“7. And he called unto him the twelve, and began to send them forth by two and two; and gave them power over unclean spirits; 8. And commanded them that they should take nothing for their journey, save a staff only; no scrip, no bread, no money in their purse: 9. But be shod with sandals; and not put on two coats. 10. And he said unto them, In what place soever ye enter into an house, there abide till ye depart from that place. 11. And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgement, than for that city. 12. And they went out, and preached that men should repent.”
Can you imagine being put to this kind of test? A familiar verse of scripture is found in Matthew 19:26 “…but with God all things are possible.” Notice how the scripture uses the word possible, rather than the word easy! Faith makes things possible, it doesn’t make them easy. Here the disciples are being put to the test to see how much they truly serve the Lord. What does it take for you to stop serving God? What are your possessions of this world? Is it hunting gear? Pickup trucks? Hunting? Diamond rings? Luke 14:33 “So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.” The disciples have to step out by faith, no food, no scrip(small bag or wallet), no money. How much do you truly love the Lord? What if God called you into full time ministry? Could you do it? Would you do it? What if you had to quit hunting or even just skip it for a few years? Would you give it to the Lord and just simply trust Him? Faith makes things possible, not easy! But remember one thing, life is not about us, it about eternity! Lost souls! The disciples had to step out by faith with nothing, and then trust that God would take care of them. Talk about tough! What did they have to do? Die to themselves and realize this world is all about Jesus! Luke 14:27 “And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.” The only way to bear your own cross is to die to yourself! Can you do that to serve God? Notice also, there will be rejection when you serve the Lord, vs 11 “And whosoever shall not receive you…shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them.” There are a lot of believers that never see the blessings of God because fear and even common sense keeps them from serving God. What we think to be common sense is not always commons sense to God! God likes to do big and amazing things in our lives, but if we don’t trust Him by faith, we will never be used of Him. Remember that our common sense is from a sinful standpoint and God is perfect! God took care of his disciples! They made such an impact in history that we are still reading about them today! They helped change the world for Jesus Christ! What will people remember about you? Are you prideful? Are you consumed in hunting, trucks, or money? If God led you to sell all your things so you could be better used of Him, would you? What does God want for your life? Would you be willing to give up everything? If you answer no to that question, do you truly love the Lord? God can do great things in your life, but you must lose sight on everything of this world. I John 2:15-16 “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.”
Memory Verse Week 9/16/19
I John 2:15-16
“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.”
