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Eternal Vineyard

21 Feb

Eternal Vineyard

Matthew  ​20:​8​

“So when evening had come, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, ‘Call the laborers and give them their wages, beginning with the last to the first.’

I would not even know where to begin to describe the strains of running a business. God has placed me out of work for five weeks now, depleting funds rapidly, yet providing incredibly. He has laid a vision on my heart and is beginning to provide for it. In the midst of this incredible storm, with people close to me questioning my decisions, I have the peace of God and see the hand of God at work. I told someone yesterday that he is our CEO, I just manage the work he provides.

I read the parable of the workers in the vineyard this morning (Matthew 20:1-16). Much of the context of the parable is how the Jews were called first, then the Gentiles. All were called by the Gospel into the kingdom of heaven. Matthew Henry put it, “Till we are hired into the service of God, we are standing all the day idle: a sinful state, though a state of drudgery to Satan, may be called a state of idleness. The market-place is the world, and from that we are called by the gospel. Come, come from this market-place.” Everything in this world desires to take your eyes off God. When he calls you through the power of the gospel, your are called out of this world into his vineyard. You are called to focus on the reward of your wages in heaven. An eternal focus will produce a great heavenly reward. One that continues to focus on the world, even after being called by the gospel, receives the warning found in, Matthew​ 20​:16​ So the last will be first, and the first last. For many are called, but few chosen.”

Nothing in this world matters except how you use the knowledge of the Gospel each day. Does your love for your Savior exude from your daily life, or is Sunday the only time people think you are a Christian? You will bow before God one day and he will ask you what you did with the knowledge of his Son that died for you. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians​ 2​:9-11 My prayer is that the gospel has so stirred your heart, that your every day you are hard at work in an eternal vineyard. Every thing, every day, every day you live can be used to draw glory to the One who provides you the opportunity to live in eternal paradise.

 
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Posted by on February 21, 2015 in Daily Devotions

 

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Matthew Henry commentary

18 Feb

I have been studying this morning for Sunday’s message on Philippians 2:12-13. I thought this commentary by Matthew Henry was so good, I decided to share it with you. Take your time to read it, there is a LOT there.

Phiippians 2:12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.

 

He exhorts them to diligence and seriousness in the Christian course: Work out your own salvation. It is the salvation of our souls (1 Pt. 1:9 ), and our eternal salvation (Heb. 5:9 ), and contains deliverance from all the evils sin had brought upon us and exposed us to, and the possession of all good and whatsoever is necessary to our complete and final happiness. Observe, It concerns us above all things to secure the welfare of our souls: whatever becomes of other things, let us take care of our best interests. It is our own salvation, the salvation of our own souls. It is not for us to judge other people; we have enough to do to look to ourselves; and, though we must promote the common salvation (Jude. 3, ) as much as we can, yet we must upon no account neglect our own. We are required to work out our salvation, katergazesthe. The word signifies working thoroughly at a thing, and taking true pains. Observe, We must be diligent in the use of all the means which conduce to our salvation. We must not only work at our salvation, by doing something now and then about it; but we must work out our salvation, by doing all that is to be done, and persevering therein to the end. Salvation is the great thing we should mind, and set our hearts upon; and we cannot attain salvation without the utmost care and diligence. He adds, With fear and trembling, that is, with great care and circumspection: “Trembling for fear lest you miscarry and come short. Be careful to do every thing in religion in the best manner, and fear lest under all your advantages you should so much as seem to come short,’’ Heb. 4:1 . Fear is a great guard and preservative from evil.II. He urges this from the consideration of their readiness always to obey the gospel: “As you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, v. 12. You have been always willing to comply with every discovery of the will of God; and that in my absence as well as presence. You make it to appear that regard to Christ, and care of your souls, sway more with you than any mode of showing respect whatsoever.’’ They were not merely awed by the apostle’s presence, but did it even much more in his absence. “And because it is God who worketh in you, do you work out your salvation. Work, for he worketh.’’ It should encourage us to do our utmost, because our labour shall not be in vain. God is ready to concur with his grace, and assist our faithful endeavours. Observe, Though we must use our utmost endeavours in working out our salvation, yet still we must go forth, and go on, in a dependence upon the grace of God. His grace works in us in a way suitable to our natures, and in concurrence with our endeavours; and the operations of God’s grace in us are so far from excusing, that they are intended to quicken and engage our endeavours. “And work out our salvation with fear and trembling, for he worketh in you.’’ All our working depends upon his working in us. “Do not trifle with God by neglects and delays, lest you provoke him to withdraw his help, and all your endeavours prove in vain. Work with fear, for he works of his good pleasure.’’—To will and to do: he gives the whole ability. It is the grace of God which inclines the will to that which is good: and then enables us to perform it, and to act according to our principles. Thou hast wrought all our works in us, Isa. 26:12 . Of his good pleasure. As there is no strength in us, so there is no merit in us. As we cannot act without God’s grace, so we cannot claim it, nor pretend to deserve it. God’s good will to us is the cause of his good work in us; and he is under no engagements to his creatures, but those of his gracious promise.

 
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Posted by on February 18, 2014 in Daily Devotions

 

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Heavenly Bricks

11 Dec

Heavenly Bricks

John 14:1-4   “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. 4 And where I go you know, and the way you know.”

Jesus was with his disciples after the Last Supper. He had just told them of the trouble that was to come to all of them. He had pointed to their failures to him, and he had pointed to his death. He had dismissed Judas Iscariot from them to start act of his capture, and all that comes with it. The disciples were greatly troubled and discouraged. Matthew Henry has a great commentary on how Christ knew the weight of what troubled them. John 14 is a discourse of encouragement to them, and us all. The pathways, and promises of the Holy Spirit, and the treasures in heaven.

How many deep things can God enlighten you with in these opening scriptures? The entire tone is set is the opening verse, don’t worry, just believe. There are likely roads to go down into theology of the representations of these mansions, but it is as simple as it’s literal meaning; you have a house built in heaven for you by God. Can you grasp how glorious that is? God could prepare us a 10×10 room that would outshine any 10K square foot mansion of today. We cannot fathom what awaits us in heaven; we cannot fathom what our individual dwelling may be. 1 Corinthians 2:9 But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”

What if your life’s dedication for your short time here, was relative to your heavenly mansion? How the sinner saved at the cross compared to Billy Graham? We all enter unto paradise, but what if? We are all called to work out our faith; James 2:18 But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. Christ last words to us in the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20) were to go and make disciples, to put feet on our faith. Being a disciple of Christ demands action, work if you will. We are not saved by it, but called to it. Is your house going to be one made of hay and stubble, or one made of heavenly brick?

 
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Posted by on December 11, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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What is a Fast? Huh?

25 Nov

This is a re-post from this date last year………really been on my mind.

What is a Fast? Huh?

25 Nov

What is a Fast? Huh?

Matthew 6:16-18   “Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 17 But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18 so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.

Have you ever heard of Fasting? It has not been but a few short years ago that I had not either. Since then my eyes have been opened to a way to draw closer to God. There are mixed views on Fasting in today’s religions; but I personally attest of the power of extended Fasting. A Fast is simply denying yourself the pleasure of food as a means to draw closer to God. There are daily Fasts also, but they lack the benefit of the cleansing of an extended Fast. It takes a 7-10 days for your body to purge all the preservatives that are in everything you put into your body daily. Matthew Henry said, “It is an act of self-denial, and mortification of the flesh, a holy revenge upon ourselves, and humiliation under the hand of God. The most grown Christians must hereby own, they are so far from having any thing to be proud of, that they are unworthy of their daily bread. It is a means to curb the flesh and the desires of it, and to make us more lively in religious exercises, as fulness of bread is apt to make us drowsy.” Once you get over the withdrawals, that is where you find God.

Fasting was a large part of the culture at the time of Christ. Very ritualistic, religious Fasts set on calendars as part of ceremonies. Private Fasting was done also, but many of the Pharisee’s would draw attention to themselves during these Fasts, and that was what Christ was condemning. A private Fast is just between you and God. In Matthew 6, much is spoke about the private time with God and the rewards that come of it. Matthew 6:6 But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. Prayer is a central theme in Fasting and where you go when the hunger pains come. You will naturally draw closer to God as a result of the increase in prayer to Him. Your sensitivity to God and the things of God will become heightened; you will see many things in a different light.

We have all heard the scripture of faith and prayer that can move mountains. Prior to that scripture, Christ had just freed a child of a demon spirit that His disciples were not able to do. Christ had rebuked them for their lack of faith. Matthew 17:20 So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. 21 However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.” If you have a mountain in your life, consider a Fast to draw closer to God for that ability to move that which seems immoveable.

 
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Posted by on November 25, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Buy me some happy?

20 Nov

Buy me some happy?

James 4:1-3  Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? 2 You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.

Yesterday was a rough day; a Monday is the easiest explanation. Things just seemed to not go as planned all day long; plans got changed all day long; things planned did not get accomplished; the list goes on. This creates an inner battle with me, a battle of anxieties many times. A battle that grows underneath the surface of the tasks of the day. I even found myself wanting to buy something to feel good, or to reward myself for all my hard work as I thought. I wanted to buy myself some “happy”. We all have most likely been down that road. Yesterday it created a war in my mind that continued until I went to bed. The only way to escape this battle seemed to be sleep.

Much of James 4 is speaking to the dissension in the early church. Dissension divides, and Satan smiles at the division. I personally know of this; my family was divided over church at a very young age, and I still carry that weight. I find myself today in many of the same struggles, of our place of worship is divided among its members. Matthew Henry states; “What is sheltered and shrouded under a specious pretence of zeal for God and religion often comes from men’s pride, malice, covetousness, ambition, and revenge.” OUCH. The world is coming into the church more than the church is going out into the world. I could take that money I did not have to spend anyway, and spend it on someone who truly does not have; to show them the love of Christ in a world far from Christ.

I am so tired. So tired of all the selfishness of society; so tired of all the materialism of the place where God has me currently. I found myself yesterday drifting back into the desires of the flesh. I see all that is around me and still somewhere inside me I still want. This war is a war of ourselves, a war of body and soul. Galatians 5:17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. These wars of self creep into our lives in so many ways; leading so many decisions and discussions. As I gave my testimony this weekend, the root of it is pride. God is still working on me and showing me how much of it still exists. I pray that no matter how painful   it becomes, He still continues to break down me in that realm.

 
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Posted by on November 20, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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Ain’t Done Yet

02 Jun

Ain’t Done Yet

Philippians 1:6  being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;

Project 639, section 4, article 6b – status – in process, uncompleted. Do you have a “to do” list like that? Projects started, improvements or repairs made, yet lacking completion? Dana could write a book on mine. What if your life was like that in God’s eyes? Once you believe in His Son and you accept the Grace you have been given, He has begun that work in you. John 6:29 Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.” The first part of that ‘project’ is the accepting of Christ as the Savior of your soul, and the Grace that God has bestowed upon you. Grace is a free gift of something you don’t deserve, and surely are not ‘entitled’ to. Ephesians 2:1 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins.

Matthew Henry said, “ The work of grace is but begun in this life; it is not finished here; as long as we are in this imperfect state there is something more to be done.” So much of this work rests on and builds our faith. Our faith is the evidence of the hope and peace we possess now, and the security of the future we have with Christ. This building of our faith is a work of God and it will and should grow until Christ returns for us. Is there something in this world that is hindering your faith and Christian growth? Remove it; it is that simple. Let God grow you by removing those things that keep your relationship from growing with Him. Even in the trials of life He is at work in you. Rejoice in that work! Romans 12:12 rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer. God will never start something and not complete it for He is a God of perfection and cannot lie. That includes you, once you find rest in His Grace and let him do His work.

 
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Posted by on June 2, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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Take Root

10 Feb

I struggled with so many directions on this passage. The “on fire” Christian. The hypocritical Christian. The shallow Christian. The Christian that was full of pride and security in themselves and the rituals of religion. I pray that you will seek revelation of yourselves through prayer regarding these verses. We all can easily fall in many of these traps, and that comes from a very prideful man that Christ has been chipping away, and chipping away at the root of pride in my stony ground.

Matthew 13:5-6     Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth. But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away.

We all have heard of the term “On Fire” Christians. Someone whom has typically experienced a radical conversion and is eager to spread their good news. Many times we later begin to wonder what happened to them, and where they are now. That would be an easy description of someone who’s was fed the seed on stoney ground. Outwardly we appear to have good faith, but deep inside we are hard hearted and full of pride. Matthew Henry said “hardness prevails in the heart, and what there is of soil and softness is only in the surface.”

But what about those of us whom consider ourselves to have good root, and yet don’t water and nourish with the Word as we should any seed. Verse 21 says “ yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles. Much of the Christian life is described as a race, and the endurance to finish the race. “let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.” (Hebrews 12:1)  We can’t quit when the trials of life come, and they will come. We must hold true to the seed that is placed in us upon Salvation. Christ is the seed, and the root that takes place in our heart.

 
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Posted by on February 10, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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Now I lay me 01/24/12

26 Jan

We are always in a hurry, to work, to bed, to the next thing. We don’t have time to pray….Satan gets a victory in that thought and action. He wants to keep us from praying for he understands the power that lies within us when we pray. Have you ever noticed that when you open your bible, or you start to pray a distraction immediately comes? That really is no coincidence, that is your enemy hard at work to keep you from deepening your relationship with your heavenly Father. Press on through that distraction, or immediately after it is resolved with renewed vigor as a result of the distraction. Just talk to God……and then be still and listen to that small voice deep inside you.

Now I lay me

Matthew 7:7     Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

How often do you pray? How often do you seek the things of God through meditation and prayer? Is it simply the routine blessing at meal times, and the effortless “now I lay me down” type prayer in the evenings? It is so easy to say we pray regularly, but how would those close regard us if we spoke to them the same way?  God has prepared us for much more than that. I must confess that I am not an elegant prayer person myself, but yet I pour my heart out to God in my simple prayers.

Matthew Henry said “Pray; pray often; pray with sincerity and seriousness; pray, and pray again; make conscience of prayer, and be constant in it; make a business of prayer, and be earnest in it. Ask, as a beggar asks alms.” Prayer is not asking what God can do for you, it is not asking what we can do for God. Prayer is the alignment of our lives, into God’s Will for our lives. Prayer takes us to God, and even when we cannot find the words, the Holy Spirit inside us will utter the words only God can hear for us. Prayer is the most feared tool of Satan, and the power that resides in you through Christ is available only when you humble yourself and talk to God….daily.

 
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Posted by on January 26, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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Great Law of Discipleship 01/10/12

26 Jan

This is one of the scriptures that have “haunted” me the past few years. After God began His work in me, and feeling the tug of some sort of ministry, I too began to count the cost. It is very humbling in so many ways.

Great Law of Discipleship

Luke 14:33     So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.

What is the cost? In any endeavor or any expense, you typically weigh the cost. Homes, cars, appliances, food, you get the idea. What we are asking is, what do we receive, and what do we forsake, to move forward. Cause and effect. What is being asked here is really, what is more important to you. What you possess, what you will loose, and what you will gain.

Matthew Henry calls this portion of scripture the Great Law of Discipleship.  Have you felt God working in you? I have counted the cost, which are great. His Word tells us it will be a road full of persecution. It will come at a high cost. But once you feel it, you can’t deny it, you can’t hide it, you possess it.

There is security in remaining still.

There is Faith in forsaking all and moving forward.

 
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Posted by on January 26, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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