We are understood when we introduce ourselves by what we do daily. What if we introduced ourselves by what we do for God and His church, won’t we be understood much better? Once our profession is clear, others know how to engage us and we become useful to them because we are known for what we do for the money. What if we were also known for what we do for God? Can you describe yourself using your God-given assignment?
God answers this prayer and the Bible records it as mercy. Nobody deserves mercy. If you deserve it, it is no longer mercy but a right. Mercy is never a right. Mercy is at the discretion of the one showing mercy. To be shown mercy suggests that we were guilty and deserved punishment. You can’t show mercy to a person who is holy, perfect, and ever right.
Has anything negative been said about you and you feel helpless? Be comforted, God heard it. Have you said anything negative about someone and you made them feel vulnerable and you are invincible? Be very worried, God heard it. God will turn tables and those who pride in evil will cry into eternity. What was said about you will change!
God had decided to end the stinging food shortage in Samaria. The unbelief of one person was not about to stop God from accomplishing His good purpose. God still ended the food shortage, but the unbelieving man died without experiencing what he doubted. Unbelief will affect us but it can’t stop God!
Clearly, from scripture, it seems God hates “idle-atry” or being idle. Ecclesiastes tells us to be busy even when we have finished the main business of the day. Even during holidays and breaks from work and school, get busy doing something productive. God will bless what you are busy doing and will answer your prayer while you are busy. Miraculous blessings are reserved for the busy!
Bad things can happen to us because we are bad people, or we are in a bad place, or both. When we are bad, bad things happen to us, as punishment and God’s displeasure. However, bad things can also happen because we are in a world of sin, we are in a bad place. Zechariah and Elizabeth were not bad people, but they were in a bad place, a world of sin. Because we are all in a world of sin which is a bad place, bad things can happen to any of us whether we are good or bad. Even good people can have bad experiences!
While in the wilderness it seemed that Jesus was alone with the wild animals. At times during temptation, it seems everyone has abandoned us. While it is true that Jesus was alone without any human support, He was not alone. While it is true that people can abandon us and they really do, but God though not visible never abandons us. In our text, today the Bible tells us that angels were attending to Jesus. In the lonely and fearful wilderness, angels attended to Jesus and they still attend to us. Tempted after affirmation but perfectly attended to.
Many things boggle our minds. These are women in our religious standards we wouldn’t think deserve anything. Foreigners! Widows! Prostitute! We wouldn’t allow them to even sing in the choir. We would totally deny them religious joy, believing we are doing God a service. Yet the people we are vehemently denying access to religion are the people God prefers. This is the mind-boggling story of three women in two texts!
The Bible is full of evidence that God is great even beyond the borders of Israel. God went to Egypt a foreign powerful land and saved His people. God went to the Philistine territory through Samson and crushed them. When Philistines stole the Ark and took it to their country, God did miracles, they became afraid and returned it. God sent Jonah to Nineveh and proved to be great even in that ruthless scary foreign country. God performed miracles in Babylon through Daniel, Shadrack, Meshack, and Abednego. There is enough evidence that God is great even beyond the borders of Israel!