Value

Do You Have Any Value

Jeremiah 41:8

"But ten men were found among them that said unto Ishmael, Slay us not: for we have treasures in the field, of wheat, and of barley, and of oil, and of honey. So he forbare, and slew them not among their brethren."

The story in the verse above is about the captivity of Israel. Ishmael came upon a group of people who tried to flee from the destruction of their country. When he caught them, he slew them. But, there were ten men in this group of people who wisely told him that they had treasures that could benefit him. They asked for his mercy because of their treasures in the field.

It is interesting that the thing that allowed these men to stay alive was that they made sure they had value to Ishmael. Apparently, the other people in this group did not prepare for this day. They apparently thought that everything would always go fine. Yet, these ten men took the time and energy to make sure they had treasures saved up for a rainy day. It was their value that salvaged their lives and the future of their families.

When I think of this, I cannot but help to think about how many people have never invested in their relationships for a rainy day. I am not talking about putting money aside, I am talking about investing in your relationships so that there is value to keep it together when hardships come. Too many people have no treasures to fight for to keep their relationships going through the hard times. If you want every relationship in your life to last, then you need to be sure to add value to that relationship.

I have found that the best way to make relationships valuable is through time. There is no substitute for time. If a marriage is going to work, then you are going to have to spend time together. Many people spend more time with their friends than their spouses, and then they wonder why there is no value in their marriage relationship to motivate them to keep it together. You should have too many memories to give up on your marriage. Be sure to spend more time with your spouse so that you can add value to your marriage.

Likewise, parents need to spend time with their children if they want that relationship to be valuable later in life. When you think of the good memories you have with your parents, most of them are not about what your parents spent on you, but they are about time that you spent with your parents. The value of your relationship with your children will be determined by how much time you spent with them; time working around the house, time serving the LORD, time having family devotions, time doing activities together. Invest enough time in your relationship with your children that they consider their relationship with you more valuable than a relationship with anyone else.

Moreover, if leaders want their followers to stick with them, then leaders need to spend time with their followers. I have watched many preachers hibernate in their office instead of spending time with their people. This is not how you win their hearts over to you. Whether you are a pastor, Sunday school teacher, bus worker or leader in society, those you lead need you to spend time with them. That is what adds value to that relationship.

The most valuable commodity is time. There will come a time in every relationship when the only thing that will keep it together is the value you added to it in the past. Let me ask you, how much are your relationships worth? Every day you need to add value to each relationship by spending time with the people in them. If you will invest your time in relationships, then you will reap great benefits in the end.

Trust

Proper Trust

Jeremiah 17:5

"Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD."

In whom you put your trust is very important. It is as important as to whom you would give your heart. When talking to young people, I often tell them be careful not to give their heart to just anybody. When they give their heart to someone, they allow that person to be their influence. Whomever you give your trust to is the person who you will follow no matter what they do.

In the verse above, God said that the man who "trusteth in man" is cursed. You have to understand, it is not God who curses that person, but it is the action that will curse them. God is saying that the person who trusts in man is doomed. He is saying that the person who trusts in man will live a life filled with irritations. God is saying that when you put your trust in man that you are bound for failure. So, what does it mean to put your trust in man.

First, it means that you put your confidence in man. In other words, God is saying that the person who believes that man will always be there for them in every situation is bound to be disappointed. Christian, man will let you down. Man will disappoint you. Man will not always be there for you. I have found many well-meaning people who tell me that they will be there for me, but when the battles come they are somewhere in the background hiding saying, "We're praying for you brother." When it comes down to man being there for you in every situation, I can tell you man will let you down. Placing your confidence that man will be there for you when you need them is going to lead to great disappointment. You are cursed if you truly believe that man will be there for you when you are going through the tough times in life.

Second, it means you get your strength from man. In other words, you get your strength in your belief system from man. Let me be very open with you, very few men are able to keep the same belief system their whole life. Many men will change throughout life as it fits their lifestyle. Just because a man says something is right does not make it right. Man is not the final authority on every thing we face. There is nothing wrong with having men whom you admire, but you must not make them your final authority. Don't curse yourself by getting your strength from man.

Third, it means you receive your hope from man. God is simply saying that if you put your whole trust that man is going to do something for you then you will be greatly disappointed. Just because someone says they are going to do something for you does not mean that they will follow through. I have had many people promise something and never come through. You are cursing yourself if you truly believe man will always come through.

So, what is the answer? The answer is found in verse 7 when it says, "Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is." You will notice that trusting in the LORD will bring blessings. Why? Because He is the One Whom you can trust. He will never disappoint you. He will always be there for you when you need someone. He will always come through on His promises.

You have a choice today. You can either trust man and be disappointed, or you can trust God and never feel disappointment. Let me challenge you to follow and trust God. Yes, God uses man to do His work, but keep your eyes on the LORD and you will find that you will never be disappointed in Him.

We looked

We Looked for Peace

Jeremiah 8:15

"We looked for peace, but no good came; and for a time of health, and behold trouble!"

One of the biggest lies the Devil feeds people is that you have to look for peace. Whenever someone looks for peace, they often compromise to obtain it. The first mistake that the people made in the verse above is that they looked for peace as if it was a possession. Peace is not a possession that you hold, but peace is the result of taking right actions.

I recently helped a pastor who was experiencing turmoil in his church. As he told me about his situation he said to me, "All I want in my church is peace." You could hear the sincerity in his heart. I felt for this pastor as it was evident he loved the people of his church. I told the pastor that his desire for peace was keeping him from having it. I told him if he would take the right actions, he would find peace in his church.

Too many churches, homes, organizations or nations look for peace and never find it because they don't take the right actions to obtain it. Having peace in the home or a church won't be easy. Leadership must make tough choices, but if they will do the right thing they will discover an atmosphere of peace. Jeremiah 8 shows us what it takes to get peace.

First, sin must be removed. Verse 14 says, "...we have sinned against the LORD." Sin is the cause of turmoil. As long as you allow sin, you will continue to see turmoil. A person who wants peace in their life must remove the sin from their life. Every time a person gets rid of sin, they experience a feeling of peace. Why? Because they removed the sin. You will never experience peace as long as sin is allowed.

Second, if you want peace, then truth must be present. The leaders said in verse 11, "Peace, peace; when there is no peace." These leaders thought that if they talked and preached about peace that they would have it. Absolutely not! Their lying caused more unrest. As long as truth is not revealed, then unrest will prevail. John 8:32 says, "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." Notice, once a person knows truth they are free. When people know the whole truth it brings freedom, and freedom is the result of peace. Don't cover sin in an attempt to have peace. Let the truth be known and you will find peace.

Third, if you want peace then you must put your foot down. The leaders in verse 11 were so worried about talking about peace that they forgot to perform the actions that cause peace. Right must be established. Sin must be dealt with. That means someone must have the backbone to put their foot down if they want peace. You will never find peace with weak leadership. Parents who won't put their foot down in the home will have a home filled with unrest. Leaders who are not strong enough to put their foot down are leaders who cause unrest in the group they lead.

Fourth, if you want peace, then get busy in the harvest. Verse 20 says, "The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved." Soul winning has a way of getting people refocused on what is truly important. Soul winning keeps people from being selfish and gets them focused on others. One of the biggest causes of unrest is selfishness. Get busy reaping the harvest, and you will find people will get focused on others instead of themselves.

Christian, stop looking for peace because you will never find it as long as you look for it. If you want peace, then follow the actions above and you will discover it. Peace is not a possession, but peace is a result of proper actions.

How

How God Comforts

Isaiah 51:3

"For the LORD shall comfort Zion: he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the LORD; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody."

One of the greatest benefits of being saved is that God allows the Holy Spirit to live within us. This is a great benefit because the Holy Spirit is our Comforter. When going through tough times, the Holy Spirit will be the One Who will bring you comfort. It is interesting when you look at the verse above how God brings comfort.

First, He brings comfort through blessings. It says in the verse above, "...he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the LORD;..." God reminded Israel that He would comfort them through His blessings. He would bless them by restoring Israel. Though you may be going through trials, you must look beyond your trial and receive comfort from the blessings that God sends your way. Your trials may be bad, but I promise you there are still blessings that come your way. If you are not careful, you will focus so much on the trials that you can't see the blessings that God is sending. At times, God will choose to comfort you by sending blessings in the midst of trials.

Second, He brings comfort through joy. Notice that "joy and gladness" could be found in the blessings. In other words, your perception from where you receive joy is important. If the only time you receive joy is through circumstances, then you will never receive the comfort you need during trials. However, if you choose to look inward to find joy, then you can receive comfort any time you choose. Let me explain. I receive my joy from the fact that I am saved, that God is my Father, Jesus Christ is my Saviour, the Holy Spirit lives within me and that Heaven is my home. Nothing can change these things. If you will let your joy come from these things, then you can receive the comfort you need at any time. Don't let circumstances determine your joy, but let your joy come from those things which cannot change and you will always have the opportunity to receive comfort.

Third, He brings comfort through thanksgiving. When trials come your way, you need to regularly take time to thank God for what He has done for you in the past. Being thankful for what God has given you has a way of helping you to be comforted.

Finally, He brings comfort through song. Don't stop singing when you are going through tough times. Find what I call, "Happy songs," and sing them throughout the day. There are some songs that are not as encouraging as others, so sing the songs that always bring joy and comfort to your life.

If these things are what God uses to comfort you, then you could comfort others by doing these things for others. Christian, you could be a blessing to someone today and allow them to be comforted. You could have a song in your heart and let others receive blessings from your song. You could have a joyful spirit and brighten someone's day. Yes, you may need comfort, but if you will be the conduit of comfort to someone else, then you will find the comfort you need. Stop waiting for God to comfort you, for His comfort is there, you must simply do what it takes to do it. How much comfort you receive it dependent upon whether you act upon these areas.

He Will Save

He Will Save

Isaiah 33:22

"For the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our king; he will save us."

In everyone's life there will come a time when they will wonder if everyone and everything is against them. Nobody is immune to attacks and hardships. I can recall a couple of times in my life when I wondered if my situation would ever end. The phone would ring and I didn't want to answer it for I wondered if it was the next shoe that would drop. I remember going to my meetings and have people hedge about the question that they really wanted to ask me. That question was about the situation that God sent into my life. Yes, those times can seem overwhelming, and you may wonder if it will ever end. Let me encourage you that it will end. These situations that I have faced in my life have ended, and now that I look back at them I learned that God's guiding and caring hand was there for me as I went through them. Now that I look back at those situations, I see that the verse above is the recipe that you need to help you through these kinds of times.

The first thing you need to realize is that God will recompense those who are wrong. Notice the verse above says, "For the LORD is our judge,..."Christian, you may be falsely attacked, but God will make them pay for what they do. You may even have done wrong and even deserve God's punishment, but the treatment by fellow Christians is unwarranted. Let me again remind you that God will judge them for what they are doing. You will just have to take solace in the fact that one day they will pay. Job didn't understand his friends attacking him when he was going through his trials, but God judged them for what they did. I'm sure Naboth didn't understand why he had to die when Ahab was the one who did wrong. Yet, God recompensed Ahab for his wickedness. Others treatment towards you may be wrong, but you must trust that God will judge.

The second thing you need to realize is that God will defend. Notice the verse above says, "...the LORD is our lawgiver,..." If God is the one Who sets the rules, then that means He will take the side of the one who obeys those rules and will fight against those who disobey those rules. You may think that nobody is defending you, but God will defend you if you do right. You just need to keep doing what you are supposed to do, and trust that God will protect you from the attack of the enemy.

The third thing you need to realize is that God is in control. The verse above says, "...the LORD is our king;..." Because He is king, He is in control. This has probably been the most comforting thought to me when I've faced hardships. To know that God is in control is to know that it will eventually come out right. Christian, you may not understand everything that you face, but you must simply keep in mind that God is in control.

Because God will recompense, defend, and is in control, you must not fret the battle, for He will save you. I don't know what battle you may be facing today, but God will save you. Don't let the battle cause you to quit, simply take solace in the fact that God will save you from whatever it is you are facing today.