An Adventure With Deity
Matthew 5:10: Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness* sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. 12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
Persecution is temporary but God*s blessings are eternal. He is in charge here and now and shall be forever. We ought to get into His will and enjoy the ride. That will happen if you consider your life a far greater adventure with God than it was without Him.
Psalms 16:11: Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.
This devotional entitled Lessons From A Church Fuss is taken from Today With The King, written by Robert A. Cook. Copyright © 2017. All rights reserved. Used with written permission. You can subscribe to his free daily email articles at Walk With The King Today and/or listen to his Spirit-filled 15-minute messages.
Acts 6:3, 8: Seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom... faith and power. Read also verses 1 through 8.
A good many church fights have originated in the kitchen. People tend to be less patient, more demanding, and more easily polarized when they are hungry. And of course, it is always a mistake for the minister to attempt to arbitrate these disagreements. One of the byproducts of *equipping the saints for the work of the ministry* (Eph. 4:12) is that management details can be handled by people who are particularly fitted to cope with them. That, however, is not the whole story. The men who were to defuse this potentially explosive situation of feeding the widows of the early church were to be men of honest report (that is, they required a good reputation) full of the Holy Spirit (in contrast with some who may have been able, but not Spirit-filled), and full of wisdom (people, in other words, who had common sense).
A good name -- everyone from Solomon to Spinoza agrees that it is important. But the Apostle Paul sums it up best when he remarks that if one desires leadership in the local church, *he must have a good report of them which are without (that is, people in the community)* (1 Tim. 3:7).
To be full of the Holy Spirit is the privilege of every believer. Christian service without Him ends up being boring, demanding, and exhausting. With Him, it is an adventure with Deity!
There is no substitute for good sense. Some seem to be born with it, others without it. If you consider yourself one of the latter, there is hope for you in James 1:5. God will always answer the prayer for wisdom. Pray your way through the day and just obey when God whispers answers to your heart.
Small thought here. Be a New Testament kind of leader! Keep your testimony crystal clear, your heart filled with God*s Spirit, and your mind in high gear.
You may contact Ron with questions, comments or prayer requests via email at ronsbibletopics@yahoo.com. |