Who or What is Guiding You?

We will begin looking at the beatitudes today as found in Jesus words in Matthew 5.  Let’s look at Matthew 5:3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” 

What do you think “poor in spirit” means?  Many times a Christian is portrayed as being very staunch and serious.  I think of an old lady with a frown and a snarling eyebrow when I think of “poor in spirit”.  I think many people view Christians like this because they think they have to “give up” everything that is good and fun to become a Christian.  That is not how I view the Christian life and didn’t think that I had to be like that to be able to say that I was going to heaven so I went to my handy dandy I-pad and looked up what “poor in spirit” means.  According to a sermon by Professor Finney, of The Oberlin Evangelist, in 1844, www.gospeltruth, I found my answer.  In short, it is the realizing that we are nothing without God.  It is being convicted that in the human state we have a tendency towards evil rather than good but through the grace of God we can be made whole. 

Contrary to the initial impression, poor in spirit doesn’t mean that we should walk around with a frown on our face or that we should be downcast, quite the opposite.  As a Christian we should be joyful because Christ gave us a way to be free from the hold on evil and has given up victory.  The ironic thing is that people who are not poor in spirit should be the ones walking around with downcast faces because they don’t have the hope in Jesus Christ.  But, sin is deceiving.  You have heard the phrase, “If it feels good, do it.”  That is the deception of sin, most generally, it feels good and we should definitely not “do it”.  When you are “poor in spirit” you recognize the hold of evil and cling to the firm grip of the Father’s hand.  You humble yourself to the only One who can save you from the grip of death.

Where does that recognition come from?  It comes from the prompting of the Holy Spirit that indwells those who believe and it will bring conviction to those who do not believe.  If we reject His prompting and depend on ourselves we are doomed to eternal destruction but if we recognize the prompting and obey we are considered “poor in spirit” and will inherit the kingdom of heaven.  Which would you prefer?

According to Professor Finney, those who are poor in spirit already have the kingdom of God in them, which is the Holy Spirit.  Many people put claim on their self-conscience to guide them but I contend that it is not our “self” that we should let guide us.  Those who believe in their “self” to guide them will find themselves in much trouble and turmoil, lets take a look back and see where that conscience came from.  Looking  at Genesis 2: 16-17  “And the Lord commanded the man, ‘You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; (17)but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.”  The seed of our conscience came from a tree in the middle of the garden which set right next to the tree of life.  Adam was not told that he could not eat from the tree of life but he was instructed not to eat of the tree of good and evil.  Once he ate of that tree the sin nature was within him and those things that seemed right before became sin.  He was naked and had to be clothed, he had done wrong and had to hide from God, (which you can never do).  Sin was now in the world and we continue to be pulled by it.  Our conscience is that prompting of the Holy Spirit to not be swayed by sin but recognize the destruction that sin caused and will cause in our lives.

Are you living a life in which sin looks pleasant?  Are you being guided by your own self-conscience or the consciousness of God?  I pray that if you are reading this and you have not yet reached the place where you are “poor in spirit” that you will become that today, that you may recognize the holiness of God and begin living a life through His guidance and not your own.

As you seek Him and find Him, you will find Him in the place where you lay down your burdens at His feet and become poor in spirit.

Seeking Him with all my heart,

Sheila

Do We Give God All the Glory?

Yesterday in my blog we looked at simply trusting. I can’t imagine what it must have been like to have your own flesh and blood turn on you. But, we know God was at work in Joseph’s life so let’s see what happened next.

Those merchants who bought Joseph did so in order to gain a profit. I would imagine they ripped off the brothers of Joseph because they took him to Egypt where Potiphar, an official of Phararoh bought him. I would imagine he had plenty of money and Joseph was a strong, nice looking young man that would be an excellent investment. In Genesis 39:3 &4 states, “When the master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord gave him success in everything he did, Joseph found favor in the his eyes and became his attendant.”
We don’t know what Joseph had to do as a slave for Potiphar prior to him becoming his attendant but it is worth noting that he did do something prior to being put in charge of Potiphar’s household. Let’s focus on those two short verses today and apply it to our lives.

How many of you are happy with the position you are currently in? If you are, how many of you have always been happy in every position you have held? Those are pretty easy to answer. For me, I am currently not extremely happy with my position or lack thereof. Of course, parts of being at home are fabulous. I can get up when I want, spend time with the Lord, and write this blog. That is the best time of the day for me. I can also be at home with my husband when he is not at work, spending time with him that I haven’t had for several years because I have always been working so hard. There is a part of me that feels lost and alone because, a part that feels I have lost my belonging in this world, a part that aches so much I can’t describe it. Then I get messages from people I never thought I had influenced but tell me of the difference I made for them in their lives. Those words encouragement that all those years were not in vain but served a purpose, that brings joy to my spirit.

I can’t imagine Joseph not having some of those moments and I found one scripture that gave ma a little hint of that but I am going to save that one for another day,. Today I want us to focus on how Joseph responded to his feelings. Joseph took the situation he was in and found a way to bring glory to God. Because of his faithfulness to God, Joseph was blessed. When Potiphar saw how blessed Joseph was he promoted him. When Potiphar took care of the child of God then Potiphar was blessed as well. You can read of that account in Genesis 39: 1-6.

What lesson is in that story for us? For me, I need to take every situation I am in and give it to the Lord. Do you feel like you are in slavery? Maybe you hate your job and want out. Maybe it is time to have a talk with God and listen to why He has you where He does. Maybe you love your job but you have no time for God. Maybe you are being blessed but have forgotten to turn the glory back over to God. All of the success of Joseph came from God and somehow Potiphar realized this. How do you think Postiphar recognized this? Do others recognize the work that is done through you as being from God? Maybe it was in Joseph’s attitude, maybe Joseph always gave God the recognition for it, the word does not really say. I know for myself, I am going to keep reminding myself that I am in this position or lack there of for a reason and I need to make sure that all that I do at this point is to bring glory to God. If you are dissatisfied with your position, I hope you will take these words into consideration, pray for Gods’s guidance and then put your full trust in Him to see you through. If you are happy and blessed with your position I would urge you to always remember that it is God who gave you this blessing and it is up to you to make sure others know that your blessings come from God. Even when we do this, sometimes God changes the path for us and we need to always remember He is in control and sees the big picture.

Remember to work at your job as if you are employed by the Lord and not by man. In doing so, you will find joy in servicing Him. Don’t forget to continually to seek Him and you will find Him when you seek Him with all your heart!

Seeking Him with all my heart,
Sheila