The blessings

Friends,

What the LORD has given to you, is yours.
What the LORD has not given to you, is not.

This seems so simple, so basic. Yet, we know that ignoring this fundamental principle has resulted in so much pain, so much destruction and so much strife. So let us be reminded:

Exodus 20:17 [NKJV]
You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.

To covet is to to desire wrongfully, inordinately, or without due regard for the rights of others. Notice that desire, in and of itself, is not a sin. But when desire is unrestrained by the acknowledge that we have no right to the object of our desire, it is clearly forbidden.

Has the LORD called another to a ministry you had your set upon?
Has God blessed another with wealth while you toil for what seems like a pittance?
Has your neighbor found the godly husband you have been dreaming of and praying for?

Do not covet these things. Recognize the blessing you have.

Be encouraged, Jose

Coming glory

Friends,

What we encounter here is not a preview. This world is filled with hate and rage that is intentionally directed at Christ and His followers. We see more and more evidence of what has been the case since the moment the enemy stood ready to devour the Child of God (Rev 12:4).

Jesus knew that we might question the point of all this suffering and persecution. And, because He is a wise leader, He answers this fundamental question ...

Matthew 19:27-28 [NKJV]
Then Peter answered and said to Him, See, we have left all and followed You. Therefore what shall we have?
So Jesus said to them, Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

What we encounter in this world will not last. It is passing. It is difficult, painful, and frustrating. But it is not eternal.

Our place, seated in the throne of Christ, is eternal. It has no end. And it is glorious.

Be encouraged, Jose

In the company of Christ

Friends,

Things go wrong in every man's life. But where do you turn? Do you retreat to the comfortable confines of the natural man? Or do you have the courage to go the family of Christ?

Proverbs 27:10 [NKJV]
Do not forsake your own friend or your father’s friend,
Nor go to your brother’s house in the day of your calamity;
Better is a neighbor nearby than a brother far away.

The family of Christ, in its current form, is yet being perfected. But it is headed by the Perfect Man.

The Lord Jesus has never erred in judgment, has only loved completely, and has never failed to comfort, strengthen and encourage. And if we place ourselves in the company of believers, then the love that Christ delivers is never far away.

Be encouraged, Jose

Be grounded in love

Friends,

The prayers of the brethren are timeless. The stretch into the future, and echo through the past.

Ephesians 3:17 [NKJV]
... that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love,

In his letter to the church at Ephesus, the apostle Paul - our brother in Christ - declares his prayer that our lives, our walk and our every act grow out of the love of Christ. He prayed for the church nearly 2,000 years ago. And his prayer is being answered still today.

Be encouraged, Jose

Ministry's Source

Friends,

We have several friends who minister in what one might call an official capacity to the Body of believers. Over time, each has wrestled with the big questions of ministry... Is the ministry effective? Am I doing the best I can?

But these are not the most important questions. The most critical issue every believer must confront is this:
Am I doing what God wants me to do?

Ephesians 3:6b-7 [NKJV] ... emphasis added
His promise in Christ through the gospel, of which I became a minister according to the gift of the grace of God given to me by the effective working of His power.

No ministry belongs to man. All belong to the LORD. Whether the work is done under the auspices of a recognized organization - like a church or a mission - or not, the work is assigned according to the will of God.

Every believer must ... daily ... pray that the LORD direct his steps (He promises to do so) in the path the advances the Kingdom of God. Then we will recognize that His will is being done.

Be encouraged, Jose