Removing Mountains

Because You Are…

RemovingMountains — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 11:15:53 +0000

Mark 10:45
For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

John 12:26
Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.

I have been praying about how I should go about something. You see I gave my owner my notice last week. I have accepted an offer somewhere else.

On the surface my owner took it well, but underneath he said a few things that I found troubling. He has asked me to give him a few days of work when he gets back from his latest trip.

You see I have watched my owner take advantage of people. He has used their services but never paid them. He has found reasons to justify not paying them. I always figured that he would never do this to me as I always gave him 100%. But when we had our meeting, my owner said that we should have done this separation months ago. That my head just wasn't in the game and that I was only giving him 10% service.

That scared me. I saw the flicker of justification. I realized that perhaps he was justifying in his head a way not to pay my last check and certainly not pay me for the days I would come back and work.

So after praying I realized that I don't serve my owner. I serve Jesus Christ. And because I serve Jesus Christ I must do the right thing every time. I must serve others with honor and integrity. I must serve others even if they cheat me.

Why would I do this? Why would I go back knowing that I could be cheated?

2 corinthians 4

⁴ The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. ⁵ For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. ⁶ For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.

2 corinthians 5

¹⁶ So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer.

I will go back because I am a servant of Jesus Christ. I will go back because I know that the Devil has blinded the eyes of people. I will go back in hopes that I will be like a light shining in the darkness and perhaps my owner will see my service and see the glory of Christ. I will go back because I can no longer regard others from the worldly point of view with all their faults and how they may potentially treat me.

When we serve, we serve regardless of the costs. We must serve even if we know others will do us wrong. And we serve because Jesus said that the Father will honor the one who serves Him.

Whatever you do today, do it for the Lord. When the moment comes when you are offended or cheated, continue on as if you are serving the one and only.

Because you are….

God Knows Who You Are

RemovingMountains — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 10:32:31 +0000

Matthew 13:55
“Isn’t this the carpenter’s son?

We've been talking about God's desire to make His home with us.

And if God wants to make His home with us, than it would make sense that He would want to give us the keys to His kingdom and use us for special purposes.

Matthew 16:19
I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

That's funny you say. God wants to trust me with the kingdom of Heaven? Little old me? The insignificant me? The unfaithful me? The least of the least? I don't hardly even know how to live this life! I can't even do my job, my finances, my marriage correctly!

So lets look at who Jesus was, and who He decided to use.

Jesus was born into an ordinary family. His mother was no one special in the worlds eyes. His father was a poor carpenter. Jesus wasn't born into a upper class family, whose children were the special disciples of some famous rabbi. His parents barely scraped by probably.

When Jesus starts His amazing ministry, the leaders are like; Who is this guy? How does He know this stuff? How can He do these things? I mean – Isn't He just the carpenter's son?

Jesus picks ordinary regular guys to be His followers. Fisherman, tax collectors. Most not educated, and none what the establishment would call "men and women who will shape the future". None of these guys and gals would ever make Forbes top 50 most likely to succeed issue.

Yet, after Jesus goes to Heaven, He does choose one "member" of the echalon. He chooses Saul/Paul. He is a future great. He is someone destined to be the best of the best.

Here is the point, God doesn't care who we are in the worlds eyes. He KNOWS each of our hearts. He knows those of us that are really seeking to know the truth and waiting for the real God to stand up finally.

He knew Peter's heart and John's heart before He even spoke with them. Matthew may have been a tax collector by trade, certainly an undesireable practice, but Jesus knew that Matthew desired to be set free from his position, and be called by God for His purposes.

Paul may have been a member of the Sanhedren, set on destruction of Christianity, but Jesus knew that if Paul "got" the message, He would follow.

The world may say "who are you" to think you can be God's chosen vessel, but God is saying "hey you" come be my chosen vessel.

So here are the steps. Invite God in. Welcome Him into your home, ask Him to place the desire in your heart to get to really know Him. Ask Him to use you and to change you. Think of Him as your own private instructor. He will not only instruct you, but He will use you for His kingdom purposes.

God will not only come live with you, but He will indeed give you the keys to the kingdom of Heaven. It doesn't matter who you think you are or who the world thinks you are. God knows who you are.