Giving | Revelations From The Road

The New Year

December 31, 2017 by Bill

Given December 30, 2017

OK, here we go again, time to do the resolution thing for the upcoming year. A survey by today.yougov.com found the following of what people plan to do:

Eat better — 37 percentExercise more — 37 percent
Spend less money — 37 percent
Self-care (e.g. getting more sleep) — 24 percent
Read more books —18 percent
Learn a new skill — 15 percent
Get a new job — 14 percent
Make new friends — 13 percent
New hobby — 13 percent
Focus more on appearance — 12 percent

I was thinking of how that would compare or contrast with a Christian’s resolution list and found this Top 5 list of resolutions suggested for Christians:

Read the Bible daily
Dedicate time for prayer
Go to church regularly
Do more to help people
Drop bad habits

It’s a good thing to write down your plans, dreams, and things you want to focus on in order to keep them before your eyes daily. But as I was thinking about this scenario, a scripture came to my mind: “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” (Matthew 6:33). Might I make a suggestion? As you make out your list of resolutions for 2018, why don’t you put this verse at the top? Jesus is saying to put God first and all the things below will fall into place. It sounds like a good plan to me. Have a happy, blessed, healthy, prosperous, generous, peaceful, productive, prayerful and pleasing-to-God New Year!

The Awesomeness of God!

December 23, 2017 by Bill

Given December 22, 2017

During this Christmas shopping season, we’ve done a lot of it online and most has been fairly simple. One sporting goods store, however, was not good. We ordered an item and received the email confirmation that it would be shipped and arrive on our porch by December 13 which it did not. A call to customer service advised us our package was stuck in Illinois and should arrive any day. It did not. A second call to customer service recommended we cancel that order and put in a new one. One day shipping would be given free and our package would arrive on the 21^st. It did not. A check of the tracking number said our Christmas present package would arrive on December 29! I was more than frustrated but decided I would call the company one more time the next day.

The next morning, I asked God for help with this and began my morning errands. I stopped by a local grocery store to pick up a sandwich tray I had ordered the day before for an event. The young lady in the deli brought out a large tray instead of the small one I had ordered. She told me they were out of small trays so they made me a large one for the price of a small. She said, “Merry Christmas!” Thank you God!

After the event, where all the sandwiches were eaten, I stopped by a local furniture store to pick up a chair I had ordered weeks before that was supposed to arrive that day. Well, the chair had been back ordered and would not be available for two weeks. Sheesh, not again! However, the sales lady offered to loan me the chair that was on display and we would make the exchange when mine came in. And, at that time, she would give me a discount for my troubles. Thank you God!

I was in a pretty good mood, thanking God for His help, as I went home to call the sporting goods dealer one more time. The lady I spoke to this time was very nice and apologetic and, checking the notes of the man I had spoken to previously, saw that one day delivery was not available and my item went back on standard delivery. I was not notified of this as promised. The item had already begun the shipping process so there was nothing she could do and apologized again. I would just have to give the item as a very late Christmas gift. However, she informed me that company policy was that if an item was promised to arrive before Christmas, which this one was, and it does not arrive before Christmas, as this one would not, that the item would be FREE! Wow, Thank You God! I thanked her and wished her a Merry Christmas.

As I hung up the phone, I just shook my head at the awesomeness of God and thanked Him once again. As I was frustrated with the initial ineptness of the sporting goods company, God gave me a large tray of sandwiches, a $25 savings, a loaner chair with a discount and then followed it up with a $250 savings on the Christmas gift! Hey, I’ll take a picture of the gift and wrap that up for Christmas morning. I’ve learned and experience it time and again, if we give God control and thank Him for whatever happens, He’ll take care of it and we’ll be alright. Thank You God!

Thankful!

November 19, 2017 by Bill

Given November 2014

As we head into the holiday season beginning with Thanksgiving, I thought the other day, “What is the first thing you think of when someone says, Thanksgiving?” I’m sorry to say, for me, I guess it would be… turkey. Ask yourself that question and ask a few people you know and see what answers you get. Some may say; football, family, Pilgrims, or just food. But, as I was convicted to remember, Thanksgiving is about giving thanks. Being thankful for what God has blessed us with. “Yet he filled their houses with good things,” (Job 22:18). “And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God.” (Deuteronomy 28:2). That’s good news, isn’t it?

In this country, no matter what we read in the paper and see on the news, WE ARE BLESSED! If you would go to another country and see the way others live, you would know we’re blessed. Our forefathers planned it that way by establishing a nation under God and those of us, who believe that, should work to carry out their plan. (It’s God’s plan, you know.)

I’m thankful to live in a free country where I can worship as I please. I’m thankful for my lovely wife of 47 years and our four sons who are all saved and successful. I’m thankful for my four grandchildren and two daughters-in-law. I’m thankful for a career in education and two retirement jobs and whatever my next assignment is to be. I am thankful!

But most of all, I’m thankful that God chose me before the foundations of the world to be His son and that I accepted the sacrifice of Jesus some 55 years ago. I’m thankful for what God has done in me, for me and through me. I’m thankful for what He’s doing and preparing right now, and for what He’s got in store for me and my family in the future. It’s gonna be good! “Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.” (Psalms 95:2). “Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.” (1 Chronicles 16:34) “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). I am thankful! How about you?

Who Are Ministers?

February 19, 2017 by Bill

Given February 2017

I was thinking on the way to church this morning about my pastor. I know he got up very early, started getting ready to go to the church and probably was thinking, “What ministry am I going to do today?” He might think: Praise & worship, preaching, teaching, praying, encouraging, leading people to Christ and whatever other acts of service the people need. Our pastor and all pastors are called to be ministers.

Then, I thought about myself and all the people who would attend our church service today. We got up and got ready to go to church but did we ask ourselves, “What ministry am I going to do today?” Probably not. I wouldn’t have thought of it either had the Holy Spirit not nudged me to think about it. Actually, we’re ALL called to be ministers, not pastors, but ministers. Look what it says in Ephesians 4:11-12: “And He (Jesus) gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,”. Jesus gave these five groups of people the responsibility of “equipping the saints”, that’s us, the church congregation, to do the work of ministry. And who does the work of the ministry? Ministers! That’s us, so WE can build up the body of Christ.

So, now that you know you’re a minister, start asking yourself each day, “What ministry am I going to do today?” Keep in mind this is not only a Sunday ministry but an everyday ministry. We, as ministers, are called to do the work of the ministry among those we meet and interact with each day; our family, co-workers, neighbors, at school, people at the grocery store or fast food restaurant and just those we pass by. And, if you feel you’re not “equipped” for the ministry, get out your Bible and devotional book, pray about it or ask your pastor or another minister for help. We are responsible. Let’s do our work of service and God will smile down on us saying, “Now that’s my people.”

Do Something For God

January 22, 2017 by Bill

Given January 2010

Do you love the Lord? Usually when you love someone, you want to do things for them. So, what can we do for the Lord? He has certainly done and continues to do so much for us! One thing is to do what He says: “If you love me, you will obey what I command.” (John 14:15). He has commanded lots of things in His Word so we need to find out what those things are, (read your Bible), then do what it says, “Be ye doers of the Word and not hearers only…” (James 1:22).

Now, God doesn’t need His house fixed, He doesn’t need money, food, or clothes. He doesn’t need encouraging, consoling, or advising. God doesn’t need us to visit Him in the hospital…do you see where this going? So how can we do something nice for the Lord? Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!” (Matthew 25:40). So if we do these kinds of things for God’s people, we’re doing them for Him. He takes it personally.

On the other hand, He also takes it personally when we harm one of his children. Remember what He said to Saul of Tarsus on the road to Damascus? “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” (Acts 26:14). Saul¸ (later, the apostle Paul), had been traveling around arresting and killing Christians and Jesus likened that to doing it to Him. He takes it personally. As parents, we know if someone does something bad to our kids, they’re doing it to us too. And if someone does something nice for our kids, we like it. Father God is the same way.

So, how can we do something for the Lord? We can buy the Lord lunch today, we can pay His light bill, visit Him in the hospital; we can encourage or console Him. We can minister to His body by helping other parts of the Body; our fellow Christians. Look around you and see which one of God’s children needs help. Or maybe they don’t need help but you could just do something nice for them. God takes it personally. Let’s do something for the Lord today and this week.