I Have Arrived or Have I

3For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. Romans 12:3

This has been in my heart to write for a few days and as always something comes along that pressures you well propels you into doing a thing. A few conversations I have had in the past weeks and days was my pressure. As today begins lenten season many have debated about the proper way in which to do it and what God will and won't accept. Well I say this, God honors your praise, worship and fasting when done with a sincere and pure heart (see Joel 2:12) is what He says according to His word. You see so many of us who profess to be called to this ministry thing I have noticed are doing just what the unsaved among us do. We take a scripture and we take it as justification to support what we want to get people to believe. You see just when we forget where we came from thinking we have arrived and are able to say what God will and won't accept from people I am reminded of the above verse. We need not get too comfortable thinking that we have made it because we can read and quote scripture in Revelation it tells us that Satan goes to God night and day making accusations against us. Also read Job 1:6-12. Some of us only speak to God once a day, the rest of the day we are telling others what God said or we said God said in truth, I don't see to many times in my Bible where God is actually speaking. Another thing that makes me grounded and remember that though I am not where I used to be, but to say I have arrived would be foolish is that God can use whom and what He likes to save a person, even something as minuet as giving up a coke, candy bar as a way of saying God this is my sacrifice to you, doing it with prayer and supplication making their request known. Yes, I believe that God will accept it, will it always do no, because the closer we get the more we know the more effective and personal our prayer life should become.

Another thing that I have been thinking on is we that have arrived or think we have want to tell people how good God is, well they know that can we tell them about some of the sacrifices He made some of them that were made prior to the cross, for instance Jesus served daily, He had no place to call His own. Jesus washed feet, Jesus sat amongst the sinners and no He didn't save everybody but it wasn't because He didn't try it's because they didn't accept salvation. He forgave everybody, & He fed the hungry. He didn't tell the thief on the cross in his dieing hour asking him to remember that's not enough, He told Him that when He entered the kingdom, he would be there.

We have to be mindful of the message that we send to people we have to remember all that we did before we arrived or have we? The scripture says God has dealt to every man a measure of Faith and it doesn't say how big it is or how little is and that's because we are all different. My faith level may be that I have so much Faith that God has me and will provide that rather than pay the mortgage if God lays it on my heart to sow that money into a ministry or to someone more in need that I will do it, where as my neighbor's faith level maybe that I trust Him but that is completely foolish. Well I can tell you I never stress about bills are money because I trust God that much, I remind Him whenever I am in lack that I am standing on His word that He would never leave nor forsake me. But there are some that say you are crazy, I may be but God said "For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe." 1 Cor. 1:21

So before we go slanging scriptures to prove just how much we know and how much others may not; remember God said His word Stands, which means He does not need our help or debate in trying to prove another wrong. We as children of God have to be willing to study to show ourselves approved knowing that no two of us will ever take the exact same thing away. For instance we are sitting in the same church on Sunday, and I can assure if you if the congregation is polled once the service is over, there will be some who can't tell you what the message was, but you will get from people what they took from the message and if you find two who took the same thing it will be amazing.

Blessed to Be A Blessing,
Shon Garner Cole