Spencer Johnson wrote a book called “who have moved my cheese”, giving us a beautiful metaphor of mice in a maze dealing with change. Someone decides to moved the cheese, the mice either continue to go look for the cheese at the same place and eventually die, or begin the journey to look for new cheese.
Since we have been dealing with calling and identity, we understood that we are not chasing riches, we appreciate and acknowledge the riches we already have, and live in obedience the workethic and values of Jesus. Riches and provision then seems to follow us.
A BIBLICAL METAPHOR FOR PROVISION
The well served as a place of rest and refreshment in a dry land. Wells just outside a city or village served as a meeting place for local women but also for travelers, where news would be passed along (1 Sam 9:11; compare 1 Sam 19:22) Wells play a significant role as an image of God’s provision (e.g., Judg 15:18–19; Deut 6:11; compare Neh 9:25)
At Qumran, the well and water were understood allegorically as God’s law and the faithful followers, respectively (CD 6:2–11). As an image in common life, wells were pictures of physical beauty (Song 4:15). Likewise, a dry or broken well served as a metaphor for disobedience. Because wells were the primary source of water, a dry well was a curse (Jer 14:3). They could be used as an image for faithlessness or disobedience (Jer 2:13; compare Prov 25:26). A well could also serve as a metaphor for death (Pss 55:23; 69:15; compare Rev 9:1).
JESUS OUR PERMANENT WELL
1 Cor 10:4
SOME LESSONS WE CAN LEARN FROM WELLS IN THE BIBLE
Jer 2:13 – seek a living well, and live eating from the tree of Life, not the tree of knowledge of good and evil. The second tree is like a broken cistern that does not keep the water. Religion is second-hand knowledge of God, Jesus came to be our eternal fountain. John 4
Judg 15:18–19 – supernatural provision, God supplied a water source supernaturally, like the rock in the desert. Ex. 17:1–7 God can thus give you a supernatural plan, strategy, for provision.
Gen 21:31 – oath, contract. Sometimes we need to form a alliance with someone for provision.
Gen 26:18 – dig old wells open again. At times we need to go and open an old well. Many internet startups, is simply modernizing an old industry, like Uber and AirBnB.
Gen 26:22 – Made room for me. Rehoboth Walk away from places of contention, until God makes room for you.
FINDING AND INDUSTRIALIZING A WELL
Once we have have received our well of provision, we need to look after it. Towns and cities came into existence from a well. Having a well alone is not enough, we need to begin to produce food, grow plants, build homes and markets. Fruit & Veg City Holdings is the lasrgest fresh produce retailer in southern Africa. It serves customers in South Africa, Namibia, Lesotho, Zambia and Mauritius. Brian Coppin founded Fruit and Veg City with his brother Mike. He related how they took the business from one relatively modest store in Kenilworth to a multi-brand giant in its sector within less than two decades.
Faithful Stewards – 1Pet 4:10
Faithful in multiplying – Mat 25:14-30
THE RIGHT BIBLICAL PERSPECTIVE ABOUT RICHES
There truly is no division between sacred and secular except what we have created. And that is why the division of the legitimate roles and functions of human life into the sa-cred and the secular does incalculable damage to our indi-vidual lives and to the cause of Christ. Holy people must stop going into “church work” as their natural course of action and take up holy orders in farming, industry, law, education, banking, and journalism with the same zeal previously given to evangelism or to pastoral and missionary work.
The organized churches must become schools of spiritual discipline where Christians are taught how to own without treasuring (Matt. 6:21); how to possess without, like the “rich young ruler”, being possessed (Mark 10:22); how to live simply, even frugally, though controlling great wealth and power.
Possessions, then, are an extension of the body and of the self, for through them our will and character extend their range, just as they do through our tongue, our arms, and our legs. Our possessions increase the range within which we can reign in life by Christ Jesus and see spiritual power defeat the deadly reign of sin
“Get all you can; save all you can; freely use all you can within a properly disciplined spiritual life; and control all you can for the good of humankind and God’s glory” Dallas Willard
Excerpt From: “The Spirit of the Disciplines: Understanding How God Changes Lives” by Dallas Willard. Scribd.
Prov 1:32 the prosperity of fools destroys them.
Paul understood the riches found within first: Col 1:27
2 Cor 6:10 as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.
Phil 4:11-13 contentment comes from living in His strength
The rich young ruler, trusted and loved his riches and possessions.
We as believers trust in Him who makes rich and ads no sorrow 3 John 1:2
THE FINAL GOAL AND MANDATE
All nations come to his light
Mic 4:2; Mat 24:14; Isa 51:4; Isa 60:3
Glory cover the earth Hab 2:14
THE HEART OF THE MATTER
Giving is an issue of the heart. We give because this is who we are. God is a giver. Tithing is about consistent faithful giving, the church can rely on it. The law is like a tutor, giving your tithes teaches you to first give, before using your income. First fruits. It is an issue of the heart! We sometimes wait for the right moment to give, to feel like it, giving should be automatic. Your right hand not knowing what your left hand is doing. Mat 6:3 Generous giver. Ps 112:5; Prov 11:25; 22:9; 2 Cor 9:11; 1 Tim 6:18
Author: Jan Oosthuizen
Leader & Spiritual Mentor | Apostolic Missionary | Relationship & HR Consultant | Social Reformer & Acculturist | Peacemaker & Lobbyist | Speaker & Writer | Musician and unashamed follower of Jesus Christ.
Spencer Johnson wrote a book called “who have moved my cheese”, giving us a beautiful metaphor of mice in a maze dealing with change. Someone decides to moved the cheese, the mice either continue to go look for the cheese at the same place and eventually die, or begin the journey to look for new cheese.
Since we have been dealing with calling and identity, we understood that we are not chasing riches, we appreciate and acknowledge the riches we already have, and live in obedience the workethic and values of Jesus. Riches and provision then seems to follow us.
A BIBLICAL METAPHOR FOR PROVISION
The well served as a place of rest and refreshment in a dry land. Wells just outside a city or village served as a meeting place for local women but also for travelers, where news would be passed along (1 Sam 9:11; compare 1 Sam 19:22) Wells play a significant role as an image of God’s provision (e.g., Judg 15:18–19; Deut 6:11; compare Neh 9:25)
At Qumran, the well and water were understood allegorically as God’s law and the faithful followers, respectively (CD 6:2–11). As an image in common life, wells were pictures of physical beauty (Song 4:15). Likewise, a dry or broken well served as a metaphor for disobedience. Because wells were the primary source of water, a dry well was a curse (Jer 14:3). They could be used as an image for faithlessness or disobedience (Jer 2:13; compare Prov 25:26). A well could also serve as a metaphor for death (Pss 55:23; 69:15; compare Rev 9:1).
JESUS OUR PERMANENT WELL
1 Cor 10:4
SOME LESSONS WE CAN LEARN FROM WELLS IN THE BIBLE
Jer 2:13 – seek a living well, and live eating from the tree of Life, not the tree of knowledge of good and evil. The second tree is like a broken cistern that does not keep the water. Religion is second-hand knowledge of God, Jesus came to be our eternal fountain. John 4
Judg 15:18–19 – supernatural provision, God supplied a water source supernaturally, like the rock in the desert. Ex. 17:1–7 God can thus give you a supernatural plan, strategy, for provision.
Gen 21:31 – oath, contract. Sometimes we need to form a alliance with someone for provision.
Gen 26:18 – dig old wells open again. At times we need to go and open an old well. Many internet startups, is simply modernizing an old industry, like Uber and AirBnB.
Gen 26:22 – Made room for me. Rehoboth Walk away from places of contention, until God makes room for you.
FINDING AND INDUSTRIALIZING A WELL
Once we have have received our well of provision, we need to look after it. Towns and cities came into existence from a well. Having a well alone is not enough, we need to begin to produce food, grow plants, build homes and markets. Fruit & Veg City Holdings is the lasrgest fresh produce retailer in southern Africa. It serves customers in South Africa, Namibia, Lesotho, Zambia and Mauritius. Brian Coppin founded Fruit and Veg City with his brother Mike. He related how they took the business from one relatively modest store in Kenilworth to a multi-brand giant in its sector within less than two decades.
Faithful Stewards – 1Pet 4:10
Faithful in multiplying – Mat 25:14-30
THE RIGHT BIBLICAL PERSPECTIVE ABOUT RICHES
There truly is no division between sacred and secular except what we have created. And that is why the division of the legitimate roles and functions of human life into the sa-cred and the secular does incalculable damage to our indi-vidual lives and to the cause of Christ. Holy people must stop going into “church work” as their natural course of action and take up holy orders in farming, industry, law, education, banking, and journalism with the same zeal previously given to evangelism or to pastoral and missionary work.
The organized churches must become schools of spiritual discipline where Christians are taught how to own without treasuring (Matt. 6:21); how to possess without, like the “rich young ruler”, being possessed (Mark 10:22); how to live simply, even frugally, though controlling great wealth and power.
Possessions, then, are an extension of the body and of the self, for through them our will and character extend their range, just as they do through our tongue, our arms, and our legs. Our possessions increase the range within which we can reign in life by Christ Jesus and see spiritual power defeat the deadly reign of sin
“Get all you can; save all you can; freely use all you can within a properly disciplined spiritual life; and control all you can for the good of humankind and God’s glory” Dallas Willard
Excerpt From: “The Spirit of the Disciplines: Understanding How God Changes Lives” by Dallas Willard. Scribd.
Prov 1:32 the prosperity of fools destroys them.
Paul understood the riches found within first: Col 1:27
2 Cor 6:10 as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.
Phil 4:11-13 contentment comes from living in His strength
The rich young ruler, trusted and loved his riches and possessions.
We as believers trust in Him who makes rich and ads no sorrow 3 John 1:2
THE FINAL GOAL AND MANDATE
All nations come to his light
Mic 4:2; Mat 24:14; Isa 51:4; Isa 60:3
Glory cover the earth Hab 2:14
THE HEART OF THE MATTER
Giving is an issue of the heart. We give because this is who we are. God is a giver. Tithing is about consistent faithful giving, the church can rely on it. The law is like a tutor, giving your tithes teaches you to first give, before using your income. First fruits. It is an issue of the heart! We sometimes wait for the right moment to give, to feel like it, giving should be automatic. Your right hand not knowing what your left hand is doing. Mat 6:3 Generous giver. Ps 112:5; Prov 11:25; 22:9; 2 Cor 9:11; 1 Tim 6:18
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Waarheidsoomblik met minderwaardigheid
Die groot vrae en soeke in die lewe:
- Sosiale erkenning en waarde
- Aanvaarding en liefde.
- Sin en betekenis van die lewe.
Indien ‘n persoon nie wesenlike antwoorde op hierdie vrae kry nie lei dit tot
- Jaloesie of selfbejammering.
- Verwaandheid, ydelheid en leegheid.
- Liggeraaktheid en onsekerheid. “Easily offended” – gou op sy perdjie.
- Twyfelagtige en onvastige bestaan.
- Onvergenoegdheid en leegheid.
- Minderwaardigheid So ‘n persoon loop rond met ‘n reuse vakuum en lugleegte in hulle binnekant wat hulle dan op allerhande maniere probeer vul.
Ons lewe in ʼn wêreld van intimidasie. Verskillende vorme van intimidasie:
- Vergelyk jouself met ander in terme van geld, besittings, kennis, vermoëns, skoonheid, geestelikheid, en persoonlikheid.
- Intimidasie gebaseer op ras, geslag, ouderdom, of ʼn sekere portuurgroep.
- Kultuur en groepsintimidasie.
- Tradisies en religieuse sisteme kan intimiderend wees.
- Elke ware kind van God wat vir waarheid staan en nie meer saam met die stroom loop nie beleef vorme van intimidasie.
- ʼn Kerk soos Harvester en sy manier van aanbidding en prediking kan intimiderend wees.
- Die duiwel intimideer ons deur op ons sondes te fokus. Deur sonde verloor ons, ons vrymoedigheid voor God en sy mense.
- Elkeen van ons het verskillende swakhede en defekte, waaroor ons skaam en selfbewus is. Ons kan derhalwe gou geïntimideer word, omdat ons nie graag van onsself ʼn gek wil maak nie.
- Intimidasie in die werksplek is ʼn werklikheid.
- Intimidasie wat daartoe lei dat jy nie met vrymoedigheid kan praat en jou saak stel nie, is nie van die Here nie. Jy kan niks daaraan doen dat iemand probeer om jou te intimideer nie, maar jy kan besluit om nie in te gee nie!
DAAROM: steek ons, ons swakhede weg. Ons plak vyeblare, en soek verskonings. Ons kruip weg en verdoesel die waarheid. We hide our shame! Ons kompenseer vir ons gebreke, deur ‘n valse lewe te leef.
- Grootsheidwaan
- Fantasie lewe
- Valse mikpunte
- Valse spesialis
- Vereenselwig wet Wenners
So sien ons dat Saul ook gesukkel het met minderwaardigheid, toe hy hoor hoe juig die vroue oor Dawid se suksesse. (1 Samuel 18:1-7) Daarom wou hy ook vir Dawid doodmaak. Die man wat bo al die ander uitgestaan het! Die eerste Koning van Israel was onseker oor homself, daarom raadpleeg hy Samuel en soek sy aanvaarding, uiteindelik raadpleeg hy die waarsêer. As gevolg van die leegheid in sy binneste voel hy gou bedreig, hy is suspisieus, besluitloos en rigtingloos. Niks kan hierdie leegheid vul nie, nie eers rykdom of mag.
Sommige mense verlang dat ‘n persoon hierdie leegheid vul. Maar die skrif sê dat dit beter is om op die Here te vertrou as op mense (Psalm 118:8-9) want in hierdie lewe gaan ons verseker herhaaldelik te na gekom word en teleurgestel word deur mense. (Lukas 17:1) Moenie eers jou vertroue in jou familie en naasbestaandes plaas nie. (Miga 7:5-7)
Op watse fondament is jou huis gebou? (Matteus 7:26) Geld, besittings, mag, posisie, vermoëns: Dit kan alles in ‘n oomblik van jou weggeneem word en dan?
Net die liefde van die Here kan hierdie leegheid vul. Hoor hoe praat die bruid van Salomo oor haar geliefde. “Ek is bruin gebrand maar ek is mooi, vroue van Jerusalem. Ek is so bruin soos die tente van Kedar, soos die tentdoeke van Salomo. Moet my nie so aankyk omdat ek donker is nie, omdat die son my gebrand het nie: my broers het my so bruin laat brand, hulle het my die wingerde laat oppas; ek kon my eie wingerd, myself, nie versorg nie. (Hooglied 1:5-6) Sy moes verseker geïntimideer gevoel het tussen al die mooi meisies van die koningshof, tog styg sy bo dit uit. Hoekom? Want sy het geweet sy het die Koning se hart gewen! Hy het haar gekies! Die man wat ek liefhet, is myne, en ek syne. (Hooglied 2:16) Salomo is ook nie skaam om sy bruid vir almal te wys, en ook hoe lief hy haar het nie. Hy is nie skaam vir ons nie en is nie bang om in die openbaar saam met ons gesien te word nie. Hy wil met ons geassosieer word. Hy vat my na ’n feesplek toe; hy straal van liefde vir my. (Hooglied 2:4)
So het God ons ook lief, en is Sy liefde ons sekuriteit en teenmiddel teen intimidasie. Die evangelie is die goeie en blye nuus, dat Hy ons liefhet en Sy lewe vir ons afgelê het. (Joh 3:16) Baie mense vra egter; “hoe weet ek dat hy MY regtig liefhet?” Paulus gee vir ons ʼn barometer van liefde in 1 Korintiërs 13:4-8 Die eerste bewyse van iemand se liefde is geduld. Is God geduldig met jou? Is God sagmoedig met jou? Wel daar is jou bewys! Lees gerus deur die hele gedeelte en toets God aan Sy liefde vir jou.
Die Here jou God is by jou, Hy, die krygsman wat red. Hy is vol vreugde oor jou, Hy is stil-tevrede in sy liefde. Hy jubel en juig oor jou: (Zephania 3:17)
Van ver af het die Here Hom aan Israel bekend gemaak: Ek het jou nog altyd liefgehad, daarom het Ek jou met geduld verdra. (Jeremiah 31:3)
Omdat jy vir My kosbaar is, omdat Ek jou hoog ag en jou liefhet, gee Ek mense in jou plek, volke in ruil vir jou lewe. (Isaiah 43:4)
Hy self was die engel wat hulle gered het. Hy het hulle verlos deur sy liefde en ontferming; Hy het hulle opgetel en hulle altyd gedra. (Isaiah 63:9)
Ek dank God dat ons nie die enigste mense is wat gesukkel het met intimidasie nie. Dawid het maar ook gesukkel. “Maar ek is ’n wurm en geen man nie, ’n smaad van die mense en verag deur die volk.” (Psalms 22:7) Later verander sy perspektief en hy verklaar: Ek loof U, omdat ek so vreeslik wonderbaar is; wonderbaar is u werke! En my siel weet dit alte goed. 15My gebeente was vir U nie verborge toe ek in die geheim gemaak is nie, kunstig geweef in die dieptes van die aarde. 16U oë het my ongevormde klomp gesien; en in u boek is hulle almal opgeskrywe: dae dat alles bepaal was, toe nog geeneen van hulle daar was nie. (Psalms 139:14-16)
Uiteindelik bou ek my selfvertroue (confidence) nie op wat ek doen en is nie. Ek kyk en fokus op die perfekte werk wat Jesus gedoen het. My legitimacy, rightness, confidence is based on/in Him. Hierdie geloof in Hom, bemagtig my om die onmoontlike te doen. Die para-olimpiese spele toonbeeld mense wat ten spyte van ‘n fisiese gebrek, oefen en meeding op internasionale vlak! ‘EK IS TOT ALLES INSTAAT DEUR CHRISTUS WAT MY DIE KRAG GEE’ Ek kon nooit skool toe gaan nie, met Sy hulp gaan ek terug skool toe, en kry my matriek sertifikaat. God gaan dit nie vir jou doen nie, Hy wil dit deur jou doen. Ons oorwin minderwaardigheid in die waarheidsoomblik met Jesus. Die vrou by die put se lewe is ontbloot voor Hom, en tog is sy nie daardeur geintimideer nie. Sy kry egter haar skeppingsdoel, en gaan vertel die mense wie sy ontmoet het. Sy word die instrument wat redding bring aan haar hele gemeenskap. Wanneer ons voor Hom staan, staan ons naak en onbeskaamd. Soos ons gehoorsaamheid leer in ons swaarkry, ontdek ons wie ons is, om die outeur te word van ons storie, sodat ander daardeur ook lewe kan ontdek. Heb 5:8
Categories
Oorwin die laagtes in jou lewe!
Conquer your lowland
So the Lord was with Judah. And they drove out the mountaineers, but they could not drive out the inhabitants of the lowland, because they had chariots of iron. Judg 1:19 “Die Here was by Juda, en hulle het die Bergland in besit geneem. Maar Juda kon nie die inwoners van die Vlakte verslaan en hulle stede verower nie, want hulle het yster strydwaens gehad.” Judah se roeping en “destiny” is om te regeer. Gen 49:8-12 Hy was bestem om al sy vyande te oorwin, en tog as gevolg van een nederlaag, gee hy moed op en neem nie hierdie land in beslag nie. Daar is areas in ons lewens, waar ons nie in oorwinning lewe nie, omdat die vyand sterker wapens het. Die Here was met Judah, maar hy kon nie die gebied inneem oor hierdie baie wettige en wesenlike probleem. Die vraag is, kon Judah nie ook leer om strydswaens van yster te vervaardig nie? Hoekom net hierdie probleem aanvaar asof dit nou maar net so is, en niks verder daaraan doen nie?
Daar is sekere areas in ons lewens waar ons gevange gehou word en beperk word deur wesenlike weerstand, maar God is met ons, Hy het bedoel dat ons die vlaktes “lowlands” in besit neem, nou word ons net tot die bergagtige gebied beperk.
Elke mens het ‘n wettige verskoning om iets nie te doen nie. Baie verskonings: legally, realities Luk 14:16-2 Die een het ‘n os gekoop, die ander ‘n vrou getrou, en die ander het ‘n stuk lang gekoop. Wettige verskonings om nie die fees by te woon nie.
Ons is maar as mens altyd bang om ‘n nuwe vaardigheid aan te leer. ‘n kind aanvaar ‘n 50% punt vir wiskunde, ek is nie goed met somme nie, die onderwyser is moeilik en pik op my, die onderwyser verduidelik swak… Alles dalk wesenlike verskonings, maar beteken dit nou dat jy moet dit nou maar aanvaar? Ek kan nie swem nie, daarom gaan ek nie in water in nie… Daar het ‘n opposisie reg oorkant ons winkel oop gemaak daarom…
Terwyl ons onlangs in Uganda bedoen het, hoor jy die talle “challenges”:
Bv. Droogte in ‘n hoë reënval tropiese gebied – Feitlik geen besproeing word gebruik nie.
Grond is gefragmenteer – Hoekom werk julle nie saam in Kooperasies nie?
Elke groot uitvindsel van die 21ste eeu, was eertyds ‘n reuse probleem.
Words spelled out in the 18th Olympics in 1964 in Tokyo “The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win, but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph, but the struggle, the essential thing is to have fought well”.
George Stephenson spent fifteen years to perfect the locomotive.
Watts worked for thirty years on the condensing engine
Charles Goodyear spent ten years of study, poverty and public ridicule.
William Wilberforce early became enflamed with the idea of stopping the slave trade and slavery in England. He succeeded in becoming a member of Parliament. Goaded by William Pitt, he spoke often against slavery and the slave trade but suffered repeated defeats in Parliament. In 1807 he persuaded his colleagues to ban the slave trade. Not until 1833 did both houses of Parliament finally abolish slavery in Britain. The news of total victory came to Wilberforce on his deathbed. He was motivated in his life’s career by an idea whose time finally came.
“Our men were not braver than the enemy. They were brave five minutes longer” (attributed to Lord Wellington after the great victory won over Napoleon at Waterloo).
Edison did not give up when his first efforts to find an effective filament for the carbon incandescent lamp failed. He did countless experiments with countless kinds of materials. As each failed, he would toss it out the window. The pile reached to the second story of his house. Then he sent men to China, Japan, South America, Asia, Jamaica, Ceylon and Burma in search of fibres and grasses to be tested in his laboratory. One weary day on October 21, 1879—after 13 months of repeated failures—he succeeded in his search for a filament that would stand the stress of electric current. This was how it happened:
We fail in life when we forget who we are in Christ. We forget who we really are, and because of our mistaken identity we fall into sin and error. This is actually the root of the word sin, mistaken identity. The Greek word for sin is “hamartia” which literally means “to miss the mark”. When you look up the word mark in any dictionary it has the following meaning: identity, blueprint, to make you mark, signature, consciousness.
Jesus had no sin, why? He knew who He was, and He never forgot or gave up who He was. Even when he was still a young boy he explained to His earthly parents why he remained behind in the temple; “do you not know that I’m busy with My Father’s business.” (luk 2:49) This is such in contrast with most of our teenagers today, who suffer an identity crisis, and conform so easily to the images of the world. Jesus’ struggle was never to understand or believe who he was, it was getting people to believe who He was. (John 6:28-29; Mat 16:15)
We are sons and co-heirs with Christ, a holy priesthood, seated in heavenly places, more than conquerors, set apart, sanctified, justified, righteous, well accepted and loved by God our Father. We have great boldness through the Spirit working it in us, to call the Creator of the universe “Dad”!
And raised us up together, and MADE US SIT TOGETHER IN THE HEAVENLY PLACES IN CHRIST JESUS (Ephesians 2:6)
To the praise of the glory of His grace, by WHICH HE HAS MADE US ACCEPTED IN THE BELOVED. (Ephesians 1:6)
I CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:1) Yet in all these THINGS WE ARE MORE THAN CONQUERORS THROUGH HIM who loved us. (Romans 8:3)
IN HIM ALSO We Have Obtained An Inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, (Ephesians 1:11)
But now IN CHRIST JESUS YOU WHO ONCE WERE FAR OFF HAVE BEEN BROUGHT NEAR by the blood of Christ. (Ephesians 2:13)
Nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:39)
Now thanks be to God who ALWAYS LEADS US IN TRIUMPH IN CHRIST, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. (2 Corinthians 2:14)
Therefore, IF ANYONE IS IN CHRIST, HE IS A NEW CREATION; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. (2 Corinthians 5:17)
For YOU ARE ALL SONS OF GOD THROUGH FAITH IN CHRIST JESUS.(Galatians 3:26)
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has BLESSED US WITH EVERY SPIRITUAL BLESSING IN THE HEAVENLY PLACES IN CHRIST, (Ephesians 1:3)
For we are His workmanship, CREATED IN CHRIST JESUS FOR GOOD WORKS, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:10)
The curse of work, is not work itself. “In toil you shall eat of it” & “in the sweat of your face you shall eat your bread” Gen 3:17-18. God gave Adam & Eve work to do before they sinned. “Subdue the earth, multiply and be fruitful” Gen 1:28 Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it. Gen 2:15 and later to give all the animals their names. Gen 2:19. We say “rest in peace” when someone has died, because we think there is no one working in heaven. Working and being productive is enjoyable. Many people when they retire, work harder than ever, now having time for their passions. Work is not a curse, loosing your identity, and continue work without purpose is the curse. Adam & Eve did not realize they were already made in God’s image. They did not have to eat of the fruit to be like God. Gen 3:5-6 But to satisfy their immediate fleshly needs, they missed their purpose and identity. The root of sin – missing the mark, mistaken identity. Esau selling his birthright. Gen 25:32; Heb 12:16
We recognize our true identity when we discover and see Jesus face to face. When one turns to Him, the veil is removed. 2 Cor 3:14. As we continue to look at Him, we are changed and restored to our true identity. 2 Cor 3:18 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith. Heb 12:1 our lives are hidden in Him Col 3:2 because we were made, destined, fore-ordained to be like Jesus. Rom 8:29.
Reasons why we loose our Identity in Him.
1) False beliefs. We have not heard the truth. We believe the lies of what we have been told and experienced over years. Know the truth Joh 8:32
2) Why do we forget so easily who we are? But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; 24 for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. 25 But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does. (James 1:22-25) The word must become flesh in our lives.
3) We do not know how to feed our Spirit, Soul and flesh. Luk 12:16-31 The man did not know what his soul required. Like feeding your wood table some marmight. Jesus offered spiritual water to the women at the well. Joh 4. He knew how to feed himself in the Word, when satan tried to test Him with bread. Mat 4:4
Our body: Food, sleep, exercise,
Our soul: Connections, growth in learning something new, accomplishing and being fruitful to help someone.
Spirit: Encounters with the Word & Spirit, winning souls, hearing God’s voice.
Key scripture: Mat 5:16 “may your good works glorify your father in heaven” (1 Corinthians 10:31 ESV). Do all to the Glory of God
One of the key concepts of the Reformation was coram Deo: all of life is lived “before the face of God.” In other words, there was no separation between the sacred and the secular Excerpt From: “The Reformation Manifesto: Your Part in God’s Plan to Change Nations Today” by Cindy Jacobs. Scribd. Read this book on Scribd: https://www.scribd.com/book/235000503
You cannot fix crooked getting with right giving.
I find sometimes this believe among Christians that they are trying to fix with religious activities like prayer and giving a bad and wrong work-ethic. You cannot fix deceitful getting by giving tithes and offerings. The way you earn your giving is as important as the giving.
It is very clear, work is worship. The manner and way we work glorify God. After all these thousands of years, we still stand in awe at the wonder of God’s work – creation! What can we learn from the way God worked creation? His creation is sustainable, intricate, beautiful, in order, balanced, wonderful, and creative. When Godly character is evident in our work, God gets glorified. Proverbs 22:4,9 By humility and the fear of the LORD are riches, and honour, and life. He that hath a bountiful eye shall be blessed; for he giveth of his bread to the poor. Many people say I have no skills. You can teach any man a skill, but character is birthed. The most sought-after job-seekers are ones with godly character. Society is calling for leaders with character.
Made in His image we have received the same abilities and potential locked up in all of us, get working! (Prov 22:29) “excel in your work, will bring you before Kings” I believe if every Christian Born Again believer work God’s way, there will be no unemployment in the church. We would be the most sought-after individuals on the planet for employment. He has put the Christ-like ability in us at our salvation. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work (2 Cor 9:8) God even anointed certain men with the skill to do special work. (Ex 31:1-6; 35:30-35) The first ever people to be anointed by God was the artisans. Daniel worked in a Babylonian system: Dan 5:14, could find no error in His work Dan 6:4 Joseph ruled over Egypt through his wisdom and insight – Gen 41:38-39 We have the spirit of God with us, to lead an guide us in business decisions.
I learned that Genesis tells us God gave us a job even before he gave us a family. We were created in the image of God to be co-creators with Him. Gen 1:28 “fill the earth and subdue it. Subdue: kabas: A verb meaning to subdue, to bring into subjection, to enslave. It means basically to overcome. We are destined to overcome, life’s obstacles and difficulties. Every big invention we celebrate today, first have been a big problem.
Avoda, or Avodah is a Hebrew word, literally meaning “work”. In a modern context, usually refers to business-type activities, it can also mean agricultural work and, more traditionally, serving God. In its original, traditional sense, “avodah” was applied to sacrifices offered in Temple in Jerusalem. The word was also used to described the epitome of sacrificial rite, the complex and fraught main service of the The High Priest on Yom Kippur (The Day of Atonement). Today it refers to a liturgical reenactment of the aforementioned ceremony which is recited during the Musaf Amidah of Yom Kippur.
True Christianity creates no division between secular and sacred. Every task we undertake, paid or not paid, is to be done to the Lord. May the Lord Jesus by His powerful Spirit remove the duality in our thinking today! Work is holy! In Switzerland all work is seen with dignity. Work is dignity. The oppressive slave system of colonialism made certain tasks and work seen as lower, degrading, and of lesser importance and prominence. If you are called as a street sweeper, do it to the glory of Go, so that those who pass by exclaim: “look at the clean streets, it looks like heaven”
Labor for eternal food
(Joh 6:27; Mat 4:4; Joh 4:13-14)
Working for food and belongings can never satisfy your soul, only finding your purpose in God. Our creational purpose is to be Christlike Rom 8:29 Our lives are hidden in Him (Col 3:2) The curse of work that came with Adam’s sin, is loosing our true identity. The curse is not in the work we do, but doing it like a slave, because you have to, not because it is your calling. Many people after retirement become even more busy, because they love their work. Work makes you happy. You feel good after a day’s work. Sleep well.
Remain in your calling
1 Cor 7:20 The Bible does not look negatively to slavery. To build a healthy economy you need workers, slaves and leaders. Each one have received a different talent all according to his own ability. (Mat 25:14, 15) Jesus Himself took on the form of a bondservant. (Phil 2:5) The quickest way to discover your true calling, begin to serve somebody. The Bible is actually specific about this: we should honor our parents, the best way to honor them, is to serve them. Jesus learned to obey earthly parents first for 30 years, before He was released for ministry. He also had no ambition to begin His public ministry, His mother prompted Him. (Joh 2:4) Paul served for 17 years in total before he was commissioned as an Apostle. (Gal 1:18; 2:1) Paul often refer to himself as a Bondservant of Christ. (Gal 1:10) This Bible actually gives specific instructions to Slaves and Owners. (Eph 5:6-9) Paul wrote a letter to the owner of a slave, to honor and respect that role. (Philemon) General instructions is given to not judge another person’s slave. (Rom 14:4)
Once we have discovered His gift of righteousness, we work from a position of rest. (Heb 4:8–11) The rest of faith and obedience. We do not work to achieve his favor, or prominence before man. We have received His favor, acceptance, sonship and want to be productive with what we have received.
Riches is produced by the way we work, not mere work alone.
It is His blessing that makes one rich not to just work harder. (Prov 10:22) It is also important to realize that it is not work itself that brings riches. There are very hard working people in Africa that remains poor. The blessing is not in work alone, but in multiplication. See the parable of the talents. We often equate faithfulness with being steadfast, consistence, dependable, reliable, dependable, loyal, true, trustworthy, devoted, truthful. Jesus equates faithfulness with something else – multiplication. Whatever God gives to us, He expect us to multiply and present it back to Him.
Remove the curse of sin out of work
Most Christians see work as secular and worldly, unholy. With this mindset they seek to now work for God. How do you work for God? Preaching, prison visitation, feeding the hungry? What do pastors do with all their time, when everyone else is working? At least the apostles gave themselves to prayer and study of the Word. Instead we should take the holy back to the workplace, we need Pastors at the forefront to be examples in this.
APOSTLES WORK HARD
Joh 4:38 – and you have entered into their labor
2 Cor 6:5 – labors
2 Cor 10:15 – measure of our labour – We do not boast beyond limit in the labors of others
2 Cor 11:23 – with far greater labors 1 Cor 15:10
1 Cor 4:12 Working with our own hands
2 Thes 3:8 with toil and labor
Work is a blessing to be enjoyed. (Eccl 2:24, 26) God is delighted in our fruitfulness. When the faithful servants brought their returns to their master, he not only blessed them, and gave them more he said: Enter into the JOY OF THE LORD. (Mat 25:20)
Work is ordained by God
Ge 1:27-28 See also Ex 20:9 pp Dt 5:13; Ps 104:23
Work is part of the rhythm of life. Like sleep, food, and fun, we need to work. It keeps us healthy. When an old person can do no more work, they die soon. Work keeps you moving, productive, feeling dignified and healthy.
God works Joh 4:34; 5:17; John 17:4 thus being created in His image, there is something Godly and divine about work. Employment is going to become the most scarce resource on earth. May we take up our Godly call not to only find work for ourselves, but create work for others. Like Paul we say: “as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.” (2 Cor 6:10)
In his book “Jesus a Pilgrimage” James Martin explains in great detail life in Nazareth, we Jesus grew up as boy and young man. Nazareth was located “on the fringe of the Roman Empire, both geographically and politically.” Only two to four hundred people lived there in Jesus’s day. Today the ruins of the houses in Nazareth are scant, but the archaeological evidence has revealed small dwellings built with local stones (basalt or limestone) that were stacked roughly atop one another. The floors were of packed earth and the roofs thatched, constructed over beams of wood and held together with mud. Families lived in small houses clustered together around a “yard” where common activities were performed. Evidence from the rooms points to little privacy for the inhabitants, but a great sense of community. Every one knew each other, is this not the carpenter’s son Mt 13:55–56.
The conditions was “filthy, malodorous and unhealthy” by contemporary standards. Most skeletal remains predictably show iron and protein deficiencies, and most had severe arthritis. A case of the flu, a bad cold, or an abscessed tooth could kill. Life expectancy, for the luckier half that survived childhood, was somewhere in the thirties. Those reaching fifty or sixty were rare.
Life was hard, and people lived perilously close to the edge, economically and socially. People did not travel afar much, since it was both dangerous and expensive. When they did— for example, for the pilgrimage to Jerusalem— they did so in larger groups so as to ward off bandits. Life was, as Crossan and Reed say, “predominantly local.”
Nazareth is not mentioned anywhere in the Old Testament. Nor is it mentioned in the Talmud, which lists sixty- three other villages in Galilee, or in the writings of Josephus, who names forty- five other Galilean villages. “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” asks Nathanael. 23 In that Gospel passage Nazareth is, quite literally, a joke. And yet, just four miles from Nazareth was Sepphoris, a bustling city of thirty thousand, which was being rebuilt at the time by Herod Antipas. Yet Jesus chose Nazareth as the proper place to prepare himself for public ministry.
One archaeological team wrote about Nazareth: “The principal activity of these villagers was agriculture. Nothing in the finds suggests wealth.” In his parables and stories Jesus frequently makes use of images not from carpentry, which one would expect, but from farming— the sower and the seeds, the mustard seed, and the weeds that grow up alongside the wheat,
We will eventually be judged by our works:
Mat 16:27 reward each one according to his works
Mat 23:3 but do not do according to their works, for they say and do not do.
Mat 26:10 she has done a good work for me
Your works bears witness of who you are: Joh 5:36; not being able to work is compared with darkness. Joh 9:4
Faith is work
Works of faith vs works of the law (James 2:14- 26 vs Heb 6:1)
We are called to be workers of miracles not waiters until he does the miracles
Faith is proven by its works (James 2:22, 25)
Good works acceptable unto God are only possible through God’s grace active in one’s heart (Matt. 5:16; John 6:28; 14:12). They are always the result of salvation and not the means of salvation. Man cannot do any work to earn God’s favor unto salvation (Rom. 4:1- 5; Eph. 2:8, 9; Titus 3:5). Salvation is given by God in grace, and there is no way that it can be earned.
THE PURPOSE OF WORK IS:
God ordained work as the normal routine of living. Every legitimate human task, therefore, is of intrinsic worth, however menial it may seem, and is potentially a means of glorifying God.
• That people should be self-supporting Ge 3:19 See also Ps 128:2; 1Th 4:12
• That people should find self-fulfilment Ecc 2:24 See also Pr 14:23; Ecc 3:22; 5:19
• That people should serve/give to others Eph 4:28 See also Pr 31:15; 1Th 2:9; 1Ti 5:8
• That people should glorify God Col 3:17 See also 1Co 10:31; Eph 6:5-8 pp Col 3:22-24
Surely like all good things the enemy seek to corrupt what God has given as a gift. People get absorbed in their work, they only work and not rest in Christ, we work and have no fun, loosing our playfulness, we become work orientated and task orientated and loose loose our sensitivity for people. Getting the job done becomes more important than people. It is not easy to learn to balance all these priorities and tasks. But the life of the spirit is a life of rhythm, being focussed on HIM, working for Him, obedience to the spirit, rather than obedience to the TO DO list. Daniel made it his duty to pray 3 times per day. Dan 6:10 Cornelius work, and good deeds, and prayers became a remembrance before God. Acts 10:1-3
Your workplace is the only church some people will ever see. Let God open our eyes to see the god-given value of work. We are called to do even greater works than Him Joh 14:10. This is why He has given us His strength to do all things. (Phil 4:13)
Key scripture: Mat 5:16 “may your good works glorify your father in heaven” (1 Corinthians 10:31 ESV). Do all to the Glory of God
One of the key concepts of the Reformation was coram Deo: all of life is lived “before the face of God.” In other words, there was no separation between the sacred and the secular Excerpt From: “The Reformation Manifesto: Your Part in God’s Plan to Change Nations Today” by Cindy Jacobs. Scribd. Read this book on Scribd: https://www.scribd.com/book/235000503
You cannot fix crooked getting with right giving.
I find sometimes this believe among Christians that they are trying to fix with religious activities like prayer and giving a bad and wrong work-ethic. You cannot fix deceitful getting by giving tithes and offerings. The way you earn your giving is as important as the giving.
It is very clear, work is worship. The manner and way we work glorify God. After all these thousands of years, we still stand in awe at the wonder of God’s work – creation! What can we learn from the way God worked creation? His creation is sustainable, intricate, beautiful, in order, balanced, wonderful, and creative. When Godly character is evident in our work, God gets glorified. Proverbs 22:4,9 By humility and the fear of the LORD are riches, and honour, and life. He that hath a bountiful eye shall be blessed; for he giveth of his bread to the poor. Many people say I have no skills. You can teach any man a skill, but character is birthed. The most sought-after job-seekers are ones with godly character. Society is calling for leaders with character.
Made in His image we have received the same abilities and potential locked up in all of us, get working! (Prov 22:29) “excel in your work, will bring you before Kings” I believe if every Christian Born Again believer work God’s way, there will be no unemployment in the church. We would be the most sought-after individuals on the planet for employment. He has put the Christ-like ability in us at our salvation. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work (2 Cor 9:8) God even anointed certain men with the skill to do special work. (Ex 31:1-6; 35:30-35) The first ever people to be anointed by God was the artisans. Daniel worked in a Babylonian system: Dan 5:14, could find no error in His work Dan 6:4 Joseph ruled over Egypt through his wisdom and insight – Gen 41:38-39 We have the spirit of God with us, to lead an guide us in business decisions.
I learned that Genesis tells us God gave us a job even before he gave us a family. We were created in the image of God to be co-creators with Him. Gen 1:28 “fill the earth and subdue it. Subdue: kabas: A verb meaning to subdue, to bring into subjection, to enslave. It means basically to overcome. We are destined to overcome, life’s obstacles and difficulties. Every big invention we celebrate today, first have been a big problem.
Avoda, or Avodah is a Hebrew word, literally meaning “work”. In a modern context, usually refers to business-type activities, it can also mean agricultural work and, more traditionally, serving God. In its original, traditional sense, “avodah” was applied to sacrifices offered in Temple in Jerusalem. The word was also used to described the epitome of sacrificial rite, the complex and fraught main service of the The High Priest on Yom Kippur (The Day of Atonement). Today it refers to a liturgical reenactment of the aforementioned ceremony which is recited during the Musaf Amidah of Yom Kippur.
True Christianity creates no division between secular and sacred. Every task we undertake, paid or not paid, is to be done to the Lord. May the Lord Jesus by His powerful Spirit remove the duality in our thinking today! Work is holy! In Switzerland all work is seen with dignity. Work is dignity. The oppressive slave system of colonialism made certain tasks and work seen as lower, degrading, and of lesser importance and prominence. If you are called as a street sweeper, do it to the glory of Go, so that those who pass by exclaim: “look at the clean streets, it looks like heaven”
Labor for eternal food
(Joh 6:27; Mat 4:4; Joh 4:13-14)
Working for food and belongings can never satisfy your soul, only finding your purpose in God. Our creational purpose is to be Christlike Rom 8:29 Our lives are hidden in Him (Col 3:2) The curse of work that came with Adam’s sin, is loosing our true identity. The curse is not in the work we do, but doing it like a slave, because you have to, not because it is your calling. Many people after retirement become even more busy, because they love their work. Work makes you happy. You feel good after a day’s work. Sleep well.
Remain in your calling
1 Cor 7:20 The Bible does not look negatively to slavery. To build a healthy economy you need workers, slaves and leaders. Each one have received a different talent all according to his own ability. (Mat 25:14, 15) Jesus Himself took on the form of a bondservant. (Phil 2:5) The quickest way to discover your true calling, begin to serve somebody. The Bible is actually specific about this: we should honor our parents, the best way to honor them, is to serve them. Jesus learned to obey earthly parents first for 30 years, before He was released for ministry. He also had no ambition to begin His public ministry, His mother prompted Him. (Joh 2:4) Paul served for 17 years in total before he was commissioned as an Apostle. (Gal 1:18; 2:1) Paul often refer to himself as a Bondservant of Christ. (Gal 1:10) This Bible actually gives specific instructions to Slaves and Owners. (Eph 5:6-9) Paul wrote a letter to the owner of a slave, to honor and respect that role. (Philemon) General instructions is given to not judge another person’s slave. (Rom 14:4)
Once we have discovered His gift of righteousness, we work from a position of rest. (Heb 4:8–11) The rest of faith and obedience. We do not work to achieve his favor, or prominence before man. We have received His favor, acceptance, sonship and want to be productive with what we have received.
Riches is produced by the way we work, not mere work alone.
It is His blessing that makes one rich not to just work harder. (Prov 10:22) It is also important to realize that it is not work itself that brings riches. There are very hard working people in Africa that remains poor. The blessing is not in work alone, but in multiplication. See the parable of the talents. We often equate faithfulness with being steadfast, consistence, dependable, reliable, dependable, loyal, true, trustworthy, devoted, truthful. Jesus equates faithfulness with something else – multiplication. Whatever God gives to us, He expect us to multiply and present it back to Him.
Remove the curse of sin out of work
Most Christians see work as secular and worldly, unholy. With this mindset they seek to now work for God. How do you work for God? Preaching, prison visitation, feeding the hungry? What do pastors do with all their time, when everyone else is working? At least the apostles gave themselves to prayer and study of the Word. Instead we should take the holy back to the workplace, we need Pastors at the forefront to be examples in this.
APOSTLES WORK HARD
Joh 4:38 – and you have entered into their labor
2 Cor 6:5 – labors
2 Cor 10:15 – measure of our labour – We do not boast beyond limit in the labors of others
2 Cor 11:23 – with far greater labors 1 Cor 15:10
1 Cor 4:12 Working with our own hands
2 Thes 3:8 with toil and labor
Work is a blessing to be enjoyed. (Eccl 2:24, 26) God is delighted in our fruitfulness. When the faithful servants brought their returns to their master, he not only blessed them, and gave them more he said: Enter into the JOY OF THE LORD. (Mat 25:20)
Work is ordained by God
Ge 1:27-28 See also Ex 20:9 pp Dt 5:13; Ps 104:23
Work is part of the rhythm of life. Like sleep, food, and fun, we need to work. It keeps us healthy. When an old person can do no more work, they die soon. Work keeps you moving, productive, feeling dignified and healthy.
God works Joh 4:34; 5:17; John 17:4 thus being created in His image, there is something Godly and divine about work. Employment is going to become the most scarce resource on earth. May we take up our Godly call not to only find work for ourselves, but create work for others. Like Paul we say: “as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.” (2 Cor 6:10)
In his book “Jesus a Pilgrimage” James Martin explains in great detail life in Nazareth, we Jesus grew up as boy and young man. Nazareth was located “on the fringe of the Roman Empire, both geographically and politically.” Only two to four hundred people lived there in Jesus’s day. Today the ruins of the houses in Nazareth are scant, but the archaeological evidence has revealed small dwellings built with local stones (basalt or limestone) that were stacked roughly atop one another. The floors were of packed earth and the roofs thatched, constructed over beams of wood and held together with mud. Families lived in small houses clustered together around a “yard” where common activities were performed. Evidence from the rooms points to little privacy for the inhabitants, but a great sense of community. Every one knew each other, is this not the carpenter’s son Mt 13:55–56.
The conditions was “filthy, malodorous and unhealthy” by contemporary standards. Most skeletal remains predictably show iron and protein deficiencies, and most had severe arthritis. A case of the flu, a bad cold, or an abscessed tooth could kill. Life expectancy, for the luckier half that survived childhood, was somewhere in the thirties. Those reaching fifty or sixty were rare.
Life was hard, and people lived perilously close to the edge, economically and socially. People did not travel afar much, since it was both dangerous and expensive. When they did— for example, for the pilgrimage to Jerusalem— they did so in larger groups so as to ward off bandits. Life was, as Crossan and Reed say, “predominantly local.”
Nazareth is not mentioned anywhere in the Old Testament. Nor is it mentioned in the Talmud, which lists sixty- three other villages in Galilee, or in the writings of Josephus, who names forty- five other Galilean villages. “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” asks Nathanael. 23 In that Gospel passage Nazareth is, quite literally, a joke. And yet, just four miles from Nazareth was Sepphoris, a bustling city of thirty thousand, which was being rebuilt at the time by Herod Antipas. Yet Jesus chose Nazareth as the proper place to prepare himself for public ministry.
One archaeological team wrote about Nazareth: “The principal activity of these villagers was agriculture. Nothing in the finds suggests wealth.” In his parables and stories Jesus frequently makes use of images not from carpentry, which one would expect, but from farming— the sower and the seeds, the mustard seed, and the weeds that grow up alongside the wheat,
We will eventually be judged by our works:
Mat 16:27 reward each one according to his works
Mat 23:3 but do not do according to their works, for they say and do not do.
Mat 26:10 she has done a good work for me
Your works bears witness of who you are: Joh 5:36; not being able to work is compared with darkness. Joh 9:4
Faith is work
Works of faith vs works of the law (James 2:14- 26 vs Heb 6:1)
We are called to be workers of miracles not waiters until he does the miracles
Faith is proven by its works (James 2:22, 25)
Good works acceptable unto God are only possible through God’s grace active in one’s heart (Matt. 5:16; John 6:28; 14:12). They are always the result of salvation and not the means of salvation. Man cannot do any work to earn God’s favor unto salvation (Rom. 4:1- 5; Eph. 2:8, 9; Titus 3:5). Salvation is given by God in grace, and there is no way that it can be earned.
THE PURPOSE OF WORK IS:
God ordained work as the normal routine of living. Every legitimate human task, therefore, is of intrinsic worth, however menial it may seem, and is potentially a means of glorifying God.
• That people should be self-supporting Ge 3:19 See also Ps 128:2; 1Th 4:12
• That people should find self-fulfilment Ecc 2:24 See also Pr 14:23; Ecc 3:22; 5:19
• That people should serve/give to others Eph 4:28 See also Pr 31:15; 1Th 2:9; 1Ti 5:8
• That people should glorify God Col 3:17 See also 1Co 10:31; Eph 6:5-8 pp Col 3:22-24
Surely like all good things the enemy seek to corrupt what God has given as a gift. People get absorbed in their work, they only work and not rest in Christ, we work and have no fun, loosing our playfulness, we become work orientated and task orientated and loose loose our sensitivity for people. Getting the job done becomes more important than people. It is not easy to learn to balance all these priorities and tasks. But the life of the spirit is a life of rhythm, being focussed on HIM, working for Him, obedience to the spirit, rather than obedience to the TO DO list. Daniel made it his duty to pray 3 times per day. Dan 6:10 Cornelius work, and good deeds, and prayers became a remembrance before God. Acts 10:1-3
Your workplace is the only church some people will ever see. Let God open our eyes to see the god-given value of work. We are called to do even greater works than Him Joh 14:10. This is why He has given us His strength to do all things. (Phil 4:13)
We often equate faithfulness with being steadfast, consistency, being dependable, reliable, dependable, loyal, true, trustworthy, devoted, truthful. Jesus equates faithfulness with something else – multiplication. Whatever God gives to us, He expects us to multiply and present it back to Him. John Bevere
The Parable of the 10 Virgins (Mat 25:1–13) does not reveal the meaning of “taking oil with you”, and thus many sermons suggested oil, referring to the Holy Spirit. But you cannot buy the Holy Spirit. It is evident that the parable’s focus is about being prepared for the coming of the Lord. These two parables are interrelated, both starting with “then the kingdom of God is likened” and both ending with God’s judgment. The second parable explains the first. The wise virgins were preparing for the unexpected delay of the bridegroom (v. 5). The best way we can prepare for the delay of his coming is, making disciples who can continue after our death. We need to duplicate our lives so that the flame of the gospel can keep burning. Freely we have received, freely we need to give. Mat 10:8
Read the rest of the portion of scripture; Mat 25:14-30
His goods – The money was His, and they were only stewards. My farm worker who uses my car, cannot come and give me back my car, and demand a blessing for returning it. We cannot twist God’s arm with our tithes and giving, to give us more. It is all His in the first place. He wants us to look after it, and make it grow, cultivate it.
Trade: to work, perform by labor, to do, produce, cultivate the earth. Gen 1:28Mat 25:15 five talents The Greek text indicates an amount equal to 75 years’ wages thus the average years of a person’s live. The talents were of silver (money in Matt. 25:18 is argyrion, which means silver money). A talent weighed between 58 and 80 pounds. Again the average weight of a man. Our lives should reproduce, multiply, and cultivate the righteousness, and God-given abilities we have received. The old Protestant preachers would always ask: “what are you going to do with Christ you have received?”
Each according to their ability: we all have received intrinsic natural gifts talents, and influence. Righteousness is receiving sonship; now God wants us to cultivate what we have received.
“you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed” The wicked and lazy servant did not know the character of hIs master. This scripture in-plicately reveals the true meaning of the parable; God wants to reap a harvest where He has not sown, he first sown seed in us, not we sow, and reap a harvest exponentially for Him.
‘For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away”
25:29 have abundance, perisseuo (per-is-syoo-oh); Strong’s #4052: To superabound, have in excess, greatly surpass, excel. The word shows the generosity of God’s grace, giving assurance that faithful use of one’s talents and gifts sets the stage for one’s own advancement. The abundance of life is already within you. Your provision is within you. Give yourself, serve others with your abilities and gifts, and provision will follow you. He who chase after money never finds it.
Let’s look at Jesus’ example:
Jesus worked – John 5:17 what was His primary work?
Taught and disciplined 12 men – 2 Tim 2:20 and in the end He presented them back to God. Joh 17:4 He prays for them but eventually pray for their fruitful offspring. Joh 17:20 The seed principle is part of God’s nature, He created every living thing from this principle. Man cannot duplicate this original reproducing seed. The seed man creates cannot reproduce after its original kind. OMG Disciples are gifts. They are added by God in our lives, for a period to raise. Like, children.
Acts 10:38 – went about doing good
Works of faith – Multiplied bread Mat 15:32-39
The circuit of ministry – Mark 6:6 Then He went about the villages in a circuit, teaching.
He died – Joh 12:24
Why did the servant hide the talent in the ground? He was afraid of losing it. Scared of taking risks. He did not believe in his own ability. He was also called lazy. This servant was only seeking an excuse to do nothing and not be productive. Excuses are what keeps most people from doing: they try to justify their actions. Excuses like: “evangelism is not my gift or calling, or I cannot sell anything. We become good at anything we practice. We only need to start. We all receive a mostly healthy body, but being lazy we do not cultivate it, we become over-weight, and more and more restricted to do what that the body was made to do. When we exercise we discover that the body is capable of much more, and we begin to do what we thought was impossible.
“Enter into the joy of the Lord” God is well pleased. We enter into Him being happy and delighted at our work, and faithfulness. The end of both these parables concludes: those who did not multiply was not given access to enter the Kingdom of heaven.
We were naturally made to reproduce. Like a tree multiplying its fruit, it is doing what it was made to do. It is natural for a healthy tree to reproduce. Fear, laziness, and stubbornness is not natural. God gave to each one according to their ability, and they had the means, they only had to obey.
May our eyes be opened to the riches that God has placed within us in Christ Jesus. Let us break loose of the lies and excuses that hold us back. Let our lives be productive and multiply that what He has placed in us.
We often equate faithfulness with being steadfast, consistency, being dependable, reliable, dependable, loyal, true, trustworthy, devoted, truthful. Jesus equates faithfulness with something else – multiplication. Whatever God gives to us, He expects us to multiply and present it back to Him. John Bevere
The Parable of the 10 Virgins (Mat 25:1–13) does not reveal the meaning of “taking oil with you”, and thus many sermons suggested oil, referring to the Holy Spirit. But you cannot buy the Holy Spirit. It is evident that the parable’s focus is about being prepared for the coming of the Lord. These two parables are interrelated, both starting with “then the kingdom of God is likened” and both ending with God’s judgment. The second parable explains the first. The wise virgins were preparing for the unexpected delay of the bridegroom (v. 5). The best way we can prepare for the delay of his coming is, making disciples who can continue after our death. We need to duplicate our lives so that the flame of the gospel can keep burning. Freely we have received, freely we need to give. Mat 10:8
Read the rest of the portion of scripture; Mat 25:14-30
His goods – The money was His, and they were only stewards. My farm worker who uses my car, cannot come and give me back my car, and demand a blessing for returning it. We cannot twist God’s arm with our tithes and giving, to give us more. It is all His in the first place. He wants us to look after it, and make it grow, cultivate it.
Trade: to work, perform by labor, to do, produce, cultivate the earth. Gen 1:28
Mat 25:15 five talents The Greek text indicates an amount equal to 75 years’ wages thus the average years of a person’s live. The talents were of silver (money in Matt. 25:18 is argyrion, which means silver money). A talent weighed between 58 and 80 pounds. Again the average weight of a man. Our lives should reproduce, multiply, and cultivate the righteousness, and God-given abilities we have received. The old Protestant preachers would always ask: “what are you going to do with Christ you have received?”
Each according to their ability: we all have received intrinsic natural gifts talents, and influence. Righteousness is receiving sonship; now God wants us to cultivate what we have received.
“you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed” The wicked and lazy servant did not know the character of hIs master. This scripture in-plicately reveals the true meaning of the parable; God wants to reap a harvest where He has not sown, he first sown seed in us, not we sow, and reap a harvest exponentially for Him.
‘For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away”
25:29 have abundance, perisseuo (per-is-syoo-oh); Strong’s #4052: To superabound, have in excess, greatly surpass, excel. The word shows the generosity of God’s grace, giving assurance that faithful use of one’s talents and gifts sets the stage for one’s own advancement. The abundance of life is already within you. Your provision is within you. Give yourself, serve others with your abilities and gifts, and provision will follow you. He who chase after money never finds it.
Let’s look at Jesus’ example:
Jesus worked – John 5:17 what was His primary work?
Taught and disciplined 12 men – 2 Tim 2:20 and in the end He presented them back to God. Joh 17:4 He prays for them but eventually pray for their fruitful offspring. Joh 17:20 The seed principle is part of God’s nature, He created every living thing from this principle. Man cannot duplicate this original reproducing seed. The seed man creates cannot reproduce after its original kind. OMG Disciples are gifts. They are added by God in our lives, for a period to raise. Like, children.
Acts 10:38 – went about doing good
Works of faith – Multiplied bread Mat 15:32-39
The circuit of ministry – Mark 6:6 Then He went about the villages in a circuit, teaching.
He died – Joh 12:24
Why did the servant hide the talent in the ground? He was afraid of losing it. Scared of taking risks. He did not believe in his own ability. He was also called lazy. This servant was only seeking an excuse to do nothing and not be productive. Excuses are what keeps most people from doing: they try to justify their actions. Excuses like: “evangelism is not my gift or calling, or I cannot sell anything. We become good at anything we practice. We only need to start. We all receive a mostly healthy body, but being lazy we do not cultivate it, we become over weight, and more an more restricted to do what that the body was made to do. When we exercise we discover that the body is capable of much more, and we begin to do what we thought was impossible.
“Enter into the joy of the Lord” God is well pleased. We enter into Him being happy and delighted at our work, and faithfulness. The end of both these parables concludes: those who did not multiply was not given access to enter the Kingdom of heaven.
We were naturally made to reproduce. Like a tree multiplying its fruit, it is doing what it was made to do. It is natural for a healthy tree to reproduce. Fear, laziness, and stubbornness is not natural. God gave to each one according to their ability, and they had the means, they only had to obey.
May our eyes be opened to the riches that God has placed within us in Christ Jesus. Let us break loose of the lies and excuses that hold us back. Let our lives be productive and multiply that what He has placed in us.
Notes By Dr. Andre Pelser
Not DO, but DONE – Living from the completed work of Christ (Alan Platt)
It is Finished – (David Wilkerson)
The inception of our spiritual lives began the moment He said it is finished. – Mike Wood
We cannot attain righteousness without God’s inward help.
Eccl 7:20
Isa 64:6
Mat 5:20
Our righteousness is an abomination for God.
Luk 16:15
Mat 23:28
Luk 18:9
Rom 3:10
Rom 3:20
Phil 3:6
Seek and find His righteousness – Mat 6:33
It was a perfect sacrifice by a perfect person to perfect some very imperfect people. By that single offering, he did everything that needed to be done for everyone who takes part in the purifying process. –Hebrews 10:14, The Message
Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. –Romans 10:1–4
For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.” –Romans 1:17 Herein lies the secret of the power of the gospel; there is no good news in it until the righteousness of God is revealed! –Romans 1:17, The Mirror
Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. –Romans 5:18 The J.B. Phillips translation of Romans 5:18 reads as follows: We see, then, that as one act of sin exposed the whole race of men to God’s judgment and condemnation, so one act of perfect righteousness presents all men freely acquitted in the sight of God.
In Eden the only work Adam had to do was to cultivate the finished product of a perfect Garden and name all the animals (work from a position of rest). The names that Adam called them became theirs forever. His words had so much creative power.
When Adam sinned God drove him and Eve out of the Garden of Eden and commanded him to till the ground and earn his bread by the sweat of his brow (self effort). He had to continually make sacrifices for sins. (Genesis 2:5; 3:23)
Flesh tills the ground; spirit cultivates the finished work of Christ Jesus.
Flesh represents the works that self effort produces (not the physical body as we presume). When you try to finish what God has already finished it is called the works of the flesh. In other places in the Scriptures it is called ‘dead works’ that we have to repent of.
We are not trying to get; we have already received.
We are not trying to get there; we have already arrived.
We are not trying to get healed; we were healed 2 000 years ago already.
We are not trying to become; we are.
The very act of trying spells unbelief.
Mercy destroys sin in people’s lives.
When God planted the Garden of Eden everything was good and perfect in His sight. The fruit were pleasant in man’s sight and pleasant to eat.
The Messiah finished the transgression. He made an end of sin. Sin is no longer a problem. Daniel understood the revelation of the Messiah through reading Jeremiah’s prophecy and then Daniel prophesied: Daniel 9:23: Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.
The righteousness Jesus brought into the world is everlasting righteousness – not righteousness until your next sin.
Preachers of condemnation tell you to try to get forgiven. It is too late, God already forgave us all at the cross 2 000 years ago. It is the same with healing. You were already healed.
What a glorious Gospel we have! We can only appreciate and enjoy the glory of the Gospel when we are no longer under condemnation and guilt. There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, who learn to walk according to the prompting of the Spirit and not the flesh. Romans 8:1-8
The spirit realm is the third dimension where things are already established and permanent. When we walk in the spirit we enjoy eternal blessings, not temporal ones. We engage in eternal things because we enjoy eternal life – now in this life, and not just in the life to come.
We don’t take communion to get healed; we are already healed. We take communion to claim Christ’s death where healing was already accomplished. When we worship God in spirit and truth we have fellowship with God and with one another and the blood of Jesus cleanse us from all sin – continually! Jesus’ blood flows through his body (the Church) just as our blood flows through our entire body.
We cultivate the finished work of Christ.
We are complete in Him. When Jesus died on the cross he announced: it is finished! He fulfilled all the requirements of the law that was against us, and wiped out the handwriting that is against us, nailing it to the cross! Colossians 2:13-15
We don’t fight for victory; we fight from a standpoint of victory. God always causes us to triumph in Christ Jesus. II Corinthians 2:14, 15
Adam named all the animals and birds in the Garden of Eden. What he said remained true forever. His words had such power. When we are in Christ Jesus our words of faith also have creative ability. The Father of our faith had to learn to speak according to what he believed. Faith comes by hearing the Word of God. God told Abraham, ‘you are a father of many nations!’ Abraham believed it and started confessing it continually.
Abraham called things that did not exist as though they were – in spite of sense evidence that proved contrary. He called himself ‘father of nations’ when he and Sarah had no son. He called her, ‘mother of nations’ long before she bore Isaac (meaning laughter). Romans 4:17-24
How you hear determines how it will be given to you. When you hear the anointed Word of God it enters your spirit before it enters your mind. Your spirit illuminates your understanding. That is why we receive the engrafted Word by faith and not by reason. By faith you receive what God says, long before you understand it, and the light of the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ enlightens the eyes of your understanding to see the hope of your calling, the riches of God invested in the saints and the power of God that raised Jesus from the dead that works mightily in us who believe! (Ephesians 1:17-21)
The entrance of God’s Word brings light. When God’s Word enters your spirit you see a lot of good things inside yourself. When you acknowledge the good things Christ has already done in you it stimulates your faith. You communicate your faith much better when you focus on the good things Christ has already accomplished in your life. (Philemon 6: Let the communication of your faith become more effectual by acknowledging the good things of Christ in you – Phillips Translation of the New Testament) If you focus on all the things that still have to change in your life, it makes you discouraged.
The anointing on the Word switches on the light of the Word.
When someone preaches with anointing, it switches on the light. You see the answers you were looking for. You know what to do. David said, ‘in Your light we see the light!’
In order to cultivate the finished work of Christ, we have to stay tuned to the wavelength of Grace. The moment you switch wavelengths, you lose your peace and joy and fall back into the works of the flesh. You try to obey the Law again in your own strength, instead of waiting patiently for the Lord to change things inside of you. It is a work of His grace. Every time you try to change yourself you fail, become discouraged and lose hope. The creature cannot change itself. The Creator alone can change his creatures.
You can yield yourself to God to speed up the process, though. When we worship in spirit and truth, God does so much inside of us that we do not even notice. When we have fellowship with God and with one another, God affects the changes and brings the cure we so desperately need. Then no man can get the glory except God. He does the work we cannot do. He does it by the power of His Spirit. It is not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord. It is a Spirit of grace and supplication. He graciously makes supplication for us. He intercedes for us, because we don’t really know how to pray. Therefore everything works together for good for those who love God and are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:26-28)
So if God closes a door it is because He is about to open a more effectual door. When God ends one relationship, He is already preparing a better relationship. God only has good things in store for us. He is our loving heavenly Father. Jesus paid the price to reconcile us with Him. The more we love Jesus the less we sin. To whom much has been forgiven, loves much. We love Him because He first loves us.
Love is a grace frequency.
Our faith works through love (Galatians 5:6). When we distort the grace of God and frustrate it in our lives, we feel unloved and deserted by God. Then we feel sorry for ourselves and throw a pity party. The grace is still there, but we have moved positions. We have changed frequency.
God’s grace is sufficient for us – He supplies all our needs. He has already provided everything we need to live a godly life in Christ Jesus. He gave it together with His own son that He sacrificed for our sins. It is already done. We need to cultivate the habit of glorifying God for what Christ has already accomplished for us.
