“And that you study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you.”
In verses 9-10, Paul reminded the Thessalonians that they were to love one another, then in our text he gave them some advice, from which all of us could benefit. Paul advised them to “study to be quiet.” The NIV translates it: “Make it your ambition to be quiet.” The Beauchamp interpretation of this is “make it a point to be quiet.” I don’t think that Paul intended for them to never speak about anything. In that case they would never be able to witness to others about Jesus. I look at it this way: There is a time to speak and a time to be quiet. Now, I can’t speak for you but I can tell you that there have been many times in my life when I wished I had kept my mouth shut. I imagine that many of you have had the same experience. I think the total message of the Bible bears out that we are wise when we keep our mouths shut when we should keep them shut, and that we should speak up when it’s time to speak up. Then we should really learn the difference between the two. Don’t you agree? I know that there are times when we really want to speak out about something, but before we do, we should think twice about it. Sometimes what we have to say might be important and helpful, but at other times we might cause more trouble than we do to help the situation. I’ve heard people speak out in church conferences when I thought they would have done better had they held their tongues. To be fair, I must confess that I have probably been guilty of the same thing at some time or other. Paul advised them “to do your own business.” The NIV translates it: “To mind your own business.” That’s what I saw when I read it. There are times that we might be justified in “putting in our two cents worth” when dealing with other people. More often than not it is a better idea to hold off until they invite you into their business. When I was a pastor, people would tell me about a husband and wife having problems and that I should go and talk with them. I learned from bitter experience that the best thing for me to do was to put that couple on the top of my prayer list and wait until they invited me into their troubles. That seems to be callous, but if you think about it, you do not wish for people to mind your business until you are ready for them to. As a general rule, I finally ended up talking with them because God heard and answered my prayers. It is a good idea to do more praying than prying – if you get my drift. I know that there are times when we feel that we have good advice to offer people about their lives, and sometimes that may be true. What we need to do is think prayerfully and carefully think about this lest we be accused rightly of not minding our business. Paul advised them: “and to work with your own hands.” This was a particular problem in Thessalonica. Some of them had the mistaken idea that because Jesus might be returning at any time; therefore, they could just quit working and do nothing until He came. In 2 Thessalonians, Paul advised those people that: “Those who do not work will not eat.” This doesn’t give us an excuse to withhold help from needy people. There are people who genuinely need help, but there are also people who are just lazy and want others to take care of them. As Christians, we are advised to be industrious in our lives and to make our contribution to the betterment of life. It could be that you need none of this advice from Paul – good for you. However there are people out there who desperately need it. It is important because it is in the word of God. Bro. Joe
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“For I am the least of the apostles, that I am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain: but I labored more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.”
In the preceding article we looked at the hatred of Paul, and in how by the grace of God, He was converted and became a devout apostle of the Jesus that he opposed so adamantly in the beginning. Paul was not what he had been before Christ came into his life. If it was possible for Paul, it is possible for anyone, even of the most adamant against the gospel. I want to look at another aspect of the miracle of God’s grace. By God’s grace Paul was not what he deserved to be. Thinking of all that he did against Christ’s church Paul didn’t deserve to do all that he did after he was converted. He stood in amazement of what God allowed him to do after his conversion. He started many churches throughout Asia Minor and Macedonia. He won people to Jesus from his place of imprisonment in Rome. In the final analysis, he wrote most of the New Testament after the four gospels. Paul did all of this in spite of the fact that he didn’t deserve to do it. Grace is defined as unmerited favor, meaning that we get from God what we do not deserve. I am amazed that God has used me over the years from 1960 until today in 2016 in His ministry. Through all of my failures and trials, by His grace God has used me in spite of myself. I am writing this article today by his grace. We must come to understand that God does everything through us through His powerful grace. Just pause now, and thank God for His grace that allows you to serve Him. By God’s grace, Paul was what he never expected to be. His earliest training was at the feet of the great Jewish scholar Gamaliel. He had that way of life figured out, and was defending it with zeal when He was confronted by the risen Christ on the Damascus Road. Paul never expected to be a champion of the cause of Christ, yet no one can surpass the work that he did, traveling from city to city and across a continent in order to serve Christ. You don’t know what God will do with you in His grace. There might be a Sunday School class for you to teach. He might call you to be a deacon in your church. He might call you to be an usher. He might even surprise you like He did Paul, and frankly me, by calling you to preach His word. He is definitely calling you to be his witness in the places where you are by the way you live, and by the way you love. Whatever God in His grace gives you to do, do it gratefully because of His grace on your life. By His grace, God wants each of us to be what He wants us to be, to do what He wants us to do, to go where He wants us to go, and to be what He wants us to be….all by His grace. Do it! Bro. Joe “For I am least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10. But by the grace of God I am what I am: and His grace which bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.”
The two verses printed above are part of Paul’s great resurrection chapter in 1 Corinthians 15. Before the text printed above, Paul was telling how many people had witnessed the resurrected Christ. Jesus had revealed himself to Paul on the Damascus Road, and possibly in Arabia during his sojourn there after his conversion, so he included himself as one of those who had witnessed Christ after His resurrection. What we see in these two verses is the miracle of God’s grace in the life of Paul. By grace, the Risen Christ had converted him. The story behind these two verses are that if the Risen Christ could forgive Paul, He can forgive you as well. No one is beyond the grace of God. Here is the story that the text tells: The text shows us that, by God’s grace, Paul was not what he had been. He wrote that he had persecuted the church of God before his conversion. He was revealed as the church’s greatest enemy in the latter part of chapter 7, and in the opening verses of chapter 9 of Acts. From the accounts that we have of Paul’s life, we can see what Jesus did in his life, and what He can do to any who come to Him in faith. Before God’s grace got ahold of him, Paul was mean-spirited. He had taken people from their homes and had them flogged. He had been legalistic in that he would not admit that Jesus was the Son of God. His heart had been filled with hatred toward those with whom he disagreed. Today, a lot of people are spewing hatred toward the Christian faith, and toward those of us who believe and take it seriously. When we read what they write, and hear what they say on television, what are we to think? I know that I sometimes get really angry when I hear it, but, then, again, I think about Paul. I would probably have felt that way about Paul, and might have been tempted to return his hatred. But I have to remember that Jesus saved Paul. He had even loved Paul in spite of his hatred. Am I supposed to love those people and pray for their conversion? Yes! I did not say that I agreed with them, and that I would not oppose them. But instead of returning hatred I need to pray that grace and the love of Christ will get ahold of their hearts. I remember Paul, and I know that this can happen. Let’s "bless those who curse us and do good to those who hate us, and pray for those who despitefully use us…." Where have I heard that? Oh! Jesus said it in Matthew 5:44. There are many people that I will refer to as “Pauls” and “Paulines” in our midst. We should pray that they will turn their animosity into love by the grace of Christ, and be witnesses for the cause of Christ. Remember! If it happened to Paul it can happen to them. We need to oppose their plans, but we cannot, must not return their hatred. Pray brothers and sisters! Pray! (Continued tomorrow) Bro. Joe "“Now to Him that is of power to establish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began. 26. But now is made manifest (revealed), and by the scriptures of the prophets according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations by obedience of faith: 27. To God only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ forever. Amen."
The three verses above are the closing of the Book of Romans. They disclose things that are of historical, theological and biblical importance. I want to attempt to explain the meaning of these verses to the best of my knowledge. (Okay, my knowledge is not great, but it is best I can give you. Lol) It was apparent that Paul was happy that he could be alive to share the mystery of God: “Which was kept secret since the world began.” Let’s look at the revelation of this mystery: The mystery was God’s revelation of His plan of salvation, “made known to all nations.” This is a revelation of the good news of Jesus Christ, not only to Jews, but to Gentiles as well. Paul preached salvation to all who would hear of salvation by faith in Jesus Christ. Verse 26 tells us that the mystery was “made known to all nations for the obedience of faith.” Paul explained this mystery in this way in Ephesians 2:8-9: “For by grace are you saved through faith; and that of yourselves: it is the gift of God. 9. Not of works, lest any man should boast.” All who are saved, are saved by faith in Jesus Christ. That is the explanation of the mystery, “made known to all nations.” Paul wanted his readers to be sure that this revelation was not from him, but from God. Vs. 25a: “Now to Him that is of power establish you.” It was God who made this gospel of faith possible. Paul preached it but it came from God. Paul referred to the gospel as “my gospel,” but he preached Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. We still announce this secret every time we share it with someone, but their salvation comes through the Holy Spirit. Paul gave God the credit for any results of his witness, and so should we. We need to always remember that God should always receive the glory for people who are saved by our witness. Paul expressed it for us in verse 27: “To God only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ forever. Amen” For myself, I am thankful that God allows me to share His word with people. This mystery was expressed in Old Testament scripture, especially through the prophets: “But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God.” All of the preaching and witnessing in the New Testament was done through interpretations of Old Testament prophecies. (The New Testament was being lived out as John, Peter, Paul, and others shared the revelation of the mystery.) Today, we share the revelation of the mystery through both the Old and New Testaments. We should praise God for the revelation of salvation by faith through Christ to all who will receive it. I sincerely pray that I have cleared the water for you instead of muddying it. Bro. Joe “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits.”
Praising the Lord is one of the greatest benefits and privileges that we have. Psalm 103:2 tells us not to forget to praise God for "All His benefits." We need to praise God for all of the blessings that He has given us. The Lord loves us. The Lord cares for us to the point that even the hairs of our heads are numbered. He is aware of everything that goes on in our lives and concerned always for our lives. Praising God should be an integral part of our lives, but do we really praise Him? When we sing in church are we really and truly praising the Lord? When we read the Bible, or hear it read, do we really and truly praise the Lord for His word? Better yet, when we drop our tithes and offerings into the collection plate, are we really and truly praising the Lord? Do we praise the Lord on a daily basis? For example, when we get up in the morning do we praise the Lord? When we go to bed at night, do we praise the Lord? We can praise God loudly or silently, but we need to prasie Him from our souls. Our souls are the deepest part of ourselves, where real worship and praise take place. This kind of praise comes from all of the faculties and powers of our being. To praise the Lord from the soul is to praise Him with all that we have and all that we are. Psalm 103:1 actually describes what takes place when we praise the Lord from our souls: “Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me bless His holy name.” The best way that I can describe this worship and praise is that when we worship from our souls, we worship the Lord with all of the positives and negatives within us. We pour it all out in praise of Him! In other words, praise from the soul is honest. The text further tells us that we praise the Lord for His benefits: “Forget not all His benefits.” How do we remember all of the benefits of the Lord in our lives? We remember through praise. It is possible that the reason many people do not seem to be grateful for the Lord’s benefits is because they do not praise Him as they should, or as often as they should. How can we not praise Him, for example, for the benefit of salvation? After all salvation is a gift of God. We could never have earned salvation. We are saved because of God’s grace and love for us. How could we not praise Him for the benefit of the indwelling Holy Spirit? There are many more benefits that we have from the Lord than we have room for here. Suffice it to say that we need to praise the Lord for all of His benefits. Praise the Lord from your soul, and do not forget all that He has done for and will continue to do for you. Remember your utter dependence on Him and you will have no problem praising Him. Decide today that you are going to make it a practice to praise the Lord wherever you are. You do not have to do it with words; you can just praise Him from your heart. Do it! Bro. Joe “Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting thou art God.”
What a profound statement this psalm makes. It reflects the greatness of God. The statement “even from everlasting to everlasting thou art God," tells us that God is eternal and that He is pervasive in His universe. You can almost blow a circuit in your brain thinking about the greatness of God. That is why we have to take Him by faith and not by sight. The Bible tells that if we were to see God in all of His glory we would die. When the Israelites heard God’s voice on the mountain, they told Moses that he could talk to God alone. To put it mildly, to encounter God in all of His glory would be an intimidating experience - to say the least. There are all kinds of illustrations of the greatness of God, but none of them can really explain His dimensions. Think about this: It takes the light from the North Star, the nearest star to Earth, traveling at the speed of light (186,000 plus miles per second) four years to reach us. When you look up into the night sky, though you don't know which ones, some of the stars that you see burned out hundreds, maybe thousands, of years ago, but the light just reached us. Now that means that the universe is very large. Since God is "from everlasting to everlasting" and since He is the creator and master of all of it, He is larger than His universe. That, my friends, is BIG! Now think about this: "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us." (John 1:14) The Word had been referred to earlier by John as God. This means that this God, who is greater than the universe, fitted Himself into the frame of a human being. Why? John 3:16 tells us why: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." This has profound meaning for our lives. Through the Holy Spirit, and by faith in Him, He fits Himself into our little lives. Jesus becomes our personal Savior. Unbelievers like to make fun of the fact that we say we have a “personal Savior.” The point is that they cannot imagine a relationship like this. The greatness of God has gone completely over their heads. There are people who say that there is a god, but that he is not interested in our lives. He is too busy doing god things, and doesn’t have time for us. The great thing about the gospel is that the great God of the universe does care and He is not too busy doing God things to be interested in our lives. Romans 5:8 tells us: “But God commendeth His love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.” This is hard for a person to get his or her head around, but it is true. I guess to some people it is just seems too good to be true. To we who believe it is too good not to be true. The great thing is that this great, holy, all-powerful, all-knowing, all-present God not only wants to save us, He also wants to give us abundant life. In John 10:10b Jesus said: “I am come that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly.” Jesus brings all of the riches of His glory into our lives. Jesus forgives us and frees us from the guilt that we would have without Him. Just think of it, the creator of the universe, the great God of the Bible loves us so much that He wants the best for us. I prefer that to thinking about facing this great God in judgment because of unbelief. Bro. Joe “That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye may also have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.”
This is truly an exciting and inspiring verse to me. John had walked and talked with Jesus for three years, and he had a lot to share about Him. John is offering to share his personal experience with Jesus in fellowship with the recipients of his letter. He used the word “fellowship” to describe his Christian relationships. Unfortunately, today one of the prevailing views of fellowship is getting together after church, or shaking hands during worship services. As much as I enjoy this kind of fellowship, it is not completely New Testament fellowship. Real Christian fellowship begins with our fellowship with the triune God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. As John put it: “and surely our fellowship is with the Father and His Son Jesus Christ.” After all, Jesus did promise to be with us until the end of the ages. Fellowship with God means that we have Him with us through the Holy Spirit all of the time. The song says: “My God is with me all the time…” How true this is. The wonderful thing is that even in the midst of your workday you can have fellowship with God through prayer. I don’t mean “get on your knees” prayer. I mean just think of things that you need to talk to God about and He will hear. You can do this any time, all day, every day. The fellowship that we have with God reaches over into the lives of our fellow Christians. In the text, John invited his readers to join him, and, ostensibly, each other. Notice in verse 3: “that you also may have fellowship with us, and in 1:7: “We have fellowship with each other.” The sharing of our lives with, “the Father and with His Jesus Christ,” draws us together to share life with each other. In doing this, we become partners with God and with each other. We manifest this fellowship by worshiping together, and, yes, by getting together. But I also want to add that our fellowship is just as real when we are not together. We do not just “have fellowship,” we are a fellowship and we are connected by the Spirit of God, even when we are not together. Don’t make the mistake that a lot of people make in their church relationships. Fellowship is not the same as friendship. Friendship is a good thing, and I have a lot of Christian friends, but in friendship we have a close relationship that can include others or not. But when we are a fellowship, we enjoy it so much that we want to invite other people into this fellowship with God and with us. We read in the Book of Acts that the first church had daily fellowship and worship. They ate together, and no doubt had fun together, but they were not establishing an exclusive club; rather, they were constantly inviting people into fellowship with them. Acts 2:47 tells us that they were: Praising God, and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.” I believe that people saw this fellowship of love for God and people and were eager to become a part of it. Doesn’t this tell us what our fellowship should be? This is real fellowship. Bro. Joe “Seek peace, and pursue it…”
According to our text, personal peace is possible. In John 16:33, Jesus said: “These things have I spoken unto you, that in me you might have peace. In the world you will have tribulation (trouble): but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” We can have peace in spite of the troubles of the world, because of our relationship with Jesus Christ. Our text gives us a clue of how to claim this peace. First, the text tells us to “seek peace.” Here are some clues as to how to seek peace: Have peace with God. This is where all peace in our hearts begins, and is what Jesus meant in John 16:33. We find ourselves fighting against God sometimes without not even knowing it. Here is one example: We want to have our own way instead of following God’s will. We fight against the Holy Spirit; Who is trying to lead us to do what we should do instead of what we want to do. Come to peace with God in a saving relationship, take advantage of the gift of prayer, and the gift of God’s word, and this will help you to find peace. Have peace of mind. Having “peace of mind” means that we have come to terms with the troubles of life, and have given them to God. Having peace of mind also means that we have come to peace with ourselves and have peace in our hearts. Have peace with people. It is this that might hinder our own peace, and it is the most difficult thing to attain. Let’s just face it, some people are just hard to take. Nonetheless, having peace with other people, even the most troubling of people is demanded of us in the Bible. I believe that in order to have peace with other people in our lives, we have to have peace with God and within ourselves. Second, the text tells us to “pursue peace.” Here are some clues to how we can pursue peace. Prayer I alluded to this above, but it n eeds to be shared again. “Take it to the Lord in prayer” is not just an empty saying. We need a specific time of prayer, but we need to be aware that we can pray all of the time. You will not wear God out. The prayer room in heaven is always open to us. The following is my favorite call to prayer in the Bible: “Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known to God. 7. And the peace of God which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7) Bible Reading Prayer is our conduit to God, while the Bible is God’s revelation to us about Himself and his acts in history. We need to read all of it, but we can also find passages that will touch our hearts that will mean a lot to us. Two of my favorite “go to” texts are John 16:33 and Philippians 4:6-7 - both written above. Make some time for Bible reading. Christian Fellowship Part of our pursuit of peace, and our need for peace with people, is found in fellowship with fellow Christians. This means to have fellowship with God’s people in church and in daily life. Our Christian friends can give us the emotional support that we need to have peace. This is not to be taken lightly. I have often found peace in sharing with a Christian friend, or Christian friends. I hope this article will help you in your search for peace. Bro. Joe "Depart from evil and do good…”
Evil (sin) is a fact of life. We read about it in the Bible as well in the newspaper, and we see it on TV all of the time. We find it to be a problem in our own lives – if we are honest. But our text told us that we can depart from evil. The fact is that evil does not have to win because we have a heavenly Father Who loves us and wants to deliver us from evil. In the Lord’s model prayer, Jesus reminded us that we can ask God to “deliver us from evil.” So, evil does not have to win. Let’s see how we can go about departing from evil. The first thing is that we have to recognize evil. This is tricky, because Satan is tricky in leading us into evil. We need to recognize evil in our own lives, even in things that we might consider not to be of ultimate importance in our lives. This leads to the second thing about evil that we need to know, i.e., we need to realize that it is broadly defined, meaning that it can be done in many ways. Let me illustrate what I mean by using simple ways that Satan can trick us into evil: We can sin by our words. The verse preceding this verse psalm 34 says: “Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking guile." Satan loves to control our use of words. This can come in the form of swearing, and that is a common problem. But Satan tricks us into thinking that if we do not “cuss” we have this temptation whipped. But we need to consider hurtful and demeaning things that we might say to people. We can sin by our actions. We need to watch what we do, as well as to watch our words. Satan loves to push us into doing things that we should not do. We might think that because we haven’t done some of the “biggies” like adultery and murder, that we are doing fine. I remind you that the “biggies” likely come from succumbing to what we consider smaller things that we do. By the way, the “smaller” things are evil too. We can sin through our thoughts. An old adage reminds us that: “A thought is the father of a deed.” Satan loves to enter into our minds and our imaginations in order to lead us into sin and evil. Come on, you know what I mean. The text follows with…”and do good.” We can depart from evil by doing good. We cannot do this on our own. Many times people try to reform their lives by “turning over a new leaf.” Someone has reminded that when we turn over a leaf all we have is the other side of the same leaf. We need the help of God through sorrow for sin and repentance, and by seeking God's forgiveness, which He gives freely through Jesus. Let me illustrate how we can do good: With the help of the Holy Spirit, we need to watch our words. We need to stop and think before we say things that are hateful, hurting or sarcastic. We need to watch that our words are used to build up rather than to tear down. Proverbs 12:18 reminds us: “There is that speaks like the piercing of a sword (a sharp tongue): but the tongue of the wise is health.” With the help of the Holy Spirit we need to watch our actions. The greatest witness that we have to the world is how we live. You’ve heard: “That your actions speak so loudly that I can’t hear what you say.” We need to seek the guidance of the Spirit in what we do. We need to stay close to the Lord in our daily lives to do what is good rather than what is bad. With the help of the Holy Spirit we need to watch our thoughts. This is probably one of the most difficult things that we have to do to “depart from evil and do good.” How can we control our thoughts? Without the help of the Spirit of God, we cannot control them. I have to constantly remind myself to seek the Spirit’s guidance in what I think. I haven’t mastered it, but I continue to work on it. By God's grace it is possible to overcome evil through salvation by faith in Christ, and by the leadership of the Holy Spirit leading us to good. Bro.Joe “For from the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither has the eye seen , O God, beside you, what He has prepared for him that waits on you.”
In our text, Isaiah is concerned about the fact that people, namely Israel, have not waited on the Lord. The Lord always has something for us, but we do not wait for what He wants but we do wait on what we want. The text describes the situation for Israel, (ultimately for the whole world and for us) that they do not comprehend the love and generosity of the Lord. He wants to bless us, but we tend to run away from His blessings to fulfill our own wants and needs. Here is what I saw in this text: “For from the beginning of the world men have not heard.” We have not listened to what the Lord is saying. According to the Bible, He speaks to us through creation, through people like Isaiah, and from the scriptures. “From the beginning” means that this started with Adam and Eve, to Noah, and to even to prominent people like Abraham, Moses and David, who sometimes went their own way and did not wait on the Lord: Abraham in Egypt, Moses striking the rock instead of speaking to it, and David with the untimely census of the tribes. These men were just not listening to what God did in those moments, and we can add ourselves to that list. God has prepared great things for us, but we hold back what He wants to do for us out of spiritual deafness. Each of the above mentioned men ultimately claimed the promise of God by faith, but they delayed their blessings because of not listening. Listen in your heart and mind to what God wants for you. Are you listening? “For from the beginning of the world men (have not) perceived by the ear.” We have not comprehended what He wants to do on our behalf. We might hear words, and see works, but we do not comprehend what they all mean. This can happen even to those of us who attend church every week, read our Bibles and pray every day. I will get personal: This has happened to me. I have tried to run ahead of God instead comprehending what He was really saying to me about what He had prepared for me. I, like you, wanted what Joe wanted instead of what God wanted. We need to listen closely to the still small voice of the Holy Spirit as He moves us toward what God has prepared for us. Don’t misunderstand me, God will bless us and I know that He has blessed me by His grace. But our lives will be so much richer and fuller when we comprehend what He wants of us and what He has prepared for us. Are you comprehending His plans for you? “For from the beginning of the world…..”neither has the eye seen.” This means that people are spiritually blind to what God has prepared for them. In our lives, we need to set a goal in front of us and move forward in fulfillment of that goal. But our eyes need to be fixed on the Lord, and fit our goals into His plans for us. Life will be so much better if we will put our eyes on the goals that God has for us instead of what we can get for ourselves. God revealed His plan for me years ago as to what His plans for me were. I have followed that path, but I must admit that there have been times that I have been blinded by self, and by the world, and have had to repent and start over. In His grace and mercy, God will forgive us and lead us on in spite of our missteps. He will do this for you. Are your eyes open to what God has prepared for you? God has plans for you. Listen, heed and see what those plans are and base your life on His plans for you. It is never too late!!!!! Bro. Joe |
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