Christ

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Mistake – #3

Today’s devo is coming to you from Daniel Springs church camp.

Something I’ve noticed is that people like to blame others for their mistakes. I’ve especially notice it in today’s youth.

To blame someone else is an attempt to keep you from making a mistake. But it is a bigger mistake than the original. In fact, now you have made two mistakes.

Gen 16: 5 Then Sarai said to Abram, “My wrong be upon you! I gave my maid into your embrace; and when she saw that she had conceived, I became despised in her eyes. The Lord judge between you and me.”

Abram can be accused of going into Hagar so the she would conceive but that was only at Sarai’s request.

Your sin cannot be blamed on someone else. This tactic was first used in Eden when Adam blamed God and Eve for his mistake.
Eve then blamed the serpent.
The serpent had no one else to blame.

It is written that we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. 2 Cor 5:10

You can blame all you like but there is no one to blame but yourself.

When you accept Jesus as your Savior, He takes all the blame on Himself for you.
That is a great feeling knowing that in Christ and before God I am blameless for my mistakes.

In Jesus name, accept the Lord as Savior. YES&AMEN

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Here is your reward!

You walk into a business and see a notice taped to the window. There’s a picture of the cure little dog and the words “lost” and “reward”.

As you leave the store and drive home you are surprised to see a dog running loose that amazingly favors the one you saw on the window.

You stop and gently speak to the little dog. It wags his tail and slowly comes to you. You pick up the dog and place him in your lap. He licks you and happily settles down while you drive home.

You call the number you saw on the poster in the window. The owner meets you, thanks you over and over and wants to give you $50 for finding the dog.

You hesitate to take it but the owner insists! It is your reward.

Heb 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

Abram was definitely a man of faith. But even people of faith can have those moments of doubt. God assurance to Abram –

Gen 15:1 “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.”

God, Himself, is your reward.

He rewards with forgiveness. Eph 1:7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.

He rewards with salvation. Rom 10:9-1o if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

He rewards with eternal life. 1 John 2:25 And this is the promise that He has promised us — eternal life.

Abba, I found You and I am rewarded. YES&AMEN

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Cheerful Giving & Grateful Getting!

Luke 6:38 Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.

I was filling the lawn mower with gas the other day. The liquid gurgled right up to the cap. I put the gas can down and went to put the cap back on but my knee bumped the back of the mower and the fuel in the tank burped and the level lowered.

I picked the gas can back up and poured a little more gas while shaking the lawn mower. I got all the trapped air bubbles out that I could to assure a full tank of gas.

Shaking settles things and can allow ingredients and small particles to move closer together allowing for the most volume of the substance. Pressing and packing it down can often achieve the same result.

Jesus says that when you give, you will receive back and it’s been shaken, pressed, and packed down to give you the most!

Jesus wants you to have more than you can handle – not just packed to the top but overflowing!

Cheerful giving leads to grateful getting! And the more you receive – the more you will be able to give.

Abba Father, I believe Your word but sometimes I don’t have faith in it. Increase my faith, in Jesus’ name. YES&AMEN

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Hard Work and Cheerfulness

2 Cor 9:7 God loves a cheerful giver.

I experience it. My children experienced it – the act of giving.

When I grew up and could buy and give a gift. I felt so good to buy my parents or Linda’s parents something for anniversaries, birthdays, and Christmas.

My children have felt the same joy with giving to us.

The ability to give comes with hard work and talent; the harder you work, the more you earn, the more you can give.

He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 2 Cor 9:6
In the world of agriculture it takes hard work to sow bountifully – to plant many seeds. It’s easy to plant one or two seeds and gather the harvest from them. It’s easy to keep the weeds away from one or two.

Plant an acre of seeds and it’s a totally different story. You will have to work hard to plant and to keep invasive predators and plants under control. You will work hard to gather the harvest but what a bountiful harvest you will have.

You have worked very hard and have more than you need. What a joy to give to someone else! You have become a cheerful giver.

And so it should be in church. You work hard to earn your pay but what a joy it is to give and see your church prosper and change the community. What joy to see your missionaries be blessed by your giving.

You become the cheerful giver.

Abba, though the sacrifice of Your Son has cost you much and it must have grieved You so – You must also have great joy at the response of sinners that have found the forgiveness in what was done. I for one thank You for giving. I pray I may do the same for others – give of myself. In Jesus’ name, YES&AMEN

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The Heart of Giving

Gen 14:20 And he gave him a tithe of all.

Tithing is a hot, debatable topic in the church. Some say it was Law and therefore Christians are not bound to it; this despite the fact that Abram giving tithe to Melchizedek was before the Law.

Giving is not mandated by a law – giving comes from the heart and a need to help someone.

In my research on the subject one commentator said that Abram did not tithe to Melchizedek of his own resources but with the spoils he took in the rescue of Lot.
The Bible does affirm this but can you make it a legitimate excuse not to tithe because of it?

Years later, Abraham’s grandson, Jacob said, “…of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You.” Gen 28:22
His decision also predated any law to do so.
His decision was also based on the resources God would bless him with.

There is no easy answer to whether you believe in tithing or not. You either do or you don’t.

Despite the fact that it’s in the Law, do you think God would demand less of His people today – the people He fills with His own Holy Spirit?
If God demanded 10% from His people under the Law – do you think He would now be happy with you giving 1% under Christ?
Does God move backward or forward?
Does He lower His standards or raise them?

There is more to be said and so I shall.

Abba, I ask for guidance in giving. You have abundantly blessed and I should never be stingy or greedy with what wasn’t mine to begin with. I am just a steward. In Jesus’ name, YES&AMEN

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Let Christ bring us together!

Heb 7:21-22 “The Lord has sworn and will not relent, You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek'”), by so much more Jesus has become a surety of a better covenant.

Many believe that Melchizedek is the pre-incarnate Jesus making an appearance in the Old Testament. As one commenter to the blog said, “I have heard it said that Melchizedek was Jesus in the flesh. Maybe, maybe not!”

I, personally, think not. I lean more toward Shem.

Perhaps the author of Hebrews does the same. The scripture mentions the order of Melchizedek and the better covenant of Jesus. It seems to me that if they were one in the same the writer of Hebrews could have indicated it in this verse.

Whether you believe it’s Shem, the pre-incarnate Christ, or a totally different individual, do not let it divide you from others that believe differently.

Melchizedek is not the real issue – Jesus is!

Christ brings all of us together. Man-made ideas divide and separate.

For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men? 1 Cor 3:3

Abba, there is much about Your word I do not know completely or understand. But I know what Jesus has done for me and it seems sufficient. YES&AMEN

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What an honor

Heb 7:1-3 For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God… without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, remains a priest continually.

Imagine meeting someone that actually fought in the Battle of Gettysburg. What an honor it would be.

Or what if you could talk to your great-great-great grandparents, the ones that came to America from the “old country”?

What if you could meet someone that saw the world before the great flood – a survivor of the ark?

Though I cannot prove it, I think this is who Abram met. His great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandfather; one that helped build the ark and lived on it for over a year. He was there to see the corrupted world of men that God was going to destroy. He was there when the rain began and the fountains of the deep spewed forth. He saw the raven fly off and the dove return.

Shem was born 100 years before the flood began and died only 30 years before Abram (Abraham), who lived to be 175.
So at this point Shem is alive and it is very possible that he and his greatX7 grandson met.

He has no father or mother. Noah died 2 years before Abram was born. He has no genealogy because the old pre-flood world is long gone and the genealogy of Genesis hasn’t been written. Moses would do that over 400 years later.

Abram paid homage to a man that was a king and priest of the Most High God and was kin to him. As I said, I cannot prove it and if you believe differently I’m not going to debate because whatever you believe about Melchizedek probably cannot be proved either.

Abba, Your word is often mysterious and has the power to divide soul and spirit but also the minds of people. But the blood of Jesus brings us all right back together. Praise the name of Jesus’ for this healing on Your people. YES&AMEN

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Giving

Gen 14:20 And he gave him a tithe of all.

It is one of the most difficult things for most Christians to do – tithing.

In fact, many Christians don’t believe in the practice stating as their reason that tithing was part of the law.

That is not the case. Tithing predates the law by at over 400 years.

There was no law that commanded Abram to give a tenth of everything to Melchizedek – but he did.
Abram did this out of the joy in his heart to give.

Had Abram received anything from the king and priest of Salem?
Certainly he received and accepted the communion between them, symbolized by the bread and wine. And he accepted the blessing that Melchizedek spoke.

When we receive the Communion of God (the body and blood of the Savior) for ourselves and then accept the blessing of God, then joy should be the motivation to give from the heart!

Abba, I fail in this area in so many ways – giving! Giving to you and to others in true need. Yet I have never turned down any of Your blessings for me. I repent of my shortcomings and seek Your help to overcome it. In Jesus’ name, YES&AMEN