Trusting God through every season, prayer, and the daily walk of worship.
The Bible in our key text today tells us that believers have totally changed. What they were before conversion and what they are now is no longer the same. Because of the gospel and conversion, believers who were previously low rated are now highly rated. The gospel improves your ratings in society!
Our preaching in the past has lifted up wisdom and eloquence. Our choice of preachers in the past has lifted up wisdom and eloquence. Our celebration of preachers we love has shown that we prefer wisdom and eloquence. Ultimately the gospel has become a casualty as we prefer great preachers to the gospel. Our worship events and meetings seem to be in need of wisdom and eloquence more than the gospel. Consequently amongst us, the gospel has lost its power. The best preachers have killed the gospel?
Intelligence is not a result of only wide reading or genetic advantage from parents. Intelligence is also a result of conversion and faithfulness to Jesus. If you are faithful to God and are hardworking, God will give you mental abilities you never thought you ever possessed. If you abandon God you lose them. Faithfulness to God maintains your mental competence. The knowledge of God boosts our intelligence!
Why does Paul say obedience comes from faith? Do Christians need obedience? Obedience to what? Isn’t faith enough for a believer? Why should faith give birth to obedience? If faith doesn’t give birth to obedience it seems it may be fake faith. What does Paul mean when he tells us that obedience comes from faith?
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!