A Signal That Jesus’ Return Is Near

Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him.
— 2 Thessalonians 2:1

When Paul wrote his second letter to the church of Thessalonica, he was exceedingly excited at the thought of Jesus’ soon return. In fact, he was so thrilled about the prospect of Jesus’ coming again that he devoted the entire second chapter of Second Thessalonians to the events that would occur in the last days. As Paul wrote this famous chapter about the events of the last days, he began by declaring, “Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him.”

Notice that Paul uses the word “beseech” in this verse. Normally the word “beseech” would be the Greek word parakaleo, but in this verse, Paul uses the word erotao rather than the word parakaleo. The word erotao means to ask or to make a strong request. This word calls upon the listener to cautiously listen to what is being said and to respond in a fitting manner to what has been heard. Because Paul is speaking of the coming of the Lord and uses the word erotao to appeal to his listeners, he clearly means for them to take his words seriously and to let these words make a strong impact in their lives.

When we think about the coming of the Lord, it should make a strong impact in our lives. It should affect the way we live, the way we think, the way we carry on in our relationships, and the way we invest our money into the Kingdom of God. It is simply a fact that Jesus is coming for His Church, and we should constantly live in the light of His coming. When we live with the awareness that Jesus is coming again, it changes our conduct and behavior. By using the word erotao (“beseech”), Paul is communicating to his readers that they have a responsibility to respond to his message about Jesus’ soon return. They are to live in a godly, upright, and holy manner as they wait for “the coming of our Lord.”

Then he begins to speak to them about the “coming of our Lord.” The word “coming” is from the Greek word parousia. This word always places special emphasis on the Presence of the Lord — especially the Presence of God that can be tangibly felt among His people. Here it is used to describe the strong Presence of God that will be felt when Jesus returns to gather His people to Himself. The word implies that the Church will feel a phenomenal divine Presence when it is time for Jesus to gather His people to Himself at the end of the age.

This means that as we come closer to the return of Jesus, the parousia — the strong Presence of the Lord — will be strongly sensed among believers. In fact, the ever-growing, strong Presence of the Lord in the midst of the Church will be one of the signals that Jesus’ return is close at hand. As His Presence gets stronger and stronger, we will know it is time for Him to return to “gather” us to Himself.

When Paul speaks about “our gathering together unto Him,” the phrase “gathering together” comes from the Greek word episunagoge. This word is used perfectly in the apocryphal book of Second Maccabees 2:7, where it refers to that moment in the future when God will finally gather His people together to Himself. This is exactly how Paul uses it in Second Thessalonians 2:1 as he talks about that moment when God will finally gather His people together to Himself at the coming of Jesus.

In Second Thessalonians 2:1, Paul uses the word episunagoge (“gathering together”) to describe that future moment when the Lord will quickly gather or collect His people together to Himself at the end of the age. At that divine moment, all of God’s people will be quickly gathered together and collected in a common assembly to meet the Lord in the air. What a meeting that will be!

Considering the Greek words that Paul used in Second Thessalonians 2:1, this verse could be interpreted the following way:

“Brothers, I make this urgent, heartfelt request to you today, earnestly and sincerely pleading with you from the bottom of my heart to hear what I’m telling you and to do exactly as I say. The appearance of the Lord Jesus Christ is very near. In fact, it is so close that we can almost feel His Presence as if He were already here among us. The moment we have all longed for and waited for is almost upon us! I’m talking about that moment when Jesus will finally gather us together to Himself.”

The apostle Peter warned us that at the end of the age, many scoffers would mock at the promise of Jesus’ return, asserting that if Jesus was going to come, surely He would have already come. Peter wrote, “Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of his coming?…” (2 Peter 3:3,4).

The word “scoffers” is from the Greek word empaidzo, and it described one who makes fun of another through mockery. It conveyed the idea of disdain, scorn, derision, and ridicule. The Greek word empaidzo also meant to play a game. It was often used for playing a game with children or for amusing a crowd by impersonating someone in a silly and exaggerated way. For instance, this word might be used in a game of charades when someone intends to comically portray someone or even make fun of someone.

We find this word used in Luke 22:63, where the Bible tells us, “And the men that held Jesus mocked him, and smote him.” The Greek word empaidzo categorically lets us know that these men turned a few minutes of that nightmarish night before Jesus’ crucifixion into a stage of comedy at His expense. They put on quite a show, hamming it up as they almost certainly pretended to be Jesus and the people He ministered to. Perhaps they laid hands on each other as if they were healing the sick; or lay on the floor and quivered, as if they were being liberated from devils; or wobbled around, acting as if they had been blind but now could suddenly see. Whatever these leaders did to mock Jesus, it was a game of charades to mimic and make fun of Him.

Now Peter uses this same word to depict mockers in the last days who would make fun of those who believe in Jesus’ coming. I can almost hear them saying, “Come on, if Jesus was going to come, don’t you think He would have been here by now? Quit hanging on to this false hope, you dreamers!”

But the grammar used in Second Peter 3:3,4 tells us that this mocking is the characteristic behavior of these scoffers. It could be more accurately translated, “Mockers will come mocking.” In other words, they don’t only mock on occasion; they are mockers by habit. They find great delight in regularly mocking and making fun of those who believe that Jesus is coming to gather His Church to Himself.

But regardless of what doubt-filled believers or antagonistic unbelievers say as they mock us, the truth is that Jesus is coming again soon! Second Thessalonians 2:1 gives us one of the signs that will occur to let us know His arrival is upon us: We will suddenly be aware of the supernatural Presence of Jesus in the Church like never before. The closer we come to the time of His return, the more strongly this phenomenal Presence of God will be felt in our midst. In fact, it will seem as if His coming is already upon us! That strong Presence of God will signal to us that it is just about time for Jesus to quickly gather us and collect us to Himself!

So in the days to come, close your ears to the mockers who make fun of you for believing in Jesus’ soon return. Then open your heart to the Holy Spirit, and allow Him to make you sensitive to His voice inside your spirit. As you are faithful to do this, you will recognize that moment when the Presence of God becomes much stronger in the Church, and you’ll know that moment for what it is — one of the greatest indications that Jesus’ return is upon us!

My Prayer for Today

Lord, help me to be sensitive to Your Presence so I can be aware of that moment when Your coming is near to us. Help me close my ears to those mockers who say You will never come. By Your grace, I will hold tightly to Your promise that You will come one day to collect Your people to Yourself. Help me live a life that is holy — one that pleases You and for which I will not be ashamed when You suddenly appear to gather the Church to Yourself.

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

My Confession for Today

I confess that I am living a holy life that pleases God, a life for which I am not ashamed. I say no to sin; I crucify my flesh; and I do my very best to yield to and walk in the Spirit. I am sensitive to the Presence of God. And when the moment draws near for Jesus to come and collect His people to Himself, I will sense the growing strength of His Presence in the Church and will recognize it as a signal that God’s people will soon be leaving planet earth! I believe in Jesus’ coming; I expect it in my lifetime; and I am doing all I can to preach the Gospel to the lost so they won’t be left out when Jesus gathers the Church to Himself.

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

Questions to Answer

1. Are you living a life that makes you feel confident about seeing Jesus face to face when He returns for His people? Or are you allowing secret sins in your life that make you fearful about Jesus’ soon return? If you answered yes to the second question, what are those secret sins, and what steps do you need to take to remove them from your life?

2. What can you do to increase your spiritual sensitivity so you will recognize the moment when the Presence of God suddenly and supernaturally energizes the Church, alerting God’s people that the time for Jesus’ arrival is upon them?

3. Write down two lists, answering the following two questions: What things do you need to remove from your life because they adversely affect your spiritual sensitivity? What do you need to add to your life to help you become more spiritually sensitive?

Investing in Your Eternity

Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.
— 1 Timothy 6:19

When Russian Czar Peter the Great died, his daughter Elizabeta Petrovna came to the throne and became the Empress of Russia. She was perhaps the most flamboyant ruler ever to reign over Russia. The extravagance of her lifestyle was legendary. She owned more palaces than she could use, and the Cinderella-type carriages she owned were hand-carved and gold-leafed. In addition, the carriage doors and spikes of the wheels of each carriage were studded with dazzling diamonds to match the solid gold crowns that were laden with emeralds and rubies and affixed to the top.

The Empress Elizabeta also had an abnormal love of clothes. She completely changed her attire three times a day and never once wore the same article of clothing twice. This was no problem for her, given the fact that she owned 15,000 regal gowns, many of which were spun from pure silver and gold and encrusted with precious gems.

This ruler of Russia came to be known as the “party queen” because she threw hundreds of parties in her massive gold-gilded palaces. To make sure no royal woman ever wore the same gown to such an event twice, she established a new rule: Servants were to be stationed at all the doors; then as each woman left the palace parties, the servants were to stamp the back of these fabulous gowns with a huge black ink stamp. The ink stamp declared that the dress had already been worn to one party and could never be worn to another one. That stamp literally ruined the dress, ensuring that no one would ever dare attend one of the empress’s celebrations in an already-used garment.

During the rule of Empress Elizabeta, she ordered the hundreds of massive columns and statues that adorned all her palaces to be covered with pure gold. However, when Catherine the Great came to power and became the Empress of Russia, she considered that much gold on the exterior of a palace to be garish and unfitting (although Catherine’s lifestyle was actually no less ostentatious than Elizabeta’s). Therefore, Catherine ordered her servants to scrape all the gold off the columns and statues and to throw it away, replacing it with white paint.

When the news of this disposal of gold reached the ears of the wealthy class in Saint Petersburg, a successful merchant came to Catherine the Great and asked if he could purchase the gold she was throwing away. Catherine sternly replied to him, “Excuse me, but who do you think I am? Do you think that I, the Empress of Russia, am so poor that I need to sell my rubbish?” With that, she ordered all the old, scraped-off gold to be thrown away.

Once when I was visiting Saint Petersburg and touring some of these vast historical palaces, I pondered the way these wealthy rulers spent such massive fortunes on themselves. I thought, Today we visit the palaces of people who once lived luxuriously but whose bones now lie in their graves. Although these people lived in opulence during their lifetimes, what good does their wealth do for them now? Did they spend it all on themselves, only to spend an eternity in spiritual impoverishment? What is the eternal condition of these people?

If we are to live wisely, we must invest not only in temporary moments of pleasure, but also in the eternity that lies before all of us. Moments of pleasure in this life are enjoyable but fleeting; however, what we invest in eternity never fades. This is why Paul told the rich in Timothy’s church that they were to be “laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life (1 Timothy 6:19). The same message applies to us today.

The words “laying up” are from the Greek word apothesauridzo. This Greek word is a compound of the word apo, which means away, and the word thesaurus, which is the Greek word for a treasure. The two words compounded together mean to store away treasure or to amass a fortune. The new word depicts people putting their investments in a safe place where they cannot be stolen, ruined, or diminished.

Most affluent and prosperous people work very hard to see that their money is invested in safe, profitable, money-making investments. This is why they put their money into stocks and bonds, property, art, or other investments that will eventually reap healthy dividends. They want to see their fortune grow. And if they are wise, they will not invest in ventures that are too risky because they don’t want to see their fortunes stolen, ruined, or diminished.

Likewise, God expects you to be wise with the finances He has entrusted to you. This is made clear in the parable of the talents in Matthew 25, where Jesus commends the servants who caused their resources to grow and rebuked the servant who did nothing to increase his financial capacity.

Based on Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 25, we know that each of us should do everything possible to increase the size of our wealth. However, this financial increase isn’t to be gained so we can hoard it or spend it on ourselves! Paul says that if we’ve been blessed with wealth, we need to also think very seriously about how to “lay it up” where it will never be diminished. In fact, he goes on to say that we should use our money to amass “…a good foundation against the time to come….”

The word “good” in the phrase “a good foundation” is the word kalos. As noted in yesterday’s Sparkling Gem, the word kalos pictures something that is sound, healthy, fine, or excellent. The word “foundation” is the Greek word themelios. This word is most likely an early combination of the Greek word lithos, which means stone, and the word tithimi, which means to place. It depicts that which is set in stone; a foundation that cannot be easily moved or shaken; or something so solid that it will endure the test of time. This is the reason it later came to be translated as the word foundation.

The words “time to come” are taken from the Greek word mello and describe events that are coming in the future. Later in the verse, Paul proceeds to talk about eternity, leaving no doubt that he is referring to eternity when he speaks of a “time to come.” He wants to urge people to invest not only in the present, but also in the eternity that lies in all their futures.

You see, the money you spend on your own pleasures right now is gone once it is spent. As noted earlier (see November 23), it is normal for you to enjoy the finances you have worked so hard to attain. You should enjoy them. But to spend all of it on yourself here and invest none of it into your eternal future is simply stupidity. What you spend on yourself right now in this life is gone once you have died. On the other hand, what you sow into the Gospel reaches into the next life as an investment that keeps growing for all of eternity — an investment that amasses for yourself an enduring, never-ending reward in the life to come!

If you are a wise investor, you are already aware that you must think long-term when you make your investments. Likewise, as you sow your seed into the Gospel and into those who take it to the ends of the earth, you must remember that you may not see the tangible fruit of your investment in this life. But one day when you get to Heaven, you will at last see the phenomenal reward of your giving. Then you will reap the dividends of the finances you sowed into the Kingdom of God!

So don’t spend all your money on your earthly existence and forget to lay up a good foundation for the eternity that lies in your future. Give now, and by faith prepare for yourself a wealthy existence in the eternity that lies before you!

My Prayer for Today

Lord, help me to always keep in mind that eternity lies before me. Too often I get so consumed in the affairs of this life that I forget to think about my eternal existence. I don’t want to be so focused on making myself comfortable in this life that I forget to do what I must to make myself comfortable in the next life. Help me lay up a good foundation for the eternity that lies in my future. Holy Spirit, I ask You to teach me not only how to cause my personal wealth to grow here and now, but also how to sow financial seed into the Gospel that will benefit many and cause me to reap great rewards when I pass into the life yet to come!

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

My Confession for Today

I boldly declare that I am investing in my future! All of eternity lies before me, so I am sowing seed into the Kingdom of God, believing that it will be multiplied back to me now as it is also laid up for me in my eternal future. I am a wise investor, so I sow regularly and faithfully into the work of God’s Kingdom — and my faith investments are reaping for me a great harvest in the days to come!

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

Questions to Answer

1. Are you sowing for eternity, or are you investing only for the dividends you can reap in this life right now?

2. What can you do to make sure you are not spending all your money on your present pleasures, forgetting to lay up a good foundation for the eternity that lies in your future? When you evaluate what you sow into the Kingdom of God, can you conclude that you are serious about investing into eternity?

3. What changes do you need to make in your spending and investing habits in order to ensure that you will reap strong eternal dividends

Do Good, Be Rich in Good Works, Be Ready To Distribute, Be Willing To Communicate

Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate.
— 1 Timothy 6:17,18

I am so thankful that my wife and I personally know many godly wealthy people who are mission-minded and who generously give to see the Gospel go to the ends of the earth. Although they could selfishly use their money merely for the sake of self-embellishment, they have learned that God gave them money for a purpose: so they could empower preachers of the Gospel to take the message of Jesus Christ to people who need to hear it. Therefore, in addition to personally enjoying their wealth as they should, they have also learned to do a great deal of good with their finances.

I’ll never forget the time we sat down with a particular family who fits this description. They invited us to dinner; then while we were at dinner with them, they told me and my wife that they had decided to invest into our ministry. We sat in shock as they told us how they had looked into our finances and checked us out as thoroughly as they possibly could. Then they said they were so blessed with what they had discovered, they decided to channel some of their money into our ministry for the advancement of the Gospel! After researching our ministry, they felt confident the finances would be used properly. So from that day onward, these precious people began to regularly sow into the work God has given us to do.

This wealthy family is diligent to fulfill God’s command to the rich as presented in First Timothy 6:17,18. In these verses, Paul gives Timothy instructions for those who were rich in the younger minister’s church. Paul tells Timothy to charge the rich that they “…do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate.” Today I want us to delve deeply into this verse to see exactly what God’s expectation is for those who are financially blessed in His Kingdom.

When Paul instructed the rich to “do good,” he used the word agathoergeo, which is a compound of agathos and ergos. The word agathos means good or beneficial, and the word ergos is the most common word in the New Testament for work, presenting the idea of someone who is very active. When they are compounded together, the new word means to do works that are good, beneficial, excellent, profitable, or helpful to others.

These are deeds that leave people in a better condition than they were before the deeds were performed. But because the word ergos is used, it pictures one who really works at doing good, not one who lazily or thoughtlessly performs these actions. The rich are therefore instructed to be thoughtful, serious, and fervent about their giving, like the family I mentioned earlier who blessed our ministry. They should work hard at giving to the right people and to the right places.

Paul goes on to say that the rich are to “be rich in good works.” The word “rich” is the word plousios, describing incredible abundance, extreme wealth, and enormous affluence.The word “works” is ergos, the Greek word for work. It tells the rich that they should be constantly working to use their wealth to benefit other people. Their giving should be something they do seriously and with focused attention.

To describe the level of works they are to perform, Paul uses the word “good.” This is the word kalos, and it pictures something that is sound, healthy, fine, or excellent. These are excellent works. You could say that these are works that are done soundly and that leave the recipient in a healthy position.

Paul then tells the rich that they must be “ready to distribute.” The words “ready to distribute” come from the Greek word eumetadotos. It is a triple compound word of the words eu, meta, and didomi. The word eu describes a feeling of elation and ecstasy. It is what a person feels when he is simply thrilled about something. It is where we get the word euphoria.The second part of the word is meta, and it can be translated a variety of ways, depending on the particular grammar being used in the sentence. In this verse, it means with or about.The third part of the word is from the word didomi,which simply means to give. Once these three words are compounded together, the new word literally means that those who possess a lot of material resources shouldbe elated, thrilled, and euphoric about every opportunity they have to give.

Next, Paul tells the rich that they must be “willing to communicate.” This phrase comes from the single Greek word koinonikos. This word is taken from the word koinonia, which expresses the idea of anything that is shared in common. But when the word koinonia becomes the word koinonikos,as it is in this verse, it pictures a person who is a champion at sharing what he owns. This person doesn’t begrudgingly share what he owns; he liberally, generously, and joyfully shares it! He is big-hearted and open-handed — just the opposite of one who is tightfisted and stingy. This is a heroic giver. Therefore, when Paul tells the rich to be “willing to communicate,” he is teaching them that they should be champion givers!

When we put all these Greek words together, we see that Paul is urging the rich to:

“Work diligently at richly performing good deeds with the resources God has given you. Put your whole heart into using those resources to leave people in better shape then they were before you acted on their behalf. You should be elated, thrilled, and euphoric about every opportunity you have to give. You should be excited about every chance that presents itself for you to be generous!”

God requires everyone to be a giver, but when a person is especially blessed financially more than others, God expects that richly blessed person to do more than others can do because he has more.

So if God has financially blessed you, He is calling you to use your wealth to become rich in good works! God expects you to go above and beyond what others do because you have the ability to do more. And God expects you to be excited about it!

So I want to ask you — when you are confronted with an opportunity to give of your finances, do you get excited about it, or do you begrudge every gift you give? Do you feel like you’re losing something when you give of your finances, or do you see your gift as a welcome opportunity to help enrich someone else’s life? Do you receive joy from giving, or does it break your heart when you see your money pass from your hands into someone else’s hands?

Today I urge you to go before the Lord and allow His Spirit to speak to your heart about your giving. Rather than just thoughtlessly drop money into an offering plate or into some project, begin to give serious prayer and thought to the question of how and when you should give. Study those to whom you wish to give. Make sure you are giving to the right people and to the right places. And when you are confident that you’ve found a place that will handle your finances responsibly, begin to sow your finances with joy!

When you find good soil to sow your financial seed, you should be euphoric! And you should also rejoice in the fact that you have the ability to make a huge difference in other people’s lives!

My Prayer for Today

Lord, I ask You to help me see exactly where I should sow my finances. Please help me to see those people and organizations that will wisely handle the money I sow; then give me the ability to sow into those places with elation and joy! I want to be excited about my giving! I want to give, knowing that my gift is truly going to make a huge difference. And as I give to benefit others, I ask You to honor Your Word and multiply it back to me again so I can continue to give and be a blessing to the Christian community.

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

My Confession for Today

I confess that God’s Spirit speaks to me and helps me know exactly where I am supposed to sow my finances. I am serious about my giving; therefore, I sow carefully and thoughtfully. My money is not to be spent selfishly only on myself, for God has richly blessed me so I can be a rich blessing to others for the sake of the Gospel. I therefore use my resources to do good works that will leave people in better condition than they were before I gave. I am excited about living my life as a liberal, generous, open-handed giver. Therefore, God continues to richly bless me, for He knows I will be a channel through which His blessings can keep flowing out to those who need it. 

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

Questions to Answer

1. How should you respond to what you have read in today’s Sparkling Gem? What new truths did you learn about the attitude you should have in your giving?

2. Would you describe yourself as a champion giver, or would you have to honestly say that you need to increase in your giving? Do you live to give, or do you give only when you feel like the Spirit of God is twisting your arm to do it?

3. When you do finally decide to give to a church, ministry, or organization, do you give regularly and faithfully so you can help make that organization more sound and healthy?

If You’re Financially Blessed, Don’t Feel Guilty About It!

Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy.
— 1 Timothy 6:17

Many years ago, my wife and I knew a family who was extremely wealthy. When I use the word “extremely” to describe their wealth, even this word inadequately expresses the immense reserves of worldly possessions they had accumulated. Due to their great-great-grandfather’s wise planning two generations earlier, their family money had been invested in such a way that it couldn’t be touched and therefore wouldn’t be spent. As a result, the family investments had kept growing and accumulating for two generations.

Although vast sums of money were in the bank and belonged to these family members, they were not allowed to touch one cent of it until the date that had been set by their great-great-grandfather. They were enormously wealthy; yet they struggled financially to make ends meet because the treasure they had in the bank wasn’t at their disposal.

When we first came to know this family, the time had finally arrived — their money became available for them to use and enjoy. But because they had lived for so long with so little, they didn’t know how to enjoy the money. In fact, even though they could purchase anything they wished, they didn’t. They felt guilty about owning so much money.

So instead of enjoying their wealth, these family members just let the money sit in the bank, where it continued to grow larger. Meanwhile, they lived like people who were financially strapped for cash. They wore old clothes; they balked at spending the money to purchase a new car; and they were very concerned about what people would think of them if word ever got out about how much money they had in the bank. When I saw these people, I’d try to encourage them to go buy some new clothes, but they didn’t want to spend the money to do it. Even though they could purchase anything they wanted, they lived like poor people.

When Paul wrote to Timothy, he gave him instructions for the rich people who attended his church. He said, “Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy” (1 Timothy 6:17).

I want you to notice that God’s blessings are to be enjoyed. The word “enjoy” in this verse is from the Greek word apolausis, which describes a person who gets the maximum benefit from something he owns. Rather than feel guilty about what he owns, he derives great pleasure, gratification, and enjoyment from what he possesses. This means if God has entrusted abundant resources to you, you shouldn’t feel guilty about your wealth or feel badly about enjoying it. God wants you to enjoy the blessings and resources He has entrusted to you!

Paul asked the Corinthians, “…Who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of the fruit thereof? or who feedeth a flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock?” (1 Corinthians 9:7). In other words, if you have worked hard to produce the success you are now experiencing, it is right and normal for you to personally enjoy a part of it!

Worldly wealth empowers you to get things done; it enables you to be a blessing to other people; and it gives you the ability to sow into the work and advancement of the Gospel. So stop feeling guilty if you are financially blessed. Stop feeling like it’s wrong that you got a promotion when someone else didn’t. You have worked hard for the harvest you are now reaping, and it’s time to start enjoying what God has done for you!

Why don’t you change the way you are thinking? Learn to see yourself as one who has been specially empowered in order to be a blessing to others and to give for the advancement of the Gospel. And if you want to enjoy some of your wealth along the way, there’s nothing wrong with that either! God has given you all things richly to enjoy!

 

My Prayer for Today

Lord, I have asked You to bless me financially. So when increased finances begin to come, please help me have the grace both to enjoy them and to use them for the advancement of Your Kingdom. I don’t want to flaunt the money I possess or to frivolously spend it. Instead, I want to use it to do something positive and eternal in this life. At the same time, please teach me how to enjoy the financial increase You have blessed me with and to know that it is all right for me to personally derive some benefit from it as well. Help me to truly understand that You give us ALL things richly to enjoy!

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

My Confession for Today

I confess that I am blessed of the Lord. My personal finances are growing, and I am being positioned to become a source of huge financial blessing to other people. I have worked hard for the blessings that are coming my way, and I have every right to enjoy a part of them personally. The Holy Spirit is giving me wisdom to know how to administrate my finances — to whom I should give funds, as well as how I should spend and invest my money. I have the mind of Christ to deal appropriately with the financial blessings that God is sending into my life.

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

Questions to Answer

1. What would you do if a large sum of money was suddenly dropped into your hands today?
2. Are you sowing seed into the Gospel that will bring a harvest back into your life? Where are you sowing that seed? Why have you chosen to sow your seed into that particular ministry or organization?
3. Do you enjoy your possessions, or do you feel guilty about possessing them? To fully enjoy what God has given you, what changes do you need to make in the way you think about material possessions?

 

A Message to the Rich

Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not high minded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy.
— 1 Timothy 6:17

When the rule of communism began to dissipate in the Soviet Union, it left the economy in utter shambles. Nearly every basic commodity was unavailable, including basic items such as sugar, flour, cheese, milk, and eggs. There was a huge deficit of light bulbs, toilet paper, and most household products. Gasoline was so expensive that most people preferred to walk than to pay the kind of money needed to fill the gas tank.

This situation meant that whoever controlled the basic supplies of life had the ability to acquire incredible wealth. Because it was a time of great political and economic confusion, nearly anything was possible. As a result, a large number of scoundrels, bandits, thieves, criminals, lawyers, politicians, and especially bright common people began to think of ways to turn this great disadvantage into their own personal advantage.

Today’s Russian society now includes a new class of super-rich. To say these people are fabulously wealthy is an understatement. They are what some might call filthy, stinking rich! It is difficult to imagine how this tiny part of Russia’s population could have made this kind of money in such a brief period of time.

In this category are people who arrogantly drive their Rolls Royces, Bentleys, and Mercedes through the streets of Moscow, expecting the whole world to move out of their way as they drive past. As is often true with people who make a lot of money in a short period of time, they are usually very rude. Their newly made wealth goes to their heads, causing them to strut through the stores, restaurants, and shopping centers as if they were the owners of planet earth. Their snobbery is on a world-class level. They are completely consumed with how to frivolously spend the riches they have amassed. However, most of them end up losing their money just as quickly as they made it.

This type of person who makes loads of money quickly and then distastefully flaunts his wealth can be found in every nation of the world. There were even such people in the Roman world of the first century. Paul wrote Timothy and told him to tell the rich, “Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy” (1 Timothy 6:17).

It is a fact that a small minority of “rich” people came to Christ in the first century and were members of the Church. It was in regard to this group of individuals that Paul told Timothy, “Charge them that are rich in this world.…” The word “charge” is the Greek word parangelo, which means to charge or to command.It is such a strong command that it should actually be received as a requirement — not a negotiable option. Thus, when Timothy deals with the wealthy in his church, he is to give them the strong exhortation that Paul is about to give him with such firmness that they receive it as an order from the Lord!

When Paul calls these people “rich,” he uses the word plousios, a very old Greek word that describes someone who possesses incredible abundance, extreme wealth, and enormous affluence. This word would not describe someone who is moderately wealthy but rather someone who is extremely wealthy. Just as there are people of great influence and enormous wealth who come to Christ today and learn to faithfully attend church, apparently this was also the case in the first century.

It is right that we should pray for the wealth of this world to pass into the hands of the godly who would use it for eternal purposes. God wants His people to be blessed. He wants them to have enough to meet their own needs and to abundantly meet the needs of others. He wants Christians to have enough to finance the preaching of the Gospel to the ends of the earth.

But so often when large sums of money pass into the hands of people for the first time, their wealth goes to their heads and creates in them the “high-minded” attitude I mentioned earlier and to which Paul now refers. This is not the attitude God wants from His people when money passes into their hands.

What exactly does the Greek word for “high-minded” mean? The word “high-minded” in Greek is hupsilophroneo. The first part of this word comes from the Greek word hupslos, meaning exalted, elevated, high, or lofty. The second part of this word is phroneo, which means to think, to consider, to deem, or to be of a certain opinion. When these two words are compounded together, the new word means to think too highly of oneself. It refers to the opinion one has when he thinks he is better than others.

Paul uses a negative in the Greek, which strongly alerts us that one shouldn’t think of himself as better than others simply because he has more money than others. Even if a person is uncommonly financially blessed and operates in exceptional financial circles, he still shouldn’t deem himself better than other people just because he has more money than they do.

Paul tells the wealthy people in the Church that they are not to “…trust in uncertain riches….” The word “uncertain” is the word adelotes. This is the only time that this exact word appears in the New Testament. It means uncertain, inconsistent, or something so unstable that it can go as easily as it came. The word “trust” is the Greek word elpidzo, the most common word for hope in the New Testament. As used in this verse, it means not to place one’s hope on one certain thing. The particular Greek tense used here carries the idea of one who places his hope in something and then keeps his hope there.

Paul says the rich are not to set their hope “in” riches. The word “in” is the Greek word epi, which would be better translated upon. A more accurate rendering of this entire phrase would be that the rich are “…not to fix their hope upon uncertain riches….”

Riches are uncertain. Just ask those who thought they were financially set for life but then lost almost all their fortunes through a sudden change in the stock market. There are many people who wake up in the morning rich but go to bed that same night financially insolvent. Therefore, Paul tells the rich that instead of putting their hope in finances that are uncertain, they are to fix their hope “…in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy.”

If your sense of security rests in your financial portfolio and then your portfolio diminishes or disappears, you could be thrown into an enormous identity crisis that results in great fear, anxiety, and insecurity. But when your trust is in the Lord, you are never shaken no matter what happens in the material realm. Why? Because your identity is not in what you possess but in who you are in Jesus Christ.

If you know others who are being financially blessed, rejoice with them. Pray for such people to have the necessary wisdom to use their finances the way God wishes them to use it.

And if you are financially blessed yourself, praise God for it! However, be careful to keep separate who you are from what you own. Don’t let your identity get all wrapped up in what you own so that your sense of security becomes deeply shaken by any material loss. Never forget that who you are is much more important than what you own, and your relationships in this life are much more important than your possessions.

Financial prosperity is a blessing from Heaven and a great honor from the Lord. But if God has trusted you with riches, remember to keep your head on straight. Don’t ever think you are better than others just because you possess a lot of wealth. God blessed you so that you could be a blessing. Therefore, learn to see yourself as a servant of God whose job is to manage and distribute the funds you have amassed as He desires!

Today I urge you not to fall into the category of those who think too highly of themselves just because they have more money than others. God certainly didn’t give you wealth so that you could develop a pride problem!

Go to the Lord regularly and ask Him how He wants you to use those funds. As you keep your heart open to the Holy Spirit and stay willing to hear what He has to say, He will direct you on how to use the resources at your disposal. And if you ever get into pride, He will gently correct you and bring you back to the attitude He desires you to possess.

My Prayer for Today

Lord, thank You for the blessings You have given to my family and me. You have abundantly blessed me, and I am so grateful for everything You have done. I ask You to help me keep the right attitude toward others who have less than I do; to refrain from a false attitude of pride or haughtiness; and to see myself as the manager of divinely assigned funds. I want to trust in You, Lord — not in the things You have placed at my disposal. Possessions and material things are fleeting, but You are always the same. Therefore, I choose to fix my hope on You and not on the financial increase with which You have blessed me.

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

My Confession for Today

I confess that because my trust is in the Lord, I am never shaken. My identity is not in what I own but in who I am in Jesus Christ! Even though I am financially blessed, I keep WHO I AM separate from WHAT I OWN. Who I am is much more important than what I own, and my relationships are much more important than the material things I possess! I will not let my prosperity go to my head and make me think that I am better than others. God has blessed me so I can be a blessing. Therefore, I see myself as the servant of God, called to manage and distribute the funds at my disposal as He desires!

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

Questions to Answer

1. What is the largest amount of money that God has ever entrusted to you? How was your attitude about yourself and others affected by your possessing such a large amount of resources?

2. Have you ever known someone whose attitude about others changed when money came into their hands? Did they flaunt their wealth and act so differently that it was obnoxious? After seeing how they acted, did their behavior make you inwardly decide how you will or will not act when money comes into your hands?

3. If God has found you faithful and has placed a large amount of financial resources at your disposal, are you regularly asking Him how He wants you to use that money? What is He telling you to do with that money right now?

Work Like a Farmer

The husbandman that laboureth must be first partaker of the fruits.
— 2 Timothy 2:6

When Paul wrote to Timothy to encourage him to bravely face his battles, he first told Timothy to endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. Then Paul changed his illustration and exhorted Timothy to develop the mentality of a professional athlete. But suddenly the athletic talk stops, and Paul begins to instruct the younger minister to start thinking like a farmer! Second Timothy 2:6 says, “The husbandman that laboureth must be first partaker of the fruits.”

Paul’s abrupt changes in his illustrations must have left Timothy’s mind whirling! Paul had already told him to endure and fight like a soldier, then to prepare and train like an athlete. But now he tells Timothy to work hard like a farmer!

It’s almost as if Paul says, “Timothy, you need to be a good soldier of Jesus Christ. Or let me give you another example: You need to train and prepare with the same determination and commitment an athlete possesses. Or here’s another illustration to help you understand: You need to be hard-working like a farmer. I KNOW! You need to be all three of these things! You must fight like a soldier, prepare and compete like an athlete, and work like a farmer! You must begin to view yourself as all three — a soldier, an athlete, and a farmer!”

When Paul writes Second Timothy 2:6, he uses words that convey images of farming life. For instance, the word “husbandman” is the Greek word georgos, the word for a farmer who tills the soil. Because Paul uses the word georgos (“husbandman”), there is no doubt that he has the varied activities of a farmer in his mind as he writes to Timothy.

As Paul begins to convey this idea to Timothy, he starts by talking about the hard work of a farmer. He says, “The husbandman that laboureth.…” The word “laboureth” is the Greek word kopos, which always denotes the hardest, toughest kind of work. This presents the idea of a person who works to the end of his strength or to the point of physical exhaustion.This farmer is an individual who is giving every ounce of his strength to finish the task before him. Although he is weary, he keeps plodding on step after step, refusing to give up. Rejecting the temptation to throw in the towel, he keeps plowing the ground before him because the task must be done by someone.

The picture this word kopos suggests is of a farmer who labors in the heat of the afternoon sun during the hottest season of the year with sweat pouring down his face. Although the ground is like hard, dry clay and the work is strenuous, the farmer just keeps on plowing and sowing, plowing and sowing. After he finishes plowing one row of his garden, he turns at the end of the row and starts all over again on the next row. By the end of the day, the farmer is physically exhausted, mentally drained, drenched with perspiration, and covered with dirt. He has done a hard day’s work!

By using this illustration, Paul tells us to face the facts: If you’re going to reap a harvest, you have to get out in the field and do the job! If you will do your job faithfully like a hard-working farmer who wants to reap the benefits of a large crop, you will also reap an abundant crop of success and blessing.

Now we get to the rewarding part! The apostle Paul says, “The husbandman that laboureth must be first partaker of the fruits.” This is God’s personal promise to anyone who puts his hand to the plow and works hard — and it is His special promise to you!

Paul says that if you are faithful to work in His Kingdom, you “…must be first partaker of the fruits.” The words “must be” in Greek is the word dei. It is always used to convey the idea of a necessity, an obligation, a requirement, a demand, or a rule to which there is absolutely no exception and that can never be broken. You could interpret the verse, “The husbandman that laboureth absolutely must be…” or “The husbandman that laboureth is obligated and under command.…”

Paul tells what “must be” when he says, “The husbandman that laboureth must be first partaker of the fruits.” In other words, God wants the committed, determined, hard-working believer to eat from the table of victory and to enjoy the sweet fruit of success before anyone else does!

When we look at the entire text of Second Timothy 2:3-6, we understand that God is telling us:

“If you will fight like a soldier; if you will prepare and compete like an athlete; and if you will put your heart and soul into working in your field the way a hard-working farmer does — here is what I will do for you. I am establishing a permanent rule — one that can never be changed, altered, or modified — and I am making it a top priority and a necessity that when your battle is over and you’ve proven yourself to be a good soldier; when your spiritual opponents are defeated and you’ve won your competition; when you’ve plowed your fields and your crops begin to grow and mature before your eyes — you WILL eat before anyone else eats!”

You see, God wants you to eat and enjoy the fruit of your labors, just as a hard-working farmer does after giving his life to see his crops grow in his field. Your part is to work your land and labor strenuously to see your dream come to pass; then God promises that you will eventually eat the fruit of your hard work! As you focus on doing your job well, you can expect to be blessed, recognized, rewarded, and remunerated for your efforts, for God says that anyone who works hard and sticks with his project to the end deserves to eat the fruit!

Warriors deserve rewards. Good athletes earn recognition. Farmers have every right to eat their crops. And if you are living and fighting by faith to see a certain victory in your life, you can claim God’s promise that a day is coming when you will eat the sweet fruit of victory!

This message must have been very encouraging for Timothy. At that moment, he was so immersed in the conflicts that swirled around him that his mind must have easily become swamped with fears and concerns about what was happening to his congregation. But Paul’s encouraging message to Timothy is the same message God has for you today.

God is telling you, “If you will endure hardship as a good soldier; train and compete like a good athlete; plow your ground and work hard in the field where I have called you, no matter how hard or difficult it is — then I promise you that a day will come when things turn around. And on that day, you will be richly rewarded!”

My Prayer for Today

Lord, I am so blessed to know that You want me to eat the sweet fruit of victory. That knowledge makes me want to work my ground even harder to produce a great harvest for Your Kingdom. I know that in my own flesh, I will never be able to fulfill the dream You’ve given me. But by Your Spirit, I can do all things! So I ask You to fill me with so much strength and motivation that I’ll never stop until I finally reap the harvest of my dreams!

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

My Confession for Today

I confess that I will never stop until I see the harvest of my dream. It’s going to take hard work and some time, but I am going to keep plowing and cultivating my ground until I see my crops mature. A day is coming in my future when I will pull up to the table, take out my knife and fork, and dive into the sweet victory for which I’ve worked so hard!

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

Questions to Answer

1. What is the dream crop you’ve been working for and waiting to reap in your life?

2. Are there changes you need to make in your work style if you are going to achieve the great, super-abundant dreams God has put in your heart? If so, what are the changes you need to make to become a super-achiever?

3. Can you name five crops you’ve already reaped in life due to your hard work, consistency, and faithfulness?

Prepare and Compete Like an Athlete!

And if a man also strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned, except he strive lawfully.
— 2 Timothy 2:5

After telling Timothy to endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ, Paul then switches to a new illustration so he can make another important point. The purpose of the discussion is still the same: Paul is explaining to Timothy how he should face the difficulties that lie before him at the moment. With that purpose in mind, Paul says, “And if a man also strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned, except he strive lawfully.”

The word “strive” is from the Greek word athlesis, which always described a man involved in a tremendous athletic competition. This kind of athlete was serious about his sport and totally committed to the goal of climbing to the top in his profession. He was willing to undergo any hardship, any training, any regimen, and any kind of discipline in order to reach that goal of becoming the very best in his field of sports. The word athlesis describes this type of committed, full-time, professional, determined athlete. This is the picture Paul now uses when he speaks to Timothy about overcoming the challenges he is facing.

Remember that Paul has already told Timothy to endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ (v. 3). Now by changing his illustration to that of a professional athlete, Paul is asking Timothy (and us) a very potent question: “Are you willing to be as committed to winning your fight as athletes are to winning in their sport? How committed are you? Is a little pressure going to elbow you out of the race, or are you more committed than the inconveniences you are experiencing along the way? How badly do you want to win?”

We must honestly ask ourselves these questions if we want to determine the true level of our commitment. You see, it is wonderful to serve the Lord and be a part of the local church when we aren’t facing any big problems in life. It’s easy to tithe, give offerings, attend meetings, pray, and sing with other believers when our level of service basically costs us nothing.

However, what are you going to do if things change and it starts to become more challenging to serve the Lord? What if it becomes difficult to hold fast to the vision He put in your heart or to the commitment you made to His call on your life? Will you still serve the Lord with joy? Will you still be faithful to your local church? Will you still give your tithes and offerings?

You see, it is the spiritual fights in life that always reveal the genuine level of our commitment. Look again at what Paul says in Second Timothy 2:5: “And if a man also strive for masteries.…” Particularly notice the word “man,” because this is the Greek word tis. This word tis would be better translated anyone. The idea this word presents is anyone at all.

This tells us two very important things. First, anyone can compete in the life of faith. This verse is for tis — for anyone. Second, it tells us that anyone who desires to be a successful competitor had better pay heed to the proper preparation and training required to make him a winner! Notice Paul says that a man will not be crowned “…except he strive lawfully.”

The word “lawfully” doesn’t refer to the rules of the game, but to the training and preparation that professional athletes went through before the game actually commenced. This tells us that we should never attempt to enter the real arenas of life until we have gone through the necessary preparation to win. If we enter an arena without preparation, we better be ready to spend some time recuperating, because we are headed for a beating!

Winners are those who have trained and prepared themselves. Then, as now, athletic “scouts” would go out into the communities to look over all the young athletes. After finding a promising athlete, the scout would issue him an invitation to the training camp. At camp, the athletes were introduced to bodybuilders, trainers, and others who were skilled at fighting and competition. The trainers would put the athletes through incredible routines to build both their bodies and their minds, for mental alertness was deemed to be equally important to physical fitness.

Timothy knew all about the manner in which professional athletes were trained. This was common knowledge during his day. Everyone was familiar with the strict, regimented training that athletes went through in order to compete. Therefore, Paul’s statement on “striving for the masteries” didn’t require a lot of deep contemplation in order for Timothy to know exactly what the apostle was telling him.

Rather than moan and complain about how hard it had become to serve God, it was time for Timothy to change his way of thinking. If he was to be a professional and not an amateur in the Kingdom of God, he needed to see all his challenges as opportunities to use his faith, exercising himself under the most strenuous circumstances and thus developing himself to handle the greater tasks that were still ahead of him.

Although Timothy was facing real hardships in the present, he would still have to face additional hardships in the future. Therefore, rather than let his current circumstances pass without benefiting from them, he needed to view his present challenge as an opportunity to train and prepare for the future. If he could pass this test, he could pass any test!

What test are you facing today, friend? What has this time of hardship revealed about your own level of commitment? Are you as committed as you thought you were, or have you discovered that you are much softer spiritually than you realized? Rather than go forward in life in that soft condition, don’t you think it would be a good idea for you to look at this time in your life as an opportunity to get tougher and to grow stronger in the Lord?

I guarantee you — Satan hates every believer who dares to shine the light of God’s Word into places previously held hostage in darkness. If you decide to be one of those committed believers and to endeavor to do exactly what God has told you to do, Satan will be very alarmed by your obedience. He may try to stop you, throwing obstacles in your path that you never dreamed could happen to you. If you haven’t mentally and spiritually prepared yourself to be strong, these attacks of the enemy may overwhelm you.

Don’t you think it’s time for you to decide whether you are a professional or an amateur in God’s Kingdom? If you are a professional, it’s time for you to change your mental outlook on life and then get busy training and preparing so you can win every one of your future competitions!

My Prayer for Today

Lord, I want to be strong enough to overcome any situation I’ll ever face in life. Forgive me for sitting around and wasting valuable time that I could have used to train and prepare myself to be spiritually fit. I’m sorry I’ve allowed myself to be lazy at times, and today I am making the decision to throw myself into spiritual preparation. I have decided to strive for the masteries and make my life count! Holy Spirit, please help me become everything Jesus intends for me to be and to make the changes in my mental outlook that are required for me to become a winner in life.

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

My Confession for Today

I confess that I am serious about staying fit spiritually. I refuse to let laziness be a part of my life. I reject any temptation to moan, groan, and complain about how hard life is. I choose instead to see every event in life as an opportunity to flex my spiritual muscles and to become stronger in the Lord!

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

Questions to Answer

1. What situations are you facing right now that you could use to flex your spiritual muscles and grow stronger in your walk with the Lord?

2. Rather than moan and complain about how hard things have become in your life, is it time for you to change the way you are thinking? If you want to live like a professional and not an amateur in the Kingdom of God, isn’t it time for you to see all your challenges as opportunities to exercise your faith?

3. Rather than let this present circumstance pass without providing you any benefit in life, don’t you agree that you need to view it as an

Fight Like a Soldier!

Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
— 2 Timothy 2:3

In Second Timothy, Timothy was facing a horrible predicament. Thousands of his brothers and sisters in the Lord were being slain by a man on the Roman throne named Nero. Of course, Satan was behind this vicious persecution of believers. Infuriated that Jesus had been raised from the dead, the devil was releasing all the power and fury of hell in his fierce efforts to destroy the Church.

It is difficult for us to imagine the persecution and martyrdom the early believers experienced during this time period. However, an even greater crisis that Timothy faced was the mass defections that were taking place. Many people were fleeing the church and returning to the pagan temples in order to save their lives.

The fact is, crises only serve to reveal the genuineness of people’s faith. The fires of persecution revealed that many in the Early Church were not as committed as they had pretended to be. Many forsook the Lord, deserted the faith, and went back to their old ways. Timothy was seeing this take place among the members of his congregation — and even among many of his leaders. Many of the men and women whom he thought he could depend on had left. They didn’t want to be associated with Timothy and the church any longer. Hence, this was a very, very tough time for the Ephesian believers and their pastor.

It was in the midst of these catastrophic challenges that Paul wrote Timothy and said, “Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.” The phrase “endure hardness” in Greek tells us something very important about doing the work of God. Please pay careful attention to this, because if you are going through a difficult ordeal as you obey God with your life, this also applies to you.

The phrase “endure hardness” comes from the Greek word sunkakopatheo, a compound of three Greek words. The first part of the word is the Greek word sun. This little word sun always connects you to someone else. It is a word that describes partnership. For example, in Second Corinthians 6:1, Paul says, “We then, as workers together with him.…” The word sun is used in the phrase “workers together.”

The word “workers” is from the word ergos, which simply means work, but when the words sun and ergos are compounded together as in Second Corinthians 6:1, the new word describes coworkers or people who are partnered together as they work alongside each other on a common job. These are workers who are connected and joined to each other in the pursuit of a shared goal.

You see, we are not working for the Lord by ourselves; rather, we are fellow workers with Him. Thus, Second Corinthians 6:1 is a description of partnership with God and carries the idea of cooperating with Him in our work. It also means that God is with us, working on the same task at the same time, cooperating with us as our Partner. This is exactly what Paul means when he writes that we are “…workers together with him….”

As we look at the phrase “endure hardness,” it is imperative that you understand the use of the word sun in this Greek phrase. But you must also grasp the next two parts of this triple compound. The second word is the Greek word kakos. This is a very familiar Greek word that most often describes something that is vile, foul, or wicked.If all you had were these first two words, it would mean, “become a partner with this vile, foul, horrible, wicked situation.” However, Paul goes further and uses a third Greek word, pathos.

The word pathos is another well-known Greek word. It normally describes suffering, but it has more to do with mental suffering than it does physical suffering. This was a word perfectly suited for Timothy at this time, for he was suffering great mental anguish as a result of the disturbing events occurring around him.

Have you ever been in such an intense situation that you thought your mind might “break”? Or have you ever felt like you might mentally collapse from being pushed hard up against the wall with no obvious way of escape? If the answer is yes, you may relate to what Timothy was going through at the time Paul wrote him.

Consider the thoughts that must have been racing through Timothy’s mind. Nero was killing many of the young minister’s friends and church members. As the most visible Christian leader, Timothy must have wondered if the emperor’s men would kill him — and if they did, what kind of especially terrible death would be planned for him as the most famous Christian of the city? Add to all these concerns the great disappointment Timothy felt because of those who had abandoned him and the church, and it is clear that his mind could have felt very overwhelmed, subdued, and mentally affected. This is why Paul told him to “endure hardness,” using the words sun, kakos, and pathos to make his point.

Compounded together, these words could be interpreted this way:

“Join in as a partner with the rest of us (sun) and face this vile, horrible, ugly circumstance (kakos) that is all around you. And if you must undergo a little suffering (pathos) to do this job, then brace yourself and go for it!”

Several key messages to Timothy were included in this one word. First, Paul used the word sun to let the younger man know he wasn’t the only soldier serving the Lord. Although Timothy may have emotionally perceived that everyone else was abandoning the Lord, this wasn’t the truth of the matter. In reality, many believers were still faithfully fighting the fight of faith. This is why Paul told him, “Join in as a partner with the rest of us.”

Second, by using the word kakos, it is almost as though Paul was saying, “Yes, you’re right. It’s pretty bad out there, and it seems like things are getting worse. There is no doubt that a terrible, ugly mess lies before us. It is the most wicked situation we’ve ever faced.”

Third, by using the word pathos, Paul is telling Timothy to brace himself for a fight and to toughen himself. A job needed to be done, no matter what kind of atmosphere surrounded him. Timothy’s obedience couldn’t depend on good or bad circumstances. If circumstances were turning against him and the other faithful Christians, it was time for them to make the quality decision to do whatever was necessary in order to complete their assignment. If suffering was required for Timothy to do his part in pushing the Kingdom of God forward, then he needed to be willing to undergo suffering. Every Christian soldier who is committed to taking new territory for the Kingdom of God must have this mentality.

The truth is, we all face hardships from time to time. And whether or not we want to admit it, we’ve all experienced times when fear has tried to wrap its tentacles around us and drain the victory of Jesus Christ from our lives.

But the next time fear tries to grab hold of you, just remember what Paul told Timothy. This is an opportunity for you to lay hold of God’s power, rise up to meet the occasion, and overcome every challenge in the power of the Holy Spirit. God is calling you to endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ!

My Prayer for Today

Lord, please forgive me for being so soft and wimpy about my faith and my commitment to Your call on my life. Please help me to become tough in the Spirit so I can deal with any attack the devil might try to bring against my life. I am so sorry that I’ve bent under pressure, whining and complaining that things were too hard, despite the fact that the power of Your resurrection lives inside me. I don’t want to waste one more minute feeling sorry for myself. Therefore, I ask You to help me brace myself, grab hold of Your power, and bravely overcome every situation in the power of the Holy Spirit!

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

My Confession for Today

I boldly confess that I am filled with faith, courage, and confidence. I am able to face and overcome every situation in life with the promise of God’s Word and the power of the Holy Spirit. I refuse to let fear rule me, and I choose to believe that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. With God’s power working in me, I am more than enough for every challenge that will ever come up in my life!

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

Questions to Answer

1. What is the most difficult situation you have ever faced in life?

2. What is the primary challenge you are facing right now?

3. What are you doing to make yourself tougher in the Spirit so you can overcome this present challenge in your life and press onward to a time of victory?

Those Who Minister Out of Their Abundance

And certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils, And Joanna the wife of Chuza Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others, which ministered unto him of their substance.
— Luke 8:2,3

When our ministry purchased a large facility in the city of Moscow, we had one year to pay off the entire building, or it would revert to the hands of the seller. We had paid a very large deposit, and by faith we were believing to completely pay off the balance on time so we wouldn’t lose our total investment.

The deadline for paying off the balance approached. The Moscow church and our ministry partners had given generously, but we still lacked what we needed to finish retiring the debt on the building.

It was exactly at this time that God spoke to a pastor of a large church in the United States and told him, “You have a lot of money in your church bank account right now, and Rick Renner and his ministry are believing for the finances to pay off their building. What good is your money in this account when they need it in Moscow? If you’ll give what I tell you to give, I’ll multiply it to you more times than you can ever begin to imagine.”

In obedience to the Lord, this pastor met with his board of directors, who unanimously voted to give a gift of $700,000 for the Moscow Good News Church building. They had no idea that this was the exact balance owed on the building. The pastor purchased a plane ticket and was soon on his way to Moscow. The following Sunday, he stood on the platform in our auditorium and said, “The Lord has sent me here to give you a $700,000 check for your new church facility!” Then he handed us the check, not knowing that he was handing the exact amount needed to completely pay off the balance on the building.

What words could ever be sufficient to express how grateful we were to this pastor and his church for this phenomenal act of generosity? And how can we ever appropriately thank all the partners who have sowed their finances for so many years into the work of our ministry?

My wife and I and our team may be the ones who are doing the actual work on the front lines of the ministry, but we can only do that work because of the resources entrusted to us by faithful partners. When we all stand before Jesus to be rewarded for what we have done for Him in this life, our partners will be as richly rewarded as those of us who worked on the front lines, for they financially empowered us to do the job!

You see, even though my wife and our team are anointed to lead this work, there would be no television outreach if we had no partners to pay for it. There would be no church-planting, church-strengthening organization if there was no financial support to underwrite the costs involved in this work. There would be no missions support for pastors and evangelists in these less fortunate nations if there were no people who designated monies for this special purpose. Although we are called and anointed to lead this thrilling work, others must be just as called and anointed to support it with their finances. That is why I say that all of us are truly working together to see God’s purposes for this ministry accomplished.

I could write an entire book about the miraculous provision we have seen God supply for our ministry over the years. But when I stand back and review the times God has come through in miraculous ways to empower us financially, one thing is clear: His supernatural provision has primarily been delivered through the hands of men.

This is the principal way God provides financial support for the work of the ministry. He uses people — those who work very hard at their jobs, who earn a living at their profession, who believe Him for promotions and bonuses, and who love Him so much that they consecrate a certain portion of their income or assets for the advancement of God’s Kingdom.

God also used people to supply money for the expenses of Jesus’ ministry, although money to pay taxes was once miraculously provided through the mouth of a fish (see Matthew 17:27). In Luke 8:2 and 3, we find that Jesus had ministry partners who gave of their own substance to support His ministry while He was on the earth. Those verses say, “And certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils, and Joanna the wife of Chuza Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others, which ministered unto him of their substance.”

Notice that Luke 8:3 says that these women “…ministered unto him of their substance.” The word “ministered” is the Greek word diakoneo. As noted earlier (see August 21), the word diakoneo comes from the Greek word diakonos, the Greek word for a servant whose primary responsibility is to serve food and wait on tables. It presents a picture of a waiter or waitress who painstakingly attends to the needs, wishes, and desires of his or her client. It was these servants’ supreme task to professionally please clients; therefore, the servants served honorably, pleasurably, and in a fashion that made the people they waited on feel as if they were nobility.

Luke uses this word to picture the attitude of the women who served Jesus by financially giving to Jesus’ ministry. These women believed it was their God-given assignment to painstakingly attend to the needs, wishes, and desires of Jesus. Their supreme task was to provide what He and His disciples needed to fulfill their ministry without hindrance. Furthermore, the tense used in the original Greek indisputably means that these women did this task consistently and regularly; in other words, they habitually donated money to Jesus’ ministry. They were faithful partners on whom Jesus could rely.

The verse goes on to say that these women ministered unto Him of their “substance.” The word “substance” is the Greek word huparchontos, which is the word for goods, possessions, or property. The word huparchontos would only be used to describe individuals of great wealth who possessed large fortunes or enormous assets. This lets us know that these were wealthy women.

The King James Version says these women “…ministered unto him of their substance.” But in Greek, it actually says out of their substance. This implies that these very wealthy women may have donated funds out of the income they earned on properties they owned.

But precisely who were these wealthy women who supported Jesus’ ministry? Let’s look very carefully at Luke 8:2,3 to see what we can find out about these women whom God used to financially support Jesus’ ministry.

1. ‘Certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities’

First, Luke 8:2 tells us about “…certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities.…” This was an unnamed group of women whom Jesus had healed from various sicknesses or delivered from demonic powers. Afterward, these women supported His ministry with their financial substance.

Notice that this verse says these women “…had been healed of evil spirits.…” The word “healed” is the Greek word therapeuo, an old Greek word from which we get the work therapy. This carries the idea of repeated actions, such as a patient who visits a physician over and over until the desired cure is obtained. This seems to suggest that these women had been so severely demonized that although they were helped when they first came to Jesus, they had to keep coming back again and again until, finally, they were completely freed. It may have been Jesus’ constant, tender, compassionate attention that caused them to have such grateful hearts, producing in these women a firm commitment to support His ministry with their finances.

The verse also says that they were healed of “infirmities.” The word “infirmities” is the Greek word astheneia, which emphatically depicts physical frailties, weaknesses, sicknesses, or a state of ill health. The word “healed” (therapeuo) is applied both to the women’s deliverance from demonic spirits and to their freedom from illnesses. Just as the Greek suggests frequent visits were made to Jesus before they were finally and completely delivered from demon powers, it also implies that these women made recurring visits to Jesus before they found total relief from their physical maladies. The use of this word therapeuo lets us know, then, that it can sometimes take time before a healing is completely manifested in a person’s life.

No wonder these women were such avid financial partners with Jesus’ ministry! It was through His compassionate touch that they were set free from demons and restored to full health!

It is simply a fact that the best partners in the world are those whose lives have been changed by one’s ministry. These women are vivid examples of people with grateful hearts who want to do what they can financially so the ministry that helped them can reach out and touch others’ lives as well.

2. ‘Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils’

After mentioning the first unnamed group of female supporters, Luke now gives the first recognizable name in this group of women. He says in verse 2, “…Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils.”

Many tales have been told about Mary Magdalene working in the prostitution business before she met Jesus. However, there isn’t a single New Testament source that records Mary Magdalene as a former prostitute. One thing is clear, though: She was possessed with an entire infestation of demons before Jesus touched her life. Both Luke 8:2 and Mark 16:9 affirm that she had been delivered of seven demons.

When Luke tells us of Mary, he identifies her as one “…out of whom went seven devils.” The Greek word for the phrase “out of whom went” is exerchomai, a compound of the word ex, meaning out, as to make an exit, and the word erchomai, meaning to go. But when these are compounded together, forming the word exerchomai, it takes on the meaning to go out, to drive out, or even to escape.

The word exerchomai implies that these demons may have been so entrenched in Mary that Jesus had to literally drive them out of her. It is possible that when these seven spirits left her body, they literally fled in order to escape the fierce pressure Jesus was exercising on them. Once they were gone, Mary was freed.

The Bible has no concrete record of Mary’s deliverance from these seven demons. However, it does let us know she was so thankful for what Jesus had done for her that she remained committed to Him to the very end of His ministry. Mary was present at the crucifixion (John 19:25). After the crucifixion when Jesus’ body was being prepared for burial, Mary was among those who prepared His body for burial (Matthew 27:61; Mark 15:47; Luke 23:55). She was among the first to see the empty tomb (John 20:1), and she was the first to see Jesus after His resurrection (John 20:13-17). Finally, she was the first to preach that Jesus had been resurrected from the dead (John 20:18).

Evidently Mary Magdalene was also a wealthy woman who used her money to financially support Jesus’ ministry, for she is listed in Luke 8:2,3 along with the other well-to-do women who gave out of their assets to support Jesus’ ministry.

3. ‘Joanna the wife of Chuza Herod’s steward’

As Luke continues to name the affluent women who financially supported Jesus’ ministry, he tells us next of “…Joanna, the wife of Chuza Herod’s steward…” (v. 3).

Luke gives us very important insight into this Joanna by informing us that she was the wife of Chuza, who was the “steward” of Herod. The word “steward” is the Greek word epitropos. This word signifies a person who has been entrusted with the guardianship or supervision of another person’s belongings. This was no low-level servant; rather, Chuza was a high-level dignitary who had authority to make decisions on behalf of Herod in regard to his personal fortunes. One of the rare uses of this word in the Greek Old Testament Septuagint is where it is used to describe Joseph’s oversight of Potiphar’s household.

The fact that Chuza held such a prominent position in Herod’s household tells us that he was highly educated and was accustomed to managing massive sums of money. As the chief manager of Herod’s personal fortune, Chuza served as the king’s chief adviser regarding his personal financial matters. No doubt, a man in this position had many opportunities to increase his own personal wealth as well, for he lived in the atmosphere of affluence and had many high-ranking political connections as Herod’s steward. Some have speculated that Chuza may have been the nobleman of John 4:46-53 whose son was healed by Jesus.

Chuza’s wife was Joanna — a woman whose life had been dramatically touched, affected, and changed by Jesus. If Chuza was the nobleman of John 4:46-53, as some suggest, it is easy to imagine how grateful Joanna would have been to Jesus for saving her child from death. Certainly a person so impacted would want to use her fortune to make sure others could receive the same touch of God.

The Bible doesn’t tell us how Joanna made her first connection with Jesus, but it apparently changed her life. After that encounter, she saw it as part of her responsibility to give of her personal substance to financially support Jesus’ ministry. Joanna was also with Mary Magdalene and the other women who visited and discovered the empty tomb after Jesus’ resurrection (see Luke 24:10), which lets us know that she was faithful to Jesus to the very end.

4. ‘Susanna, and many others’

This is the only reference to Susanna in the New Testament, and we know nothing more of her, except that she ministered to Jesus out of her substance. This implies that she was another wealthy woman who used her personal resources to support Jesus’ ministry.

Susanna is listed with “many others” who supported the ministry of Jesus. The word “many” is from the Greek word polus, which means very many and speaks of a great quantity. So in addition to these women whom Luke specifically names, there were also many others who supported Jesus faithfully with their personal finances. These were givers who considered it their responsibility, their service, and their assignment to make sure the needs of Jesus’ growing ministry were financially supplied.

We rightly focus on Jesus and the great works He did while on earth. But think of the reward that is laid up in Heaven for Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Susanna, and all the others who gave of their substance so that those life-changing meetings could take place! Today these individuals are experiencing rich rewards because they gave of their personal income to help advance the ministry of Jesus. They were His ministry partners — and in Heaven, they share in the rewards for the results reaped by Jesus’ ministry.

If your life has been touched and changed by a specific ministry, it is right for you to desire to give to that ministry to show your gratefulness and to make sure others receive the same touch you received. So when God calls you to be a ministry partner, never forget that what you do is vitally important. The gifts you give from your personal income and assets can make an eternal difference in other people’s lives.

Please don’t let it bother you if your name is never put on a building or if people never know that you were a big giver to a ministry. Instead, rejoice that you are among the “many others” who gave to Jesus’ ministry but were not mentioned by name. Most importantly, never forget that Jesus knows who you are and what you have done and that an eternal reward is awaiting you!

My Prayer for Today

Lord, I am so grateful for the opportunity to serve You with my income and assets. I only want to give more and more with each passing year. Please give me wisdom to know how to increase my personal wealth so I can become an even bigger giver to the Kingdom of God. It isn’t important to me that other people know what I’ve done, for I know that You see the seed I’ve sown and will reward me for what I have done. Help me to never use funds designated for Your work on anything else, Lord, but rather to make the advancement of Your Kingdom the highest priority in my life.

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

My Confession for Today

I confess that I am a significant giver to the Kingdom of God. God’s Word promises financial blessings to His children. Since I am God’s child, I have a right to be financially blessed. From the financial resources that God entrusts to me, I purpose to be a major giver and a source of great blessing to the work of the ministry. Souls are waiting to hear the Gospel message, and I am going to use the resources God gives me to make sure the life-changing message of Jesus Christ reaches as many people as possible!

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

Questions to Answer

1. Is it a desire of your heart to be a big giver to the work of God? What ministry has God used to touch your life so dramatically that you want to serve that ministry with your finances?

2. What ministry or ministries do you support with your finances right now? Can you write down five reasons why you sow into these particular ministries?

3. Are you satisfied in your heart that you are giving to these ministries as often as God desires you to give? Or is it time for you to believe God for the financial ability to rise to a whole new level of giving?

The Fields Are White Unto Harvest

Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; or they are white already to harvest.
— John 4:35

Once Denise and I and our team traveled by bus to conduct massive evangelistic campaigns in eight of the largest cities in the nation of Ukraine. Because we had been on television for many years in those particular eight cities, we were anticipating that thousands of people would attend these meetings.

As we drove through the vast wheat fields in eastern Ukraine, the golden wheat waved this way and that as the gentle, late-summer winds blew across the landscape. It was so beautiful that Denise and I asked the driver to stop so we could get out of the bus and walk through the beautiful golden fields. As we stood in the midst of those gorgeous shelves of golden grain, we thought of the vast, spiritual harvest fields of the former Soviet Union where God had called our family and ministry. Of course, we were especially thinking about the harvest of souls we were praying to see in those upcoming meetings.

As we stood in the middle of those beautiful fields of wheat, we looked at each other and quoted Jesus’ words in John 4:35, which says, “Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? Behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.”

When Jesus spoke these words, He was just outside the city of Sychar in Samaria. His disciples had gone to the city to find food, and Jesus had just met the woman at the well (see John 4:1-27).

Jesus’ encounter with this woman was life-transforming. He spent a significant amount of time talking to her about her personal life, answering her spiritual questions, and treating her with a level of dignity that had rarely been afforded to her. It was the first seed Jesus ever sowed into the heart of a Samaritan. The woman was so moved by His compassion that when she returned to her village, she told the people, “Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?” (John 4:29).

This woman so enthusiastically shared her testimony of Jesus that the entire village of Sychar went out of the city to find Him (John 4:30). Thus, from the moment Jesus first sowed His seed into the heart of this Samaritan woman to the time He reaped His first major harvest among the Samaritans would only be a matter of hours. This was indeed quite remarkable. Certainly it often takes quite a period of time to reap a sizable harvest of souls in any new region of the world.

As the village of Sychar went out to meet Jesus, He and His disciples were on the outskirts of the city, where He was speaking to them about doing the work of God. From Jesus’ words, it seems likely that He and His followers were standing near a wheat field at the time, similar to the one my wife and I stood in that day in the nation of Ukraine.

As Jesus was speaking to His disciples, He was apparently standing in a position that enabled Him to have a wide view of the nearby wheat fields. Meanwhile, His disciples were so focused on what He was telling them that they were unaware of the streams of people coming from the village and making their way through the fields to where they were located. It was at this moment that Jesus told the disciples, “Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest.…”

Naturally speaking, it should take a minimum of four months for seed to be reaped as a full-grown harvest. But that time frame didn’t apply in the case of the Samaritan woman. Seed had been sown into her heart just a short time earlier — yet it was already time to reap! That is why Jesus told his disciples, “…Behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.”

When the disciples turned around and looked, they could see multitudes pushing through the vast wheat field as they made their way to Jesus. It must have been an amazing sight to the disciples. After all, this Samaritan woman had gone to her town only a few hours earlier, and already there was such a large response to her testimony! Jesus had only sown seed into one Samaritan woman’s heart, but He was already reaping a massive harvest of souls.

I want you to notice that Jesus said that “…they are white already to harvest.” Jesus was not referring to the unripe wheat fields, but to the people who were coming to see Him. One scholar has noted that workers in small villages were known to wear white workers’ garments. This village of workers was so affected by the Samaritan woman’s testimony that they dropped what they were doing and immediately went to see Jesus, still dressed in their white workers’ garments. When the Lord saw a crowd of people coming toward Him dressed in white, He didn’t see white garments; He saw a harvest that was white and ready to be reaped among the Samaritans.

As the crowd approached Jesus, He told the disciples, “And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together. And herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth” (John 4:36,37).

Jesus was the One who sowed the first seed into the heart of the Samaritan woman, but now it was time to reap — and it requires many more hands to reap than it does to sow. Jesus was the Sower, but the harvest could not be fully reaped and retained without the help of His disciples. Jesus felt great joy as He watched this harvest of souls coming in so quickly. However, now it would also be the disciples’ great joy to help Jesus swing the sickle and bring these souls to God. Jesus sowed the seed, but it was essential for the disciples to help Him reap.

In John 4:38, Jesus said, “I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours.” Jesus alone had sown the seed into the heart of the woman at the well. At the time He did this, His disciples were in the village looking for food. But now the disciples were privileged to participate in a huge reaping extravaganza for which they had done no work at all! They were literally entering into a harvest that was white and ready to be reaped because Jesus had taken the time to sow seed into a single person’s heart.

Spiritual harvest often comes more quickly than natural harvests. It may take four months for wheat to be ready to be reaped. However, don’t think that it will always take a long time before you see people respond to the Word you sow into their hearts. The souls of men are often ready to be reaped for the Kingdom of God very quickly after the initial sowing.

Also, please don’t think that your role in sowing seed is small and insignificant. Remember, Jesus sowed a single seed into the heart of one person, yet that isolated, solitary event produced a harvest so huge that an entire village came to Jesus Christ. In the same way, the seed you sow into someone’s heart today may be the very seed that produces the next massive harvest for the Kingdom of God!

So the next time you find yourself talking to someone about Jesus Christ or sharing the truths of God’s Word with a stranger, don’t allow the devil to tell you that you’re wasting your time. You may be planting the very seed that will bring salvation to an entire group of people. And when the harvest is ready to be reaped, don’t be threatened by people who join you in the reaping process of what you have sown. Harvests always require more reapers than sowers, so be thankful that one plants and others come alongside to help you reap!

As Denise and I finally stood on the stage to preach to the vast crowds that attended those meetings in Ukraine, I thanked God for giving us the awesome privilege of preaching to such huge numbers of people. But I also thanked Him for every single person who uses his or her own private life as a pulpit to share the seed of God’s Word with people on the street and at work. Regardless of how or where the seed of God’s Word is sown by believers, every seed sown is powerful and has an eternal effect. Never forget that fact as you go through your day using YOUR life as a pulpit for sowing the life-changing seed of the Gospel!

My Prayer for Today

Lord, I never realized the power that one single seed could make on such a large group of people. I have mistakenly thought that witnessing to one person was not as important as preaching to multitudes. Please forgive me for overlooking the power of a single seed sown into the human heart. Holy Spirit, I want to be ready when the harvest comes in — and that includes having enough friends and coworkers on hand to pitch in and help. So I ask You to dispatch a group of ready and willing workers who can step into the harvest field and assist me in bringing in the sheaves!

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

My Confession for Today

I confess that the seed I sow into people’s hearts has the power to bring great change to entire groups of people. Every time I share the Word of God with people who don’t know the Lord, a seed is planted in their hearts and minds that has the power to revolutionize their lives, their families, their friends, and even their entire cities. Every person I touch has the potential of taking the Gospel message further, thus creating a larger harvest for the Kingdom of God. Therefore, I am bold to speak to anyone whenever I see an open door of opportunity to tell the Good News of Jesus Christ!

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

Questions to Answer

1. Can you think of a true-life story of how one person’s testimony affected a nation or an entire group of people? Who was that person?

2. Can you recall a time when the words someone spoke to you brought tremendous change into your life? Who was that person? What did he or she tell you? What changes came about in your life as a result of those words?

3. Is that person aware of how God changed your life as a result of the seed he or she sowed into your heart? If you’ve never shared the impact that person’s words had on you, don’t you think it would be appropriate for you to do so?