Daryl Pint – Page 320

Excuses

Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire

We can all come up with excuses as to why we did or did not do something. When it comes to honoring and glorifying God in our everyday lives do we do the same thing. Do I look to His word daily to find strength? Do I search scripture to know more how to live as a humble servant doing what honors Him? Do I desire to be used by Him however He wants to use me? Am I able to keep the culture around me from diluting my relationship with God? Do I make time for Him in my life? I can find myself coming up with excuses everyday for each of these questions. I’m to busy, I’m tired, to much work to do, school actives, shopping, to cold, to hot, to…….. It is so easy to come up with excuses. Desire to change and choose to live with purpose to honor and glorify God.

Matthew 21:42
Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:
“‘The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
this was the Lord’s doing,
and it is marvelous in our eyes’?
Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits. And the one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.”
When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they perceived that he was speaking about them.

Luke 14:16
“A man once gave a great banquet and invited many. And at the time for the banquet he sent his servant to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready. ’ But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it. Please have me excused. ’ And another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to examine them. Please have me excused. ’ And another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come. ’ So the servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house became angry and said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor and crippled and blind and lame. ’ And the servant said, ‘Sir, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room. ’ And the master said to the servant, ‘Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled. For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste my banquet.

Isaiah 5:3
What more was there to do for my vineyard,
that I have not done in it?
When I looked for it to yield grapes,
why did it yield wild grapes

Brood of Vipers

And even when you saw it, you did not afterward change your minds and believe him.

I am at a loss to describe all of the thoughts that come to me about this, especially the comment “I go, Sir”. How many times do I say in my heart “I will follow you Lord” or “I give all of me and what I have to you” or “From this day forward I will….? In the end I give little or no effort to the commitment. Why is this? Don’t I long to be a good son of the heavenly father? Don’t I want to bring honor and glory to Him? If I am truthful much of the time me, myself and I have conflicting interests. It is not that I lose focus but rather chose my self interests over living to honor and glorify God. If my standards are set by what the culture expects from me rather than looking to God’s holiness it is very easy to slip into a state of mind where I give lip service and know committed action. God Forgive Me

Matthew 21:28
“What do you think? A man had two sons. And he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today. ’ And he answered, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he changed his mind and went. And he went to the other son and said the same. And he answered, ‘I go, sir,’ but did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. And even when you saw it, you did not afterward change your minds and believe him.

Luke 3:7
He said therefore to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruits in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father. ’ For I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham

Lukewarm Commitment

So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.

What is a life like that is lukewarm? I have to think partial commitment to listening to God is part of it. Do we look to His word everyday or just once per week when the pastor speaks? Living for God and knowing what He would have us do requires more than a glance at the gift he has given us in scripture. Each time we open His word there is a feeding to our soul. A new light for our life. God has purposed for us to live to honor and glorify Him. Knowing God is not a lukewarm commitment. How can God use us if we are not fully committed and willing to be used by Him? Choose to seek and know Him more. Choose a life that has purpose to honor and glorify Him over self.

Matther 21:23
“By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” Jesus answered them, “I also will ask you one question, and if you tell me the answer, then I also will tell you by what authority I do these things. The baptism of John, from where did it come? From heaven or from man?” And they discussed it among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him? ’ But if we say, ‘From man,’ we are afraid of the crowd, for they all hold that John was a prophet.” So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And he said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things

John 3:27
John answered, “A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven

1 Corinthians 4:7
What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it.

James 1:17
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures.

1 Peter 4:10
As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ

Revelation 3:15
“‘I know your works:you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked

Oh ye of Little Faith

And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.

Sometimes I wonder how I can say I know how to pray in Faith. Scripture says “God can do more than we ask and much more than we can imagine”. Definitely I have seen God answer many prayers but if I limit what I bring before God because I don’t feel worthy, or wondering if I am asking in line with His word or purpose I am limiting how active my faith is. How many times do I give up in my prayers because I don’t see them answered in a timeline I want. How many times do I fall into thinking that God is all powerful and has a plan and purpose for all things so why should I ask – His plan will be done with or without my prayer. So why pray? – Scripture says – We are encouraged to pray without ceasing. We are to pray for the lost, We are to pray for those who are sick. We are to pray for wisdom, We are to pray for healing of body and relationships. We are to pray for God’s leading. We are to pray that our eyes, ears, and heart will be open to this leading. We are to pray for our leaders. We are to pray for one another. We are to pray to grow and understand our dependance on God in our life. Do not limit what you bring before God – He can do more than we ask and much more than we can imagine – there is no room for doubting what God can do

Matthew 21:20
When the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, “How did the fig tree wither at once?” And Jesus answered them, “Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen. And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.

1 Corinthians 13:2
And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.
Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never ends

James 1:5
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double- minded man, unstable in all his ways

What is the Cost?

So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple

The question is asked from our heart at some point in our life – What is the cost of following Jesus Christ? We then come up with a list of do’s and don’ts, rights and wrongs, and perceived changes required in our life. The fact is there is no cost at all – it is all blessing. God our Father says come onto me all who are burdened and He will give us rest. He says He will never leave us or forsake us. He will guide our path. He will be our strength. He will prepare a place for us in heaven. He will fill our heart with peace, joy, hope, faith, love, mercy, grace, giving, strength……. and above all He will give us eternal life to be with Him forever. Give all of your life to Him for there is truly no eternal cost.

Matthew 19:29
And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first

Matthew 25:34
Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me. ’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink

Luke 14:33
So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple

Philippians 3:7
But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord

All Things Are Possible

With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.

I know I struggle at times with various trials and situations. Do you know what my first thoughts are? “How can I help make this better?” Or “Boy this really stinks” or “I’m not going to think about it” or “This person is a jerk” or “why can’t people just get along” or ………… Did you notice not once did the first thought come to me to take it to God. I am not sure why but my first instinct is to assess, plan, react. God forgive me in not only coming to you first but also having trust in you to handle whatever comes my way. Our lives would be so much better if we absolutely turned our issues over to God and sought His guidance first.

Matthew 19:23
And Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible

Genesis 18:14
Is anything too hard for the Lord

Job 42:2
“I know that you can do all things,
and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted

Jeremiah 32:17
‘Ah, Lord God! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you

Zachariah 8:9
Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Let your hands be strong, you who in these days have been hearing these words from the mouth of the prophets who were present on the day that the foundation of the house of the Lord of hosts was laid

Luke 1:37
For nothing will be impossible with God

All of me and All I have

Sometimes we get into a thought pattern that is all about getting more and more without the thought of giving more and more. Where is the limit on what we should give? How much of what God has blessed us with should we hoard? Doesn’t He want us to bless others with what He gives us? It is easy to think I have worked for something or I deserve something because of my effort. Yet in all of this is it not God who has given us abilities and opportunities to both think and do. Our treasure is still waiting for us in Heaven. Our life here should be one of humbly serving God. Learning to hear His quiet voice speak to our heart to give to those in need rather than to ourselves. We think giving 10% of what we make is good . In reality there is no percentage on what is expected – rather we should thankfully place it all in the hands of God and not limit our giving to a certain percent. Is it possible that we limit God into our lives because we close our ears and hearts to His leading when we hit 10%?

Matthew 19:20
What do I still lack?” Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

Acts 5:2
But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, and with his wife’s knowledge he kept back for himself some of the proceeds and brought only a part of it and laid it at the apostles ‘feet. But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land? While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to man but to God

Matthew 6:19
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also

Ezekiel 33:31
And they come to you as people come, and they sit before you as my people, and they hear what you say but they will not do it; for with lustful talk in their mouths they act; their heart is set on their gain

Ezekiel 8:18
Therefore I will act in wrath. My eye will not spare, nor will I have pity. And though they cry in my ears with a loud voice, I will not hear them

Divorce?

We live in a culture where marriage is not Holy or sanctioned by God. We must be careful on what influences our decisions. It is so easy for us to follow after what the culture around us approves of. Guard your heart. Let God be whom you follow in this world. In Proverbs 14:12 – “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death” I heard someone say this once “wrong is wrong even if everyone is doing it, and right is right if only one is doing it” Yesterday was a devotion on “Forgiveness” – how appropriate is it when looking at these verses? I love the words of an old hymn that says “Turn your eyes on Jesus, look full into His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace”

Matthew 19:3

And Pharisees came up to him and tested him by asking, “Is it lawful to divorce one’s wife for any cause?” He answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” They said to him, “Why then did Moses command one to give a certificate of divorce and to send her away?” He said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.

1 Corinthians 7:10
To the married I give this charge (not I, but the Lord): the wife should not separate from her husband (but if she does, she should remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband), and the husband should not divorce his wife.
To the rest I say (I, not the Lord) that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her. If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy

Hebrews 3:9
“Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion,
on the day of testing in the wilderness,
where your fathers put me to the test
and saw my works for forty years.
Therefore I was provoked with that generation,
and said, ‘They always go astray in their heart;
they have not known my ways. ’
As I swore in my wrath,
‘They shall not enter my rest. ’”
Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God

Why Forgive Others?

Every last one of us, or someone close to us has been wronged by someone. It will have happened from a stranger, wife, husband, mom, dad, brother, sister, extended family member, colleague, boss. and even us to others, etc…. No matter where it comes from it hurts and I think it hurts most when it comes from those closest to us. Yet scripture is very clear isn’t it – there is no limit on how many times we are to forgive. Our example on forgiveness is to be looked at from the side of understanding what God has done with us who have received His forgiveness. Our Holy God not only forgave us, but also the debt of sin was paid in full by His son. The act of Forgiveness only takes the action of one person. It is up to the individual alone to forgive even if the other person has no desire to reconcile. What would life be like if we were to forgive, forget, and show mercy and love to those who wrong us. Do you want to be a light to the world that sees no hope? Do you want to make a difference in the lives of those around you? Do you want to honor and glorify God? – Forgive those who have wronged you – Show the same grace, mercy and love God has given you!

Matthew 18:21
Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy- seven times “Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything. ’ And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay what you owe. ’ So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you. ’ He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt. When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place. Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you? ’ And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart

Probers 21:12
Whoever closes his ear to the cry of the poor
will himself call out and not be answered

James 2:13
For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy

Matthew 6:15
but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses

Who is the Greatest?

Pride has a way of entering our lives without us even noticing it. More than likely we can look at the last time we were upset and get a clear picture of our heart. It seems simple things will drive us up pride mountain where we take a stand and claim our right to whatever. We must examine our heart and intent constantly to ensure we walk a path of being humble. Sometimes we just don’t know where to start. Choose to desire to know God. Choose to listen to what He is telling your heart. Be obedient to where He is leading you. Pride enters into our lives when our focus is on ME, MYSELF, and I.

Matthew 18:1
At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

20:25
“You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many

23:11
The greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted

Proverbs 29:23
One’s pride will bring him low,
but he who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor

James 4:6
“God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.