I could be wrong, but I feel the Lord is saying to the majority of the believers fit in the #3 category. The majority of believers do not fit into this category because they are doomed to fail, but rather they feel they do have any personal ability to do much for the Lord. The Lord has given each of us a measure of faith in order to accomplish His will on this earth. What we do for Him on this earth will build up treasures in heaven that we will enjoy for eternity. Treasures on earth have little value compared to the treasures the Lord has stored up for us in heaven.
I could be wrong, but the believers that fit in category #3 lack confidence in themselves because they do not have the abilities of the #1 and #2 believers. Those that lack confidence doubt in their own abilities and are prone to feel discouraged and easily give up because of feelings of inferiority. I know because I am one of those #3 believers. I know because I sometimes feel inferior to those with a college degree. I sometimes feel inferior to those with extroverted personalities because I am an introvert.
I could be wrong, but I believe the Lord can use those of us who are considered weak people to accomplish His will for the Kingdom in spite of our weakness. Listen to what the Lord had to say through the Apostle Paul:
Glory Only in the Lord
26 For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. 27 But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; 28 and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are,
Did you notice the kind of people God has not called?
- not many wise according to the flesh
- not many mighty
- not many noble
But God has chosen:
- the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise
- the weak things of the world to put to shame the things that are mighty
- the base things of the world and
- the things that are despised
- and the things that are not, to bring to nothing the things that are
What do you think the Lord is saying to us #3 type believers? I could be wrong, but I think He is saying that we should not look at ourselves the way the world sees us. He is saying that we should look at Him and His righteousness. We can do nothing on our own, but in Him, we can do all things He has called us to do.
What has He called you to do? Not sure! I could be wrong, but I believe the answer is found in the following scriptures:
The Son of Man Will Judge the Nations
31 “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy[a] angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. 33 And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’
37 “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 38 When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 39 Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40 And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’
41 “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: 42 for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; 43 I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’
44 “Then they also will answer Him,[b] saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ 45 Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ 46 And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
Now that you have read the above scripture have you discovered what God has called you to do? If you are still uncertain here are some clues:
- give food to the hungry
- give water to the thirsty
- give housing to those that need a place to stay
- give clothes to those that do not have any clothes
- give your time and visit those who are sic
- give your time and visit those who are in prison
Are you physically not able to do any of the above things? Here are some things you may be able to do:
- give money to organizations that provide food, drink and shelter to those in need
- give your excess clothes to organizations like the Salvation Army
- give your time to intercessory prayer for the sick
- give money to organizations, like Derek Prince Ministries, that provide Christian materials to those in prison.
- become a volunteer at the Salvation Army, a Rescue Mission, or Homeless Shelter
I could be wrong, but I believe if a believer can do any of the above things mentioned above in service of others then you are one of the sheep Jesus mentioned in the scripture. Why? Because you have done it to Jesus. You have been following His commandment to love your neighbor as much as you love yourself.
No comments:
Post a Comment