Scripture: Philippians 1 v 2 - 6: "Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
3 I thank my God upon every remembrance of you,
4 Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy,
5 For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now;
6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:"
Greetings to you all after this long absence! I hope you have used this time to refresh your knowledge of Jesus and be a blessing to others.
Jesus when He was on Earth went about doing good works. He did not set up charities but He was charity. Charity can best be defined as the love of God in action rather than a collection of people collecting money for various causes.
In many cases there is no accountability that the donations are used for the purpose stated. As Christians the Lord expects us to try the spirits to see whether it is a good or godly purpose. Especially in these days where scams abound.
1 John 4 v 6 - 9: "We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.
7 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.
8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him."
We must not be confused by whether we are working for God or whether God is working through us to bring about change and growth and truth in those around us. People say they are doing God's work but by their fruits we will know.
The fruit we need to see is not only the love, joy, peace, patience, self-control and goodness that the Holy Spirit produces in us, but in the changed lives of those who are being obedient to Jesus. Plus the influence of righteousness we have on those around us.
It sometimes seems that we fail in our objectives when we do not immediately see the right response to our sincere efforts but the verse above says that He who has started a good work will continue with it until it is accomplished. It may take a little longer but our faith is always in Jesus who is the truth, the life and the way.
When the victory comes we are filled with joy for a soul won out of darkness, a changed life, a promise fulfilled. It leads to thankful hearts, abundant praise of our Saviour and more hope for the next difficult challenge. Remember Jesus does not have problems He only has plans and we must be patient and endure till they are fully accomplished.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, we worship You in Spirit and in truth. Our prayers, praise, worship and love for You and Your Son Jesus are never in vain. For those who follow and obey Jesus the rewards are great. For those who oppose Him, trouble and heartache.
Teach us to be more compassionate and sensitive to the dire needs of those around us and give, love and pray as directed by You. In Jesus' name. Amen.
