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Tuesday, November
13, 2007
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, parent, wife, husband, boy or girlfriend or your boss at
work? God see’s 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
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 have 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 in order to be faithful in spiritual things we need to
be faithful in earthly things first. There are many who think 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 and 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, 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 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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