 Scripture Reading: Philippians 3:12-16 NASB95
Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. [13] Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, [14] I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. [15] Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, have this attitude; and if in anything you have a different attitude, God will reveal that also to you; [16] however, let us keep living by that same standard to which we have attained. Have you ever felt that along the journey of life you may have taken a wrong turn? Most people feel that way because most of us have made some terrible—awful—crazy—foolish—and certainly, ignorant life choices along the way. We all make decisions, and I have personally discovered (often the hard way) that not all decisions are equal. Some of our choices seem to work out while others fall short of our expectations. (Full Disclosure: I had a few epic failures!) If we ponder our past with through the lens of knowing the results of our choices; it can lead to toxic regret. We start “what if-ing” our lives as we scrutinize the outcome of what has brought us to where we are. “If I only would have zigged when I zagged.” “Wow,” that’s really helpful!? If I had married a different person, I would have been happier. If I had just taken that job, I would have been more successful. If I had only bought Dell stock when I moved to Texas, I would have been rich. If only… The possibilities of the different outcomes of regret are simply amazing…at least in my imaginary world. “I could have been somebody!” If you are reading this—you are still alive and if you are “in” Christ you have a future beyond imagination. I have four thoughts concerning regret: 1) Regret is futile, because I cannot change my past. 2) Regret is dangerous, because it threatens my future happiness with the burden of past failures. 3) Many of my regrets are centered around events that I had no control over. 4) Regret is a waste of my “now” time. I’m alive now—in this moment—I’m still on the journey through life. Two questions to consider: “Have I learned from the past?” “Can I leave the regrets behind? Armed with hope for the future, I put my trust in God; I grasp the truth that it is time to forget the failures of the past and press on for the prize that is before me. Questions to Consider:
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 Scripture Reading: The Lord is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation; He is my God, and I will praise Him; My father's God, and I will exalt Him. Ex 15:2 (NKJV)
This happens to be one of those rare places where the "old" King James translators did a better job than those that worked on the NKJV. The NKJV reads: "He is my God, and I will praise Him." The King James Version reads:"He is my God and I will prepare Him a habitation." This translation is much more faithful rendering of the original Hebrew. Moses led the Children of Israel across the Red Sea and then watched as God swept away the army of the Pharaoh that was chasing them. Moses and the Children then sang a song of praise unto God. The song contained this interesting promise: "I will prepare Him (God) a habitation." A short time later Moses made good on his promise and the tent of Moses became the first Tabernacle of Israel and the place where God dwelled. We know that God is omnipresent, which means that God is everywhere at the same time. But, in fact, the Tabernacle of Israel and later the Temple in Jerusalem was a specific place set aside as a habitation for God. Moses' tent has long since disintegrated and the Romans destroyed the last Jewish Temple in Jerusalem almost two thousand years ago, but there is a new temple that has been set aside as a habitation for God. If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, you are that temple. God , the Holy Spirit dwells in us. Jesus said this concerning the Holy Spirit, "You will know Him for He will live with you and will live in you!" Just think about it--the power that created the universe is living in you...what are the possibilities as a habitation for God? Questions to Consider:
 Scripture Reading: Matthew 9:35-38 NASB95
Jesus was going through all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness. [36] Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd. [37] Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. [38] Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.” Jesus' description of the harvest has been used to whip up fervor for foreign missionary work. No doubt, that is apropos to the subject of missions; however, one does not have to travel to a foreign land to bring in the harvest. For most of us, the harvest is waiting one step out the front door of our house or apartment. What has become apparent in recent years is the fact that we are living in a Post-Christian America, and many people have never heard the Gospel message. If in your next trip to town, you happen to "look" around at the people, you will find people who match Jesus' description. "Distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd." This is often the driving force behind drug use and suicide. People feel lost, isolated and unloved. All they really need to turn their lives around is a relationship with Jesus. This is where "we" come into the picture. As followers of Christ, we are called to be His ambassadors. We represent Jesus to the harvest of people who need to know Jesus. What we must do is to prepare strategies to connect these people to Jesus by proclaiming the Gospel. We must "go out" with this message to reach people who are not inclined to walk into a church building. In this Post-Christian America, it has never dawned on many of these lost people to walk into a church on a Sunday morning. So, we take the Gospel to them. Questions to Consider:
 Scripture Reading: John 18:33-38 NASB95 Therefore, Pilate entered again into the Praetorium, and summoned Jesus and said to Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?” [34] Jesus answered, “Are you saying this on your own initiative, or did others tell you about Me?” [35] Pilate answered, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests delivered You to me; what have You done?” [36] Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.” [37] Therefore Pilate said to Him, “So You are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” [38] Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?”
Jesus lived in a time of great political stress. The politics in Judaea during the time of Jesus’ ministry were very polarized. There was the occupying Roman force, the freedom-seeking zealots, the religious leaders (who loved control), and the Jewish “traitors” who cooperated with the Romans. Jesus was a popular person in the land, and people wanted to know where He landed on the political scale. In fact, His own disciples continued to believe that Jesus was about to take control and reestablish David’s Kingdom. (They were inquiring about Jesus’ political future even after the resurrection) When Jesus was finally arrested by his enemies, He was taken to Pilate to be judged. Pilate began to interrogate Jesus because he wanted to know where Jesus stood politically. Was Jesus bent on overthrowing the Romans? Was He a political zealot? Did He really consider Himself to be the King of the Jews? Jesus plainly replied to Pilate’s probing questions with a definitive statement: “My kingdom is not of this world.” What was Jesus saying? He was saying that He was apolitical. Essentially, Jesus was establishing the fact that His cause (the salvation of mankind) superseded the political causes of not only Judaea but all the kingdoms of this earth. What can we learn from Jesus’ apolitical position? Simply this: The Mission of the Church, which is to proclaim the Gospel and make disciples of Christ, is of greater consequence than the politics of the day. The danger of contemporary politics (for Christ Followers) is that for many it becomes their “cause.” In some cases, that I have observed, politics can become idolatry. I do believe that a moral government is of great benefit to the general population; and I cast my vote for, what I believe, to be the best moral choices. However, my “real” citizenship is with "The" Kingdom that is not of this world. I am an ambassador of that Kingdom and I have been commissioned by the King, Himself. Questions to Consider:
Author’s Note: When I write something that I know will stir up the emotional opinions of others, I feel somewhat compelled to explain myself further. My observation of politics has led me to believe that there are two types of governments in this world: 1) Bad, and 2) Even Worse. (I try to vote against the “even worse” politicians) Am I cynical? Maybe…but the adage about absolute power corrupting absolutely seems to be lived out in real-time repeatedly. I am “OK” with all the nonsense because this world is not my home; and last I checked, Jesus is still the way, the truth, and the life. Years ago, I was asked to consider running for public office. I prayed about it and decided that a life of politics was not for me. I have not been called to be a “Daniel,” but I earnestly pray for those who have! And He commanded them all to sit down by groups on the green grass. 40They sat down in groups of hundreds and of fifties. 41And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up toward heaven, He blessed the food and broke the loaves and He kept giving them to the disciples to set before them; and He divided up the two fish among them all. 42They all ate and were satisfied, Mark 6:39-42 NASB
In verse 35 of Mark 6, the disciples remind us that this place is desolate and that the people are hungry. Jesus is about to show forth His amazing power by supernaturally multiplying five loaves of bread and two fish for 5,000 men (that's not including the women and children that were present). But before Jesus does that, He gives a command for the people to sit in groups of 50 and 100 on the grass. They sit in their individual groups and have their eyes fixed on what Jesus is going to do next. These people are told to sit in this place of hunger and desolation and wait on Jesus. Notice that Jesus doesn't remove them from the place of hunger and desolation like the disciples wanted Him to do. Instead, He's about to change the environment from being a place of hunger and desolation into a place of satisfaction and abundance. Some of these individual groups of 50 or 100 people may have come from different family backgrounds, may have differed on certain ideas about God, may have been rich or poor, or even experienced different traumas or blessings in their life. But at this moment they are all equal as they sit on the grass together waiting for Jesus to move. This is one of the greatest pictures of the global church of Christ throughout her history. People that are a part of individual local churches inside of their towns and cities have found great fellowship with one another in smaller groups of 50, 100, 200 or thousands of people. These groups experience hunger together, and they experience filling together; they experience desolation together, and they experience satisfaction together; they experience pain and sorrow together, and they experience joy and laughter together. But as they are experiencing these things as a local church together, they share a common bond with the rest of the global church that are also experiencing the same things. The local church is a part of something larger and greater. But the one thing that unites us all, and what makes the church of Christ so unique and holy compared to any other thing on planet earth, is the One we are all looking at. Just like these people who are sitting in groups watching and waiting for what Jesus will do next, the global church of Christ is doing the same thing. We have our eyes fixed on Jesus no matter if we are in place of hunger or desolation, or in a place of satisfaction and abundance; for Jesus Christ is our only hope. Every one of these groups of individual people ate and were satisfied by the miraculous hands of Jesus. Even though that place may have still been considered by some to be a desolate place; for those people that day, Jesus changed it into a place of miraculous abundance. What was the secret? Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith Hebrews 12:2 NASB Let us be like these people. Let us not try and escape the place of hunger and desolation; let us fix our eyes on Jesus and see Him move like never before. Questions to Consider: 1. Are you experiencing a time of desolation right now where you don't see any way out? Where are your eyes focused right now? 2. There are thousands of Christians across the globe that are experiencing persecution and intense trials. Would you take a moment and pray specifically for the underground church? When it was already quite late, His disciples came to Him and said, “This place is desolate and it is already quite late; 36send them away so that they may go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.” 37But He answered them, “You give them something to eat!” And they said to Him, “Shall we go and spend two hundred denarii on bread and give them something to eat?” Mark 6:35-37 NASB
In this story, Jesus is about to preform an amazing miracle of multiplying food to feed 5,000 men. But the disciples do not see how this is possible. To feed all of these people would cost 200 denarii. A denarii in bible times was equivalent to a day's wage for an unskilled laborer. So, 200 denarii would have been around 8-9 months of hard labor for a single person. That is a lot of "hard earned" money to spend on just bread! The disciples are trying to understand how they will afford to feed all of these people by looking at their earthly resources. They can't afford it, or at least don't want to afford it! So, they are wanting to send the people away to find their own food. But Jesus is about to show them that the kingdom of God doesn't work that way. In Mark 6:34 it says: When Jesus went ashore, He saw a large crowd, and He felt compassion for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and He began to teach them many things. In this whole section of scripture, Jesus is operating in compassion for these people, while the disciples are merely concerned. There is a vast difference between compassion and concern. Compassion moves our whole being into action; while concern may only set our mind into action. There was nothing sinful with the suggestion of the disciples to send the people away so they can go buy something to eat. It was actually a "kind" thought that they were concerned about the people's well-being. The problem was wrong thinking that Jesus is about to address. How is Jesus going to combat this wrong thinking in His disciples? He is going to give them a scathing rebuke by saying: “You give them something to eat!”. As followers of Christ and sons of the kingdom of God, when we see a need, we have then been given the opportunity and responsibility to act. Being concerned for people is nice and easy; but being compassionate requires a sacrifice. Concern leads to a human plan that usually relies on human resources, and often "sends away" for a solution; compassion is immediate, relies on divine resources, and draws close those in need. Jackie Pullinger is a missionary over in Kowloon Walled City in Hong Kong. At the age of 22 she felt the call to become a missionary. She wrote to various missionary organizations looking for support but she found none. So, instead of waiting around she felt the Lord tell her to "GO". She left from London on a one-way ship being led by the Holy Spirit on where to get off. She arrived at the port of Hong Kong and she has been there for 56 years. In reading her story in "Chasing the Dragon" and listening to quite a few of her messages, she would often say: "Always give. You don't have to give what people are asking for but you always give." She is not alone in this sentiment, she is taking it directly from the lips of Jesus: “Give to everyone who asks of you, and whoever takes away what is yours, do not demand it back. Luke 6:30 NASB On that day on the sea shore, the disciples started to see the difference between how the world handles those in need and how the kingdom of God handles them. Let us be kingdom minded in every situation we face. Questions to Consider: 1. How can you and I prepare our hearts to live a life where we "give to everyone who asks"? Hint: It starts with one step of obedience. 2. How can we move from being concerned for people and having compassion for them? What does that look like? Now a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the LORD; and the creditor has come to take my two children to be his slaves.” 2Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?” And she said, “Your maidservant has nothing in the house except a jar of oil.” 3Then he said, “Go, borrow vessels at large for yourself from all your neighbors, even empty vessels; do not get a few. 4“And you shall go in and shut the door behind you and your sons, and pour out into all these vessels, and you shall set aside what is full.” 5So she went from him and shut the door behind her and her sons; they were bringing the vessels to her and she poured. 6When the vessels were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another vessel.” And he said to her, “There is not one vessel more.” And the oil stopped. 7Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debt, and you and your sons can live on the rest.” 2 Kings 4:1-7 NASB
This woman answers the question of Elisha in verse 2 by saying "Your maidservant has nothing in the house except a jar of oil." This woman had to go out in verse 3 and borrow vessels from her neighbors to fill them up with oil. She didn't even have extra vessels to use! But thank God for good neighbors. I'm sure these neighbors needed those vessels for something, yet they gave them to this woman as a blessing. Their sacrifice of simple vessels did more than they could have imagined in this woman's life. Paul, in 2 Corinthians 4:7 refers to Christians as "earthen vessels" that are carrying and stewarding the "Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ" (2 Cor 4:6). Paul goes on to explain in verse 7 that these earthen vessels are not meant to receive the glory, but to shine forth the glory of God. In today's world, we get caught up in what our earthen vessels look like more than what they are carrying. We sacrifice time, money, and energy all to make sure that our earthen vessels look like or better than other earthen vessels. But all the while disregarding the fact that our very physical bodies are nothing more than dust. No matter how pretty dust is, it is still dust. What if we spent as much time, money, and energy on what our vessels are carrying? Which according to Paul is the glory of God which will never cease to exist! When this woman in 2 Kings 4 received these vessels from her neighbors, she could care less about what they looked like; she just wanted to see the glory of God on display. In this story in 2 Kings 4, we see two things taking place that are of significance to us today as "vessels of God".
As a church, let us wake up every day with the prayer that God would make us vessels that shine forth the glory of God so others may become partakers of the same. Questions to Consider: 1. Do you know someone who is an "outcast" of sorts? Maybe it's a person you have been praying for that you know only God could change. How can you be a vessel to shine the glory of God to them? 2. Leonard Ravenhill said: "Christianity is not marked by success, but by sacrifice." What are some ways that you can deny yourself and sacrifice for someone who is in need today? You may be the exact vessel that they need right now. Now a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the LORD; and the creditor has come to take my two children to be his slaves.” 2Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?” And she said, “Your maidservant has nothing in the house except a jar of oil.” 3Then he said, “Go, borrow vessels at large for yourself from all your neighbors, even empty vessels; do not get a few. 4“And you shall go in and shut the door behind you and your sons, and pour out into all these vessels, and you shall set aside what is full.” 5So she went from him and shut the door behind her and her sons; they were bringing the vessels to her and she poured. 6When the vessels were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another vessel.” And he said to her, “There is not one vessel more.” And the oil stopped. 7Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debt, and you and your sons can live on the rest.” 2 Kings 4:1-7 NASB
This woman had just a small amount of oil left in a jar, hardly enough to pay off a significant debt. We know from the story that God is going to supernaturally multiply the oil that will be gathered into vessels and sold to pay the debt. But for now, all she had was a tiny amount of oil. The woman recognized what she lacked but the prophet Elisha is going to demonstrate to her how powerful that "little" can be. This is an important revelation that Elisha is showing us here. Elisha didn't give up when he found out that the woman had nothing except a tiny bit of oil. Elisha didn't look at what this woman lacked but instead looked to what she could accomplish with the little. Let us take this lesson to heart in the church when we are dealing with those who have nothing or just a little to offer. Oil in scripture signifies the anointing of the Holy Spirit. This woman didn't have much, but what she had could be used for extraordinary purposes. As a church we have the Holy Spirit with us in different measures. Sometimes we quench Him (1 Thessalonians 5:19), sometimes we grieve Him (Ephesians 4:30), but as temples of the Holy Spirit, He is always abiding in us and with us. But we have a promise from our Father that He wants to pour out the Holy Spirit in abundance on His people in these last days (Acts 2:16-21). This woman's strength was small, and her faith was tiny. Her doubts were extreme, and her fears were abundant. But all she needed was a tiny bit of oil to see God move abundantly. Zechariah 4:10 tells us: "Do not despise small things (beginnings)". I am a person that things of big things quite often. I am a dreamer that thinks about outlandish ideas and how to implement them. Sometimes those dreams are from God but often they are not. But with any dream or idea, there must be a starting point for it to eventually be fulfilled; if not, they will be stored away in the "warehouse of good intentions". There must be a "first-step" which we all know can be the hardest. This woman had to overcome her nothingness and what she lacked to become what God wanted her to be and what God wanted her to do. This woman didn't look at the little bit of oil in her jar as a blessing, but as a curse. How many times do we do the same thing when we look at our spiritual life? We look at what we could be or should be and fall into despair because of what we lack. But if she didn't have the little she would have never experienced the abundance. Do you view your spiritual life right now as a curse because of what you feel you are lacking? Don't look at what you don't have, look to the One who has it all. The "little" is a blessing, not a curse; there is an oak tree inside of an acorn. Questions to Consider: 1. If you feel stagnant in your spiritual life right now, what are some steps you can take today to remove the idols that are sucking at your spiritual life to be filled with more of the Holy Spirit? 2. Do you know someone who feels like they are living in a spiritual desert today? Would you reach out to them and remind them of the blessing of the "little"? Now a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the LORD; and the creditor has come to take my two children to be his slaves.” 2Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?” And she said, “Your maidservant has nothing in the house except a jar of oil.” 2 Kings 4:1-2 NASB
In this Old Testament story, a woman comes to Elisha after her husband died and tells Elisha that the creditors are coming to take her sons away as slaves to pay for the debt that her husband left. We are not given the context surrounding the debt that the husband incurred, but we know that it was significant enough for the widows two sons to be taken as slaves to pay the debt. We also don't see anywhere where the sons or the widow incurred the debt themselves, yet they are the ones stuck with paying it. This story provides us with a revelation of what happens to the next generation when the previous generation compromises in certain areas (for further study, check out the story of Gideon in Judges 6). We have seen over the past 25 years a gradual "falling away" from the church by the younger generations. We are upset by this fact, we are hurt by this fact; and the church has tried to find solutions to remedy this epidemic. But as the current generation laying the foundation for the next generations, what we need to understand is the pattern we see in this passage, throughout scripture, and in our present experience: "One generations compromise will lead to the next generations captivity". When we grasp this concept, we will begin to understand the importance of our role as fathers, mothers, grandparents, mentors and all the rest of us that are responsible for developing the next generations. We will also see the role that the church has played in this epidemic because of passivity, or becoming distracted from the great commandment and the great commission. Let me just say, this is no place for shame or guilt to creep in, but a place for humble realization and prayer to reign in the church again. We can never become what God wants us to be until we acknowledge who we are (Gen 32:27). In our story in 2 Kings 4, the only hope that the mother had to keep her sons from entering bondage was the intervention of God. She needed a miracle from the hand of God; and so do we. For starters, she had to acknowledge her inability to change what was going to happen; while acknowledging and submitting to the absolute power and will of God to solve the problem. We find ourselves at the same cross roads that she found herself at. We cannot solve the problem through human effort or strategizing, but by humbling ourselves and falling at the feet of the One who never faces a problem too difficult. In fact, He is the only Shepherd that perfectly excels at chasing down those who have fallen away. Do we desire that our children would be lovers of Christ and not just church attenders? Do we desire above all else that our children would earnestly seek the will of God for their life and pursue that with all of their heart? Do we desire to see a generation filled with the Holy Spirit changing the culture of today? Then we must run to the Father as this woman did, and acknowledge our weakness and inability and He will answer the cries of His people. This woman didn't have much, and you may feel like that today. But what you do have enough to run to the Father. Will you and I do that today? Questions to Consider: 1. Have you found yourself facing a situation where you needed God to come through like this widow did? How did you see God move in that situation? 2. How are you being used by God to lay a foundation for the next generation? What is the Lord leading you to do personally for this mission? “Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? Are not His sisters here with us?” And they took offense at Him. 4Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and among his own relatives and in his own household.” Mark 6:3-4 NASB
Jesus went back to His hometown of Nazareth with a desire to bring miracles, revelation, healing, and salvation to His own people. But when He gets there and begins teaching in the synagogue, His own people and family begin to question who He is and how He is capable to doing the miracles and powerful teaching. In context, there have been 400 years of silence as it pertains to a prophetic voice. Then suddenly John the Baptist and Jesus come onto the scene and the people begin wondering if Jesus is the Messiah that they have been hoping and waiting for. The same story in the gospel of Luke tells us that Jesus reads Isaiah 61:1-2 and tells the people that this prophecy has been fulfilled in their hearing. Jesus is declaring Himself to be the fulfillment of the words of Isaiah and the people are astonished. But they began to realize that this is Jesus; the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the sibling of those who lived with them. They were amazed one minute and then offended the next. They couldn't see how one of there very own people was seemingly special. They missed out on who Jesus was and what He was bringing because they did not honor Him. No miracles took place in Nazareth because of the people's unbelief and their lack of honor. Honor is a vital attribute in the church that is desperately lacking today. To be blunt, we do not honor one another rightly and because of that we are lacking as the church in America. To honor someone means to give "weight", worth and value. That means that whenever someone speaks or acts we pay attention to what they are saying and doing as if it actually matters and as if it has value. Honor means we see who they are (through the eyes of God) instead of what they lack. When Jesus would heal people, He would often allow the people to share what they or someone else needed healing from. He was listening to their request as if their request and petition had value; then He would act. In the same story found in Luke 4:16-30, Jesus gives two Old Testament examples of how God bypassed Israel to bring provision and healing to other nations because of Israel's lack of honor. “But I say to you in truth, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the sky was shut up for three years and six months, when a great famine came over all the land; 26and yet Elijah was sent to none of them, but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. Luke 4:25-26 God's people missed out on supernatural provision during a time of drought and famine because they lacked honor of Elijah and God. Yet, a widow in the land of Sidon received supernatural provision because she honored Elijah who was sent by God to her. Her honor of Elijah, and belief in a miracle released supernatural provision. “And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.” Luke 4:27 Jesus also says that God's people missed out on supernatural healing during the time of Elisha because they did not honor Elisha or God rightly. Jesus says that there were many lepers in Israel, yet God healed Naaman the Syrian. Naaman (eventually) honored Elisha and the word of the Lord that Elisha spoke to him to go wash 7 times in the Jordan to be cleansed. His honor of Elisha, and belief of the word of the Lord released supernatural healing. What could be possible with us if we begin to truly honor one another simply for the Spirit living inside of us, and the gifting's that God has given to each on of us? I surely do not want to miss out on what God is doing through others because I do not honor the people that God has brought into my life. Let us develop a culture of honoring one another in our church today and see God move through His church in mighty ways. Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king. 1 Peter 2:17 NASB Questions to Consider: 1. What are ways that we can develop a culture of honor in our church today? 2. Can you think of someone that you have dishonored in the past or recently? What are some ways that you can restore that relationship through humility? |
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