own needs. May we realize that this great grace that has been poured into us is for the benefit of those to whom he sends us, like our neighbour.

Selfishness does not please Jesus but generosity does. Be generous with the grace of God and with everything else he has freely given you.

Where Is My Community?

Good morning my friends,

Could you imagine the Church Treasurer standing before the congregation saying, “You people are giving too much. Please, we have enough. Stop already!” Could you imagine a people so possessed by the love of the Lord that they could not stop themselves from giving time, talents and money? It is hard to imagine because we are such a self-centered, self-absorbed society in the Westerner World. What philosophy did we grab hold of that turned us from communities of character to such a cold and individual society? Israel was still in its infancy as a community and was exuberant in its expression of adoration and thanksgiving:


Then Moses summoned Bezalel and Oholiab and every skilled person to whom the LORD had given ability and who was willing to come and do the work. They received from Moses all the offerings the Israelites had brought to carry out the work of constructing the sanctuary. And the people continued to bring freewill offerings morning after morning. So all the skilled craftsmen who were doing all the work on the sanctuary left their work and said to Moses, "The people are bringing more than enough for doing the work the LORD commanded to be done."


Then Moses gave an order and they sent this word throughout the camp: "No man or woman is to make anything else as an offering for the sanctuary." And so the people were restrained from bringing more, because what they already had was more than enough to do all the work. (Exodus 36:2-7)


It is really hard to imagine a people that would have to be restrained from giving. Most Christian communities feel like they are pulling teeth to get anyone to do anything. Our Christian community is no longer the center of life. We no longer look to it for friendship, support, encouragement. We no longer try to express our adoration of God through this community. Gone are the many community building activities. It is even hard to get people to come out to a simple thing like breakfast. The idea of community has been replaced by individual activities like mp3’s, mp4’s, television, movies, computers, online communities.

In an attempt to recapture some of what we have lost and to allow for busyness we have attempted to create virtual communities. But these communities are stop-gap measure, filling in for a short time what for the immediate we cannot have. This is great for remote people, the sick, the elderly, even shift workers. These communities were never intended to replace the face-to-face personal encounters in community. I think most people know that I enjoy technology and like trying to apply it to every day life, but it has its limits.

The Church is only following in the footsteps of our society. People no longer live where they work and we do not bat an eye at that. Children are bussed out to other communities to attend school. People tend to sleep in one community, work in another, play in another and worship in yet another. There is no possibility to build community like that. Our society is trying to recapture the idea of community but it may be too late. Why talk with your neighbour face-to-face when you can be anyone you want to be on the Internet and talk with someone from the other side of the world. Perhaps that is the secret of the Internet. In community we are accountable, people know us, they know our faults and weaknesses along with our strengths. Yet, on the Internet we can be the perfect person with no accountability for what we say and do.

Regardless of what our many faults are as the community of The Servant’s House Church / School, we are no different in this struggle than any other community. What it will take are a few good people to be brave enough to push past their selfish tendencies and be willing to build bridges into other people’s lives. A few people can change a lot of things if they are willing to move forward in their exuberance. Think of the early Israelite community in its generosity of all things. Think of the early Church in its generosity of all things. What got in the way? Selfishness. People stopped loving the Lord with all their being and their neighbour as themselves.

The Internet is great but it should be no more a distraction than the telephone. In fact, it is like an elaborate telephone. It can be more than that but do we want it to be? It is great to use it to share special moments, testimonies, pass on information, communicate with family and friends at great distances but it cannot replace the fellowship of community. Every time someone stops entering into that fellowship they end up dying to that fellowship and community. Such community building does not rely, cannot rely on one person. We are all responsible for this.

If Jesus Christ remains at the center of that community; if it is his cords of love that bind us together; if we do all things with exuberance for him, we will find the joy of community again.

Photo Source: http://i0002.photobucket.com/albums/0002/TheDarjeelingLimited/Elisha.jpg