He said, “These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen and to run before his chariots. And he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and some to plow his ground and to reap his harvest, and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots. He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his servants. He will take the tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give it to his officers and to his servants. He will take your male servants and female servants and the best of your young men and your donkeys, and put them to his work. He will take the tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves. And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the LORD will not answer you in that day.”
(1 Samuel 8:11-18)
#9 – A Money Proverb from King Solomon (Proverbs 22.7)
“The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is the slave of the lender.”
#8 – The Blessed Nation (Psalm 33.12)
“Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage!”
#7 – A House Divided (Mark 3.25)
“And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand.”
#6 – Live at Peace (Romans 12.18)
“If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.”
#5 – The Understanding Character (Proverbs 28.16)
“A ruler who lacks understanding is a cruel oppressor, but he who hates unjust gain will prolong his days.”
#4 – The Power of the Government (Romans 13.1)
“Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.”
#3 – Work as for the Lord (Colossians 3.23-24)
“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Jesus Christ.”
#2 – No Work, No Eat (2 Thessalonians 3.10)
“For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat.”
“But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.” (Hebrews 3.13; ESV)
I am not the great encourager, but I try to pick up folks when they are down. It is easy to encourage someone, give them them a little of your time. A quick five minute pause in your day will not harm your schedule. In fact, taking five minutes to encourage someone else might make your day a little better.
Quick Five Minute Thoughts:
Send three people a quick email to let them know you are praying for them.
Leave a note on someone’s Facebook page.
Send someone an encouraging card.
Make someone a quick card and let them know you are thinking about them.
Call someone and see how they are doing.
Pick some flowers and give to someone you do not know.
Pray for someone.
Will you take five minutes to encourage someone today?
This is written from the perspective of a visitor.
A few years ago, my family and I took the entire month of February away from local ministry and travelled to various congregations, both near and far, and enjoyed some time with our brethren. We learned much about the attitudes of congregations towards visitors and it is reflected in the words below.
Let the words challenge you and make you uncomfortable. If they anger you, get up and do something about them. If you think they are right, get up and change the way your congregation is seen in your community.
Here the are, “6 Reasons Why I Do Not Attend Your Congregation”
“When I visited, you asked me to full out a visitor card, talked about how much you appreciate visitors but no one spoke to me.”
“I saw no joy in your congregation. As the church sang ‘To Canaan’s Land’ no one was smiling and they sang like a funeral. I thought living for Jesus was a joy not a bore.”
“I saw a Bible, but I never saw Bibles. I thought Christians were people who studied the book not talked about studying the book.”
“Your services talked about being lights in a dark world, but I never heard of your congregation before today. You said your church has been around for 50+ years and I grew up here and never knew of you.”
“I felt awkward because I had to sit on the second row because all of your members sat in the back and on the aisle seat. They seemed glued to their chairs.”
“You saw that I had children and no one helped me find a Bible class for my children. There were no signs on the doors to help along the way.”
“Before you can change the world, you must change yourself.”
I have heard the above quote many times, but have no idea who said it first. The quote is absolutely true, we must begin to change ourselves before we change the world. When we change, the world sees a change in us and they want to make the positive change too. Here are some words found in the back of No More Mondays by Dan Miller (page 241) attributed as found on a tomb dated A.D. 1100 of an Anglican Bishop at Westminster Abbey:
When I was young and free and my imagination had no limits, I dreamed of changing the world. As I grew older and wiser, I discovered the world would not change, so I shortened my sights somewhat and decided to change only my country. But it, too, seemed immovable.
As I grew into my twilight years, in one last desperate attempt, I settled for changing only my family, those closest to me, but alas, they would have none of it.
And now as I lie on my deathbed, I suddenly realize: If I had only changed myself first, Then by example I would have changed my family. From their inspiration and encouragement, I would have been able to better my country and, who knows, I may have changed the world.
Today is Monday and I will be happy. I choose the happiness of a Monday, consciously and actively. I will not complain about my health today because I am alive to appreciate the health that I do have. I will not gloat over the small of things, because the smallest of things try men’s souls so we may appreciate every breath. I will choose happiness of time even though I might run out of time in a day, because some people will not see the end of today.
I will choose happiness on a Monday and here are 21 reasons why:
I have a family who loves me and I love them.
I can share moments with my children before they grow up to fast.
I have a home to call my own to shield me from the elements.
I can walk around the neighborhood with my family this evening.
I have bills that I can pay, which means I have a career to enjoy.
I can pray and know that God hears me.
I have a yard to mow, because I have something of my own.
I can call someone to let them know we care.
I have more than one Bible to read how God would have me to live today.
I can relax in my rocking chair in the morning while the dew is on the ground.
I have the ability to see the sun rise in the morning and set in the evening. (Lord willing)
I can tell someone how richly blessed they can be in Christ.
I have food on my table instead of being hungry.
I can bless someone else with what God has given me.
I have the ability to live in a free country.
I can hear the music of my MP3 player.
I have eyes that can read and I can read.
I can smell the rain coming to Gadsden/Southside.
I have Christ.
I can speak, even when no one listens.
I have been blessed more than I deserve.
Today is Monday and I choose to be happy. I will let the blessing in my life fill my cup because of the One who always blesses.
Sunday is usually a big day for many Christians because they will gather together with those of like mind and spending time worshipping the One how blesses us every day. The spiritual family we call the church is bigger than ourselves and allows us shoulders to cry on, people to rejoice with and burdens to share.
I am little biased to church because I grew up knowing that I could not make it on my own and there is a large support network (worldwide even) that is there for me whenever I need them. I was simply blessed from the beginning. Are you part of a spiritual family?
This Sunday, I hope a few things happen in all of our congregations. Here are my hopes…
I hope that every member considers one another this morning. There will be someone at services who has had a horrible week and will not tell anyone. They will put on a face of joy, but deep down their heart breaks. I wonder if they will ask their spiritual family to prayer for them.
I hope each member welcomes visitors into our assemblies. It is hard enough visiting, but it can be made harder when no one speaks to you. May our brethren stretch forth their hands to welcome those who visit.
I hope each member understands the brief sermon is presented after countless hours of thoughts, prayers and study. Even though it is over in 30 minutes, the knowledge it contains will reach to eternity.
I hope every minister knows they are loved. Whether it be the outpouring from the brethren or the encouraging words of a visitor, I hope each minister knows God cares for them and will always watch over them.
I hope to see my brethren in services, but if not, I hope they reach out to the ones who are absent; a card, note or call is an uplifting message to those who cannot make it to services.
