Whether You Make It In The Door To Be With The Bridegroom, Or Have The Door Slammed In Your Face; Whether You Invest By Using What God Gave You Or You Waste It; Give God Your Worst & Receive Curses, Give God Your Best & Receive Blessings. Your Choice

 

Jeremiah 48:10, “Cursed is the one who is HALFHEARTED in doing the Lord’s work…” (CEB)

If it is one thing that bothers me at times, it is having asked someone to do something, and they do it, but do it, half-heartedly. The term “half-hearted” is defined as “without enthusiasm or determination; feeling or showing of little interest; to give lukewarm support to.” And what does God think about “lukewarm people “? Revelation 3:15-17, ‘I know your deeds, that you are neither cold (invigorating, refreshing) nor hot (healing, therapeutic); I wish that you were cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm (SPIRITUALLY USELESS), and neither hot nor cold, I will vomit you out of My mouth [rejecting you with disgust]. Because you say, “I am rich, and have prospered and grown wealthy, and have need of nothing,” and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked [without hope and in great need],” (AMP) The Message Bible says it like this: “I know you inside and out and find little to my liking. You are not cold; you are not hot—far better to be either cold or hot! You are stale. You are stagnant. You make me want to vomit. You brag, ‘I’m rich, I’ve got it made, I need nothing from anyone,’ oblivious that in fact you’re a pitiful, blind beggar, threadbare and homeless.” (MSG)

So, do you still want to serve God halfheartedly and lukewarm?

Question: How do you give “spiritless” servitude to a God who is Spirit?! John 4:24, says, “GOD IS SPIRIT. Those who worship Him must worship Him in SPIRIT and in truth.” (NLV) I reiterate, how do you give “spiritless” servitude to THE Spirit, when you are supposed to be led by His Spirit? Galatians 5:18, 25, “…But if ye be LED OF THE SPIRIT…IF WE LIVE IN THE SPIRIT, LET US ALSO WALK IN THE SPIRIT…” How do you give “spiritless” servitude to THE Spirit, when you are supposed to be LED OF THE SPIRIT, LIVE IN THE SPIRIT AND WALK IN THE SPIRIT? Perhaps, if we stopped being so WHOLEHEARTEDLY led by the Flesh, living in the Flesh, and walking in the Flesh, we could finally stop HALFHEARTEDLY serving in Spirit…Selah…

Let us look at John 4:24 in a few translations:

“God is Spirit, and those who worship God MUST be led by the Spirit to worship him according to the truth.” (CEV) – The word “MUST” is defined as “to be obligated to; should; expressing insistence on something that should not be overlooked or missed.”

“God is spirit, and it is NECESSARY to worship God in spirit and truth.” (CEB) – That word “NECESSARY” is defined as, “required to be done, needed, must be, inevitable, basic requirement”.

In essence, in our service, no matter what the form, when it is to God, it is a necessity to have it done wholeheartedly in the Spirit, something that should not be overlooked or missed because it is our basic requirement. God has always given us His absolute best, in fact He gave us His Heart (His Son, His Sons Blood, His Sons Life) so, how do we dare serve Him halfheartedly?

“It’s who you are and the way you live that count before God. Your worship must engage your spirit in the pursuit of truth. That is the kind of people the Father is out looking for: those who are simply and honestly themselves before him in their worship. God is sheer being itself—Spirit. Those who worship him must do it out of their very being, their spirits, their true selves, in adoration.” (John 4:23-24 MSG) Nothing about that sounds fleshly or halfhearted!

There is an interesting story that is told about Queen Victoria. She loved being able to go out and be by herself, without being recognized, so she could mingle with ordinary people. And to keep from being noticed, the Queen would “dress down.” On one of her walks, it began to rain, so she knocked on the door of this cottage and asked to borrow an umbrella. Well, not recognizing the Queen, the elderly woman who answered the door lent her a beat-up umbrella, instead of her best umbrella. She did that because she was not sure she would ever see the umbrella again of course. Well Queen Victoria left thanking the woman and promising to return the umbrella. The next day a royal messenger returned the lady’s umbrella. And he said to the woman, “The Queen asked me to return your umbrella.” The elderly woman was heard to say, “Oh, if I had only known who it was, I would have given her my best. “

Listen to these sobering words, from our text in Jeremiah 48:10, “A curse” – oh, a curse – “A curse on him who is lax in doing the Lord’s work.” WARNING! Do not be lax! Do not be lazy! Do not be careless in doing the work of God! Why? Because THERE’S A CURSE PLACED ON ANYONE WHO IS! This is how strongly God feels about those who serve Him and His work in a half-hearted manner!

In other words, God places a curse on anyone who serves Him and His work in a manner that is: SLACK, NEGLIGENT, HALF-HEARTED, SLOPPY, LAX or WITHOUT CARE! The work of the Kingdom means so much to God that He will place a curse on anyone who gives decreased effort, inclined to be lazy, lacks proper care and attention, foolish, weak, or careless in it! That ought to terrify many of us who have not been giving God our absolute best!

See, sometimes we give the Lord what is easy for us to give Him, but the King deserves our best. Think about it: No one in their right mind would serve an earthly king dinner on paper plates, plastic silverware, bowls, cups, and discount store napkins! Why not? Because that is not what you serve a king! And certainly, our KING is deserving of much better than any earthly king! Yet, we will not serve an earthly king on paper and plastic, but our KING we serve with watered down worship; procrastinated praise; and perfunctory prayers! We bypass bible study, and we are so busy checking messages on our phones that we pay little or no attention to the Message coming through the microphone in the sanctuary! We sing songs with no emotions, and dance for show. How does God get any honor out of any of that? But we are first to cry out “He’s Our King of Kings!” Well, if He truly is, then serve Him as a King should be served!

If truth be told, a lot of people are frequently lax doing the Lord’s work. That is why a strong word is probably needed here. Some of us may have been financially lax with the Lord’s work; we have been careless with the money He is provided for us. We have become careless in tithe and offering, careless in the benevolent offering, careless in the financial support of the work of the Lord. We have become undisciplined with our paychecks. When the truth is, you do not need more money, you need to learn how to budget and effectively manage the money He is already provided you. Stop wishing for More when you are wasteful with Less. Clearly there has not been full integrity in the way funds have been taken care of. But money funds the work of the Lord. We cannot afford to be careless with it publicly or privately. In the House of the Lord or in our own personal Homes!

Another truth, some people are lax with their time. A lot of time gets wasted in the service of the Lord. Let us be honest about it. We need to be doing every task as if it were a royal task, because it is.

Ephesians 6:5-8, “Servants, respectfully obey your earthly masters but always with an eye to obeying the real master, Christ. Do not just do what you must do to get by, but work heartily, as Christ’s servants doing what God wants you to do. And work with a smile on your face, always keeping in mind that no matter who happens to be giving the orders, YOU’RE REALLY SERVING GOD. Good work will get you good pay from the Master, regardless of whether you are slave or free.” (MSG).

In other words, never be lax in giving your time to the work of the Kingdom. Whether you serve in the pulpit, at the door as an usher, on the choir, as a musician, as a janitor cleaning out the pews, serve in the manner you would if you were serving a King…because you are! There is no big and little work in the Kingdom, just work to be done. So, let today be the day you decide to work…wholeheartedly for the Lord!

Now, with the many social media networks (posting, snapping, liking, tweeting, scoping, streaming etc.…), and all the things that are out there to distract us during the day and night, at work, home, and church, it is so easy to waste God’s precious time. But what we must remember is that we are working for the King of kings, therefore, giving 100% however big or small it is, is an Obligation not an Option! Whether it is in or out of the spotlight, we have got to realize time is of the essence and too precious and costly to waste. It often amazes me that we are quick to say, “we’re living in the end times…and these are the last days…” and yet we carry on as though we have all the time left in the world. If indeed these are the end times and last days, shouldn’t we serve like it? Look like it? Act like? Behave and conduct ourselves like it? Preach, teach, and pray like it? And most importantly live like it? If there is not much time left, shouldn’t we get this right, like right now?!  No more carelessness with our time, for one day, our last night will indeed be our LAST night.

Not to mention it is possible to be lax with the quality of our work for the Lord, settling for mediocrity. But the King should always be represented by excellence don’t you think?

Numbers 18:29 says that we “must offer as the Lord’s portion, the BEST and holiest part of everything we have.” As is my custom, let us view this in a few translations:

“Out of all your gifts, you shall present every offering due to the Lord, FROM ALL THE BEST of it, even the sacred part from them.’” (AMP).

“Make Sure That God’s Portion Is The Best and holiest of everything you get.” (MSG).

Are you getting this? Whatever you do for the Lord, whatever you give to the Lord, “Make Sure That God’s Portion Is The Best And Holiest Of Everything…”

Not Second-Best, Not Used, Not Less Than, Not Mediocre, Not Left-Overs, Everything You Do And Everything You Present Must Be The Best!

Let us tell the truth, in a terribly busy world and our terribly busy lives the King often gets our leftovers, our leftover time, our leftover energy, our leftover talent, our leftover finances. And that is wrong! We forget this is not work for the church or for some Christian organization or for the people around us or the people we report to. This is for the King! This is the King who bought you back with the life of His Son! And someday we will stand before this very same King and we will offer Him the work we did for Him. I hope you will make it work that Jesus will be proud of and you do not have to be ashamed of, or in the words of 2 Timothy 2:15, “…CONCENTRATE ON DOING YOUR BEST FOR GOD, WORK YOU WON’T BE ASHAMED OF…” (MSG)

And why should we offer God our BEST work? 1 Corinthians 3:9-15, “We are God’s coworkers, and you are God’s field, God’s building. I laid a foundation like a wise master builder according to God’s grace that was given to me, but someone else is building on top of it. Each Person Needs To Pay Attention To The Way They Build On It.  No one can lay any other foundation besides the one that is already laid, which is Jesus Christ.  So, whether someone builds on top of the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, grass, or hay, each one’s work will be clearly shown. The day will make it clear, because it will be revealed with fire—The Fire Will Test The Quality Of Each One’s Work.  If anyone’s work survives, they will get a reward.  But if anyone’s work goes up in flames, they will lose it. However, they themselves will be saved as if they had gone through a fire.” (CEB)

Therefore, we need to evaluate the work we are doing for the Lord. We need to pay attention that we are giving Him our all and our best because the day is coming when we will be tested and graded, and unlike school when you get a failing or passing grade, this grade affects you eternally. There is no make-up, it goes through the fire, and either it survives or burns, sounds a lot like our souls. Which is why this is so vital that we handle this appropriately, carefully, and cautiously.

We have all heard the term “what’s the worst that can happen?” Well, in this case, the WORST that can happen is not giving God your BEST!

Lastly, remember the story above, the woman would have given the Queen her best umbrella had she known it was the Queen making the request. However, for you and me, we have no excuses, no one to blame, we can do no finger pointing, because we know exactly WHO is making a request of us. And certainly, we will not be able to say in the end, “If I had only known it was for the King, I would have given Him my best.” I assure you, by then…it will be far too late! Just ask the foolish virgins who missed out on God’s best because they gave Him their worst! Do not let that be the final chapter in your life’s story.

From this day forward, determine to always give God your Best in All things!

1 Corinthians 10:31-33, “So eat your meals heartily, not worrying about what others say about you—you are eating to God’s glory, after all, not to please them. As A Matter Of Fact, Do Everything That Way, Heartily And Freely To God’s Glory. At the same time, do not be callous in your exercise of freedom, thoughtlessly stepping on the toes of those who are not as free as you are. I try my best to be considerate of everyone’s feelings in all these matters; I hope you will be, too.” (MSG)

Proverbs 3:5-12, “…Honor God with everything you own; GIVE HIM THE FIRST AND THE BEST. Your barns will burst, your wine vats will brim over…” (MSG)

Remember: Whether we give God our best or worst; whether we are hot, cold, or lukewarm; whether we keep the oil in our lamps on high or low, full, or empty, IT IS ALWAYS OUR DELIBERATE CHOICE. BE SURE TO CHOOSE WELL!

Matthew 25:1-13

THE STORY OF THE VIRGINS: “God’s kingdom is like ten young virgins who took oil lamps and went out to greet the bridegroom. Five were silly and five were smart. The silly virgins took lamps, but no extra oil. The smart virgins took jars of oil to feed their lamps. The bridegroom did not show up when they expected him, and they all fell asleep. “In the middle of the night someone yelled out, ‘He is here! The bridegroom’s here! Go out and greet him!’ “The ten virgins got up and got their lamps ready. The silly virgins said to the smart ones, ‘Our lamps are going out; lend us some of your oil.’ “They answered, ‘There might not be enough to go around; go buy your own.’ “They did, but while they were out buying oil, the bridegroom arrived. When everyone who was there to greet him had gone into the wedding feast, the door was locked. “Much later, the other virgins, the silly ones, showed up and knocked on the door, saying, ‘Master, we are here. Let us in.’ “He answered, ‘Do I know you? I don’t think I know you.’ “So, stay alert. You have no idea when he might arrive.” (MSG)

Matthew 25:14-30

THE STORY ABOUT INVESTMENT: “It’s also like a man going off on an extended trip. He called his servants together and delegated responsibilities. To one he gave five thousand dollars, to another two thousand, to a third one thousand, depending on their abilities. Then he left. Right off, the first servant went to work and doubled his master’s investment. The second did the same. But the man with the single thousand dug a hole and carefully buried his master’s money. “After a long absence, the master of those three servants came back and settled up with them. The one given five thousand dollars showed him how he had doubled his investment. His master commended him: ‘Good work! You did your job well. From now on be my partner.’ “The servant with the two thousand showed how he also had doubled his master’s investment. His master commended him: ‘Good work! You did your job well. From now on be my partner.’ “The servant given one thousand said, ‘Master, I know you have high standards and hate careless ways, that you demand the best and make no allowances for error. I was afraid I might disappoint you, so I found a good hiding place and secured your money. Here it is, safe and sound down to the last cent.’ “The master was furious. ‘That’s a terrible way to live! It is criminal to live cautiously like that! If You Knew I Was After The Best, Why Did You Do Less Than The Least? The least you could have done would have been to invest the sum with the bankers, where at least I would have gotten a little interest. “‘Take the thousand and give it to the one who risked the most. And get rid of this “play-it-safe” who will not go out on a limb. Throw him out into utter darkness.’” (MSG)

Matthew 25:31-46

THE STORY OF THE SHEEP AND THE GOATS: “When he finally arrives, blazing in beauty and all his angels with him, the Son of Man will take his place on his glorious throne. Then all the nations will be arranged before him and he will sort the people out, much as a shepherd sorts out sheep and goats, putting sheep to his right and goats to his left. “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Enter, you who are blessed by my Father! Take what is coming to you in this kingdom. It has been ready for you since the world’s foundation. And here is why: I was hungry, and you fed me, I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink, I was homeless, and you gave me a room, I was shivering, and you gave me clothes, I was sick, and you stopped to visit, I was in prison and you came to me.’ “Then those ‘sheep’ are going to say, ‘Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?’ Then the King will say, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.’ “Then he will turn to the ‘goats,’ the ones on his left, and say, ‘Get out, worthless goats! You are good for nothing but the fires of hell. And why? Because—I was hungry and you gave me no meal, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was homeless and you gave me no bed, I was shivering and you gave me no clothes, Sick and in prison, and you never visited.’ “Then those ‘goats’ are going to say, ‘Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or homeless or shivering or sick or in prison and didn’t help?’ “He will answer them, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you failed to do one of these things to someone who was being overlooked or ignored, that was me—you failed to do it to me.’ “Then those ‘goats’ will be herded to their eternal doom, but the ‘sheep’ to their eternal reward.” (MSG)

Whether You Make It In The Door To Be With The Bridegroom, Or Have The Door Slammed In Your Face; Whether You Invest By Using What God Gave You Or You Waste It; Whether You Enter Eternal Doom, Or Eternal Reward, The Decision Is Always Yours To Make! Give God Your Worst And Receive Curses, Give God Your Best And Receive Blessings. The Choice Is Always Yours To Make! Choose Wisely!

Blessings

J.P. Olson

www.thewordwithjpolson.org

“God, Church & Hell Are All Real. People Claim They Love God, But Is God In Them? The Real Heights Are When You Delve Into The Depths Of Despair To Help Someone Who Cannot Help Themselves!

 

Genesis 11:1-9, “Now the whole earth used the same language and the same words.  And as men traveled in the east, they found a valley in the land of Shinar and made their home there.  They said to one another, “Come, let us make blocks and burn them until they are hard.” They used blocks for stone, and tar to hold them together.  Then they said, “Come, let us build a city FOR OURSELVES, with a tower that touches the heavens. Let us make a name FOR OURSELVES, or else we may be sent everywhere over the whole earth.” Then the Lord came down to see the city and the tower that the sons of men had built.  And the Lord said, “See, they are one people, and they all have the same language. This is only the beginning of what they will do. Now all they plan to do will be possible for them.  Come, let Us go down and mix up their language so they will not understand what each other says.”  So, the Lord sent them everywhere over the whole earth. And they stopped building the city.  So, the name of the city was Babel because there the Lord mixed up the language of the whole earth. The Lord sent the people everywhere over the whole earth.” (NLV)

Key Verse: Genesis 11:4, “Then they said, “Come, let us build a city FOR OURSELVES, with a tower that touches the heavens. Let us make a name FOR OURSELVES, or else we may be sent everywhere over the whole earth.” (NLV) 

Louis Sullivan, the inventor of the modern skyscraper, said, “The tall building…should be a proud and soaring thing that makes a powerful appeal to the architectural imagination.”

Well, today, many believers embody the same spirit of Pride and Self-Sufficiency that is represented in the lofty towers that make up our cities. Unfortunate as it may be, many Bible toting, Scripture quoting People of God are Focused on Personal Perfection MORE THAN Pleasing the One Whom They Call Their “Personal Lord and Savior”.

Now, it is one thing for the “World” to act in such a manner, but when the “Church” behaves in such a manner it Delivers a Critical Blow to the Conduct that is Called “Christ-Like”!  And as People of God, we are Never Called to Compromise or Conform! Romans 12:1-2, “So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for Him. Do not become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You will be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what He wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.” (MSG)

“God, Church and Hell are all real. People claim they love God, but is God in them? They go to church to play church. But if you go to hell, will you still be playing?” (Author Unknown)

I do not think we are fully aware of the dangers of “playing church”. We can pretend all day long here on earth, but there comes a day of reckoning, and God is not going to ask about who and what you pretended to be, but who you really are and what you really did! 2 Corinthians 5:9-10, “But neither exile nor homecoming is the main thing. Cheerfully pleasing God is the main thing, and that is what we aim to do, regardless of our conditions. Sooner or later, we will all have to face God, regardless of our conditions. We will appear before Christ and take what’s coming to us because of our actions, either good or bad.” (MSG) You must get yourself together in this life because the afterlife is too late! When you play with church, and play with your soul, you are playing with your eternity! Today is the day we take off all the masks and stop with the pretense and get real! It is time to work on we, instead of simply covering up an ugly construction site of sin and foolishness. We have pretended to be healed, whole, saved and delivered for long enough. It is time to get ourselves right before that last trumpet sounds! This is NOT a dress rehearsal! There are no shows and curtains in heaven waiting for you to come out playing a character instead of possessing Character! 

But what you will have to embrace is that once you have pretended for so long, the real you get lost! And people become comfortable and familiar with who you have pretended to be all this time. So, it will not be an easy or quick process to unveiling the real you! But if you are to please God, it is a must!  

Well, the builders of the tower of Babel shared a key aspect of Sullivan’s vision of the tall building: PRIDE! And they had one purpose: TO BUILD A NAME FOR THEMSELVES! They wanted to claim glory that rightly belonged to God Alone – but after all, they ‘were worth it’ too, right?

However, the longing to climb higher than God did not begin in Babel. Before time began, Lucifer said, “…I will RAISE MY THRONE ABOVE THE STARS OF GOD; I will SIT ENTHRONED ON THE MOUNT OF ASSEMBLY, on the UTMOST HEIGHTS OF MOUNT ZAPHON” (Isaiah 14:13 NIV). And to this day, we still have people who are doing whatever it takes to raise themselves up to sit enthroned amongst the assembly and be treated as Kings & Queens of the utmost heights of elevations, promotions, titles and positions, rings, robes, and royal seating in the sanctuary!

So, you see, it did not begin with Babel, BUT it did not end with Babel, either.

Here is a little history for you. The pyramids of Egypt proclaim the power of the rulers buried beneath them. Many lives were lost in the building of the pyramids, “collateral damage” to the princes who built them. Often Egyptian slaves were killed when their masters died and were buried alongside them. But just as the Egyptian kings sacrificed everything to their own legacy. The rulers of ancient Egypt were not all-powerful – they died the deaths of mere men. So, do not you dare be deceived, your soul will not be saved by flawless skin or the perfect career any more than the towering mountains of stone raised over the mummies of kings saved them!

People of God, it is one thing to have pride in yourself, your appearance and even your accomplishments. However, you must never let your pride get out of control. Do not be like those who attempted to “BUILD FOR THEMSELVES” and “MAKE A NAME FOR THEMSELVES”! Truth is, it is Not About You! Your Talent, Gifts, Skillset, anointing etc.…are for the Building of the Kingdom of God, Not a Personal Cathedral to You! Building a Legacy is not about Your Name being left behind for generations after you to talk about! A Legacy has Purpose; It Has Action! Legacy is for People who have Done Something! Your name on a building is useless if what you Did was not useful! Let your work speak for you, it has a loud and powerful voice that will not and cannot be silenced! 

However, you must put in the work! And that work is not FOR you, it is FROM you! It is to build a better generation (not so you can take credit for it) but simply because you care about what the Lord’s heart desires. Every time Jesus came into a person’s life (even if it was briefly passing through it) their life was made better. They were made better. If you want your name to say something, let it say Character; Integrity; Sincerity; Excellence; Modesty; Dignity; Help; Support. Let your name say something about what you Do for Others (that you look for no recognition or credit for). 

The best handiwork is when your left hand does not know what your right hand is doing! “Our fingerprints don’t fade from the lives we touch.” (Judy Blume), We can put our hands to better use, as in touching the lives of others and leaving that as our legacy! Egos and pride have had us to focus on ourselves long enough!

Also, be careful not to lose yourself trying to find yourself in places God never intended you to be! Hint: lofty, high places certainly is not it! If you want to really find yourself, just locate the places your God has been (after all, you were made in His image and likeness). Remember, He dwells in Humility; He hangs around the Poor and Meek; He lends a Helping and Healing hand to those who are hurting and struggling. He is aiding the bound to become free; He is feeding the hungry and clothing the naked. He is providing shelter for the homeless and a protective hedge for those under attack. 

Believe it or not, the real Heights are when you delve into the Depths of despair to help someone who cannot help themselves!

In closing, I understand the commercial ad “Because, I’m Worth It”. But that is a motto for the World! When it comes to Believers, our Motto is more like “Because, He’s Worth It!”  

So, what do you take pride in? What keeps you from glorifying God? Has your focus become self-absorbed? Have you become self-glorifying? If so, the solution to the problem is simple: Whatever is keeping you from God, give it to Him for His glory! Let your relationship with Jesus be the source of your significance. 

The Word of God does not lie, when you humble yourself Before God, He Will Lift You Up! However, a high ego will bring you down mighty low! 

“…Come, let Us go down and mix up their language so they will not understand what each other says.”  So, the Lord sent them everywhere over the whole earth. And they stopped building the city.  So, the name of the city was Babel because there the Lord mixed up the language of the whole earth. The Lord sent the people everywhere over the whole earth.” (NLV)  

Do not allow your pride and ego to steal your voice! There is so much for you to speak into the lives of the current and future generations that you cannot afford to let your ego ‘babble’ your purpose. These were a people that were sent by the Lord everywhere over the whole earth. But what purpose did it serve them since their language was mixed up and served nothing of value to themselves or to those generations to come. You have an opportunity to be sent to all the corners of the earth. In fact, you have that as a command!

Acts 1:7-8, “He told them, “You do not get to know the time. Timing is the Father’s business. What you will get is the Holy Spirit. And when the Holy Spirit comes on you, you will be able to be my witnesses IN JERUSALEM, ALL OVER JUDEA AND SAMARIA, EVEN TO THE ENDS OF THE WORLD.” (MSG) 

Matthew 28:19-20, “Jesus, undeterred, went right ahead and gave His charge: “God authorized and commanded me to commission you: Go out and train EVERYONE YOU MEET, FAR AND NEAR, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I’ll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age.” (MSG) 

Mark 16:14-16, “Still later, as the Eleven were eating supper, He appeared and took them to task most severely for their stubborn unbelief, refusing to believe those who had seen Him raised up. Then He said, “GO INTO THE WORLD. GO EVERYWHERE and announce the Message of God’s good news TO ONE AND ALL. Whoever believes and is baptized is saved; whoever refuses to believe is damned.” (MSG)

You can either maintain your ego and cause God to send your babbling, unproductive self all over the globe, or you could humble yourself and cause God to send you all over the globe fulfilling His Will and Purpose, however, the choice is always YOURS! You can have a global ministry that takes you all over the globe filled with purpose, or a global ministry that takes you all over the globe and it is pointless.  

Proverbs 18:21, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it and indulge it will eat its fruit and bear the consequences of their words.” (AMP) So, what are you going to allow your ego to use your words for, death or life? Because as you go day-by-day in your work for the Lord, you will daily have to make that decision. And your ego or humility is the determining factor as to which it will be. 

There is nothing wrong with building, but it must always keep God in proper perspective with every brick! Proverbs 16:3, “Roll your works upon the Lord [commit and trust them wholly to Him; He will cause your thoughts to become agreeable to His Will, and] so shall your plans be established and succeed.” (AMPC) 

The danger for the people in our text was that they were focused on building for themselves and they failed. Just think of what you could accomplish and succeed at if only you would keep the Lord as your tunnel vision focus?! Remember, no matter how the Lord chooses to use YOU, it is always about HIM! Do not let your ego rob you of a great work you can accomplish for God. There are people who have need of you and all that God put in you. Do not let your ego be the roadblock that keeps you from going forward into a fruitful destiny. Keep the Lord at the center, and everything else around you will fall into place and, “…so shall your plans be established and succeed.” Instead of “…and they stopped building the city…”  

Reflection Questions:

1. What kind of “towers” have you built? (your business, your career, your talents, your ministry etc.…) Who really gets the glory from your labors, you, or God?
2. If you had to be truthful with yourself, would you honestly say you are Selfless or Selfish?
3. How would you honestly handle working hard behind the scenes, and yet never having your name come up in the credits?
4. When is the last time you did something good for someone who still has no idea it was you?
5. If there were only 3 things that someone would be able to share as your legacy, what would those 3 things be?
6. If you were to be known for a specific Fruit of the Spirit, which would it be and why?

Psalm 86:8-10, “There is no one like You among the gods, O Lord. And there are no works like Yours.  All the nations You have made will come and worship before You, O Lord. And they will bring honor to Your name.  For You are great and do great things. You alone are God.” (NLV).

Proverbs 18:10-12, “The name of the Lord is a strong tower. The man who does what is right runs into it and is safe. The rich man’s money is his strong city, and he thinks it is like a high wall. The heart of a man is proud before he is destroyed, but having no pride goes before honor.” (NLV).

Matthew 23:12, “The person who thinks he is important will find out how little he is worth. The person who is not trying to honor himself will be made important.” (NLV)

“The man who thinks he can live without others is mistaken; the one who thinks others can’t live without him is even more deluded.”  ~Hasidic Saying

“When someone sings his own praises, he always gets the tune too high.”  ~Mary H. Waltrip

“People that put themselves above others will fall longer and harder.”  ~Gina Lindley

“When science discovers the center of the universe, a lot of people will be disappointed to find they are not it.”  ~Bernard Baily

Blessings

J.P. Olson

www.thewordwithjpolson.org

Disappointment With Those We Look Up To; Those We Live With; Those We Work With & Depend On And Those We Have Poured Our Life Into. But There Is One Last Disappointment I Want Us To Dig Into In Today's Devotional.

 Today’s Devotional: Proverbs 13:12, “Unrelenting disappointment leaves you heartsick, but a…good break can turn life around.”

If you are still living—then disappointment is inevitable!  Webster defines disappointment as, “When expectations fail to be met, producing anger, frustration, sadness and discouragement.”

With that said, here are some examples to help you when:

1.. YOUR DISAPPOINTED WITH THOSE YOU LOOK UP TO: Think of Samuel and Eli (1 Samuel 1-4). Samuel’s mother entrusted her child to Eli the High Priest, confident he would mentor and prepare him for God’s service. But Eli had a serious character flaw! He was a weak, passive parent who stood by while his own sons abused their priestly privilege, bringing shame and disrepute to the family and ministry! There is a very befitting quote that says, “He who thinketh he leadeth and hath no one following him is only taking a walk.” (Author Unknown) I believe it is fair to say that Eli was “…only taking a walk.” I mean with a “mentor” like Eli, who would have even blamed young Samuel for taking a nosedive right into the very heart of immorality, when the man he looked up to failed him so badly?! But no, instead he fielded his disappointment and kept his eyes on God: The Bible says, “…Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him.” (1 Samuel 3:19). And as a result, God turned him into one of Israel’s Greatest Prophets! Henry Ward Beecher accurately stated: “Ones best success comes after their greatest disappointment.” Well Done, Samuel, Well Done! So, how are we to deal with the disappointment we feel in those we look up to, that let us down? Because it is bound to happen at some point in life. Whether it is a parent, clergy, family, friend, business associate, spouse, governmental official, etc., we are bound to be let down by those we look up to. But does that give us license to lower our standards because they did not raise theirs? Absolutely Not! Samuel grew and the Lord was with him. You see, even when Eli messed up his Role, Samuel maintained his Character. He never attacked Eli, he did not bash him, he did not talk about him, he did not spread rumors, lies, gossip or even Truth about him. No, Samuel just lived the life of a good leader, which reminds us that we can point fingers and lay blame, but where does that get us, even if we are in the right?! The better bet is to take the high road. Live right, think right, speak right, behave right, no matter how wrong your surroundings or the people in them. So, the next time someone you look up to lets you down, keep them in prayer and be a mirror to them showing them the reflection of what good (not perfect) looks like. Why? Because Eli died and missed out, but the person you look up to does not have to. So, share your heart with them gently and honestly, then whether they agree or disagree, you move onward showing everyone that you can learn a good lesson even from a bad example! Do not judge them, just refuse to make their same errors in judgment. You can do it; I know you can!

2.. YOU’RE DISAPPOINTED IN THOSE YOU LIVE WITH: If anyone would not let you down, surely it would be your family, right? Wrong! Just ask young Joseph. When his father favors him and God promised him a big dream, you would think his own blood brothers would celebrate him and celebrate with him! But instead, they responded with jealousy, anger, spite, bitterness, ridicule, and resentment, while dropping him in a pit, then selling him into slavery! Far from friends and home he languished in prison for a crime he did not commit! What an invitation to bitterness, and an opportunity to rehearse the wrongs done him while plotting his revenge. But if he had done that, he would have died an innocent, unknown convict in a foreign jail! Instead, he allowed God to vindicate him, using his circumstances to position, prepare and promote him to being Egypt’s Prime Minister—now that is how you deal with disappointment! Robert Kiyosaki said: “The size of your success is measured by the strength of your desire; the size of your dream; and how you handle disappointment along the way.” Well Done, Joseph, Well Done! So, how do you deal with family, your own blood, that stabs you in the back? What happens when the attack is from an assailant under your own roof? What do you do when it is your sibling that drops you in the pit, or your cousin that sells you out, or your auntie that lands you behind bars?! How do you recover when it was a relative that inflicted the hurt?! You do as Joseph did, you trust God throughout the entire process! Nowhere do we read that Joseph cried out ‘why me God’; he did not blame dad for not being there to protect him; he did not retaliate against the cupbearer who forgot him; he did not get angry with the whole world and try to issue his own form of the big payback. As he went from disaster-to-disaster God never left his side. In every bad, God produced something good. Now, is it easy, especially when it is blood, to just trust the vindication and vengeance to God alone? No! But it is the best way to handle it, to put what you will mishandle in the hands of God! In the end, those same relatives had to come and bow before Joseph, will that happen with you, probably not, but isn’t it worth it to trust God and let Him work? Maybe, just maybe, you will at least get the apology and more importantly, you will get the reconciliation. Saints, take the high road my friends, even when it is family that is trying to drive you off course!

3.. YOU’RE DISAPPOINTED IN THOSE YOU WORK WITH AND DEPEND ON: To succeed, you need people; you cannot make it without them! And when those people fail you, it is painful. Imagine Moses’ disappointment. He leaves his brother Aaron in charge while he attends a summit conference with God and receives the Ten Commandments. Returning, he finds Israel in anarchy, idolatry, and unspeakable perversion! And where’s Aaron you ask? Leading the Rebellion! When Moses needs him Most, Aaron fails him Miserably! But watch Moses, true leadership shines even in darkest of disappointment! He confronts Aaron, takes the mess to God for resolution, and prays forgiveness for Israel! God listens, then reminds Moses of his assignment! [It is disappointing, Moses, but…] – “…go, lead the people…my angel will go before you…” (Exodus 32:34 NIV). People of God, disappointment does not cancel your assignment—nor does it close the door on God’s presence! So, go forth, even during disappointment, and do what He sent you to do! “Man must be disappointed with the lesser things of life before he can comprehend the full value of the greater.” (Edward G. Bulwer-Lytton). Well Done, Moses, Well Done! So, leaders, dare I even ask if you have ever been disappointed by your leaders? Surely you have, many of us have. But that does not mean you disown them; you do not give up on them; you do not give them the cold shoulder; you do not attempt to replace them; you do not ignore them; and certainly, you do not retaliate tit-for-tat with them! No, you follow Moses’ example. Take the issue before God! Let Him tell you how to handle it, not your ‘inner circle’; not your clique; not your buddies and pals; not people you know do not like them; and certainly, you do not attempt to get back at them from over the pulpit! Moses took the issue he had with Aaron his leader, to God. And God could have told Moses get rid of Aaron, you do not need him, you are the key person to this assignment anyhow. No, He simply tells Moses to not focus on the attack but on his assignment, “…go, lead the people…my angel will go before you…” Leaders, I do not have to tell you just how difficult it is to lead people, especially those who are stiff-necked, hardheaded, and rebellious! But do you get to retaliate? Nope! You are still held accountable for your leadership, your life and lifestyle and your responses to offense. Your character and integrity must remain intact. You must still be above reproach, even when those you lead keep falling under it! Yes, the disappointment hurts, but you cannot let the wound infect your assignment. Do what Moses did, take it to God, receive His directives, and continue. Why? Because God said, “…go, lead the people…” which means others will be affected by how you respond when disappointed. Do not let childish immaturity be the only way your followers can describe your leadership. Handle it, rise above it, and keep moving the people forward! Do not mess up your ministry because you are mad!

4.. YOU’RE DISAPPOINTED IN THOSE YOU’VE POURED YOUR LIFE INTO: Let us check in again with Moses, Founding Pastor of the First Church of the Critical and the Ungrateful, a congregation of former slaves, delivered, abundantly blessed, end route to the Promised Land, but without a shred of loyalty or gratitude for the man who put everything on the line to make it all possible! Fresh out of Egypt they turn on Moses, accusing, blaming, and berating him (Exodus 14). Was Moses disappointed and hurt by it? Sure, who wouldn’t be?! But each time he wanted to quit he would discuss it with God, pray for his complaining flock, receive fresh orders from headquarters and return to work! It is what “God-Called” men and women do when they are disappointed and feel like giving up! “If you use disappointments as sort of mid-semester exams, for learning, you will learn that every disappointment you overcome makes you stronger—and wiser. The greatest success stories have been lived by those who had to grow strong and wise in that very way.” (Loretta Young). Once Again, Well Done Moses, Well Done! Leaders, once again I want to encourage you, because it is not easy to take one vision and try to get an entire house to see and follow it. I know it would be wonderful to have the whole house on the same page, however, realistically, our churches are family trees with a whole lot of mixed nuts! One person wants the school; the other person thinks the school will not work; the other person does not mind a school, but does not like the blueprint of the school, and all the while you wish you could throw all of them in detention and keep building the vision by yourself. But unfortunately, pastors, it does not quite work out that way. We are a part of One body with many members, and every member is vital to the health and wellbeing of the whole. So even when it seems like you cannot get one good solid supporter, remember you always have God and with Him you are in the majority! Moses led a frustrated, frustrating bunch of complainers, but did he throw in the towel? No, and neither will you. Like it or not, but you will pour even more of your life into the people, and some of them have eternal leaks, but that is not your problem! Their capacity is for God to handle, you simply pour of yourself into them. God will never allow you to dry out and die, He will continue to replenish you, His Chosen Vessel of Honor. Therefore, understand that disappointment will visit, but do not let it move in! Stay the course, God has got you!  

Now take a moment and look at 1 Samuel 15:10-12, “…God spoke to Samuel: “I am sorry I ever made Saul’s king. He turned his back on me. He refuses to do what I tell him.” Samuel was angry when he heard this. He prayed his anger and disappointment all through the night…” (MSG). As already stated, if you are still living; disappointment is inevitable! But might I add, it is not ‘Impregnable’, which means ‘Unable to Overcome’! You see, when anger and disappointment threatened Samuel, he fought back in Prayer! If you are smart, you will do the same! Disappointment only delivers a death blow to those who do not fight back! You can literally read those verses and feel Samuel’s anger, after all, do you know how mad you must be to pray angry and disappointed…All Through the Night?! But sometimes prayer is the best thing, because when you are hurt, angry and disappointed, your mouth runs faster than your mind. So, you tend to say some things that you meant to say and a whole lot more that you did not! But when you empty all of that out to God in prayer, He is a master-sorter, He knows how to pick through that prayer for what is really needed. Therefore, no matter how great the disappointment, take it to God FIRST in prayer, even if you must enter your prayer closet hurt, disappointed, bitter, angry, confused, rejected, abandoned, used, betrayed, lied on, suicidal, take it all to God in prayer, even if that prayer will last long into the night! Thank God, He never sleeps or slumbers! Take it to Him, then rest in Him, knowing He is going to bring something good, out of your something bad!

Now, we have talked about disappointment with those we look up to; those we live with; those we work with and depend on and those we have poured our life into. But there is one last disappointment I want us to dig into, and that’s:

5.. DISAPPOINTMENT IN OURSELVES! It is potentially the most debilitating kind of disappointment because it can throw you into a downward spiral that is hard to stop or recover from! Rollo May said: “Depression is the inability to construct a future.” And for most of us, who can tell the whole truth, we have had so many little disappointments along the way that we cannot even fathom a pencil-sketch of a big future! Well, there’s an even better quote that I want you to hold on to by Albert Ellis, he said: “You largely Construct your depression. It was not given to you. Therefore, you can Deconstruct it.” You see, mounting disappointments are a map with all directions pointing towards the destination of depression! But remember, anything you can CONSTRUCT, you can also DECONSTRUCT, or cause the destruction of”. The other definition I like is, “to dismantle and expose the workings of.” If you have built up and constructed disappointments in your life, you can also grab your toolkit and deconstruct those same disappointments. Take them apart, dismantle them and expose the works behind them, so you can ensure that what worked before in building that disappointment, will not ever work again! And even if “YOU” brought the discouragement, disappointment and depression on yourself, there is still a way to recover! JUST ASK PETER! Peter had sworn undying love and fidelity to Jesus. “Lord, everybody else may abandon you, but not me! I’m yours till death.” (Read—Matthew 26:33-75). And he meant every word of it! But under the pressures surrounding the crucifixion, he yields, and three times denies knowing Jesus. Later, remembering Jesus’ words, “Before the rooster crows, you’ll deny me three times,” Peter, heartbroken BY HIS OWN DISMAL FAILURE, “went outside and wept bitterly.” (Luke 22:62 NIV).

Have you ever been there, asking: “God, how can You possibly use someone as messed up as me?” I lost the job; I flunked out of school; I had this baby out of wedlock; I have a prison record; I fell off the wagon again; I’ve destroyed my finances; my health is falling apart; my marriage is on life support and we’re both ready to pull the plug; I can’t even remember the last time I prayed or fasted or studied Your word; I can’t remember the last time my hands clapped, my feet danced or praise was on my lips and worship in my spirit. Lord my family is a feuding mess; the loans were denied; the bills are about to drown me; there is so much to pray for regarding my kids, I do not even know where to start; my parents are getting sicker; God I cannot get two sentences to make sense in my head, Lord, why are you still trying to use me?!

Listen, Peter failed to meet his own expectations, but Jesus was never shocked! He was aware of Peter’s flaws when He called him into the ministry. He knew that His blustering, outspoken disciple had a tender heart, so He extended grace to him rather than remove him from office! And as disqualified as you may feel from all your disappointments in life, God is not going to remove you from office or your assignment either!  

When Christ gave post-resurrection orders to “…tell His disciples and Peter…” (Mark 16:7 NIV) to meet Him in Galilee, He reaffirmed His choice of the failed disciple! The rest of Peter’s story is New Testament History!

So, Yes, You Can Recover Even from Disappointment in Yourself!

Jeremiah 18:1-6, “God told Jeremiah, “Up on your feet! Go to the potter’s house. When you get there, I’ll tell you what I have to say.” So, I went to the potter’s house, and sure enough, the potter was there, working away at his wheel. Whenever the pot the potter was working on turned out badly, as sometimes happens when you are working with clay, THE POTTER WOULD SIMPLY START OVER AND USE THE SAME CLAY TO MAKE ANOTHER POT. Then God’s Message came to me: “Can’t I do just as this potter does, people of Israel?” God’s Decree! “Watch this potter. In the same way that this potter works his clay, I work on you, people of Israel. At any moment I may decide to pull up a people or a country by the roots and get rid of them. But if they repent of their wicked lives, I will think twice and start over with them. At another time I might decide to plant a people or country, but if they do not cooperate and will not listen to me, I will think again and give up on the plans I had for them.” (MSG)

So let up on yourself! If you think you have ruined God’s purpose and plan for your life because of your screw ups, you clearly have underestimated God’s love, care, protection, and provision for you! You are not strong enough on your worst day to dismantle God’s assignment on your life! Neither your mistakes nor your deliberate, willful sin, can hinder what God has for you! So, know this, today is the day you forgive yourself and determine to be better today than you were yesterday, and better tomorrow than you will be today! Every day He gives you brand new mercies, and not so you can keep going over old disappointments.

Friends, if last night was not your LAST night, God still has much in store for you! So, stop beating yourself up, sometimes God uses our greatest disappointments as reappointments to life and ministry! He has not given up on you, so do not give up on yourself! It is a new day, make a renewed you, and fulfill your purpose in life! God is waiting to hand you your next assignment, now get back to work!

THIS IS THE YEAR YOU OVERCOME AND SURVIVE EVERY DISAPPOINTMENT!

“Disappointments are just God’s way of saying, ‘I’ve got something better.’ So be patient, have faith and live your life.” (Author Unknown)

“Disappointments are inevitable, Discouragement is a choice.” (Author Unknown)

“It is how you handle your disappointments that define you as a person. If you get up after the fall or just lay, there in defeat.” (Author Unknown)

“When you find your path, you must not be afraid. You need to have sufficient courage to make mistakes. Disappointments, defeat and despair are the tools God uses to show us the way.” (Paulo Coelho)

Blessings

J.P. Olson

www.thewordwithjpolson.org