2nd Thessalonians 2.16-17 NASU “Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us eternal comfort and good hope by grace,... ...comfort and strengthen your hearts in every good work and word.”
Ministries of excellence are accompanied by periods of discouragement. If you are a giver, prepare to suffer. In the midst of your suffering, be strong and keep giving. Jesus promised to “comfort and strengthen your hearts.”
As true servants of “every good work and word,” you cannot not share what you have. You are compelled to do so. You are unable to keep this gift to yourselves. It’s not for you alone. You have been honored with an unusual abundance and unlimited access to the Word of God. Pass it on. Like every disciple of Christ, you are called to be His hands and mouthpiece.
“And as you go, preach saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’
Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons.
Freely you have received, freely give.”
Jesus, Matthew 10.7-8 NKJV
Your offering of “every good work and word” may be met with resistance, suspicion, criticism, or (worst of all) apathy. You may wish to stop giving, but you can’t. You’re stuck between the ‘rock’ of God’s calling and the ‘hard spot’ of closed doors. The pressure is profound, sometimes nearly unbearable. You are reduced to tears and pushed to your knees. Will you continue to give away what you have? Will you cast yourself upon the Lord and rely solely upon Him alone for the comfort and strength to remain in the impossible situation?
You are not alone. Paul described his dilemma (and yours) 2,000 years ago...
“…this body of ours had no rest, but we were harassed at
every turn — conflicts on the outside, fears within. But God,
who comforts the downcast, comforted us…”
2nd Corinthians 5.6-7 NIV
Be strong. Find comfort. You serve a living Savior who promises to “comfort and strengthen your hearts in every good work and word.”
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The dandelion image called "Wisp Away" is by Amandaw whose photo albums you may view at Photobucket.
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2 comments:
You know when a worker is hired and we will just for the sake of simplisity stay with a bibical image here. When a land owner hire someone to work his field. THe worker has no say over what is to be planted. The worker, if he was hired to plant, he plants, if hired to water he waters, to pull weeds and removed rock, he does so. And thoss hired to harvest can not walk into a field of grain and decide to harvest potatos.
What back breaking an unrewarding work, pulling weeds in the heat, picking off bugs, removing rocks was they seeming grow from the ground. And for what, a few denari, no one will ever praise your ability to tell a weed from a wheat sprout.
On the other hand what kind of a harvest would it be if you did not do your share, to the best of your ability? Without every deciding what was to be planted or harvested.
Now with the right attitude the peoples hired to prepare the field, plant,bring water to the new plants. hull weeds, and bring in the ripe fruit and grains, will all realize that if everyone does just the part they are given to do, they will all reap benefit from the harvest.
Hi One-Sided... Your comments are right on!
Dave
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