DO WE HAVE IT BACKWARDS
Something I have noticed while attempting to raise funds and get pledges for my Walk-A-Thon is that many people are commenting about (or using as an excuse) the present economy. They are telling me that when the economy changes or God blesses them that they will be sure to help Ministry of the Sheep.
It is so hard to take that. Don't people claiming to be of God know how God works?
Let's look at a few verses.
(Genesis 26:1-6, 12-13 NASB) Now there was a famine in the land, besides the previous famine that had occurred in the days of Abraham. So Isaac went to Gerar, to Abimelech king of the Philistines. (2) The LORD appeared to him and said, "Do not go down to Egypt; stay in the land of which I shall tell you. (3) "Sojourn in this land and I will be with you and bless you, for to you and to your descendants I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath which I swore to your father Abraham. (4) "I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven, and will give your descendants all these lands; and by your descendants all the nations of the earth shall be blessed; (5) because Abraham obeyed Me and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes and My laws." (6) So Isaac lived in Gerar.
(12)Now Isaac sowed in that land and reaped in the same year a hundredfold. And the LORD blessed him, (13) and the man became rich, and continued to grow richer until he became very wealthy;
Let's see, Isaac did what God told him and he was blessed!
(Isaiah 58:6-11 NASB)"Is this not the fast which I choose, To loosen the bonds of wickedness, To undo the bands of the yoke, And to let the oppressed go free And break every yoke? (7) "Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry And bring the homeless poor into the house; When you see the naked, to cover him; And not to hide yourself from your own flesh? (8) "Then your light will break out like the dawn, And your recovery will speedily spring forth; And your righteousness will go before you; The glory of the LORD will be your rear guard. (9) "Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; You will cry, and He will say, 'Here I am.' If you remove the yoke from your midst, The pointing of the finger and speaking wickedness, (10) And if you give yourself to the hungry And satisfy the desire of the afflicted, Then your light will rise in darkness And your gloom will become like midday. (11) "And the LORD will continually guide you, And satisfy your desire in scorched places, And give strength to your bones; And you will be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water whose waters do not fail.
Huh, if the people do as God tells them, THEN they will be blessed.
(2 Chronicles 7:14 NASB)If My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
OK, so, If the people repent, THEN God will listen to them and heal their land.
Does anyone see a pattern developing here?
God didn't say “I'm going to bless you and then you do as I say.
That wouldn't make sense. Would you tell your child “I'm going to do something special for you and then I want you to clean your room.” NO, we expect obedience and then that obedience gets rewarded.
Why would we expect God, our Heavenly Father, to do any different than we would with our children?
Another chapter tells us the consequences for not doing what God tells us to do.
(Matthew 25:33-46 NASB) and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left. (34) "Then the King will say to those on His right, 'Come, you who are 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 something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; (36) 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, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? (38) 'And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? (39) 'When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' (40) "The King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.' (41) "Then He will also say to those on His left, 'Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; (42) for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; (43) I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.' (44) "Then they themselves also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?' (45) "Then He will answer them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.' (46) "These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."
Would you like to here something that most preachers won't tell you. This isn't about sinners and saints. Both sheep and Goats are Kosher (clean), suitable for sacrifice.
Also notice verse 37 and 44, They both called him Lord. These weren't pagans, these were people who probably sat in the seats in the synagogue every Sabbath listening to the Torah being read or the ones sitting in the church pew every Sunday for their weekly pep talk.
The same as the ones in Matthew 7
(Matthew 7:21-23 NASB) "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. (22) "Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' (23) "And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.'
What is the will of the Father? If you still need to ask start at the top of this page again.
