Baptist City Blog

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Opening the Windows of Heaven

2 Kings 7:2

"Then a lord on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God, and said, Behold, if the LORD would make windows in heaven, might this thing be? And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof."

When the Scriptures talk about the windows of Heaven, they are talking about God pouring out His blessings. Samaria had been shut up for many days, and because of this they were not able to get any supplies to the city. Elisha predicted that on the next day they would have all the supplies that they needed. However, the servant to the king said, "Behold, if the LORD would make windows in heaven, might this thing be?" This servant's lack of faith caused him not to see God open those windows and pour out His blessings upon Samaria.

Let me ask you, would you like it if God would open the windows of Heaven and pour out His blessings upon your life? Throughout the Scriptures we find that God promises to open those windows if we do certain things. Let me show you four things you must do to open the windows of Heaven. Let me make this clear, God leaves the opening of the windows of Heaven up to you. If you will do what He says to do, then He promises to pour out His blessings.

First, paying your tithes will open the windows of Heaven. Malachi 3:10 says, "Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it." This promise is very clear. If a person will pay ten percent of their income to God, then He will bless them abundantly in return. God blesses those who pay their tithes. You may not think you can afford to do so, but God promises He will repay you above what you give to Him.

Second, praying opens the windows of Heaven. God said in Luke 11:9, that if we will ask, then He will give. This is an open check to every believer. One of the greatest reasons we don't get things from God is because we don't ask. Christian, you need to daily spend time in prayer. You must spend time asking Him for your needs, for He promises that if you will ask that He will give.

Third, obeying God's commandments opens the windows of Heaven. Deuteronomy 28:2 shows us that if we will obey God's commandments, that He will bless us abundantly. Obedience always has its benefits, and one of those benefits is that God will bless you above measure for doing what He commands you to do.

Last, seeking God first will open the windows of Heaven. If you will seek God first, Matthew 6:33 promises, "...all these things shall be added unto you." Where you place God in the priorities of your life will determine whether or not He will open the windows of Heaven.

One thing you must understand about these promises, you cannot pick and choose which one you want to do to open the windows of Heaven. All of these promises must be followed to open Heaven's windows. I challenge you to follow these four areas to see if God comes through with blessings. I believe you will find that His blessings will far out shadow the difficulties it takes to do these things. God desires to open the windows of Heaven for your life, it is simply up to you to do what God tells you to do to get them opened.

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Looking for a Man of God?

2 Kings 3:11

"But Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the LORD, that we may enquire of the LORD by him? And one of the king of Israel's servants answered and said, Here is Elisha the son of Shaphat, which poured water on the hands of Elijah."

Jehoshaphat seemed to have the same problem that many Christians have today, and that is the only time he wanted a man of God in his life was when he had a difficulty that needed to be solved. Jehoshaphat said in the verse above, "Is there not here a prophet of the LORD,..." This statement came after Jehoshaphat had joined the king of Israel in a joint mission to fight the king of Moab. Before they went to war, Jehoshaphat asked for a man of God to give them guidance. The sad part about this story is that Jehoshaphat only wanted the man of God's advice when it was convenient or needed.

Every person needs a man of God in their life. The man of God should not be an emergency number that you only call in times of need. Yes, they will come and help you if that is the only time you call them, but they are there to help you succeed in your Christian life. I fear many people fail in their Christian life because they avoid the man of God who God has placed in their life to help them mature and excel in their walk with God. With this in mind, let me give you some thoughts concerning you and your man of God.

First, let the man of God be a man of God in your life. What I mean by this statement is that he should not be treated like everyone else. Treat him with dignity and respect by addressing him properly. Though some think this is ridiculous, you need to keep a mystique and honor with the position that the man of God holds. If you will address him properly, then you will keep his position as a revered position in your mind.

Second, pray that your man of God guides you properly. People often complain that their man of God does not help them, but I wonder how often they pray that God gives him wisdom to guide them. Yes, the man of God should have personally asked for God's guidance, but you would be wise to ask God to help your man of God help you. I have found that when I pray this way that God helps me to ask questions in the right way that will spur the man of God to give me the answers that I need.

Third, don't just let your man of God be a convenient crutch whom you run to when you need help. If you have problems, certainly you should go and ask for his help, but let your man of God help you all the time. Don't be like Jehoshaphat who only looked for him when it was convenient.

Last, be an encouragement to your man of God. Regularly say words of encouragement to him to show your appreciation. Look for needs that he may have that God can use you to fill. Find something that he likes, and every once in awhile give it to him as a gift of appreciation. Be kind to his family as this will be an encouragement to him as well.

God has given you a man of God to be a help to you. Don't let his availability be taken for granted, but realize that God gave him to you to help you become the best Christian that you could become. Don't just look for a man of God in times of need, but look for a man of God in all stages of your life.

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Working for the Unsaved

1 Kings 18:3

"And Ahab called Obadiah, which was the governor of his house. (Now Obadiah feared the LORD greatly:"

One thing most people cannot get out of is working for people who are unsaved. For most, working with the unsaved is difficult because of the atmosphere in which they must work. Obadiah could certainly understand the difficulties of working with the unsaved. Obadiah's boss was Ahab. According to the Scriptures, no king worked more wickedness than Ahab. Yet, in God's commentary about Obadiah He said, "Now Obadiah feared the LORD greatly:..." Though Obadiah worked for an evil man, he still kept his walk with the LORD in tact. His testimony was the key to getting God's attention. Let me show you a few ways to keep your testimony as you work for the unsaved.

First, be dependable. Obadiah must have been a dependable man for Ahab to give him a job that only he and Ahab could do. When working for the unsaved, you must do your best to be dependable. Be dependable by being at work every day. Though you may not always feel like going to work, you should be sure to be there unless your health would be harmed or others would be harmed by you being there. Just because you have sick days to use does not give you the right to take off. Being at your place of work day in and day out will help your unsaved boss to depend on you.

Second, be trustworthy. Ahab had to trust Obadiah in order to give him a position of governor. You won't give somebody a high position who is not trustworthy. You need to be sure to be a trustworthy person on the job. Be careful not to steal minutes from your boss. What I mean by this statement is you should not take extra minutes during your break time. If your boss gives you a ten minute break, then only take ten minutes. Likewise, don't take materials from the job site without first asking your boss. Taking for granted that it will be fine to take materials is nothing more than stealing. It does not matter that everyone else may do it, be trustworthy and ask before you take materials.

Third, work hard. When Obadiah was given the job of finding grass for the cattle, he immediately went and started searching. The best way to build a testimony with an unsaved boss is to be the hardest worker where you work. Though we are not in competition with the unsaved, there should never be an unsaved person who works harder than a saved person. You represent Christ on the job, and He would want you to be a hard worker.

Fourth, don't participate in the ungodly practices of those with whom you work. When Jezebel killed the prophets of God, Obadiah did right and hid as many prophets as he could. Often in the workplace there are sinful things that take place. Be sure that you don't participate in these practices. If they go and party; don't go to the parties. Your testimony is more important than trying to appease their criticisms of you.

Most Christians will have to work for the unsaved. One of the best ways to win them to Christ is to build a testimony of being the best employee in the workplace. When you keep your Christian testimony by doing right and working hard, then they will turn to you when they need someone to help them.

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Great Leaders Have This Characteristic

1 Samuel 18:4

"And the king said unto them, What seemeth you best I will do. And the king stood by the gate side, and all the people came out by hundreds and by thousands."

Leaders are a dime a dozen, but great leaders are hard to find. David was certainly a great leader whose life and leadership skills should be studied. I fear too often we study the leadership skills of the heathen and try to copy their characteristics in the Christian world. However, following godly leadership characteristics will allow you to help those whom you lead in a greater way.

One of the great characteristics of David's leadership was that he was not afraid to listen to the people. The verse above shows that David listened to and followed the advice of the people concerning the war with Absalom. David was ready to go to war with the people against Absalom, but the people asked David to stay back and let them fight this war for the LORD. David was secure enough in the skin of his leadership that he was not intimidated by following his follower's advice.

Great leaders will learn to listen to their followers. Listening to those whom you lead is not a sign of weakness, on the contrary it is actually a sign of strength. There are many leaders who never listen to those whom they lead to their own detriment. If leaders would listen to their followers, they would find that their followers would be more apt to listen to and follow their leadership. However, when leaders never listen to their followers, then eventually the followers will stop listening to their leaders.

One sign of weak leadership is a leader who thinks they know everything. Let me make this clear, no leader knows everything. The leader who thinks they know everything is a leader who is insecure. The leader who thinks he knows everything is the leader who is filled with pride. Leaders must realize that those who follow them have wisdom that could help them. If you think you know everything and will never listen to your followers, then you will end up hurting your ability to lead. Nobody wants to follow a know-it-all.

Most followers want success as much as their leader. For some reason there are some leaders who think that their followers don't want as much success as they do. This simply is not true! Most church members want their church to succeed. Most employees want their company to succeed. Most citizens want their country to succeed. Most family members want their family to succeed. Yes, there are some followers who would delight in the failure of their organization, but those followers are few and far between. The followers who are loyal to leadership want success as much as the leader does. This is why leadership would be wise to listen to those whom they lead.

In whatever area you lead, learn to listen to those you are leading. Realize that they have good ideas and wisdom that could help you to lead them in a better way. As a bonus, if you will listen to them and follow their ideas when appropriate, then you will further win their heart, allowing you to do greater things. Great leaders are great listeners, and great leaders will listen to those whom they lead. They may not always do what their followers want, but they will listen and give serious consideration to the suggestions of their followers.

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It Came to Pass in an Eveningtide

2 Samuel 11:2

"And it came to pass in an eveningtide, that David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king's house: and from the roof he saw a woman washing herself; and the woman was very beautiful to look upon."

One of the times that you need to guard the most is the night time. People get themselves into trouble at night more than any other time of the day. Proverbs 7 warns us about the dangers of the night when it tells us about a young man who was aimlessly walking the streets at night. God said about the night in John 3:19, "And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil."

David did not heed the warnings of the dangers of the night. When you study David's life, you will see that it was evening when David committed his great sin with Bathsheba. David did not understand the power of the night and the precautions he needed to make to avoid its pitfalls. Because of his lack of caution, sin overtook him and he paid a dear price for the rest of his life. Look at the four things that destroyed his life at night.

First, he didn't fill his time during the night. 2 Samuel 11:1 says, "But David tarried still at Jerusalem." Instead of doing nothing, David should have filled his evenings with work to keep him from doing things he would regret later in life. Christian, keep your evenings filled when you are alone at night. When you have nothing to do at night, your mind will find something to do, and most likely what it finds to do will not be good.

Second, he allowed himself to see the wrong things. Notice it says about David in the verse above, "...he saw a woman washing herself;..." When you don't fill your time with things to do, then you will start looking at things you should not look at. If you travel a lot and stay in hotels alone, I would advise you to keep your evenings filled, and be careful about what you watch on the TV. Many good people have filled their minds with wrong things by watching the wrong programs on the television. If you will keep your evenings filled with work or spiritual activity, then you will find it hard to look at the wrong things.

Third, he enquired about the wrong. 2 Samuel 11:3 says, "And David sent and enquired after the woman..." David was justifying in his mind that he was doing no wrong by simply enquiring about this woman whom he saw. Simply enquiring about sin means that you have already considered doing it in your mind. When you start enquiring about sin, then you are one step away from doing it. You don't need to know about sin. Don't ask about it at all. Don't investigate it in your private time. Stay away from the enquiry of sin.

Last, he thought no one would find out. David thought this act would be a one-night fling that nobody would ever know about. However, there is always a price to sin, and God warns us in Numbers 32:23 that sin will be found out. You may think that nobody will ever know what you are doing in private, but sin has a way of making its way into the public eye. Christian, you cannot get away with sin. God knows what you are doing, and He will hold you accountable for your sin.

I encourage you to be careful about the night time. Many people have ruined their lives in the "eveningtide." You are no different from David. Sin will catch you just like it did him. Ask God for His protection over your life during the night, and keep yourself from actions that will ruin your life.

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How Eleven Days Equals Forty Years

Deuteronomy 1:2

"(There are eleven days' journey from Horeb by the way of mount Seir unto Kadesh-barnea.)"

One phrase in the verse above shows how much time the children of Israel wasted in the wilderness. The verse says, "There are eleven days' journey from Horeb by the way of mount Seir..." That means the children of Israel could have been in the Promised Land in eleven days if they would have trusted God's Word. However, one act of doubt at Kadesh-barnea caused them to wander in the wilderness for forty years. What was supposed to be eleven days became forty years. Imagine what could have been accomplished in these forty years. Imagine what God could have done through Israel in those forty years if they would have trusted His Word. Instead, forty years were wasted because of one act of unbelief.

However, I find Christians regularly make the same mistake that the children of Israel did in this story. There are Christians throughout the world who are wasting years that could be productive because they are not doing what God commanded them to do. Oh, don't get me wrong, they are probably being productive in what they are doing, but they are not accomplishing near the productivity that God intended for them because they have disobeyed God's will for their life. Let me explain.

There are many Christians who are wasting years of productivity because they won't follow God's will for their life. What I mean by this statement is that God called them to go into full-time service, and instead they sit in a church and waste years that they could be doing God's will for their life. Yes, these same people may actually be working on a church staff or in some ministry of their church, but they are not doing what they know God called them to do. People that do this are wasting years when God could be working through them. Imagine how many people are going to Hell because someone rejects the will of God for their life. Because of their unbelief that God has the power to work through them, they waste years that could be used to do God's work in the center of His will.

There are other Christians who are wasting years of productivity because of sin. The sin of disobeying the voice of God caused Israel to turn eleven days into forty years. Christian, sin always delays God's will in your life. Yes, you may eventually get to God's will for your life, but imagine how many years you wasted because you didn't trust God's Word regarding sin's consequences. Churches are filled with people who waste years of productivity because of sin.

One other area where Christians are wasting years of productivity is in the area of obeying God's Word. For instance, God commands you to tithe, and you won't tithe. God commands you to be a soul winner, and you won't go soul winning. Better yet, God commands you to witness to someone, and you won't witness to them. Yes, that person may get saved later on in life, but because of your disobedience to the voice of God you waste many years that God could have worked through that person if you would have listened to Him.

Don't allow unbelief in one area of your life to turn eleven days into forty years. One act of unbelief in any area of your life may turn days into years. Don't let that be your story. If you find yourself wasting years right now, then immediately start listening to the voice of God so you don't waste any more time. Moreover, whenever God speaks to you about doing something, trust Him and act immediately so days don't turn into years. The quicker you obey God's voice the quicker God can do through you what He intends. Be careful about wasting years when God could be working through you.

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Overcoming Sin's Grip

Numbers 31:2

"Avenge the children of Israel of the Midianites: afterward shalt thou be gathered unto thy people."

Those who have ever had a besetting sin know that overcoming it is no easy task. Many find their besetting sin will haunt them until the day they die. However, we must realize that God provides a way through the Scriptures to overcome the grip that sin has on our life.

The children of Israel had an association that seemed to grip them. It was their association with the Midianites. It was this association that caused them to face God's judgment a few chapters earlier. In this chapter, God showed the Israelites how to overcome the grip of the Midianites. The same way they had to overcome the Midianites grip is the same way that any Christian must overcome their besetting sin.

First, realize that the battle over sin is a holy war. Verse 6 says that God told them to go to war with the Midianites. You must get God's help if you are going to overcome the grip of sin. Christian, make no mistake about it, it is a war! It is a war between the flesh and the spirit. Until you declare war on your besetting sin, you will never overcome its grip.

Second, get rid of the core of your sin problem. Verse 8 tells us that they slew the kings of Midian. The kings were the core of the whole problem. With the kings gone, they had a better chance of overcoming the Midianites. Likewise, you must identify the core of your sin and remove it. 1 John 1:9 tells us to confess the sin to God so that we can overcome it.

Third, avoid places of temptation. Verse 10 tells us that they had to burn the cities. The cities represent the places of temptation. There are temptations that you face that cause you to continually go back to the sin that grips your life. Whatever the things or places are that tempt you to do wrong, you must completely avoid them if you plan to overcome sin's grip.

Fourth, destroy any and all ties to your sin. God told the Israelites in verse 17 to destroy all that they got from Midian. Any tie that you have with your sin must be destroyed. Too many times we keep the ties of sin around just in case we want to go back to them. You cannot do this if you want to overcome sin's grip. Anything that has to do with your sin must be removed from your life.

Last, purge your sin through God's Word. God told Israel in verse 23 to purify everything with water. God's Word is symbolized by water. To overcome the grip of sin, you must spend a lot of time in the Word of God. Memorize Its pages to purge your mind from sin. Read It's words so that It will go into your heart and clean you from the grip of sin.

Sin is never easy to overcome. However, through these steps you will find the grip of sin weakened and eventually removed from your life. Don't let your sin get victory over you, but with God's help and through the principles of His Word you can get the victory you have longed for over sin.

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The Empty Offers of Liberals

Numbers 22:5

"He sent messengers therefore unto Balaam the son of Beor to Pethor, which is by the river of the land of the children of his people, to call him, saying, Behold, there is a people come out from Egypt: behold, they cover the face of the earth, and they abide over against me:"

One of the stories in the Scriptures that epitomizes the compromise of preachers and the offers of liberals is the story of Balaam and Balak. At the time the story started in the verse above, Balaam was a respected prophet. Though most of the time when you think of Balaam you think of a compromiser, apparently up to this point in his life God's blessings were evident upon his life. Balak's offers to Balaam were empty offers. Though on the surface the offers seemed enticing, when you look at the end of the offers you see that they were empty. These empty offers are still offered today by liberals, but you must not be enticed by them for they are empty. Notice the four offers Balak offered that did not produce what he originally claimed.

First, he offered something he could not give. Balak offered Balaam honor and promotion in Numbers 22:17. Balak made it sound like Balaam would become greater if he would just compromise. Liberals always offer position that they cannot give. They will always tell you that your influence will be greater if you will just compromise. Christian, God is the One Who promotes. You must remember that if the liberal promotes you to great influence, then they can take away the influence at any time. However, if God is the One Who promotes you, then no man is able to take away what God gave you. Never let the liberal's enticement of promotion and honor pull you away from that which you know is right.

Second, Balak spiritualized that which was not spiritual. In Numbers 23:2, Balak made it sound as though he wanted to worship God the same way that Balaam did. This was not true! Liberals always try to spiritualize their actions. Let me make this very clear, their is nothing spiritual about compromise. You can try to spiritualize wrong, but sin is sin. It is never right to do wrong to do right. Wrong is always wrong, and right is always right. Liberals always create a gray area and try to make it sound like the gray area is spiritual. No, the gray area is wrong. Don't ever spiritualize wrong, for sin is sin no matter how you put it.

Third, Balak wanted to bring Balaam to places where he should not have gone. In Numbers 23:27, Balak continued to bring Balaam to see different parts of Israel that he could curse. Liberals will turn you into something that you don't want to become. If you accept the liberal's offers, then one day you will look at what you have become and see that you never wanted to go that far. Liberals will take you to places of spirituality where you don't want to be. Therefore, you should never accept their offers of compromise.

Last, Balak offered freedom that only brought bondage. In Numbers 24:11, you see the true side of liberalism was to control everything that Balaam did. Balak's anger was kindled at Balaam because he didn't do what he wanted him to do. Christian, liberals want you to do what they want. They lie when they say they will come your way if you will make the first move. If you move, then they won't move, but they will want you to move again. Never move from the position where God commands you to stand.

Always remember that the offers of liberals are empty. What they offer they cannot and will not give. Stand where you are supposed to stand, and let God be the One Who promotes you to the position where He wants you to be. Don't seek position, but seek to do right.

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Another Set of Eyes

Numbers 10:31

"And he said, Leave us not, I pray thee; forasmuch as thou knowest how we are to encamp in the wilderness, and thou mayest be to us instead of eyes."

How often have you heard a person say, "Do you need another set of eyes?" While Moses' father-in-law visited his daughter, Moses asked him if he would stay with them so that he could be another set of eyes as they journeyed towards the Promised Land. Apparently, Moses thought very highly of him and wanted his insight as they faced difficult situations.

Throughout life it is wise to have someone to whom you can go to and get another set of eyes. Getting someone else's perspective on decisions is good because many times they have no bearing on the decision being made. Just as important as getting another set of eyes to help you with decisions, likewise it is important to choose the right person to give you their perspective. Choosing the wrong person could cause you to make a decision that you could regret for the rest of your life.

When seeking another set of eyes, choose someone who is a wise person. Don't ask someone their perspective because you know they will tell you what you want to hear. Likewise, don't choose someone because they are your friend. Choosing someone with wisdom is important because their perspective could likely influence the outcome of your decision.

Furthermore, when seeking another set of eyes, choose someone who has already been down the road of life. Getting a perspective from your peers isn't always wise as your peers probably have not faced what you are facing. It isn't necessarily wrong to choose one of your peers for another set of eyes, but be sure that they have been down the road where you are going before you get their opinion.

In addition, choose someone whom you can trust. Trust is very important when getting someone's perspective. You don't want to ask someone their perspective when they have a loose tongue. If you ask someone something, you need for them to be someone who will keep it private. It is wise to ask the person from whom you are getting another perspective to keep it private. If you choose the right person, then you will find this area won't be that big of a problem.

Finally, choose someone with common beliefs. This may be the most important point I can give you. Finding someone with the same philosophy and beliefs is imperative. You don't want to ask someone whose philosophy will guide you away from what is right. Therefore, choose people who are going in the same direction in philosophy and belief to keep you from making a wrong decision.

Everybody will need another set of eyes at some point in their life. Choose those to whom you will go to for their perspective before you are ever faced with a decision. Choosing the right person to give you their perspective will save you from making costly mistakes, and they just may help you to achieve greater heights.

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In His Place

Numbers 2:17

"Then the tabernacle of the congregation shall set forward with the camp of the Levites in the midst of the camp: as they encamp, so shall they set forward, every man in his place by their standards."

When God organized the congregation of Israel, He commanded them to camp "every man in his place..." Every institution must be organized for it to succeed. An institution will only be as successful as the degree of its organization. God knew that the children of Israel would never make it through the wilderness without organization. You must understand that for forty years there were over two million people whom Moses led through the wilderness. There had to be organization for it to succeed.

However, it does not matter how organized an institution is if the people in that institution are not in their place of service. Leadership can have an organizational plan in place, but the people in the institution must be in their place of service for that plan to work. The verse above teaches us that people are important to the organizational structure. God told them that "every man" needed to be in their place when the camp went forward.

There are two institutions that God started: the home and the church. Both of these institutions will only be as successful as their organization. A home without organization is a home where there is strife and contention. A home without organization is a home that is dysfunctional. Likewise, a church without organization is a church that is missing its potential. The church must be organized if it is to reach the lost for Christ to the degree that God wants it to. However, in both of these institutions it is important that those inside of them are in their place and fulfill their obligations for them to reach the potential that God has for them.

In your home, are you fulfilling the roles of organization that God set up? If you are the man of the home, are you leading the home or is the home leading you? When men won't lead in the home, then they are hurting the organization of the home. If you are a lady, are you following your husband and leading the children? Ladies have a twofold role in the home. They must submit to their husband's leadership, but they must also be a leader to the children. You must be in your place if you want your home to run smoothly. Children need to be in their place of following their parents if they want a peaceful home. Children out of place will hurt the structure of the home.

Moreover, your church needs you to be in your place of ministry. When you are given a position in your church, your pastor needs you to fulfill that role without him having to constantly remind you. Be in your place on time. When I say on time, I am talking about being there before it's time to start. Be in your place of service all the time. Don't be one who constantly has excuses for not fulfilling your roles of ministry.

Christian, you are important to every institution in which you are involved. Be sure that you are in your place so that institution is can succeed. You cannot worry about whether others are in their place, but you can be sure to be in your place and do what you are supposed to do. You will hurt the organizational structure of any institution when you are out of place. Follow God's command to be in your place so you can be a part of helping God's institutions to go forward.