Blessings

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What God's Blessings Don't Mean

Deuteronomy 9:6

"Understand therefore, that the LORD thy God giveth thee not this good land to possess it for thy righteousness; for thou art a stiffnecked people."

Many of the sermons you hear are about getting the blessings of God upon your life. There is no doubt that getting God's blessings are a motivating factor in people living right. However, many times when someone starts to receive the blessings of God, they can have the wrong idea of why they received these blessings. In the verse above, God told the children of Israel that He wasn't blessing them because they deserved it. On the contrary, He blessed them because of His goodness and because of their forefathers. God didn't want these people to start thinking higher of themselves because He was blessed them. If we are not careful, we will get the wrong idea as to why God blesses us. Let me show you what God's blessings don't always mean.

First, they don't always mean that you are a great Christian. If you are not careful, you will start looking at the blessings that God is giving you and think that you are a great Christian. When this happens, pride sets in and you will set yourself up for God's judgment. Just because God blesses you does not make you a great Christian. God's blessings are given to us because we obeyed one of His principles for blessings. Follow my thinking. If I obey one principle and am blessed because of that action, yet I disobey three other principles, just because God blessed me for obeying the one principle does not make me a great Christian. God blesses people when they follow His principles. Yet, those blessings don't make you a great Christian.

Furthermore, just because God blesses a church doesn't make it a great church. When a church follows a few commands from the Scriptures, God's blessings are going to follow. However, that same church could be disobeying other commands. Do the blessings of God for the few commands that are being obeyed make this church a great church? NO! It only means that they followed some principle that resulted in God's blessings. If I press the accelerator on a car, I will be blessed with speed. However, pressing an accelerator does not make me a great driver. Likewise, receiving God's blessings does not always make me a great Christian.

Second, God's blessings don't mean that you deserve them. God made this principle very clear in the verse above. Sometimes God chooses to bless us because He is merciful and gracious. In fact, let's just be honest with each other, nobody deserves the blessings of God. Just because God blessed you does not mean that you deserved those blessings.

Third, God's blessings don't always mean that you received them because of your actions. Often in the Scriptures God blessed someone because of someone else. You could be receiving the blessings of God because you are under the umbrella of someone else. For instance, there are many people receiving God's blessings because of their pastor, spouse or parents. Don't always think that God's blessings come to you because of you. Many times God blesses us because of others.

Finally, God's blessings come upon us because of the goodness of God. Don't ever forget this! God's goodness is what causes Him to bless us. Nobody deserves the blessings of God, but God chooses to bless us out of His desire to make us happy. Be careful about thinking higher of yourself because of God's blessings than you should. Keeping God's blessings on your life in proper perspective will help you to keep yourself in a proper perspective as well.

Second generation

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A Spiritual Second Generation

Deuteronomy 5:3

"The LORD made not this covenant with our fathers, but with us, even us, who are all of us here alive this day."

When you think of second generation Christians, you mostly think of Christians who are not very dedicated to the work of the LORD. Sadly, most second generation Christians are not very spiritual. I am personally a sixth generation Christian. I believe that second generation Christians can be spiritual, and in fact, do more than the previous generation.

In the verse above, the generation of the children of Israel were second generation. Their father's were the one's who refused to go into the Promised Land, so this generation wandered forty years in the wilderness because of the sins of their fathers. However, when Moses addressed this generation, he addressed them as a spiritual generation. There were several things that made this second generation a spiritual generation.

First, they made their Christianity personal. Notice that they said that the LORD made this covenant "with us." They understood that they couldn't live off of mom and dad's spirituality. They realized they had to make it their own. Spirituality is not inherited. Just because your parents were good Christians does not make you a good Christian. Too many young people believe they are spiritual because of their parents. The only way you will make it as a second generation Christian is to make your Christianity personal.

Second, they learned from the previous generation. These people realized the mistakes of their fathers, and they did all that they could to avoid making the same mistakes. One of the blessings of being a second generation Christian is that you can learn from the successes and failures of previous generations. If you are wise, you will avoid the mistakes your fathers made and follow their patterns of success.

Third, they made God's commands personal. This generation understood that God's commands were for them. They didn't pass it off as something they didn't need to do, but they understood that the commands God gave were to them as well. Second generation Christians must be careful about thinking that the commands from God for the previous generation do not apply to them. God's warnings apply to you as they did to your fathers.

Fourth, they made God's promises personal. You will never be successful as a second generation Christian until you make the promises of God personal. The same promises that your parents claimed are the same promises you must claim. God's promises are multi-generational. In other words, they apply to every generation. Take the same promises that your parents claimed and make them personal by claiming them as your own.

Finally, they made God personal. This is the most important thing you must do to be successful as a second generation Christian. You should not serve God because your parents served Him, but you must serve God because you choose to serve Him. Joshua made that very clear in Joshua 24:15. Every generation must make God their personal God if they are going to succeed in the Christian life.

You will fail as a Christian if you live off your parents Christianity. You need your own victories. You need your own answered prayers. You need your own personal experiences with God. You will never be successful as a second generation Christian until you make God and the Christian life personal.

Ideal

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The Ideal Worker

Exodus 36:1

"Then wrought Bezaleel and Aholiab, and every wise hearted man, in whom the LORD put wisdom and understanding to know how to work all manner of work for the service of the sanctuary, according to all that the LORD had commanded."

Finding the ideal worker in any walk of life is never an easy task. When you ask employers how hard it is to find the ideal worker, you will find that many of these employers are frustrated in finding someone who is the ideal worker.

When God commanded Moses to build the tabernacle, He gave him a man who was an ideal worker. Bezaleel would be coveted by every employer today if he were alive. There is no doubt in my mind that the tabernacle of the LORD would not have become what it did without Bezaleel. Let me show you several things about this man that made him the ideal worker.

First, he was a wise worker. You will notice in the verse above that the LORD gave Bezaleel wisdom to "...know how to work..." Bezaleel was not careless about his work. He used wisdom to build the instruments of the tabernacle and to accomplish the work in the best possible way. You should strive to be wise as you work. Don't be careless on the job, but be wise in your work habits so you can accomplish more for God and your employer.

Second, he worked well with others. In Exodus 38:22, you will read that Bezaleel worked with a man named Uri. His ability to work with others helped the work to go smoother. There is nothing worse than trying to get people to get along on the job. If you want to be an ideal worker, then you need to learn to work well with others. No, they may not always do things the way you would do them, but they can help you and the one for whom you are working to accomplish the task in a greater way.

Third, he was a willing worker. In Exodus 35:21 you will see that God used him because he was willing. Bezaleel didn't have the attitude that he had to do God's work, but he had the attitude that he was privileged to do God's work. When you get past the "Got to" attitude and get to the "Get to" attitude concerning your work for the LORD and your employment, then you will find that the work you perform will be more enjoyable. When people enjoy what they do, they will produce a better product.

Fourth, he was a self teacher. In the verse above, you can see that Bezaleel never stopped learning. In order to get wisdom in an area, you must be willing to learn about that area. An ideal worker will continue learning about the area in which they work. The reason for this is so that they can do what they are supposed to do in a better way. Never stop learning about what you are supposed to do. Be a self teacher, and motivate yourself to improve your education in the area of your work.

Fifth, he followed instructions. In Exodus 39:21, Bezaleel did everything that the "...LORD commanded Moses." This means that Moses gave Bezaleel the instructions on how to do the work. Bezaleel humbly followed the instructions given to him. Ideal workers are one's who will follow instructions. Don't be one who makes your own rules, but follow the instructions given to you.

Last, he was a finisher. In Exodus 39:43, you will see that the work was finished. Ideal workers finish what they start. Whenever you start a project, be one who finishes it. Don't leave projects unfinished.

Ideal workers are hard to find. Let those with whom you work feel that they have found an ideal worker in you.

Famine

Preparing for the Famine

Genesis 41:29-30

"Behold, there come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt: And there shall arise after them seven years of famine; and all the plenty shall be forgotten in the land of Egypt; and the famine shall consume the land;"

Life is a series of cycles. You will have ups, and you will have downs. You will have prosperity, but you will also have famine. God allowed Pharaoh to have a dream that taught this principle. God showed Pharaoh through his dream that there would be seven years of plenty, and the years of plenty would be followed by seven years of famine. Joseph advised Pharaoh to prepare for the famine by setting aside in the years of plenty. This advice should be followed by all, whether it is a person or a government.

Prosperity will not last forever. One of the mistakes of this present generation is that it doesn't seem to understand that prosperity will end. When you live in times of prosperity, you must realize that it will end someday.

Likewise, famine will not last forever. Just like prosperity will only last for a time, famine will end someday as well. When you are going through tight times, you must not give up, eventually you will see good times again. You must not despair in times of famine for they are only temporal.

Furthermore, prosperity is sent to prepare for the famine. Here is where many people make a mistake. Prosperity is not sent for pure enjoyment, but God sends us prosperity so we can prepare to make it through the times of famine. During times of prosperity you must have the character to set aside. When you are young, learn to set aside for retirement. When times are going well, learn to set aside some finances to make it through the coming years of famine. You must not be one who wastes all your finances thinking that they will always be there. There will come a time when prosperity will end, so you must be sure to use the time of prosperity to prepare yourself for when the time of famine comes.

The bite of famine is only as grievous as prosperity's preparation. Famine is never an enjoyable thing to go through, but you can take the fierceness of its bite away by preparing for it in times of prosperity. When you look at those who prepared for their senior years when they were young, you will notice that they don't struggle as much as those who wasted their years of prosperity. You can either tighten the belt in years of prosperity so you can enjoy the latter years of your life, or you can splurge now and have nothing when the years of famine come.

Finally, preparation and prayer gives provision in the famine. If you will learn to set aside during times of prosperity, you will find that you will have enough to make it through the times of famine. Moreover, you must pray and ask God to give you the wisdom and character to help you to set aside. Ask God when the famine comes to help multiply what you have set aside. God promises to supply all of our need, so ask Him to bless what you have.

If Pharaoh wouldn't have listened to the wise advice of Joseph, then Egypt would not be in existence. Follow the advice of Joseph to set aside in times of prosperity so you can make it through the years of famine.