God Has Boots On The Ground

When the king saw Esther, the queen, standing in the court, she obtained favor in his sight; and the king extended to Esther the golden scepter which was in his hand. So Esther came near and touched the top of the scepter.

Then the king said to Esther, “What is troubling you, Queen Esther? And what is your request? Even to half of the kingdom it shall be given to you.”

Esther 5:2-3

God always has boots on the ground to do His work. Sometimes it is surprising who is wearing them. Esther was a surprise.

Queen Esther saved the Israelites from sure destruction by bringing their fate to the attention of King Ahasuerus. She did this not by badgering the king or by creating disturbances, but by being a Godly woman who the King respected.

Keep the faith. God has boots on the ground looking after His people, including you.

 

Try a Little Tenderness

 

A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. The tongue of the wise adorns knowledge, but the mouth of the fool gushes folly.

Proverbs 15:1-2

We all know them. The people who think they know everything and let us know it. Sometimes they are totally wrong. It is then that we have some choices. We can publicly confront them and risk making them mad, or let them go on making an idiot of themselves, or follow the Biblical model and quietly speak to them about their error. Using gentle words might save us from getting beat up.

Try a little tenderness.

Listen and Learn

Make me know Your ways, O Lord;

Teach me, Your paths.

Lead me in Your truth and teach me,

For You are the God of my salvation;

For you I wait all the day.

Psalm 25:4-5

The great part of serving a living God is that He expects us to ask Him for help and guidance. We don’t have to muddle through life without a clue of what to do. When we ask God, He answers. All we have to do is listen and learn.

 

Lord, Revive Me

 

But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary of doing good.

2 Thessalonians 3:13

When we are tired of working our prayer is: Lord, revive me!

Our work is more than making widgets or pouring coffee or crunching numbers, our work is taking the Gospel to the world. We do this by ministering to those around us through kindness, consideration and overlooking that which is annoying.

Jesus didn’t sit down on the job and neither should we.

Get revived and get busy doing good.

Feeling Lost

 

Jesus said: 

“What woman, if she has ten silver coins and loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, “Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin which I had lost!” In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” 

Luke 15:8-10.

Every day, God is looking for you.  He does not take a day off or a vacation.  God wants to be in your life and for you to know that He loves you.  You are important to God.  He values you.

So, if you are feeling lost or lonely or far from God, know this: No sin is too big for God to forgive and no person is too bad too be forgiven.

Jesus came once and for all.  There are no conditions of forgiveness, only a willingness to acknowledge our sin and ask and receive God's forgiveness through Jesus.  

Come ask Jesus into your heart today and know that you are welcome and forgiven.   

No Bragging

 

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Ephesians 2:8-9

The Apostle Paul preached this same message over and over again because it was the truth. We cannot work our way into heaven. The only path to God is faith in Jesus. Salvation is a gift from God; all we have to do is receive it.

 

Who Are They Going To Call?

 

But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.  So he went down to Joppa, found a ship which was going to Tarshish, paid the fare and went down into it to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.

The Lord hurled a great wind on the sea and there was a great storm on the sea so that the ship was about to break up.

Then the sailors became afraid and every man cried to his god, and they threw the cargo which was in the ship into the sea to lighten it for them.  But Jonah had gone down below into the hold of the ship, lain down and fallen sound asleep. 

So the captain approached him and said, “How is it that you are sleeping?  Get up, call on your god.  Perhaps your god will be concerned about us so that we will not perish.”

Jonah 1:3-6

Under appreciated.  Made fun of.  Punchline of a joke.  Left out.  

As Christians we sometimes get no respect by those outside of the faith, but when things get tough, who are they going to call?  Who do they ask for help?  Who offers hope that perhaps things are not as bad as they seem?  

We are not called to judge others, but to help others.  When those outside the faith are in need of encouragement, we are to offer it.  

When things get tough, even those farthest from God, warm to the idea of a God who cares for them.

Don't underestimate the power of your testimony and the calling of God to do something.  Be ready.

Prayer changes things.