More Gleanings

 Some more sharing from my prayer journal......

"The key to faith is not the size of our faith, but the size of our God." Chris Tiegreen......Somehow, we seem to get the idea that if we just work up enough "faith," God will respond to our pleas. Nowhere in His Word are we told this, but as we so often do, we take heavenly revelation and bring it down to earthly understanding....Jesus said that if we had faith "as a mustard seed, we could say to this mountain, 'be moved' and it will be." A mustard seed is the tiniest of seeds yet when planted yields a very large tree. God does not require that we have overwhelming faith before He will act. He requires that we have faith....even if it's the size of a mustard seed. The key is in focusing not on the size of our faith, but upon the One in whom we exercise our faith. We like to say that we serve a "big God," but as A.W. Tozer points out, that designation leaves us with the idea that there is a limit to His bigness. Not so. His greatness is infinite and can't be measured. There is no limit. So, if we have even a little faith, we can place it in our infinitely great God and He will honor it, and He will act. Never forget Christ's words to the father who sought the healing of his daughter. The father had said to Jesus, "If you can do anything, please help her." Jesus replied, "If I can? All things are possible to him who believes," to which the father answered, "I do believe. Help me with my unbelief." Personally, I am thankful that Christ recognizes my humanity and struggles at times to fully believe. He takes the faith I offer, even if it is as small as a mustard seed, and acts upon it. Praise His Name that He receives even our mustard seed faith.

"We ask, 'What do I owe You?' rather than 'What can I give You?' " Unknown Source.....I believe in biblical storehouse tithing. The giving of at least 10% to the Kingdom of God. However, I think we, including myself, have gone about the teaching of tithing in the wrong way. Most often we present it as a command to be obeyed and a duty observed. We tell people that they'll be blessed if they do and have scarcity if they don't. The result is that people may give their tithe, but there is no joy in the giving. They do so because they want the pluses but not the minuses. We miss completely that He calls us to be joyful givers. He is a God who gives lavishly. I can testify to this personally in my life. Materially, financially, and above all, spiritually, He has poured His blessings into my life. So much so that He took me well past my giving as coming from a duty to that of being a ministry of joy. I traversed the gap between seeing tithing and giving as "I have to" to "I get to." In the realm of being a joyful giver I discover more and more of His heart. It's no longer an obligation, but a blessing. And I discovered anew, as the old saying goes, "You cannot outgive God." Have you really discovered this as well? If you give unto the Kingdom, do you do so because you have to, or because you love to?

"Let God's truth work in you by soaking in it." Oswald Chambers.....In close to four decades of ministry now, I continue to grieve over all those who never seem to live in the power of His Word. They attend church, Bible studies and prayer groups, and yet never seem to enter into the fullness of His promises. His Word never seems to be real to them. To be alive in them. I think the greatest reason for this is that they, and perhaps to a some degree, we, do not allow ourselves to "soak" in the beauty, wonder, and power of its truth. We read it, even memorize it, but we don't allow it to penetrate our hearts and minds. It never becomes a part of us. We know it is His Living Word, but it never comes to really live in us. We can't understand why this is, but I believe it's because we've no idea what it is to just contemplate deeply what His Word and words are saying. Nor do we really ask Him to make His Word alive in us. Jesus said, "How much more will the Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him?" It is through His Spirit that the Word comes to be alive in us. How deep has your desire for this been? If you're one who has yet to enter into the kind of fullness He has promised, would you dare to take the step of simply placing yourself before Him, allowing yourself to be saturated with and in Him? Scripture tells us Christ is "the Living Word." We soak in His Word by soaking in Him. With this, His Word goes from being printed ink on a page, to a living, breathing reality in our lives. May His Living Word live in you and me today!

Blessings,

Pastor O