Jealousy in the Kingdom?

Day 3
31 Reasons To Praise by Melanie can be purchase at www.itsmelanielee.com

I have ALL the Spiritual Blessings
-Ephesians 1:3

As I read the devotion there was one thing that JUMPED out at me. “EVERY SPIRITUAL BLESSING” – then I remembered something that I questioned; why is there so much competition in the church? Why is there jealousy in the church, God? And in an instant the answer was clear!!

People are seeking the same “Spiritual Blessing” – but I think there is a lack of WISDOM in knowing that we are all on the same level playing field. None of us is so special to be more worthy than another. Not one of us is “UNWORTHY” of any blessing – but we are given this “GIFT” because of the precious blood that was shed by the Lamb of God who died so that we ALL have the right to “EVERY SPIRITUAL BLESSING”

If you read further Ephesians 4:11 – 13 MSG
..He handed out gifts above and below, filled heaven with his gifts, filled earth with his gifts. He handed out gifts of apostle, prophet, evangelist, and pastor-teacher to train Christ’s followers in skilled servant work, working within Christ’s body, the church, until we’re all moving rhythmically and easily with each other, efficient and graceful in response to God’s Son, fully mature adults, fully developed within and without, fully alive like Christ.

We each have our own calling. When we each focus on what God has called us to do – which is clearly listed in the above scripture, we will have no need to envy another. Unless we are guilt-ridden because we are not running our own race and desire the race of another. The other rational is a person is comparing “temporal blessings” – which are not guaranteed…and for me, that is were I would say; FAVOR AIN’T FAIR.

Broken Crayons Still Color On Purpose – All of us come to God with a zero. And God comes to us with a ten, and He gives us everything we could ever possibly dream of in His Son Jesus Christ.

Day 3 of 31 Reasons to Praise

Thank you, Melanie N. Lee

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Broken Crayons Still Color

Try this:  Sit in total silence for 2 minutes – and where ever your mind drifts to – realign and focus on the goodness of JESUS.  At the end of that 2 minutes – write me a note – here with the first thing that comes to your heart.

Working on a workshop and I want to gather information.  Thank you in advance for your participation.

God IS Love

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“Know the Lord is with you.”

One of the most important keys to fulfilling your God-purpose is knowing that the Lord is with you. It is an awesome feeling to know you have support in the natural sphere of life like family, friends, coworkers, peers, and acquaintances, and be that as it may, the ingredient in making this phase perfect is knowing that the Creator of the universe, the one who brings the world as we know it into existence out of non-existence goes before you and backs you up. With this kind of knowledge, there is no way to fail, but there is an assurance that the very purpose you were created for will come to be a reality, because the one who authored it is with you.

As I have explored the Bible about the lives of many men and women God chose to use, I found that the common denominator was that the Lord was with them. God used ordinary, and even the least of men, and women to accomplish great feats that would preserve future generations. They had faults and flaws; however, these short comings did not keep them from accomplishing their God-purpose. We must remember; in order to fulfill the God-purpose, we must have God in it.

My friends, the present situations that we face in our lives should not deter us from fulfilling the God-purpose because we as believers are equipped with the assurance of knowing that God is with us. Being able to fulfill the God-purpose in our lives may never happen the way we think it should happen, but when we know the Lord is with us, it does not matter how it is going to happen, but, rather, it matters that we know who is with us while it is happening.

Power Thought: I am determined to fulfill my God-purpose – not in my strength and abilities, but in the Lord’s strength and abilities.

Broken Crayons Color The Same…OnPurpose!!

“Chewing on scripture.”

The reason the most powerful key of Bible Meditation is bypassed so often is because many of us think that it is way too simple, and, as a result, we are always reaching for something more complex.

I truly believe we need to get back to the basics where the simple truths of God’s Word become the priority in establishing the believer on their God-purpose.

In order to establish a sound mind we must have a constant, inward flow of the anointed Word of God revolving in our minds and mouths.

To meditate means to ponder and think about and then mutter under your breath or in low tones.

Example of Bible Meditation:

Psalms 23:1 AMP

The Lord is my Shepherd [to feed, guide, and shield me], I shall not lack.

Q: What is this verse saying?

A: The Lord is my Shepherd.

Q: Who is the Lord?

A: Jesus Christ is my Lord and he is the Creator of this universe – He holds it in his hands; not only that, but he left his home on high and came to this earth and paid the price for me to be accepted by God the Father – he is Lord.

Q: What does a shepherd do?

A: A shepherd leads and is responsible for his sheep; therefore, he has to walk them, guide them, look over them, feed them, and protect them from danger.

Summary: The creator of this universe, who holds everything in place, is also the one responsible to walk, look over, provide, and protect me, and because he is my shepherd I shall not lack in any area.

Now that you have a set Scripture before you; you have thought about it and have some answers to dwell on. God knows that you live and go about your daily lives, but now, because you have equipped your mind with the Word of God, as you leave the house to go to work you have some time on your hands in the transportation process. And while you are pondering and thinking, you can speak to yourself by asking the same questions you asked earlier and answering them the same way. As your day progresses, you will have lunch or tea break and, again, it is an opportunity to meditate.

Power Thought: I am determined to make Bible meditation a priority in my daily walk.

I lack NOTHING…OnPurpose!!

“Establishing a Sound Mind.”

Meditation on God’s Word is the foundation to a successful life. Our main focus and pursuit must be the Word of God. The main reason our lives should revolve around the Word of God is because the Word is actually our life source that feeds us, nourishes us, and causes us to be healthy in our soul.

There should be no doubts in our minds that the Word of God is Jesus Christ, and that is why our focus is on the Word. When we read the Word of God we see Jesus in it, and when we see Him we are able to see the pattern for our lives. In order for our God-purpose to come to fruition, we must be able to maintain the mind of Christ, and as his mind is formed in us we would then be fully able to manifest his presence to the world.

A constant input of the Word himself – a constant looking to Jesus and his kindness, goodness, love, and mercy toward us – will keep us in a balanced and humble place, and this place is actually where we will be able to release the life-giving Word to others that will affect change.

My friends, there is no other way to be reconstructed, renewed, or transformed but by and through the Word of God. The Word of God gives life. According to John 10:10; Our Savior is life giving, and once we are connected to him, that very same life should be flowing to us and through us to others.

I love the fact that Jesus did not come to just give life for existence sake, but he describes it as abundant life, an overflowing life, a more than enough life, and this kind of life shows and speaks volumes to the world that he is alive and well.

Power Thought: Jesus is the Word of God and I look to him to be transformed.

Trusting God…OnPurpose!!

“Choices determine the consequences.”

One of most powerful attributes of the individual is the power to choose. We are faced with choices all the time, and these choices determine the consequences.

At some point in our lives, if we want to see the victory manifested that Christ already died to give us, we will have to make a stand for God.

The reason the believer is blessed is because they refuse to follow the advice or take council from ungodly men.

God would rather we live in the supernatural, seeing his goodness and power all the time in small portions, and this is how we learn to trust him and remain in him, grounded and unshakable.

Key – We must find delight in and desire the Word of God.

God’s intent from the beginning was for man to operate from a position of victory and rest instead of hard, laborious work. God wanted us to enjoy what we do and He did not want us to be under bondage or commitment by force. He wanted us to choose to serve him from a position of joy and free will. Jesus’s finished work at the cross has put us back to that position.

When Jesus moves into our heart, he equips us with everything necessary to please him. Once this truth is established in our lives that God calls us to be in relationship with him, then he enables us to please him. With this mindset embedded in us, we can now look to the Word with excitement and enthusiasm.

As we meditate on God’s promises, it seems as if the canvas of life comes alive with radiant colors that not only change our world but the world of others around us.

Power Thought: I understand that my choices today will determine consequences so I desire and delight in the Word of God.

Choose wisely…OnPurpose!

How do we change our thought patterns?

“Reconstructing the Mind?”

When we speak about changing our minds, it carries with it the connotation of something existing permanently, but the content changes. For example, your skull contains your brain and your brain contains your thoughts. You cannot go to the store and buy a new skull with a new brain; you take the permanent skull and brain and you change the thought patterns that are there. This term is also called repentance.

Repent means to perceive afterwards; hence, it signifies to change one’s mind or purpose, and it always involves a change for the better. From the definition of repentance we can now fully understand Rom 12:2 – renewing the mind for the better life God originally had for us.

Many times believers walk away disappointed and frustrated because they want things done instantly. It is almost as if we live in the microwave age, and everything must happen quickly and instantly or else it is not God. On the contrary, God is here to stay in our lives, and renewing our minds involves building, setting foundation, and then building layer upon layer that causes what we build to remain.

Key: You will have to disconnect from doing things the old way – according to the world system

If we are going to have a prosperous mind we have to change our habits. Making a few adjustments would only benefit us in the long run. It is the bigger picture that enables us to embrace the changes that need to be implemented because we are now working toward fulfilling the God-purpose for our lives.

Power Thought: Today I will repent – I will change my mind for the better.

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. ~Romans 12:2

Reflecting…OnPurpose!!

“Under-construction”

Reconstruction is a very necessary part of fulfilling the God-purpose in our lives.

At the point of getting saved or being born again, Jesus comes into our lives and takes up residence into our spirit man. The old order and way of thinking must change. When we think about reconstructing something, we get the picture of an already present structure- let’s take for example a house that has been abandoned. It may look like a house, but because of neglect or lack of permanent occupants, there may be cracks and holes that developed, there may be rodents and water leaks that leave stains on the floor and walls.

The good news is that someone came along, saw the house, thought to themselves that there is potential for this house and that, it can become livable again. That person did not see the present state but chose to look at what could be.

My friends, our bodies are the house; our soul is the inside of the house; and our spirit is where the Holy Spirit takes up residence. Jesus came along and saw what we could be like if he was to move into our lives. He saw the potential of us becoming clean and healthy once he moved into our spirits, and he also brought with him every single tool and resource necessary for us to clean up the rest of our house (soul).

In reality, the true source of many of our problems as believers is the fact that we are putting on pretty coats of paint on the outside, trying to convince everyone else that we have it all together. Our thought life is so powerful that it could decide our present disposition in life and also determine the direction of our future. Pondering the power of our thought life should cause us to want to reconstruct our souls. We all have a soul, but it is not enough to have a soul; as believers we should desire a prosperous soul, after all, the bible tells us that we are what we think upon, ” For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.” (Proverbs 23:7) Amp and there is only one thing that can truly reconstruct the thought life and that is the word of God!

Power Thought: I am made in the image of God and I consist of spirit, soul, and body.

3 John 1:2 Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul.

Romans 5:15 But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many.

Under-Construction…OnPurpose!!

A Witness For God

“What is our God-purpose?”

We have all been equipped with certain gifts and talents by God to accomplish our purpose, and it all leads to one specific end, and that is to be a witness for him. Every one of us was created to be a witness for Jesus.

It does not mean that once we become a Christian that we have to leave our jobs and families and go off on some mission to a country to help the poor. While helping poor people should be our concern and considering the experience of a mission trip in the future could prove beneficial to our world view of poverty. God does not expect us to leave life as we know it unless there is a specific call on our lives for missions. But his purpose is for us to use the platform we have been given through our talents and gifting to be a witness right where we are. So it doesn’t matter what field we may be in, the fact is, this specific field now transforms into a witnessing field.

The idea is that while we are operating in our purpose in life we are fulfilling the God purpose, by using our natural talents, such as leadership skills, artistic skills, compassion, kindness, and even encouragement to glorify God and lead others to him.

As believers we need to have a revelation that this time on earth is only as it suggests- for a time, and then there is life after, but while here, God wants us to be good stewards of time!

Power Thought: My ultimate God-purpose is to be a witness for God. Acts 1:8

A Witness for God…OnPurpose!

Rose-colored Glasses

Holy. How often do you see yourself as holy? That’s not a term we usually apply to ourselves? Perhaps you’ve never married, but not by choice. Maybe you’re divorced, abandoned or abused. You might have had a baby outside of marriage, or you may have even aborted a baby. How holy does that leave you feeling?

And yet, if you are God’s child, he sees you as holy, no matter how damaged, broken or deserted you feel. You may wonder, How can he see me that way after everything I’ve done? It’s because he is looking at you through rose-colored glasses. These heavenly glasses have crimson lenses that have been tinted by the blood of his Son, Jesus — the Darling of the universe. Heaven’s precious Prince. The Savior of the world.

The Father cannot see the ugly stains, blotches and blemishes of what you may think is your unholy life. He cannot see your past failures or sins because they are filtered from his view by rose-colored lenses that have been drenched in the royal-red blood of his Son at Calvary. By that sacrifice, Jesus made it possible for you to be perfect forever — yes, holy! You may have trouble wrapping your finite human mind around such an infinitely divine concept. But it’s true nevertheless, and you can celebrate your holiness. Look forward to eternity with the Father, who loves you more than life itself — the life of his own dear Son.

And when you look into your mirror, see what your Father sees through rose-colored glasses…OnPurpose!

Mary Hollingsworth ~ Taken from Fulfilled
See Leviticus 11:45