Present and Accounted For

Yes, each of us will have to give a personal account to God. (Romans 14:12, NLT).

 

I remember shouting while in the ranks of the military when my last name was called “present and accounted for.”  This is normally done during roll call. It gives the person in charge the opportunity to ensure every person that is assigned to him or her is accounted for.  One day, we all will have to stand and give a personal account to God.  What questions will be asked of us? Only God knows but imagine if you will standing before your Lord and Savior and having to give a personal account of your life up to this point.  Would you be jumping for joy or trying to hide from God because what you would have to tell Him you knew would not be all pleasing to Him?

We are imperfect people loved by a perfect God.  Our life should not be lived in fear, shame or condemnation but we are to see ourselves as not our own but as ambassadors for Christ.  This awareness will then allow us to be mindful of things we do and things we say.  When you are tempted to say or do something that you know is displeasing to God and does not honor His word remember one day you will be standing in the ranks of God waiting to be “present and accounted for”.  Think about it.   

Proof of Identity

 

A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. John 13:34-35 (NIV) 

Way before we are permitted to board an airplane, we have to show proof of identity.  Before we can cross the boarder into another country, we have to present a passport or visa.  Before cashing a check, making a credit card purchase, or – in some cases – accessing a workplace, some form of identification is required.  Having to prove our identity is simply common practice for us.  As Christians, we have no licenses, cards, passports or visas stating that we are indeed God’s people.  What we have instead is love.  It is the love we show one another that proves our identity.

Today, let us show everyone who we really are.  Let us love one another the way God loves us.  God's love - and the way we should love one another - is described beautifully by one of my favorite authors:

God’s love never ceases.  Never. Though we spurn him. Ignore him. Reject him. Despise him.  Disobey him. He will not change.  Our evil cannot diminish his love.  Our goodness cannot increase it.  Our faith does not earn it anymore than our stupidity jeopardizes it.  God doesn’t love us less if we fail or more if we succeed.  God’s love never ceases. (Max Lucado, A Gentle Thunder. Dallas: Word Publishing, 1995, 46)

Pay It Forward

Instruct all those who have special skills as tailors to make the garments that will set Aaron apart from everyone else, so he may serve me as a priest. (Exodus 28:3, NLT)

 

God has given each one of us special skills and abilities to serve Him with.  We can hinder our own growth by thinking our special skill or ability is not needed to further the work of the kingdom.  Don’t undervalue what God has given to you.  Reading the passage, the tailors could have thought “How in the world could my skill as a tailor fit in with the building of a tabernacle for God?” God knows much better than we do.  The tailor’s special skill was used to make garments for one of the most holiest positions during this time.  The priestly garments were only to be worn by those men who were called priests and Levites.  The tailors were making garments for the first High Priest, Aaron.  What an honor!

  What special skill or ability has God given to you?  Is it being an electrician, a plumber, or an artist? God can use your skill and ability.  Most of the time people think of what may be termed as the “Five Fold Ministry Gifts” as the only skills needed in the church, but the church needs more skills and hands.  Take time and examine what special skills are within you.  Don’t discount or discard their usage for the church.  Share your skill with your church and pay it forward.  Not only are you feeling good about giving back, you also help to enhance the work of God.

Caution: Pride is Present

Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall

Proverbs 16:18 (NIV)

Recently an unemployed friend of mine declined a job offer.  You might think, as some did, he must have received a revelation from God – revealing that the offer was something other than a blessing.  That wasn’t the case.  He actually declined the offer because he knew the manager and couldn’t bring himself to work for him.  He couldn’t see himself working for someone he regarded as less knowledgeable, less reliable, and pretty much less a lot of other things.  He was simply too proud to humble himself.

When pride is present, Proverbs 16:18 becomes a reality in our lives.  When we allow pride and arrogance to dictate our decisions, it brings us tumbling down to the ground - flat on our face.  In the case of my friend, no matter how hard he tried, he was unable to find a job.  Doors were shut.  Windows were locked.  Opportunities that once were no longer existed.  He was unable to get up off the ground and move forward – until he realized pride was present and that he needed to humble himself.

Today let us heed the cautionary sign of Proverbs 16:18.  Let us make sure pride isn't dictating our decisions, but we are allowing humility to guide our hearts.

Increase Your Faith

“So then, faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17 NKJV)

A few months ago, I planted my first plants in front of my house and one of the things I notice after a few weeks was while the plants were in their pot they grew with almost no problem.  In their pot, they were isolated from any other plants or weeds.  Once I planted them in the ground, I exposed them to all the other plants and weeds in my yard and the weeds began to grow right next to my plants.  Eventually the weeds began to grow and multiply draining all the nutrients from my plants and causing them to die off. I wanted my plants to grow and increase, but they couldn’t as long as all the weeds were in the same place.  Once I dug up the weeds, my plants were able to grow again.

 
Have you ever asked God to increase your faith, have you ever wanted to believe in His word, but couldn’t?  Romans 10:17 says “So then, faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.”  Just like the plants in my yard, we are in a world exposed to so much outside influence, influence that will deprive us of the word of God.  Today I challenge you to practice resisting unnecessary outside influence and began to meditate on the word of God.  The more we grow word of God, the more we grow in our faith in the word of God.

No Need Unmet

And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 4:19 (NIV)

There is a joke that goes something like this.  A wealthy man made his wife agree to bury him with all his fortune, despite the fact that doing so would have left her penniless.  The time came and on the day of his funeral – she approached his casket to do exactly what she had agreed to do.  She placed in it a check for the full amount of his fortune and said, “If you can cash this where you’re going, you can have it.”

I always get a kick out of that joke every time I hear it.  I am also always grateful that God is nothing like that man.  God has an abundance of wealth and power – beyond what we can image or conceive.  It is more than enough to meet all of our needs.  God is also compassionate and loving that He will always fulfill the Philippians 4:19 promise.  To say it another way, God would never be so cruel to have what we need and not supply it to us.  Matthew 6:33 says, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (NIV).  Today, let us seek God and rejoice over the fact that He is capable as well as willing to meet our need.

Don't Abandon God

After Rehoboam's position as king was established and he had become strong, he and all Israel with him abandoned the law of the Lord. (2 Chronicles 12:1, NIV)

     Pride led to Rehoboam's abandonment of God.  Notice once he was established and became strong he turned from the Lord.  God desires for his people to be the head and not the tail. To reign above and not beneath, but the authority he gives to you is not a license to think you can do it better than God.  Oftentimes, when God blesses us is the same time the spirit of pride will come to tempt us to think more highly of ourselves than we ought too.  Guard and examine yourself to determine if you have allowed pride and the popularity of people to cause you to abandon God.  You may think "not me" but have you allowed the job promotion to keep you from serving God like you did before?  Have you embraced the spirit of attaining worldly gain and forsaking the God that gave you the knowledge and ability to obtain in the first place?

     From time to time, we need to have a check up with God to determine if we are spiritually fit.  Examine your actions and reactions to God and if a few things are out of alignment,  realign with God and His word.  Don't be like Rehoboam and all Israel because they paid a hefty price when the Egyptians invaded the land.  Reheboam did repent but most of what was precious to him was lost.  His actions not only affected him but also affected Israel.  Your actions not only affect you but those around you so guard yourself against the spirit of pride.

 

When God Says No

The next morning Balaam got up and said to Balak’s officials, “Go back to your own country, for the Lord has refused to let me go with you. – Numbers 22:13 (NIV)

Balaam’s relationship with God started out good.  Balaam consulted God on every decision, and God gave him the guidance needed to live a successful life.  Then, in Numbers 22:13, officials – sent by king Balak – showed up on Balaam’s doorstep offering him a lucrative opportunity.  As his routine dictated – he wisely consulted God first.  However, to his dismay, God’s response was “No”.

Have you ever prayed for something you really wanted, and instead of God saying, “Yes” - he said “No”?  When God says “No”, there is always a reason, and that reason is most certainly to our benefit.  In the case of Balaam, Balak wanted to go to war against God’s chosen people, and wanted Balaam’s help.  Although this would have made Balaam a wealthy man, it would have also placed him at odds with God – a position we never want to find ourselves.

Unfortunately for Balaam, he couldn’t accept God’s “No”, and eventually it ruined his relationship with God.  Today, let us examine ourselves.  Have we truly accepted God’s “No”?  Have we completely surrendered to God’s will?

Let Your Light Shine

In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in Heaven.
(Matthew 5:16, NIV)

      As you read this scripture reflect on the picture above which is a lit candle.  Most of the time candles are used in times of darkness and when illumination is needed. Candles are also used more often than not in times of "unexpectancy", for example the lights go out unexpectantly. Of course there are other special occasions in which they are used.  The scripture encourages us to "Let your light shine before men.”  Does this mean that my candle must be lit when I am going through a dark time in my own life? When things are not going as I planned? When I need to be ministered to but God has ordained for me to minister to others.  The answer is “yes” and the flame that ignites your candle is God's Holy Spirit.

     
God’s light will shine brightly within you when you humble yourself before the Lord and realize that all the good you do for others when you are going through yourself is bringing praise to your Father in Heaven.  It is not in your power that your light shines but in the one you serve.  As you bring light into the lives of others, God will illuminate the light within you more.     


    

Wrestling For Others

Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured– Colossians 4:12 (NIV)

Have you every wrestled with a zipper and chipped a nail?  Have you ever wrestled with a package to open, causing your arm to slip, and your elbow to bang against a wall or your finger to suffer a box cut?  Have you ever wrestled in prayer for yourself?  Jacob did in Genesis 32:24 and his hip was dislocated, causing him to walk with a limp for the remainder of his life.

The point is this - wrestling can be a dangerous activity, and most people who engage in it only do so when the reward outweighs any possible injuries sustained by it.  Now what if the reward you’re wrestling for isn’t for you but for someone else?  Would you still be inclined to wrestle wholeheartedly?  Would you be inclined to chip a nail to see someone else in that wonderful outfit, sustain a bruised elbow or finger to help someone else open their package or walk with limp for the rest of your life to see someone else gain favor with God?

This is exactly what Epaphras is doing in Colossians 4:12.  He is wrestling in prayer for other believers – not for himself.  Today, let us consider others, and pray aggressively and wholeheartedly for someone else.

Seek His Righteousness

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. (Matthew 6:33, 34 NIV)

Today's world is all about relativity. It is considered enough to be 'better than most', or 'not that bad', even better if we have a justifying circumstance. If we aren't careful, we as believers will cling to this philosophy. We tell ourselves, "sure I lied to my wife, but it's not like I'm cheating on her," or "sure I haven't been tithing, but at least I'm coming to church." These are man-made excuses that distract us from true right living. The bible says that we are to seek the kingdom of God and his righteousness, not our righteousness.

Free yourself from the worldly bondage of relativity. Make God the standard and watch his promises manifest in your life. His word says that we shouldn't spend our energies on the troubles of day to day life. Seek his kingdom and righteous and watch Him take care of you.

Prayer: Lord, look at my life and expose what is not in right standing with you. Help me to pursue righteousness as a lifestyle and watch you take care of the rest.

Welcome to the CORCC Blog! This is your new home for daily encouragement through short, digestible word you can take with you on the go.