Your Promises - Friday Praise & Pray (for others) July 8, 2022

Have you ever been in a dire situation and prayed for God's help? Did you make an oath to do something in exchange for that assistance? Maybe you promised to quit smoking? Or, did you swear you'd never fornicate again? Was it a pledge to stop gossiping with that coworker who can't keep their mouth shut and now you're worried everyone will know how you really feel?

How many promises have you made to God? How many of them have you kept?

If you're like me, you likely don't remember. But, what if I told you God takes our promises very seriously? The ones we make to Him and those we make to others. And when we break them, He takes that seriously too. What if I told you He doesn't care if the promise you made was made under duress or made based on your being deceived?

That was exactly the case when He proclaimed judgment upon Jerusalem in Ezekiel 17. At that time, only the city of Jerusalem remained standing, the rest of the Israelites had been captured by the Assyrians and the Babylonians. Jerusalem's king was forced to swear allegiance to Babylon with the threat of death hanging over his head, and he reneged on his promise. what was God's take? He said, For the king of Israel disregarded his treaty and broke it after swearing to obey; therefore, he will not escape (Ezekiel 17:18). You're probably thinking, woah, that can't be right! But wait...there's more (said in my best infomercial voice). Look at Psalm 15:4 - In his eyes an evil person is despised, But he honors those who fear the LORD [and obediently worship Him with awe-inspired reverence and submissive wonder]. He keeps his word even to his own disadvantage and does not change it [for his own benefit] (AMP). God expects us to keep our word - our covenants - even when it doesn't make sense or when doing so would be make you look dumb to others.

The Lord expects this of us because He keeps His covenants (Ezekiel 16:60; Hebrews 6:18). He doesn't break covenant with us even when we fail to keep our end of the bargain. Plus, despite knowing we will fail, He still gives us His word and remains faithful. What a great blessing and privilege! Nevertheless, we shouldn't take His kindness for granted. And it is best to not provoke Him by making promises to Him and others then ignoring them (Jeremiah 7:19). We also need to realize that if we can't be trusted to keep our word, then we lose out on many blessings. After all, would you trust the best of what you have to somebody who's untrustworthy? Even Jesus says in Luke 16:11 - Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? (NKJV).

Let us ask for grace and strength to recall the promises we've made that remain outstanding. That grace will help us to honor the covenants we made with every intention to keep but somehow didn't. By His Spirit, we will discern when to, and when not to, enter into covenants. Thank God for the sacrifice of Jesus Christ that we can repent, receive forgiveness and make up for many of the promises we neglected to keep. He will build each of us into the trustworthy people we were created to be. IJMN, Amen.

Be like Ruth - Tuesday Praise & Pray (for others) July 5, 2022

It is so important for us to stay committed to the Lord and the tasks He gives. Sure, it's not easy, but God never said it would be. He did, however, promise to grant sufficient grace to get through the tough moments (2 Corinthians 12:9).

Think of Ruth. She was a widow left to struggle with her mother-in-law, Naomi, and her sister-in-law, Orpah. All three were widows in an age when having no husband meant certain suffering. Naomi decided to return to her home country and at first, both daughters-in-law agreed to go with her. However, Orpah eventually chose to return to her parents. Ruth, on the other hand, opted to stay with Naomi telling her in Ruth 1:16 - ...Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.

What did Ruth get for this commitment to her late husband's mother? Naomi provided wisdom that set Ruth up to not only find her Boaz (and yes, he is the Boaz), but to go from working in the field one day to owning it the next. Even more importantly, by sticking with and applying Naomi's wisdom, Ruth became an ancestor to Jesus Christ and one of only five women listed in His genealogy. She became a really big deal!

And why is any of this important? Because we all need to maintain the position God placed us in that we open ourselves to reap the harvest. It is when we stay in service that we receive God's blessings. We can't abandon whatever responsibility the Lord has given us.

Ask yourself what responsibilities God gave you? Ruth lost her husband and could have left her mother-in-law to fend for herself, instead, she saw it as her duty to stay and care for the older woman. She saw Naomi as a responsibility, not a burden, and didn't abandon her. This also led to her being known as a woman of noble character by Naomi's people.

Each of us needs to look at the responsibilities the Lord gave us and we need to give them our very best effort. It could be the children you were blessed with or your spouse. It could also be some other assignment. Maybe he wants you to be a ray of His light at your job or in your friend-group. How about if He wants you to serve Him by just praying for the people around you?

Each of us has a responsibility to the Lord. What's yours? If you don't know, look at what you're trained to do. How can you use those skills to help someone in need for free? Find a way to serve the Lord by taking care of someone else with a joyful heart and the love of the Lord.

How can each of us be a Ruth - dedicated, loyal, and faithful? Someone who takes their responsibility to serve seriously? Even when to do so is painful? May the Lord grant us grace to be committed to Him and may we please Him in the process, IJMN, Amen.

See you at fellowship at Noon EST.

Drink Jesus - Friday Praise & Pray (for others) July 1, 2022

When Jesus met the Samaritan woman at the well, He called her out for having five ex-husbands and living with her current lover. He then asked her for water to drink. She was stunned that a Jew would speak to a Samaritan because His people and hers weren't on good terms. Never one to be easily stumped for words, Jesus said, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” (John 4:10). He then added, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (John 4:13-14)

Like most normal people, the Samaritan woman responded, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.” (John 4:15). And when He told her He was the Messiah, the Samaritan woman ran off to her village and called everyone. Her testimony brought many from not just her town but others to come listen to what He had to say. Over the next two days, many were saved.

One woman went to fetch water at a well, received an overflowing cup of living water, and it indeed became a spring of water in her. It overflowed from her to many others "[a]nd because of his words many more became believers." (John 4:41).

This encounter teaches us to "DRINK JESUS". He is the living water which brings the dead parts of us to life. With five failed marriages under her belt and a live-in-lover, the Samaritan woman was surely shunned in her community. Thank God she didn't think of herself as too inferior to receive from the Messiah. Thank God, none of her past failures stopped her from pouring out a cup of Jesus to others who also came to believe.

How many of us would drink of the living water? How many of us have allowed God's words to make us believe? Or, are we waiting to see in order to have faith in Him? The Bible doesn't record Jesus as having done miracles to convince the Samarians. No, it was His words that moved the people. His words quenched their thirst and changed them. His very message gave the healing, living water they needed not just for their time here on earth but also to get them to eternal life.

Will you let those very words change you? Will you open the Bible and read His messages? Will you take a look at the parables He shared, the prayers He spoke, the miracles He performed. Will you move in faith to receive His living water and be refreshed? All you need to do is ask Jesus to give you some of His living water and have faith! Don't close your heart to Jesus and the great things He has for you and yours.

Be sure to read the next post and come on back at Noon EST to fellowship. God bless you!