Few people ever talk about the women who followed Jesus and supported Him financially, Not, just the women, but the ‘type’ of women…
Luke 8:1-3 (NKJV)
Now it came to pass, afterward, that He went through every city and village, preaching and [a]bringing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with Him, 2 and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and [b]infirmities—Mary called Magdalene, out of whom had come seven demons, 3 and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others who provided for [c]Him from their [d]substance.
So, you had a woman who many believed was a prostitute…
Wives of ‘important’ men…
And, many other women who were following the LORD and supporting Him financially.
We all know that would be beyond scandalous today.
We all know many of the people who claim to love Jesus would have criticized that.
How many men would co-sign on their wives following and giving money to a broke, uneducated, controversial traveling preacher?
It’s easy to be sitting pretty over 2,000 years later and judge the behavior of those living during Jesus’s earthly ministry — but we prove how we would have reacted if we lived then by how we react today.
Sometimes we can get frustrated when we share God’s truth or fresh revelation and people don’t respond the way we had hoped.
They may respond negatively…
They may even tell you that they don’t want to hear it…
They may tell you that you’re confused…
They may tell you that they just aren’t ready to change…
Once you plant a seed, you can’t force it to grow…We plant and water, but God gives the increase.
1 Corinthians 3:6-8 (NKJV)
I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. 7 So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase.
We must remember…we didn’t always immediate agree with everything we heard concerning God the first time.
We didn’t immediately take heed to every bit of good, sound spiritual advice we received.
We didn’t immediately stop sinful practices when someone warned us.
There were seeds planted in all of us that took some time to grow.
There were habits, behaviors and attitudes that we had to work through.
There were difficult truths that we weren’t immediately willing to accept…
In fact, there are still some spiritual truths that we have not yet accepted. Just because we haven’t accepted it yet doesn’t prevent it from being God’s truth.
Pray for an ear, heart, mind and attitude that you can be good soil for the good seed that’s planted in you as in the Parable of the Sower
Matthew 13:18-23 (NKJV)
18 “Therefore hear the parable of the sower: 19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside. 20 But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21 yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles. 22 Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. 23 But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”
Be patient when you share the word of God, or give spiritual advice to others…
Think about the fact that when Jesus was in His human form, his biological brothers (Mary’s other sons) did not believe in Him…
John 7:18 (NKJV)
3 His brothers therefore said to Him, “Depart from here and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works that You are doing. 4 For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly. If You do these things, show Yourself to the world.” 5 For even His brothers did not believe in Him.
BUT,
Eventually they did believe. In fact, the letters of Jude and James are now part of the New Testament.
Have you ever heard anyone make this statement, or have made it yourself?
“You won’t go to Hell for doing it.”
Too many Christians feel as though as long as they are paying their tithes and going to church regularly that, ‘they’re good’.
Sometimes times there will be an issue or behavior that is questionable or vague, or maybe not even addressed directly in the bible. Many times there will be an issue or behavior that we really enjoy, but there is reason to believe it might be displeasing to God. Then there are issues that are addressed, but many people either don’t make the connection, or don’t care about how those issues relate to us today.
There are many Christians who don’t only define themselves as children of God, they also define themselves by ‘their’ zodiac sign.
How does God feel about someone asking, “What’s your sign?”
Zephaniah 1:5-6 (NKJV)
5.“Those who worship the host of heaven on the housetops; Those who worship and swear oaths by the LORD, But also swear by Milcom (or Molech) 6.Those who have turned back from following the LORD, And have not sought the LORD, nor inquired of Him.
“I’m a Gemini so you better watch our for me….”
“I’m a Pisces so you can trust me…”
You get the picture?
Most of us know that it became very popular in the latter part of the 20th Century to refer to zodiac signs to determine if two people were compatible in relationships.
Some people will even check out their daily horoscope for guidance for the day. How many Christians have you seen post the daily horoscope on their timeline?
Have you ever taken the time to research the origin of zodiac signs. Think about this…zodiac signs are treated as proper nouns.
Check this out…
Deuteronomy 4:19 (NKJV)
And take heed, lest you lift up your eyes to heaven, and when you see the sun, the moon, and the stars, all the host of heaven, you feel driven to worship them and serve them, which the LORD your God has given to all the peoples under the whole heaven as a heritage.
Remember, worship is beyond ‘going to church’. Think about Romans 12:1…
Romans 12:1 (NIV)
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.
Our worship extends into how we live our lives on a daily basis. God expects us to get our guidance from Him and Him alone. He has given us His Holy Spirit to lead us, guide us, convict us, to help us make the right decisions.
Isaiah 47:13 (NKJV)
13 You are wearied in the multitude of your counsels; Let now the astrologers, the stargazers, And the monthly prognosticators Stand up and save you From what shall come upon you.
One of the beautiful things about the Old Testament is that it gave us extreme examples of what behavior God loves and what behavior He hates. Even though Jesus fulfilled the law, we can gain great insight looking at the behavior of ancient Israel and how God reacted to it.
Think about this. When Moses was given the task of going into Egypt to free the children of Israel, God told Moses to tell them, “I AM has sent me to you” (Exodus 3:14). I AM is God’s name. It’s who He is. It’s His essence. It’s what He does. And so are you. Be very careful what you say behind your, “I am”. Check this out…BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU SAY BEHIND YOUR, “I AM…”
“I am a Virgo.” “I am a Libra.” Do you feel comfortable defining yourself as something God has forbidden?
Do you feel comfortable getting guidance from something God has forbidden?
Do you feel comfortable choosing a mate based on something God has forbidden?
Do you feel comfortable basing your personality on something God has forbidden?
Or, do you enjoy it so much that right now you are reasoning within yourself how I’m wrong and looking for verses or justification to keep doing it. That may be a ‘sign’ that you are too connected to it.
Well if God forbids it, why do the personality traits seem so on point sometimes? We all know that the enemy disguises himself as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14).
But, here’s the number one reason I think that people of God should ignore the horoscope…
BECAUSE IT HURTS GOD!
Even if He won’t send you to Hell for it. Even if you think it’s harmless. If God said don’t do it, that means it hurts Him. When you love someone, there’s some things you don’t do not because you think they will leave you, but because you know it hurts them.
Have you ever noticed that before God got angry, He was always hurt first? Have you noticed how God sometimes pleaded with and appealed to Israel like a hurt lover?
Micah 6 1:3 (NKJV)
“Oh My people, what have I done to you? And how have I wearied you? Testify against Me.”
The #1 reason we should ignore the horoscope is because it hurts the God of our Salvation.
Please think about this before you ask someone, “What is your sign?”
The bible teaches us that it’s God that gives us the power, ability, knowledge and strength to get ‘wealth’, and that is very true…
Deuteronomy 8:18 (NKJV)
18 “And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may [a]establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.
But, how many times have you heard someone say, or said yourself, “I deserved everything that I have because I worked hard for it!”
You planned…
You’ve worked hard…
You’ve sacrificed…
You’ve made good decisions.
You even had great faith.
Let me give you a quick reminder in humility and God’s grace and mercy…
Yes, you definitely ‘earned’ it, but be very careful before you say you deserve it.
Before you say that you deserve your success and influence because of your hard work and effort, think about all of the people who also planned, worked hard, sacrificed, made good decisions, and had great faith…and for whatever reason, things just didn’t work out.
Think about all of the businesses that fail every day.
Think about all of the relationships that fall apart every day.
There are plenty of people who have planned and worked…
Just as hard or harder…
Just as smart or smarter…
Sacrificed just as much and more…
Made decisions that were just as good or better…
And, things just didn’t work out in their favor.
From the macro-economic environment, to social conditions, unforeseen sicknesses and circumstances, there are innumerable reasons why sometimes hard work is not rewarded with success.
And let us not forget about those people who want to work but can’t because of a disability they can’t help.
All in all, it’s only by God’s grace and mercy and His plan for our lives that things, work out as we hope and plan.
Remember…
Proverbs 16:9 (NKJV)
9 A man’s heart plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps.
Psalm 128:1-4 (NKJV)
Blessed is every one who fears the Lord,
Who walks in His ways.
2 When you eat the [a]labor of your hands, You shall be happy, and it shall be well with you. 3 Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine In the very heart of your house, Your children like olive plants All around your table. 4 Behold, thus shall the man be blessed Who fears the Lord.
It’s God’s will for you to enjoy the fruit of your labor, but never forget that any ‘success’ is only through His grace and mercy.
Don’t let the enemy to allow arrogance into your testimony.
If you have ever worked hard, planned well, sacrificed, made great decisions and had great faith, only to have things not work out in your favor, please respond to this post as a testimony. Be humble in your success, and never steal God’s glory, grace and mercy for yourself.
BE BLESSTIFIED! 