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Tuesday, July 20,
2010
Honorable Mention
Matthew 6:1-4 Take heed that ye do not
your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of
your Father which is in heaven. (2) Therefore when thou doest thine alms,
do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues
and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you,
They have their reward. (3) But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand
know what thy right hand doeth: (4) That thine alms may be in secret: and
thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly. (KJV)
Do you want the honor from above? Then
quit seeking it here on earth. Many want the approval of the Lord but waste
their time seeking it from man. What are the true motives of your heart?
What is the true reason you serve the Lord? Is it to please a pastor, a parent,
a wife, a husband, a boy or girlfriend, or your boss at work? God sees the
secret inward heart of man, and only gives His stamp of approval to those
that do serve Him no matter what the consequences are, or who on earth it
offends.
Colossians 3:22-25 Servants, obey in all
things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as
menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God: (23) And whatsoever
ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; (24) Knowing that
of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve
the Lord Christ. (25) But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong
which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons. (KJV)
What about the job that you have; are you
doing it to please man, or is it being done to please God? I have worked
with those that claim to be of God only to see that they have a lousy work
ethic, and basically flush their testimony down the drain. Do you only work
when the boss is around or looking, then slack off when he or she is not?
The Lord said that in order to be faithful in Spiritual things we need to
be faithful in earthly things first. There are many who think that they can
serve God who haven’t learned this lesson, so they spend more time putting
on a front rather than being up front with the truth. And so as it is
written in Matthew, they will have no reward of our Father. So smile, you’re
on the Lord’s very candid camera which sees and knows the thoughts and
intents of the heart, and will only reward those that do those things
heartily unto Him and are not concerned with what man thinks. It doesn’t
matter who you are, or who you think you are, or how long you claim to have
known God, He does not play favorites like man does, and does not waver one
bit concerning His word.
Galatians 2:9-11 And when James, Cephas,
and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto
me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we
should go unto the heathen, and they unto the circumcision. (10) Only they
would that we should remember the poor; the same which I also was forward
to do. (11) But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the
face, because he was to be blamed. (KJV)
Cephas was another name given to Peter;
the same Peter that walked with the Lord and ended up writing letters in
the Bible was one perceived to be a pillar by many, until the Lord
instructed Paul the apostle otherwise. We know Peter denied the Lord three
times before the crucifixion of our Lord, but have you ever read how he
denied the Lord even after his conversion, and who God used to bring the
correction?
Galatians 2:12-14 For before that certain
came from James, he did eat with the Gentiles: but when they were come, he
withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were of the
circumcision. (13) And the other Jews dissembled likewise with him;
insomuch that Barnabas also was carried away with their dissimulation. (14)
But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the
gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, If thou, being a Jew, livest
after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou
the Gentiles to live as do the Jews? (KJV)
Basically Peter was playing musical
chairs, he would eat with the gentiles, but when the Jewish religious
people showed up he would jump over to their table and try to appease them,
even to the point that others were getting caught up in the charade. Trying
to please people rather than God; a double minded man will not receive
anything from the Lord, including his reward if the warning is not heeded.
Ever wonder why God used Paul to write most of the epistles? Are you willing
to stand up and speak the truth, to no matter who it is or who they think
they are? No matter how much of a pillar in the community man considers
them, are you willing to tell them where God sees them, no matter where
that may be?
2 Peter 3:15-16 And account that the
longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul
also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; (16) As
also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are
some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and
unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own
destruction. (KJV)
God did continue to use Peter, and as
Peter wrote in his second letter, he acknowledges his beloved brother Paul
and his willingness to be used of God. Though many times Paul would meet
opposition, especially with those that claim to know God, the ones that
would heed the warning and correction were able to be used of God while
others would twist and pervert the scriptures to their own destruction. So
don’t take it personal if God asks you to speak the truth, and you too are
met with opposition, especially within the realm of Christianity or those
that claim to be Christians, because though many are called, few are truly
seeking the honor from above. Remember, it was the religious leaders that
rejected our Lord and ultimately betrayed Him. Today not much has changed.
There are still many religious people who are still crucifying the message
of our Lord today, trying to please the congregation rather than the Lord.
Luke 19:45-47 And he went into the
temple, and began to cast out them that sold therein, and them that bought;
(46) Saying unto them, It is written, My house is the house of prayer: but
ye have made it a den of thieves. (47) And he taught daily in the temple.
But the chief priests and the scribes and the chief of the people sought to
destroy him, (KJV)
Our Lord Himself did not get a standing
ovation from the crowd, but rather was sent to set things in order the way
God intended it to be. The more He chose to please God the less appealing
He was to those that were perceived as pillars in the temple as well. So
what are you going to do if you are not a crowd favorite anymore? Will that
alter your stand and commitment, or will it just strengthen it further?
Will you fold under peer pressure, or will you continue in the faith
grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel as
many before you have, and as many as hope to be honorably mentioned before
our Father in heaven?
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