God-service...

...or Eye-service?

Serve your gift...

...and it will serve you in return.

A few weeks ago, my husband were talking about Joseph - that's where this topic came from.

We were talking about his experience in the prison and how he could have withheld his gift.

Let's read select verses in Genesis 40,
⁵ While they were in prison, Pharaoh’s cup-bearer and baker each had a dream one night, and each dream had its own meaning. ⁶ When Joseph saw them the next morning, he noticed that they both looked upset. ⁷ “Why do you look so worried today?” he asked them. ⁸ And they replied, “We both had dreams last night, but no one can tell us what they mean.” “Interpreting dreams is God’s business,” Joseph replied. “Go ahead and tell me your dreams.” (NLT)

Unsolicited he offered to help then i.e. serve his gift so the butler shared his dream - v. 9-11. After hearing it, Joseph could have withheld the interpretation for several reasons: 

- he could have doubted if he had the platform to interpret dreams since neither of his 2 dreams had been fulfilled (yet) or

- he could have been a "dog in a manger" knowing that in 3 days, he Joseph will still be in prison while one of them would be restored and the other destroyed 

...yet he proceeded to share the interpretation:

¹² “This is what the dream means,” Joseph said. “The three branches represent three days. ¹³ Within three days Pharaoh will lift you up and restore you to your position as his chief cup-bearer. ¹⁴ And please remember me and do me a favor when things go well for you. Mention me to Pharaoh, so he might let me out of this place. ¹⁵ For I was kidnapped from my homeland, the land of the Hebrews, and now I’m here in prison, but I did nothing to deserve it.” (NLT)

We know how this story ended in Genesis 41 after Pharaoh had 2 dreams no one could interpret, the butler caused God to remember Joseph. Joseph's gift of interpreting dreams would have been no use to him or to anyone else if he hadn't served it to others. It was only in serving his gift to others that he was served and promoted in a strange land. Daniel who was also in a strange land, was served then promoted by serving his gift.

God's expectation of us is clear:

Just as each one of you has received a special gift [a spiritual talent, an ability graciously given by God], employ it in serving one another as [is appropriate for] good stewards of God’s multi-faceted grace [faithfully using the diverse, varied gifts and abilities granted to Christians by God’s unmerited favor].*

So serve your gift...and it will definitely serve you in return.

* 1 Peter 4:10 - Amplified

Option 1 or...

..."1 Option"?

Strange question huh? Not too strange if you keep reading as I hope you will.

No questions?

Yes that was my questioning thought too when I read this passage:

Hold the applause...

Have you noticed how much - explicit and implicit - applause occurs in the church these days? Such as the current wave of using worldly methods to attract people to church - I've written about it* before and it's still really bugging me.

Decades ago I remember my pastor (Pastor T) saying,

"The church is becoming too worldly and the world is becoming churchy."

It's truly really sad what the world is becoming and even sadder what the church is becoming. Actually it's quite unbecoming which is why the question I keep asking myself and others about some of the things I see is: "With all this is God applauding us or is He appalled."

 

I can start off a list but I'm sure that you know some examples of situations that people applaud and God is saying "Hold the applause" since He's appalled with what we're doing or not doing.

In my opinion, the only thing worse than Salt (i.e. us) not coming out of the Salt-shaker** is Salt that is out if the Salt-shaker and its impact is not obvious…

 

Matthew 5:13 says “Let me tell you why you are here. You’re here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You’ve lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage.” (MSG)

God's expectation is that we are integrated with not isolated from the world we live in so we can influence them positively. The question is what are our churches imparting to our members...it's only with what is within them/us that we can make impact wherever we are.

Bottom-line: 

"Hold the applause", pause, ponder then proceed in the direction that pleases God.

 

References:

* http://mrs-pastor-and-pastor-mrs.blogspot.com/2015/11/its-no-playing-matter.html

http://mrs-pastor-and-pastor-mrs.blogspot.com/2013/07/how-salty-is-your-church.html







 

It's not automatic

The Bible is truly the Basic Instruction Book for Living on Earth (two other spell-outs: "Basic Instructions Before Living Eternally" and Believer's Instruction Before Leaving Earth").

Assisting or...

...Resisting?

This question crossed my mind as the title of a post several months ago. I kept resisting until the Lord forcefully "assisted" me by reminding me of this Scripture and insisted I get on with it - no matter what people will think or say so here we go.

Oh I wish...

As I lay in bed thinking about this year's Mother's Day post, this verse came to mind:

Matthew 23:37 - “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem! You kill the prophets. You stone to death those that God has sent to you. Many, many times I wanted to help your people. I wanted to gather them together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings. But you did not let me. (ERV, emphasis mine)

In His Presence there's joy

...what about in yours?

This topic came to my mind when I read this passage a few months ago.  As I started writing this, I remembered that I'd written on the topic before - but let's continue on this one. You can read the previous post* later.

Show me, don't tell me

I believe we can learn a lot from the "Show and Tell" activities they have in schools. I've noticed that there is so much "Tell" and sadly little "Show" in some churches.


I like the way the Amplified and Amplified Classic Versions respectively render Romans 12:3:

For by the grace [of God] given to me I say to everyone of you not to think more highly of himself [and of his importance and ability] than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has apportioned to each a degree of faith [and a purpose designed for service]. 

For by the grace (unmerited favor of God) given to me I warn everyone among you not to estimate and think of himself more highly than he ought [not to have an exaggerated opinion of his own importance], but to rate his ability with sober judgment, each according to the degree of faith apportioned by God to him.

While I'm not against people highlighting their accomplishments in life - and in their "former churches", it's a well-known fact that previous performance is not a predictor of future returns. This is true not just in the investment world but also in the Ministry.


Sadly, I've seen too many people who I'd say "have an exaggerated opinion of their importance" and start off by introducing themselves with titles such as "Pastor" "Minister" and saying all that they did with Pastor so-and-so. In essence (and in my opinion), name-dropping in order to gain immediate recognition and maybe positions in their new church. If/when they talk their way into the positions, there is no commensurate performance.


I'm really saddened when people want to be recognized but don't want to be held accountable. When I hear people reciting their "Ministry Resumes" I say (to myself):

 "Show me, don't tell me."