Good Evening to All!
Last night we left off with number 3 of 7 of the Keys to Walking the Path of God.
4. Give, and It Will Be Given (Luke 6:38) Give and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together , and running over, shall men give into your bosom. for with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again. The Amplified version states this verse in this manner: Give, and [gifts] will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will they pour into 'the pouch formed by] the bosom [of your robe and used as a bag]. For with the measure you deal out [with the measure you use when you confer benefits on others], it will be measured back to you.
In other words, if you are generous with your time, belongings, and money to others, God will bless you with more. If you are stingy, then your blessings will not be as plentiful.
Financial obstacles tempt us to give up, but instead God's Word calls us to give away. True ministry always involves coming to terms with our human tendency to clutch things to ourselves, especially material belongings. Jesus exemplifies the essence of "giving by sowing your own life"--your own interests (John 12:24-26). This pathway of yielding up all to Him often calls us to give when we ourselves may be in need (2 cor. 8:1-4). It seems counterproductive, but giving out of our own need is God's way of clearing the avenues for heaven's abounding toward His purposes for ministry and service that He wants to send into the Earth realm through us. A good example is (1 Kings 17:12-16) the instance where Elijah the Tishbite told the woman to give him something to eat, even though it was going to be her and her son's last meal be
fore they staved. She obeyed and her meal and oil never got empty before the Lord sent rain. Now that is a blessing. God will do the same for us if we have faith, and give as He says to give. If we hold back we can expect the same.5. Prayer, Unity and Forgiveness style="font-weight: bold;">( James 3:16-18) For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. (17) But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. (18)And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.
If you will think about this a little bit, you will see how it makes so much sense. God is not the author of confusion. He promised us a "sound mind". Confusion is what the devil uses to ke
ep us off our guard and our minds preoccupied and off of the things of God. Contention and strife does this also. I don't know about others, but when my husband and I are shall we say "not seeing eye to eye strongly, I get to where I can't think straight. I forget things. It's a bad ordeal. When there is peace, everything goes smooth it makes for a much happier, confident relationship. As well as all other aspects of my life being better.Where there is contention and strife, the Holy Spirit is grieved and, as a gentle dove, He simply withdraws the blessing and direction of the Lord. Confusion and dissension result as God begins to lift His blessing from our efforts, removing His flow of grace and resources. Sometimes it may even be the betrayal of a brother or sister in Christ that tests our willingness to forgive. But to find God's release we must be forgiving: to find the releasing dynamic of His power and provision in our life, service, and ministry, we must be forgiving of even the most unkind or unfair assault--even by those called "brother" (Mark 11:25). We must allow the
peace of God to rule in our hearts--peace that mandates we seek the unity of the Holy Spirit (Colossians. 2:15; Ephesians 4:1-3).As you know, I don't post on Wednesdays, so Thursday I will be back with the conclusion to this series of the Keys. . . . The last two sections are: Give God the Glory
and Expect "Greater Things".
Good Night to All and May God Bless!
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