Your Obligation is to do The Right Thing. The Rest is in God’s Hands.
The Children of God
(28) “And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He
appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed
before Him at His coming.
(29) If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone
who practices righteousness is born of Him.”
1 John 2 : 28–29 NKJV
Real success in life will always be built on your own personal inconvenience and on other people’s total convenience. Of course, after thinking about this statement you will easily see that real success is truly based in and upon serving and caring for other people and their needs before caring about and paying attention to your own personal needs and desires. This is called Servant Leadership or living and assisting other people with a Servant’s Heart. That is a relatively simple and easy statement to make. It is however, not that easy to live out and perform.
Not everything in your life is or will be based upon money or financial reward. It is true that money is a unit of measure of the amount of service one renders to another human being. It is true that the amount of service you give out, assist with, and provide to other people will primarily determine the size of your personal income,…sometimes and in some situations, money will not always be the determining factor. The more people to whom you provide personal service, the more financial strength and power you will receive. In other words, build your own success by helping other people succeed first. Such is the Law of God called “Sowing and Reaping.”….As you sow, so shall you reap….Give and it shall be given unto you.
God indeed wants to bless and reward you as you righteously live out your own life. Righteousness is, of course, based upon and grounded in you making the right and good choices that confront you and always treating your fellow man with goodness and righteousness….Do right and you will be able to live right!
A person’s true and real beliefs are always born out and displayed through the thoughts he or she thinks, the words he or she speaks, and the actions he or she takes. How you act and how you live tells everyone around you what you really believe. You will never really fool anyone but yourself.
You do not know that which you do not know. You cannot live out your life in obedience to God’s specific instructions unless you first learn what He wants you to do. Therefore, you will never be able to live as God wants and tells you how to righteously live your life, unless and until you come to learn and know God personally and then come to know what God’s Will for your life really is. This knowledge will come to you once you begin to read and learn what His guidance is to you as is recorded within the pages of Holy Scripture,…within the Holy Bible. God has given all mankind individual instructions and guidance as to how He wants you to live your life. As you begin to learn and know His Word and the instructions He gives all believers, then you will be able to be obedient to His guidance. By following that guidance you will position yourself to begin receiving all of the blessings and rewards God Almighty has promised you. Of course, following His instructions will require your prolonged operation in total faith and belief in the strength and power of your personal Creator.
It is all a matter of being obedient to completing the entire process of living your life on the basis of total belief in God, and faithfully following His exact instructions. God loves you unconditionally, no matter who you are and what you have or have not done! But, God’s Promises are conditional. You have to meet the conditions of the promise,… before you will be able to reap the blessings and rewards coming to you from the promise.
So as a quick review lets take a second look at the above referenced scripture. “If you know that He is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who does right is born of Him.”
Permit me to share a story with you that drives this point home……
A little boy named Jeremy arrived one day to the home of Jesse and Joan as a foster child. When he arrived he was in pretty rough shape. The little Jeremy couldn’t dress or feed himself and he wasn’t potty-trained. To say he had been seriously neglected was a great understatement. He was scared, unsure of his new surroundings and frightened by his new “mommy” and “daddy.” His new move happened so quickly and because of his mental state, the new adjustment had been thrown on him like a thunderstorm. He was totally confused. Within the Bible, God tells us that love overcomes everything. That would soon be proven to be true.
In his new family, he received good food and a real sense of safety, care, and love. Additionally he was sent to nursery school and to speech therapy. Over one summer, Jeremy grew two inches and gained two pounds. His vocabulary also grew and he was no longer afraid of the dark. Then, three months after he had arrived in Jesse and Joan’s home, the State Government sent him to live with his maternal grandparents.
As Jeremy was driven away, Joan remembered back to when the family was struggling to cope with Jeremy’s severe problems. She had asked her husband, Jesse,…“Why are we doing this?” The answer came several months later (in God’s time frame not man’s) as she and Jesse were attending church together. During the service, the pastor read from the Scriptures: “He then took a little child whom He set among them and embraced, and He said to them, ‘Anyone who welcomes a little child such as this in my name, welcomes Me.’ ”Jesse leaned over, nudged Joan, and whispered, “That’s why we do this.”
Please listen carefully. The Lord never called any of us to be successful–He only called us to be faithful. Our success lies totally in His hands and our reward comes from His supply,…not from man’s supply.
Use all of your God-given talents and abilities to the best of your own ability and leave the rewarding to the Lord. “God Knows,….
and He Rewards.”
Peace and Love to All of You……………….Poppa Bear