To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna…
— Revelation 2:17

Right now you may feel that insurmountable odds are arrayed against you. However, let me assure you that you are not the first person to feel this way. If you stay in faith and refuse to budge, it’s only a matter of time until you will outlast the attacks of your enemy, the devil. This is God’s promise to you as a believer! Furthermore, if you are steadfastly committed to overcome, Christ promises special supernatural nourishment for the battle. That’s what I want to talk to you about today — supernatural nourishment for those who are overcomers!

This subject is so rich that it will take two Sparkling Gems for me to cover it fully, so stay with me today and tomorrow on this topic. Believe me, if you need strength in the midst of the fight of faith — whether it is spiritual, physical, mental, or emotional — God has supernatural nourishment that He will provide you. All He requires is that you draw near to His table to feed on the supernatural sustenance He longs to give you.

There is no better way for me to begin this subject than to go right to the words of Christ in Revelation 2:17. In that verse, Jesus addressed believers who were facing many obstacles that they needed to overcome — including unsaved relatives, friends, associates, and coworkers who didn’t understand their new faith and who antagonized them for being different. He was very aware of the extreme difficulties they were facing — just as He is aware of the challenges faced by every believer in every age, including your own. To each believer who stands fast in the faith and refuses to give up, Jesus promises, “To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna…”

Today I want us to look at what it means to “overcome.” The word “overcometh” comes from the Greek word nikao. It refers to a victor, a champion, or one who possesses some type of superiority, and it can be translated to conquer, to defeat, to master, to overcome, to overwhelm, to surpass, or to be victorious. This word was often used in Greek literature to portray athletes who had mastered their sport and ultimately reigned supreme as champions in the games. It could also describe a military victory of one foe against the other.

The word nikao denotes a complete victory over the opposition that Christians were facing on all fronts. By using this word, Jesus was calling upon those early believers to rise up like a mighty spiritual army to defeat the enemies that threatened them on every side.

Today Jesus is calling you to rise up like a mighty warrior as well! And He isn’t just calling you to do it — He provides the strength you need to do it phenomenally.

Winning the victory in a battle requires the greatest level of commitment and determination. This is true in natural war, and it is true in the spiritual realm. In order to receive an overcomer’s reward, the early believers whom Jesus addressed in Revelation 2:17 had to pay the price to overcome.

It is also important to note that the tense of the Greek word translated “overcometh” in this verse speaks of a continuous action. It isn’t acceptable to win a single battle but then lose the war because of a slack, unguarded attitude. Christ was calling on believers to continuously remain victorious. He was admonishing them, as He does each of His children up to the present day, to be permanently and consistently undeterred in their efforts to overcome and to obtain a lasting victory over sin in their lives.

Jesus still calls on us all to be overcomers. This is imperative for us to understand. It is to be our continual and unrelenting goal to maintain our victorious stance in every possible sphere of life as long as we are on this earth. And for us who are in the process of overcoming — when it seems that we’ve given all we have and that no more strength remains — Christ promises to nourish us with “manna.”

To understand the special significance of this imagery, it is necessary to recall what is known about manna from the Old Testament. That is what we will look at in tomorrow’s Sparkling Gem. Today I want to ask you: What obstacles are you facing right now that Christ is urging you to overcome? Is it a personal challenge that no one knows about but the Lord? Is it a family matter, job problem, financial difficulty, health issue, or relational issue? Is it something you are fighting in your mind? Or are you in the process of overcoming a sin or habit that has encumbered your life for a long time?

Regardless of the obstacle that challenges you, turn to Jesus Christ! He overcame everything in life, and He understands every fight and foe you face. By His Spirit, He will empower you to stand strong until the fight is won. Not only that, He will give you the fortitude to maintain the victory once it has been achieved. He’s not interested in you merely winning a skirmish; He wants you to win the final victory and maintain that victory once it is achieved. And as you will see in tomorrow’s Sparkling Gem, if you’ll make the decision to overcome, He’ll provide supernatural nourishment to keep you strong all along the way!

MY PRAYER FOR TODAY


Father, You are calling me to live in overwhelming victory. Through You, I can be a conqueror who gains the mastery over all opposition. Forgive me for the times I focused more on the struggle opposing me than on the victory You have already won for me. I am a victor, not a victim. I realize that You want me to see myself as a victor, a champion, one who has completely defeated my enemies. You have made provision for me to continuously maintain that victory in my life through the Holy Spirit. I make an intentional decision to draw upon Your power in me. I’m willing and ready to jump in the fight and finish it to the end in the strength of Your might!

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

 

MY CONFESSION FOR TODAY


I confess that Christ calls me to overcome, and He gives me the power to do it. He would not ask me to do something I cannot do. But I can overcome only through the mighty power of the Holy Spirit, so I declare that I yield to the Person of the Holy Spirit who indwells me. I am a willing vessel for the Holy Spirit to release His supernatural power through me. He causes me to rise above my difficulties. His power enables me to put my foot on the enemy’s neck and command him to back down. The enemies I face hear my voice of authority and see my commitment — and as a result, they back off from their attack, because greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world!

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

 

QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO CONSIDER

  1. What immediately comes to mind as the big issue you are trying to overcome in your life right now? Is there an area in your life you’ve identified as an issue you need to focus on? Now that you’ve identified that issue, what specifically are you going to do about it?
  2. What issues that used to hamper your life have you already overcome? I’m talking serious issues from the past that are no longer a concern to you today. Don’t forget those victories! They will encourage you as you focus your faith on overcoming the current obstacles you’re facing.
  3. Is there any area of your life in which you gained victory but let it slip away from you over a period of time? What are you going to do to retake that area of your life and then sustain that victory from this time forward?

And when I [John] saw him [Christ], I fell at his feet as dead…
— Revelation 1:17

Over my years of serving God, I have noticed that often when people have encounters with God, they physically fall. Sometimes they fall forward, and at other times they fall backward. Still at other times, they simply collapse onto the ground. I have seen this in many meetings — and I experienced it as a young man. I can tell you, the experience was real.

My experience occurred the first time I ventured out from my Baptist church and attended a Pentecostal type of service. Just prior to that, I had been released from the hospital where I had been diagnosed with a kidney condition — one that I was born with — that was very serious. It was so serious that to try to correct it required surgery that was considered life-threatening. When the man praying for the sick in this Pentecostal meeting invited the sick to come forward, I went to the front to be prayed for, not having any idea what would happen.

When the minister laid his finger on my forehead, I felt the power of God come on me. My legs collapsed out from under me and I crumpled to the floor. I could feel the power of God radiating from one end of my body to the other end.

When I finally stood to my feet, I had been completely healed of the condition. That healing was later verified by my physician — and in the decades since that event occurred, I have never had a recurrence of that medical condition. I was supernaturally and permanently healed by the power of the Holy Spirit when I fell to the floor.

The Old and New Testaments tell of those who fell to the ground when they encountered the strong presence of God.

Let’s look at John’s experience on the island of Patmos. Revelation 1:17 says, “And when I [John] saw him [Christ], I fell at his feet as dead…” The word “fell” is from the Greek word pipto, which means to fall from an upright position. It is used occasionally to describe those who fall in battle — which, of course, could mean a falling forward or backward or a crumpling to the ground. In John’s case, he fell at Jesus’ feet.

Revelation 1:17 says that John fell as one “dead.” The word “dead” is the Greek word nekros, which is the word for a corpse. In other words, in one split second, it seemed that all the life had gone out of him, and he crumpled forward (pipto) at the feet of Jesus. As it is with many cases in which people experience God’s glory, John’s legs buckled under him and the strength was drained from his body as he fell in the presence of God.

So if you hear of someone crumpling to the floor in the presence of God, don’t be too surprised. There are a lot of scriptural examples for people falling or collapsing when they come into contact with God’s supernatural power. I advise you to look at each of the scriptural examples I just shared and search this out for yourself. This “falling” may not be a common event in your church, but it has scriptural precedence, and it still happens. As I noted, it has undeniably happened to me.

If you’re standing in a prayer line to receive prayer and you feel the strength go from you — surrender to it and let the Holy Spirit perform a divine operation. This may even happen in the privacy of your own home.

For me, the experience of collapsing in God’s presence was real, and it resulted in a permanent healing in my body. God has used such moments in other people’s lives to remove bitterness, hardness of heart, and to perform all kinds of “spiritual surgeries.”

Who can guess what is happening in the heart, soul, or body of a person when he or she experiences this tangible touch of the Holy Spirit? Perhaps it is an operation of God’s power to do something in the person that couldn’t be dealt with any other way.

If this experience has never happened to you, just tell God today that you are willing for Him to work in your life any way He sees fit. And if that means you will one day have a supernatural encounter with His power that is too strong for you to remain upright, just say, “Amen, Lord! I’m hungry to receive more of You — whatever that means and whatever that looks like in every situation!”

MY PRAYER FOR TODAY


Father, I know that You love me deeply and that Your love for me is not proven by physical manifestations such as falling down under the power of the Holy Spirit. But I want to thank You for the times I have come into contact with Your strong presence to such an extent that I could physically feel the result of it. I open my heart for You to move in my life in any way that You wish — and I ask You to forgive me for being skeptical in the past when I’ve heard of such experiences in others and have doubted it. From this moment onward, I am open for You to make Yourself known to me in any way You desire.

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

 

MY CONFESSION FOR TODAY


I confess that I experience the power of God in my life and that my heart and my mind are open to experiencing His presence in whatever way He wishes to manifest Himself to me. I am willing to be changed by the power of God, regardless of whether I remain on my feet or lie on the floor. I am open to the Holy Spirit, and I desire to yield fully to His divine operation inside me. I long for it; I pray for it; and I claim it!

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

 

QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO CONSIDER

  1. Have you ever known a person who came into such strong contact with the power of God that he or she crumbled to the floor as a result? Who was that person? Why don’t you ask that individual to tell you about the spiritual significance of his or her experience?
  2. Can you think of any other examples from the Old or New Testament in which individuals fell when they came into the strong presence of God?
  3. Has this experience of falling under the power of God ever happened to you? If yes, how did it affect you? Do you know what God imparted to you or said during that encounter with Him?

He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.
— Matthew 10:39

When our family first arrived in the former USSR, we disembarked the airplane to find Soviet soldiers standing all around the landing strip with machine guns in arm — a brand-new sight for our family! Those soldiers tried to rush us along to leave the runway area and get inside the terminal. But I had predetermined that when we landed, the first thing we were going to do was drop to our knees, kiss the ground, and ask God to put a love in our hearts for this new homeland where He had called us.

With soldiers watching very cautiously, I led my family in dropping to our knees. We joined hands and leaned down together to literally kiss the ground! Then I led us in a prayer of committal for protection and provision. And I earnestly asked God to put a love in our hearts for this new part of the world and the people who lived here.

At that time, Denise and I thought we would be living here for a one-year period. Nevertheless, we intended to pour ourselves into the work for that span of time, and we desired to be filled by God in our hearts for these precious souls. So we kissed the ground and prayed.

When we finally stood to our feet, those soldiers with machine guns had nearly encircled us. I’m sure they had never seen anything like that before. Using their guns to point the way, they directed us toward the terminal, and we understood that it was time for us to get moving. But that moment of bowing to the ground on our knees in prayer was such a divine moment for our family. We were accepting God’s call and asking for His favor to do what He had commissioned us to do with power and grace.

Inside the airport, the luggage belts were broken, so suitcases and boxes were being thrown upward through a hole in the floor into the luggage area. We had brought suitcases plus 32 boxes, many of which were filled with breakable items. So I was running around as quickly as I could to try to catch our items as they were being tossed into the air.

When we were finally allowed to leave the airport, we were escorted to a decrepit van, and a driver drove us over bumpy, broken roads to a grey-looking, neglected little town that would be our first home in the USSR. As we unloaded our luggage and the boxes from the vehicle and carried everything into the house, we discovered the house that had been provided for us had no heat — and this was during a very cold Russian winter. We were freezing in that ice-cold house! We were so cold during those first nights, until the heat finally came on, that all five of us crammed into one tiny bed to try to stay warm.

As I look back on it, I realize that if we had not dropped to our knees immediately and surrendered our lives to this new place, we could have become quickly discouraged. But instead, we found each challenge invigorating and fun. When we discovered the grocery stores were void of food and that finding basic necessities would be a serious challenge, we didn’t let it discourage us. Instead, every day turned into an adventurous scavenger hunt! God amazingly filled our hearts with rejoicing, and every difficulty became an opportunity for another joy-filled experience.

Our sons didn’t groan or complain that life was difficult, and Denise and I were not sorry that we had led our family to this part of the world. Although we faced serious challenges, we decided to make each one a fun learning experience. As a result, we fell in love with all of it — with the people, the land, and even the problems and the challenges. That moment of kissing the ground and consecrating this new season of our lives to the Father on the runway had really done something in our hearts. Regardless of how broken and neglected everything around us seemed to be, we fell in love with that country and the people who lived there.

Within two months, we realized that God had given us a life commitment to this part of the world, not a simple one-year engagement. At the time of this writing, we have lived in the former Soviet Union multiple decades and have seen the Holy Spirit’s supernatural fruit as thousands have received Christ, grown in the Spirit, and found their places in local churches — many of which we helped start. It has been the experience of a lifetime! And our sons — now full-grown men with families of their own — grew up experiencing a book of Acts kind of childhood by living in this spiritual environment.

Especially at the beginning, we could have tucked our tails and run back home to the United States because even just basic living in the former USSR was extremely challenging. But because we had surrendered to God — and had given Him our all to do what He wanted with our lives in that part of the world — what would have been hard and burdensome became a daily adventure that continues to enrich our lives today.

I want to ask you today: Have you surrendered to what God has called you to do?

Let me remind you of the words of Jesus in the second half of Matthew 10:39: “…he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.” Pay close attention to these words, for they are so very important if you really want to experience God’s fullness during your life journey.

The word “loseth” was translated from the Greek word apollumi, which literally means to release — as to release one’s rights to something. It is the picture of the full surrender of one’s life. But the key is not just forfeiting your own dreams and desires, but rather doing it “for Jesus’ sake.”

At the time God called my family to the Soviet Union, I had personal dreams of what I wanted to accomplish through our ministry in the United States. But God called me to lay that down — that is, to release it. He beckoned me to surrender my dream for His greater dream for my life — and to do it for His sake.

To be honest, I couldn’t begin to imagine how great a dream and life God had planned for me. I didn’t understand it. All I knew was that the Spirit of God was asking me to release my own preconceived dream and to follow Him into the unknown plan He had for my life.

Now I understand that if I had refused to release my own dream and had rejected God’s call to fulfill His dream, I would have missed the amazing adventure He had not only for me, but also for our whole family and the millions of lives He has touched as a result of our obedience. But because I released my plans for Jesus’ sake and for His purposes, we found something far greater than anything we had ever dreamed or imagined.

Jesus promised, “…he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.” The word “find” is the Greek word eurisko, which means to find or to discover, and it is where we get the word eureka! This word pictures the euphoric feeling a person experiences when he discovers something magnificent. His heart and soul, and perhaps even his mouth, exclaim, “Eureka!” It is the jubilant expression of one who shouts out, “I found it!”

For multiple decades, my heart has been exclaiming, “Eureka!” regarding this treasured call God has placed on our lives to reach the Russian-speaking peoples of this part of the world. When I think of what life would be like if we had rejected the Lord’s call and simply stayed with our ministry in the U.S., it nearly breaks my heart. We would have missed the amazing adventure that God had planned for our lives.

By asking us to release or surrender — apollumi — our dreams to Him, He was never trying to take something from us; He wanted to give us something wonderful. But to receive what He desired to give, we first had to release what we were holding on to and surrender to what He wanted to do in and through us. As a result of trusting Him and doing what He asked — instead of stubbornly holding on to what we wanted to do — God has gloriously allowed us to be part of one of the greatest missions epochs in the history of the Church.

When this all started, I didn’t understand what exactly Jesus had in mind for us. All I knew was that He wanted me to release my own plans and surrender to His plan for our lives. Ever since we yielded and obeyed, we’ve been rejoicing, even in hard times! What a grand and glorious adventure God had in store for us, and I’m so thankful we didn’t miss it!

What about you? What is God asking you to release so He can give you something far greater? I assure you that God is not trying to deprive you of anything. He wants to give you something bigger and better than your imagination could ever conceive. He simply needs your agreement to release your own ideas and to surrender to what He has waiting for you. Jesus Himself said, “… he that loseth his life for my sake, shall find it.” When you step out of your own realm into Jesus’ realm of possibilities, you’ll find yourself forever grateful that He gave you the courage to say yes when His call to “lose,” or surrender your life came to you!

MY PRAYER FOR TODAY


Father, I don’t want to hold on to my life and, as a result, miss the great adventure You have planned for me and my family. Forgive me for not trusting You — and help me put all fear and doubt aside as I “kiss the ground” of my calling. Help me allow Your power and love to sink deep into my heart for what You are asking me to do. I repent for hesitating and holding back out of a sense of self-preservation and a fear of the unknown. Today I fully surrender my life and my future to You.

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

 

MY CONFESSION FOR TODAY


I confess that I will not hold back on the Lord any longer. Whatever He wants me to do, that is what I will do. In the past, fear of an uncertain future has hindered me, but now I know that God has only a wonderful adventure in store for me and my family. I rebuke the spirit of fear that has restrained me, and I put my trust fully in the Lord as I step forward by faith to kiss the ground of God’s calling on my life. I declare that God will put a deep-seated love in my heart for what He has called me to do. I’ll never look back in regret but will only rejoice that I finally and fully surrendered to the call with which He has entrusted to me.

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

 

QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO CONSIDER

  1. Denise and I made a deliberate choice to fully surrender to the call of God on our lives in the former USSR. It was a big decision and a huge step of surrender, but it was essential in order for us to begin the exciting journey God had planned for us and our family. Have you fully yielded to the call of God on your life, or is there something holding you back? If there is something hindering your full surrender, what are you going to do about it?
  2. Have you been honest with God about your feelings — your fears, your concerns, and your questions — regarding this step of faith He is asking you to take? If you’ll open your heart and cast your cares on Him, the Father promises to lift that burden and give you peace. Why don’t you stop right now, and for the next few minutes, cast all of your cares and concerns onto Jesus? Let Him give you His peace that surpasses all natural understanding (see Philippians 4:7)!
  3. Do you actually think Jesus would lead you where He wouldn’t provide for you? If you’re worried about provision, put that worry away once and for all — for where God calls, He also provides!

Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? …for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
— Matthew 6:31-33

On the day our family moved to the Soviet Union, we settled into our rented house and went to bed for some much-needed rest. When we awoke the next morning, we heard a news report that prices on all basic food commodities had soared 500 percent during the nighttime — the very day after we arrived! Not only that, but all the 50-ruble notes had been declared void, so if you had 50-ruble notes, you simply possessed pieces of paper that held no value whatsoever.

Unfortunately, on the day our family arrived, we also exchanged 1,000 U.S. dollars for rubles so we would have the currency of the land to get us started living in that part of the world. And the person who performed that transaction had exchanged our $1,000 exclusively into stacks of 50-ruble notes — which were now worthless!

In addition, stores were depleted of the most basic items, and pharmacies were completely empty. I mean, there was nothing at all on those shelves. It was also rare to find a gas station that had any gasoline to purchase. The entire infrastructure of the Soviet Union had fallen apart.

People were fearful that they would not be able to find bread. Therefore, when bread was finally shipped to our town, lines quickly formed all the way around the block. Basic products such as flour, sugar, milk, and eggs, could only be purchased in small, limited quantities — and only if people had ration coupons that were allotted to them by the government. But ration coupons were given to citizens only, so our family wasn’t able to obtain them.

Yet, through all this initial hardship and shock, God made a way for us to have everything we needed.

Admittedly, some of those earliest days were spent like scavenger hunts — looking for a gas station that actually had gasoline, searching for basic food items, and hunting down necessary paper products such as toilet paper. We faced many days when currency shops had no rubles to exchange. And if we had no rubles, we couldn’t buy products even if we could find them. Then once we’d find rubles, after losing $1,000 in the exchange market, we would only exchange small amounts of dollars to avoid another hardship like that first one. It was a precarious time that required an increased sensitivity to the Spirit of God to know when and how to act just to carry out basic business from day to day.

Today you may not be living in the dire circumstances we endured when we first moved to the USSR. But it’s a fact that people are facing difficult financial times all over the world. Products are more expensive than they used to be, and it isn’t certain which way the economy is headed. Perhaps you are also feeling the brunt of this financial volatility. But rather than let a spirit of fear control you, this is the time for you to stand strong on Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 6:31-33.

Throughout the years of our own lives and ministry, there have been many times when Denise and I have not known how we were going to pay for what God was asking us to do. Yet we have learned that if we will seek the Kingdom of God first, as Jesus taught us, everything else will come into place as needed.

During those early days of our life in the former USSR — and every time God has asked us to do something bigger than our bank account could pay for — we learned to reflect on Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 6 where He taught us about trusting God in times of need. Jesus said, “Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed… For your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:31-33).

Notice Jesus said, “Therefore take no thought…” Pay close attention, for these words “no thought” are very important for you and me. The word “thought” is preceded by a negative imperative, which means this is a command of Jesus not to do something. The word “thought” is the Greek word merimnao. It denotes anxiety, care, concern, or worry — or it depicts a person who is deeply troubled. This person is worrying about how his basic needs will be met.

By using a negative imperative with the word merimnao, Jesus was literally saying, “Don’t worry, for your Heavenly Father knows that you have need of these things.”

I can personally testify that God has been faithful in our lives and ministry from the very beginning to this present moment. Even when Denise and I didn’t know how our most basic needs would be met when we first moved to the USSR, God was faithful and on time to meet every one of those needs. And through times when God has required us to take monumental steps of faith that were beyond our financial capabilities, He has caused the necessary finances to come in, doing for us by His Spirit what we could not do for ourselves.

And let me also tell you that fretting, worrying, and being troubled never added one cent toward meeting our need or helped take us further toward our goals. That doesn’t mean I wasn’t tempted at times to fret or feel worried. But I have learned over the years that God is well aware of every need we face and of every cent that is required. And He is far ahead of us — working in ways we can’t even imagine — to make sure everything we need comes to us on time.

In Matthew 6:33, Jesus said, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” My son Philip Renner paraphrases it this way: “Put God first, and everything else will come your way!” All I can say to that is amen, as that is exactly the teaching Jesus was trying to drive into our hearts and minds when He spoke those words!

What about you today? Are you straining and worrying over things you can’t change or do anything about? Are you aware that God is knowledgeable of your situation? How is worrying going to help you change one thing for the better? It won’t! That’s why Jesus commanded you, “Don’t worry, for your heavenly Father knows you have need of these things.”

Today I encourage you to cast your burdens, troubles, worries, and cares on the Lord — and to seek Him and His Kingdom first, above all else. Then watch as He provides everything that you’ve been tempted to worry and fret about obtaining. God is faithful to provide for His own. He will be faithful to provide everything you need as you trust wholly in Him!

MY PRAYER FOR TODAY


Father, as I reflect on my life, the truth is that You have been faithful to me from the very beginning. I repent for every time I yielded to the temptation to worry and fret instead of trusting You. Father, I ask You to please help me grow up and mature in this area of my life. I have no reason to ever doubt You, for You have always been faithful to me. Help me remember Your faithfulness rather than focus on the needs that seem so large and insurmountable. Your name is Faithful — and You will be faithful to me now and always!

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

 

MY CONFESSION FOR TODAY


I confess that I do not worry about God’s provision for my life. God has always been faithful to me, and He always will be faithful. Faithful is one of His names. He will always sustain all those who trust in Him and cast their burden on Him. Likewise, God will sustain me and help me. Even if my eyes cannot see the way, I know He is going to do it. Everything that I see is subject to change. Therefore, I focus my attention on the unchanging Word and the faithful character of God. I cast my burden on Him, and I trust Him to meet the needs of my life and to help me do the large tasks He has commissioned me to do!

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

 

QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO CONSIDER

  1. Can you think of a time when you didn’t know how your needs were going to be met? Were you tempted to worry and fret? Did the worrying and fretting help you — or just send you into a tailspin of more worrying and fretting? In the end, what happened? Was God faithful to meet your needs?
  2. Name one specific time when you thought you wouldn’t make it, but then God miraculously provided what you needed. Did you stop to thank Him for His provision? Have you ever shared it with anyone else in order to encourage that person in the situation he or she is facing?
  3. I encourage you to read Psalm 103. Then ask yourself, What are the many ways these verses have been manifested in my life as the Lord has shown His goodness and faithfulness to me?

As ye know how we exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you, as a father doth his children…
— 1 Thessalonians 2:11

In First Thessalonians 2:7, Paul described his relationship to the Church in terms of the relationship that exists between a mother and a child. But in verse 11, he paints a different side to his ministry toward the Church. Here, Paul is taking on the role of a father in their lives.

He wrote, “As ye know how we exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you, as a father doth his children…” (1 Thessalonians 2:11).

Paul was saying that you can’t be a mother all the time in ministry. Sometimes you have to fill a fatherly role. He was implying that there is a time to cuddle and a time to spank — a time to caress and a time to correct. In a spiritual sense, Paul had taken on the roles of both mother and father in the lives of the Thessalonian believers.

In verse 11, we see how this fatherly ministry of Paul functioned. First, Paul “exhorted” the people. This is the Greek word parakaleo. Next, he “comforted” them, which is the Greek word paramutheomai. Finally, he “charged” them. The word “charged” is the Greek word marturomai. These three words mean three very different things, and they are all very important.

First, I want you to notice that the Greek words translated as “exhorted” and “comforted” both begin with the word para, which again, indicates relationship. Although Paul was speaking here to an older group in the church, he was still by their side, continually exhorting them, walking with them, teaching them, and speaking to them. That was a part of Paul’s ministry even for those who were more spiritually mature.

When Paul performed his fatherly ministry he exhorted, and he comforted. The Greek word for “comfort” carries the idea that even if your father can’t physically be at your side, you should still live in the godly manner he taught you.

Here, Paul was calling the believers to a lifestyle of responsibility. Now that some of them were grown, they were responsible to live the Christian life or a life that was honoring and pleasing to God.

Finally, Paul “charged” them in verse 12: “That ye would walk worthy of God…” That is ultimately where Paul was taking the Thessalonian Christians. His deepest desire was to see them walk steadfastly with God. The word “walk” in Scripture always refers to stability or to an ongoing relationship. So Paul’s primary purpose was to see these believers grow up in the things of God and to maintain their spiritual walk.

In verses 19 and 20, Paul summed up this great textbook chapter on ministry by concluding, “For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming? For ye are our glory and joy.”

What can we conclude from Paul’s writings in First Thessalonians 2? More than anything else, Paul desired a relationship with the Thessalonian church so that he could minister to them effectively. And the same will be true for us today: As we give our hearts completely to God, He will enable us to give our hearts to the people in our lives, and we’ll experience powerful ministry among those to whom we are called (see 1 Thessalonians 1:5).

Nothing gave Paul more pleasure and delight than to see these young Christians in Thessalonica maturing in their relationship with the Lord. Paul’s greatest glory and joy was the calling that God had placed on his life and the people God had placed in his care. That’s a priority and motive we can emulate with confidence, and God will reward our own labors and bring rich increase both to us and to those under our spiritual care.

Are you ready to get started? If yes, ask the Holy Spirit to help open your eyes to those He is calling you to help strengthen and encourage in the faith. The Lord will give you wisdom and will empower you to extend His hand of love as you comfort, encourage, and strengthen them in their faith. It will be one of the greatest joys of your life!

MY PRAYER FOR TODAY


Father, my heart is stirred as I ponder the need for and importance of nurturing and mentoring young believers as they are growing up in the Lord. How thankful I am for the Christian leaders who mentored me and who helped me mature in the Lord Jesus Christ. I think of my pastor, who led me and corrected me at the right times in order to help me grow up. Holy Spirit, I ask You to help me and other Christians to take our place and strengthen and encourage young believers who need spiritual fathers and mothers in their lives.

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

 

MY CONFESSION FOR TODAY


I confess I have wisdom from the Lord, and the Holy Spirit gives me the counsel I need to help young Christians mature in their relationship with the Lord. I find great joy in praying, teaching, serving, and helping others mature in the Lord. To see Christ formed in young believers is a priority. Therefore, I yield to the ministry of the Holy Spirit so that I can be a vessel for Him to fill and flow through in order to bless and strengthen those under my spiritual care.

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

 

QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO CONSIDER

  1. How did you meet the person who became your spiritual mother or father? In what ways did that person influence you the most?
  2. In whose life are you serving such a role right now? What individuals are you helping to grow — loving them, correcting them, and helping them to develop in their faith?
  3. Can you think of a few specific ways you can comfort, exhort, or strengthen the faith of the people in your life? What steps can you take today to start implementing these ideas in your relationships?

So being affectionately desirous of you, we were willing to have imparted unto you, not the gospel of God only, but also our own souls, because ye were dear unto us.
— 1 Thessalonians 2:8

In First Thessalonians 2:7, Paul wrote about the need for believers to tenderly care for each other, saying, “But we were gentle among you, even as a nurse cherisheth her children.” Notice he chose the word “cherisheth” — the Greek word thalpo — to describe his feeling toward the believers in Thessalonica. He used this same word in Ephesians 5:25-29, so let’s look at those verses to see further how the word thalpo carries the idea of tender care and nourishment.

In Ephesians 5:25-29, Paul wrote, “…even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church.”

The word for “cherisheth” in this text is also thalpo, the same Greek word Paul used in First Thessalonians 2:7 to describe his ministry to the Thessalonian church. With this one little word thalpo (“cherisheth”), Paul shared with us the secret behind his success in ministry: The way Jesus Christ treats the Church is the way we should treat it!

Clearly, Jesus loves the Church. He pulls it close to His side and feeds it. He protects it. He nourishes and cuddles it like a tiny infant in His arms. The Church is the most priceless thing in the whole world to Jesus. He shed His blood to bring it forth. He sanctified it with His blood, and He’s coming back for it one day.

As a result of His tender love for the Church, Jesus gave the Holy Spirit and the fivefold ministry gifts to minister to the Church. Jesus’ heart is full of grace and mercy for His Church, and there are even times when He has pity on it. Jesus is patient with the Church when it makes mistakes, and He nourishes it so that it will grow.

Just as Jesus is full of tenderness for the Church, so the apostle Paul was tender and gentle toward the churches he was charged with ministering to. And we are to be tender and gentle toward those under our care too. That’s why Paul said, “So being affectionately desirous of you, we were willing to have imparted unto you, not the gospel of God only, but also our own souls, because ye were dear unto us” (1 Thessalonians 2:8).

When Paul used the phrase “ye were dear unto us,” he was conveying how important these church members were to him. In fact, the Greek word for “dear” is agapetos, which actually means beloved.

Very early in Greek history, this word was used to describe the admiration that a man had for an object of beauty. But it wasn’t just any old art object. In fact, the idea behind this word was that the object was so intensely beautiful that it drew affection out of the man’s heart. The onlooker or observer of this beautiful work of art was so taken by the object that he couldn’t simply look at it — he gazed upon it and became affected by it. Deep admiration and appreciation came out of his heart because he was so moved by what his eyes beheld. He didn’t have the words to adequately express all that he felt because of the beauty of this object.

Then in verse 9, Paul described what his love for this church looked like as he expressed it in his words and actions. He said, “For ye remember, brethren, our labour and travail: for labouring night and day, because we would not be chargeable unto any of you, we preached unto you the gospel of God” (1 Thessalonians 2:9).

As Paul wrote about his labors, travail, and the many sacrifices he had made to minister the Gospel to the Thessalonian believers, he was not doing it to make them feel badly or even to make himself look good. Paul was still baring his soul. He was showing them the “why” behind all his laboring and sacrificial giving. He was still revealing his motivation for ministry.

Apparently, no one else had ever made the kinds of phenomenal sacrifices for the Thessalonian saints Paul had made. That church had never before seen such an operation of God’s love. This is why Paul’s ministry there would stand out in their minds as such a great memory. Paul wrote, “…remember, brethren, our labour and travail: for labouring night and day.”

Let’s look at the phrase “our labour and travail.” The word “labor” is from the Greek word kopos, which refers to intense physical labor or wearisome toil. And the word “travail” is from the Greek word mocthos, which refers to trouble, pain, or struggle to overcome difficulties.

What was it that caused Paul to go through such labor and travail?” The answer is love. It was for love that Paul and his ministry team suffered these things and didn’t quit or give up despite the trouble, pain, and struggle to overcome difficulties they experienced.

Do we love other believers the way Paul and his team loved them? Are we willing to undergo whatever is necessary to complete their faith and bring them to a higher relationship with Jesus? The truth is, one of our very highest priorities in life should be the building up of other brothers and sisters in the Lord. And if that isn’t one of our greatest priorities today, let’s ask the Lord to develop that desire in our hearts!

MY PRAYER FOR TODAY


Father God, I thank You for Your love which is already shed abroad in my heart by the Holy Spirit. I desire to deliberately give expression to that love more than ever before. I ask You to expand my own capacity to be filled with Your own undying love and passion for the Christian community that surrounds me. I pray that You would open the eyes of my understanding so I can comprehend how precious they are to You, and as a result, they would become so precious to me. Thank You for the example of Jesus, the apostle Paul, and others, who have gone before me and demonstrated how to love and sacrifice for others. I ask You to forgive me for the times I’ve been selfish and have held back on giving my time and effort to help others. Help me to grow in my personal understanding and acquaintance with Your great love for me, so that I can love others as You have loved me.

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

 

MY CONFESSION FOR TODAY


I confess that God fills me with an undying love and passion for the Christian community. I comprehend how precious they are to God; therefore, they are precious to me. I devote myself to walk in love toward others and to willingly sacrifice for them. I repent for the times I’ve been selfish and have held back from giving my time and effort to help others. I commit from this moment forward to be less selfish and to be more giving, just as God gives Himself to us in the ways we need Him the most.

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

 

QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO CONSIDER

  1. Can you think of anyone who made serious sacrifices for you to be able to advance as you were growing in your Christian faith? Were they extremely patient with you in your younger years? Now isn’t it time for you to do this for someone else?
  2. To whom much is given, much is required. In what way have you sought to honor that person’s investment into your life and spiritual development?
  3. What is the greatest sacrifice you’ve ever made for another believer? Who was that believer? What was the result of the sacrifice you made for him or her? How did your sacrifice change him or her? How did your sacrifice change you?

 

But we were gentle among you, even as a nurse cherisheth her children.
— 1 Thessalonians 2:7

Today we are going to continue looking at what Paul wrote about his ministry to the church in Thessalonica. Paul was greatly moved by his love for this particular church. He was highly motivated to give of himself and to do whatever was necessary to impart to them the truths they needed to put down their spiritual roots and to grow and develop in Christ.

To do all that, Paul had to very quickly develop a genuine relationship with those church members. Paul actively sought out a relationship with these believers in the short time that he was with them — and that relationship was marked by certain characteristics, which we will look at in depth today.

Paul felt privileged to be called into the ministry and to reach the Gentiles for Christ (see 1 Timothy 1:12), but he also felt a great responsibility toward his calling and toward those to whom God had called him to disciple and minister. Paul’s role was one of a spiritual father, and he took that role and responsibility very seriously.

In regard to this role, he wrote, “But we were gentle among you, even as a nurse cherisheth her children” (see 1 Thessalonians 2:7). Notice Paul’s gentle approach with these people. He wasn’t harsh or demanding — rather, he nurtured these church members as a mother would nurse her child.

The word “nurse” is from the Greek word trophos, which literally means a wet nurse. In ancient Greece and in other cultures around the world, a wet nurse was not the mother of a child — rather, she was a woman called in to nurse a baby for its mother. By using this term “wet nurse,” Paul was defining his relationship with the believers at Thessalonica.

In essence, Paul was saying, “Some of you came to know the Lord through my ministry, and I have nursed you as my own children. Some of you were won to the Lord by others, — they have entrusted you into my care, and I’ve nursed you as though you were my own. Regardless of whether you came to the Lord through my ministry or someone else’s, you were all young in the Lord, and I treated you as though you were my children.”

As a mother cherishes her children, Paul cherished the believers in Thessalonica. The word “cherisheth” is from the Greek word thalpo, which means to warm, hold, cuddle, be tender toward, and nourish. It carries the idea of holding an infant in one’s arms and taking care of it — rocking it, helping it fall asleep, feeding it, and teaching it how to eat.

When a mother “cherishes” her child, she cradles that small child in her arms, feeds him, and makes him feel safe. By using this natural comparison, Paul was describing his attitude toward the church. He cared for them like spiritual infants that God had placed in his arms.

What tenderness we see here in the apostle Paul’s attitude toward these young believers! Paul didn’t see this church as just another new thing he was doing. Instead, he saw it as a new “baby” God had dropped into his life. Because Paul loved the Thessalonian church with his whole heart, he treated it tenderly, just as a mother would treat a brand-new baby. His responsibility was to nurse it, or feed it, and treat it with tremendous care.

We need to ask ourselves: How do we care for the new believers that God has brought across our path? Do we treat them with tenderness, as Paul treated the Thessalonians? I believe that today the Holy Spirit is imploring us to think carefully about this question. and to do all we can to help them get established firmly in the faith until they become strong. That’s the heart of the Father, and we are called to demonstrate His heart through our lives. What an honor!

MY PRAYER FOR TODAY


Father, I want to be sensitive to the needs of new and younger believers. Help me to pay special attention to those who are new. Even if I didn’t personally win them to Christ, help me to do whatever I can do to help them get on a strong path toward maturity if I see they are young, tender, and needy. Help me not to be self-absorbed with my personal interests but to put aside my own desires and respond to the needs of younger believers as a priority. Oh, Holy Spirit, help me to understand the great honor and privilege it is to minister to anyone, and especially to those who are young and new.

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

 

MY CONFESSION FOR TODAY


I confess by faith that I am sensitive to the needs of new and young believers. I do not see it as a burden to minister to them. I am thankful for those who ministered to me, and I count it a great privilege and responsibility to return this blessing by ministering to others who are young and new in the faith. I declare that the love of God in my heart is growing and multiplying and my concern for others is increasing. None of this is possible without the work of the Holy Spirit. So, Holy Spirit, I thank You for helping me grow in this area of my life.

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

 

QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO CONSIDER

  1. Is there a new or young believer whom God has recently brought across your path? What are you doing to help him or her get established in the faith?
  2. When you were young in the Lord, who was the person who really paid attention to helping you get established in your faith? Have you ever taken time to personally thank that person for what they did for you?
  3. Can you think of a Bible character who helped someone else get established in the faith? Who is that person?

For ye remember, brethren, our labour and travail: for labouring night and day, because we would not be chargeable unto any of you, we preached unto you the gospel of God. Ye are witnesses, and God also, how holily and justly and unblameably we behaved ourselves among you that believe: As ye know how we exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you, as a father doth his children, That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory.
— 1 Thessalonians 2:9-12

What was the apostle Paul’s top priority in life and in ministry? It was to love God and to please Him first. Paul loved people, but his first responsibility was toward the Lord — to love, to obey, and to do that which was pleasing to Him.

We’ve looked at the importance of having the right motives in ministry, and I discussed at length what Paul’s motives for ministry were not. Paul wasn’t motivated by an insatiable desire to get richer and richer and richer. Neither was he motivated by a desire to be popular with people and to receive the accolades of men. The desire for riches and the praise and adulation of others didn’t move Paul or influence his behavior and actions. The apostle Paul simply wasn’t interested in fame or glory.

So what did Paul want? He wanted to please God.

An inordinate desire for money and fame is a snare that has enslaved many God-called ministers of the Gospel who allowed themselves to be sidetracked and their faith shipwrecked because they became errant in their hearts concerning their motives for ministry. But Paul labored to keep his heart’s motives pure and his relationship with God as his highest priority.

It’s very important that we establish our priorities as believers — and especially as ministers of the Gospel — because anyone can say he’s putting God first and claim to have the right motives in ministry. But not everyone can actually make this claim before God, as Paul did, with God as his witness.

In First Thessalonians 2:4,5,10, Paul wrote, “But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth our hearts. For neither at any time used we flattering words, as ye know, nor a cloak of covetousness; God is witness… Ye are witnesses, and God also, how holily and justly and unblameably we behaved ourselves among you that believe.”

Notice in these verses that Paul makes the following statements:

What was Paul saying? He was saying, “You know it — and God knows it. You are all our witnesses that we behaved ourselves as holy, just, and blameless among you.”

Let’s look again at the phrase “…God is witness” in verse 5. That word “witness” is translated from the Greek word martus, which was the very word you would use to describe a witness on the witness stand in a court of law.

What do we know about a witness who is sworn in by an officer of the court to “tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth”? By an oath the witness makes before God, that person must tell the truth! So Paul was saying, in effect, “You know that this is true. If you could put even God on a witness stand and ‘swear Him in,’ He would say the exact same thing about my motives in ministry.”

That’s what Paul said in verse 5. Then in verse 6, he also made it clear that he wasn’t in the ministry for fame or glory — or for the praise and adulation of men.

Paul was no doubt answering allegations against him as a minister of the Gospel. You need to know that there will be times when your own motives will be questioned as well.

Each one of us must examine our hearts so thoroughly that we can answer boldly and confidently, as Paul did, and lay every allegation to rest with the truth. Paul didn’t defend his ministry with words that he only wished were true. Instead, he defended his life and ministry before God and man — as if both were witnesses on a witness stand, sworn in to tell the full, complete truth about Paul’s motives and desires concerning ministry and those he ministered to.

If God were to take the witness stand to testify about you, what would He say? What would be the witness of God about you? It’s a sobering thought, isn’t it? But you can determine today that you are going to do all you possibly can each day of your life to keep your heart pure.

As I reach the end of this Sparkling Gem today, I feel compelled to examine my own heart to make sure my motivations are God-pleasing and that I am truly people-loving. Why don’t you join me in making a self-evaluation of these crucial issues of the heart?

MY PRAYER FOR TODAY


Father, I want my heart to be aligned with Your heart so I can confidently lay to rest any allegation against the truth. Holy Spirit, I ask You to help me evaluate myself to see where I stand on these issues of motivations and priorities that are so vitally important to You and to Your Church. I want my heart to be clear and clean about how I see and treat people. If there are areas where I need to change, I ask You to reveal them to me. Help me as I step forward to make things the way they ought to be.

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

 

MY CONFESSION FOR TODAY


I confess and acknowledge that God not only observes what I say and do, but also He takes note of the intent and motivations of my heart. I am open to correction, therefore, I hear and obey the Holy Spirit when He speaks to me about changes I need to make in my life. And when the Holy Spirit speaks to me, He gives me the will and the power to make the changes He requires of me. My goal is to love God, to please Him first, and to keep my heart pure so that if God took the witness stand to testify about me, He would be able to say that I am walking worthily of His call upon me and that I am doing it by the power of His Spirit instead of the vain energy of my flesh. I establish my priorities as a believer in such a way that God Himself can testify that I pursue Him and His will for my life with all my heart, soul, and strength.

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

 

QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO CONSIDER

  1. Can you say your chief goal in life is to please the Lord, or are you motivated to please people to influence what they think about you?
  2. If God took the witness stand to truthfully witness about you, what would He testify about you, your character, and your desire to please Him above all others?
  3. Is there any area of your life that is out of sync with your desire to please God above all else? Is there some other person or goal that means more to you than pleasing the Lord? If something comes to mind, recognize that today the Holy Spirit is calling you to lay that area of your life on the altar and fully surrender it to God.

So being affectionately desirous of you, we were willing to have imparted unto you, not the gospel of God only, but also our own souls, because ye were dear unto us.
— 1 Thessalonians 2:8

In the past few Sparkling Gems, we’ve seen how Paul was not motivated by money or glory in his efforts to serve God and spread the Gospel throughout the Roman Empire. However, since he wasn’t interested in fame or fortune, what exactly was his motive for ministry? What was the driving force behind the sacrifices Paul made and the time and energy he spent to preach the Gospel and disciple believers? Today we will conclude our study of First Thessalonians 2 by examining the answer to these important questions.

To be pleasing to the Lord was Paul’s highest aim, and the primary focus of his ministry was relationship. He genuinely cared about the people he was ministering to, and in verse 7, he described his feelings for them. The last thing he wanted to do was abuse them; rather, he wanted to see them grow. He said, “Nor of men sought we glory, neither of you, nor yet of others, when we might have been burdensome, as the apostles of Christ. But we were gentle among you, even as a nurse cherisheth her children” (1 Thessalonians 2:6,7).

In verses 6 and 7, Paul drew a comparison between what he wasn’t and what he was in terms of his attitude and conduct toward the people in the Thessalonian church. Instead of being “burdensome,” he was “gentle.” Like a mother feeding her children, Paul drew them close to his heart to feed them the Word of God and nurture them. All he wanted to do was love the Church. This passage of Scripture paints a very beautiful bond of love and trust — one that should exist between every minister and those whom God has placed under his charge.

In First Thessalonians 2:8, Paul continued, “So being affectionately desirous of you, we were willing to have imparted unto you, not the gospel of God only, but also our own souls, because ye were dear unto us.”

What did Paul mean when he said he was “affectionately desirous” of the believers in Thessalonica? This phrase is taken from the Greek word homeiromai, and this word is extremely important because it tells us a lot about the heart of the apostle Paul. The word homeiromai was primarily found on the grave markers of children that had died, and it describes what the parents felt for their child. It indicates a deep longing or an affectionate, fervent desire to see the child one more time.

By using this word, Paul was conveying his deep desire to see these Thessalonian believers just one more time. He loved them very much, and like a parent who longs to see again a child who has died, everything within the apostle Paul longed to be able to visit the church of Thessalonica and minister again face to face to these believers whom he held so close to his heart.

Because Paul was so affectionate in his attitude toward the people in Thessalonica, he further expressed, “…we were willing to have imparted unto you, not the gospel of God only, but also our own souls, because ye were dear unto us” (1 Thessalonians 2:8).

When someone is dear to a person, that person is willing to go to great lengths to bring benefit to that loved one. Here Paul was saying that his desire for the Thessalonian believers’ spiritual welfare was so great that he had a “willingness” in his heart to impart to them as much of himself as he could. The word “willing” in this verse is from the Greek word eudokeo, which means to seek something that is pleasurable. This word carries the idea of something that is delightful and wonderful.

Because Paul loved this church so much, he was pleased to do anything and everything he could for them to help them grow and develop as believers in Christ. This was not something he was being forced to do; it was something that flowed from his heart and brought him a great sense of joy.

What did Paul want to impart to this church? Verse 8 says, “…to have imparted unto you, not the gospel of God only, but also our own souls.” The word “imparted” is the Greek word metadidomi, which carries the idea of exchange. By using this word, Paul was saying he was willing to give a part of himself to them, but he wanted something in exchange: He wanted the church in Thessalonica to give a part of themselves to him. In other words, Paul wanted to have a relationship with the believers to whom God called him to minister.

This is such a crucial lesson for us to learn from Paul’s ministry to the Thessalonians — one that will help us remain focused and effective in our own priorities and motives as we fulfill our divine callings. Paul wasn’t in the ministry to get rich or to become famous. Rather, he sincerely wanted to please the Lord with his whole heart. And as a result, he was focused on the needs of the people to whom he ministered. The one thing he sought was an authentic relationship with people so he could minister to them more effectively. Not moved by greed or glory, Paul gave his whole heart to God and to the church.

Every one of us must reflect, from time to time, on our motives and priorities in serving others. Using First Thessalonians 2 as a guide in examining ourselves will help us maintain steadfastness of character and a deep devotion to God and His people that we need to carry on effectively and with power.

So here’s a parting thought to ponder as you interact with the people in your life each day: When God’s love for others is a burning compassion in your heart — and not merely a concept understood and accepted in your mind — you will look for ways to bless and help others grow and develop into all they can be in Christ because of your love for Him! You won’t feel forced or compelled to do it as a requirement or for the sake of appearances or what others may think of you. Your desire to please the Lord by walking in His ways will help you see people as He sees them. And it’s your ability to see through Jesus’ eyes that will help you treat each person as He would treat them. That’s the key to living life from a heart motive of unconditional love — and that’s the key to pleasing Him!

MY PRAYER FOR TODAY


Father, I want my priorities to be correct about ministering to people. You deeply care for Your people, and I want that same love and compassion to be exactly what motivates me. Help me search my heart and put aside any other ulterior motive so that the care of Your people is the number-one priority on my heart. I am so thankful for the people who have genuinely cared for me and who continue to care for me. I consider it an honor to show genuine love, concern, care, and compassion for my brothers and sisters in the Christian community.

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

 

MY CONFESSION FOR TODAY


I confess that I love God’s people and that I am doing all I can to help them grow in their knowledge of Jesus Christ. There are many things that vie for my attention, but I have decided that none is as important as ministering to the Lord and to His saints. Because the Holy Spirit has shed the love of God into my heart, I have a deep-seated, genuine love, concern, care, and compassion for the saints in the Christian community. I love God’s people and my love for them is growing greater all the time!

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

 

QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO CONSIDER

  1. Do you really care for people? Even more important, what would God say about the way you demonstrate care for people?
  2. The Holy Spirit has shed the love of God abroad in your heart, but it has to be released to effectively minister to other. Are you allowing that God-deposited love to function and flow through you to others?
  3. What are you doing to help others grow in their relationship with Christ? What would God say you are doing to help others grow in their relationship with Christ?

Nor of men sought we glory, neither of you, nor yet of others, when we might have been burdensome, as the apostles of Christ.
— 1 Thessalonians 2:6

Another pitfall that has short-circuited the call of God in lives of others is a desire for glory or fame. But neither money nor fame was Paul’s motive for pursuing ministry. Paul’s primary pursuit was to please God. He genuinely loved God and the people God had called him to reach.

In First Thessalonians 2:6, Paul said, “Nor of men sought we glory, neither of you, nor yet of others, when we might have been burdensome, as the apostles of Christ.” The Greek tense makes it clear that Paul was saying he didn’t habitually seek glory from men; it wasn’t his pattern of operation. Then Paul got more specific by using the phrase “neither of you, nor yet of others.” In a general sense, Paul wasn’t seeking glory from people. And in a specific sense, he wasn’t seeking glory from those he knew personally, including the church members in Thessalonica.

Paul’s statement in verse 6 was, what I call, a futuristic statement. Paul was saying, “I haven’t sought glory in the past; I’m not seeking glory from you now; and I’m not going to seek glory from anyone else in the future.” Paul simply wasn’t interested in the limelight — in receiving the glory of men.

This is a great test and temptation for anyone who becomes well known. It is a test that must be passed. If having the adulation of men is important to you, it will eventually become a noose that hangs you — as you’ll end up doing or saying anything to get attention and adulation.

Proverbs 29:25 (NKJV) holds a powerful warning to us along this line. It tells us that “the fear of man brings a snare…” Being overly concerned about what people think of us and fearing their possible rejection of us is actually a dangerous trap of the enemy that he uses to try to control us. It will either muzzle and silence us from speaking the truth when necessary or provoke us to say what people want to hear — instead of the word of the Lord they need to hear.

Either way, seeking adulation and praise from man is a deceptive trap, and the source is fear. And fear always works to nullify faith, which is essential for you to please God! So make sure your goal is always to stay pleasing to the Lord above all else and all others. It’s that pure desire of your heart to please Jesus that will keep you free every day from the trap of seeking praise from men!

MY PRAYER FOR TODAY


Father, I know what it’s like to live for the honor and adulation of men, and I do not want to live in that kind of slavery ever again. It’s a trap to fear man, to live constantly to please man, and to live for the praises of people. My utmost goal is to live to serve and please You. If I can live in the light of Your glory, I’ll be so thankful — and that will be a glory that never passes with time. That is the true limelight my heart cries out for!

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

 

MY CONFESSION FOR TODAY


I confess that I do NOT live for the glory and adulation of men. I appreciate being appreciated, and I am glad when people are thankful for what I do — but I live to please God. Daily I present myself before God as a living sacrifice to be acceptable unto Him, while I rely upon His grace to help me maintain a balance in my life of appreciating what others say and do while living exclusively for God and for His approval!

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

 

QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO CONSIDER

  1. Have you ever lived with the adulation of men as a goal for your life? Do you know what it’s like to live in their pleasure or displeasure? I assure you, it is easier to live a life pleasing to God than to try to be pleasing to all the different kinds of people who are in your life!
  2. The Bible says that the fear of man is a trap. Have you ever experienced that trap? Do you know what it’s like to live in the fear of man? Have you been delivered from it? If yes, how were you delivered?
  3. If you’ve lived for the limelight of man and then experienced what it’s like to “fall out of the limelight,” how did it affect you? Did that experience give you a new perspective of what is and isn’t important?