The Good You Do

Before I start, I'd like to apologize for not sending out a message in almost a week. I was really sick and weak, and didn't have much energy for anything… but I'm better now so let's get to it!

"Be careful not to make a show of your righteousness before people. If you do so, you do not gain anything from your Father in Heaven. When you give something to the poor, do not have it trumpeted before you, as do those who want to be seen in the synagogues and in the streets in order to be praised by the people. I assure you, they have already been paid in full." - Matthew 6:1-2

Those of you looking to do something truly selfless for Lent should be volunteering your time, donating more money, and simply putting more effort into helping those around us who are in need… but when you do good for others make sure you question yourself as to why you're doing it. Some of us do it to be Jesus' hands and feet here on Earth while others do it so they can boast to others and receive praise for their "righteousness." They want people to tell them how good and selfless they are. During this sermon in Matthew, Jesus goes on to say that what your right hand does, your left hand shouldn't know about, meaning that when you do something good for others, even if it's donating a kidney, if you really intended it to be for God, don't tell anyone else. If God is who matters and you're acting out of the goodness of your heart, then God saw what you did… keep it at that. Instead, if you tell people what you did for someone and just "let" people find out so they can tell you what a good person you are, then don't expect the Lord to give you any kind of recognition since you have already received it from others. Your actions show you only wanted to please yourself, not God. If God was your real motivation, telling others and bragging about how holy you are shouldn't be happening. Throughout the gospels, there are so many instances where Jesus would heal someone and then He would tell them to keep quiet and not tell a soul. Even though He deserved all the praise in the world, Jesus kept quiet because the good He did was for God and not for His own ego.

Therefore, please examine yourselves and your motives. Let them be pure. Let this Lenten season be full of good acts for others that are only between you and God… I believe anything else is inspired by the devil.

Today's Prayer:
Lord God, search me and make me clean. Humble me and build me up again to be Your loyal and faithful servant. Let all the works of my hands be for You and You only, and not for others to see. In Your Name we pray, amen.

Give Thanks to The Lord Always

"Gather together to pray with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and celebrate the Lord in your heart, giving thanks to God the Father in the name of Christ Jesus, our Lord, always and for everything." - Ephesians 5:19-20

We do a lot of asking to God but how often do we give thanks? Our prayers of petition are fervent but how about our thanksgiving?

Through our many trials and tribulations the most promising way of receiving strength and consolation is to submit your will to the Lord and give Him thanks because you have faith that He is already in action. Praising the Lord, singing to Him and partaking in this action with other believers brings us joy and the hope to keep on perservering in the faith.

If you don't believe me, try taking time out today to just give thanks to the Lord for your life. Give Him thanks because He has taken out His time to create you. Give Him thanks because your body is perfect. Give thanks to God for He has called you to hear His message. Give thanks to God for you have a roof over your head when you know many don't. You have food on your plate when you know many don't. You go through many problems but at the end of the day, it has all worked out, hasn't it? Stop pointing to all that's wrong in your life when the Lord has clearly given you numerous more blessings.

Maybe we need to be encouraged by one another and the great things God has done for us rather than our sorrows and what we feel God needs to fix.

Here is an example of something wonderful God did for me. Although it might seem small to some and pure circumstance, nothing for God is a coincidence; He plans everything out perfectly. Throughout college I always ordered my books used from Amazon.com. As soon as I got the syllabus, I ordered them. My last year in college, I delayed a bit and forgot to order one of the books, until I realized I needed it for a paper that was due in two weeks. I quickly ordered it online but then a couple of days later, the teacher decided she was going to move up the assignment and wanted us to bring it in the following week. This wasn't a nice teacher either, she was very mean so she would never let it slide. I ran to check the status of my order online and saw that the book was to be delivered in 2 to 3 more weeks since I had bought it from an Amazon marketplace. Panicked, I went to all the book stores I could think of but no one had the book, not even our school library. I prayed to God and asked Him to help me. I shouldn't have delayed and it was my fault, but when I asked, I had confidence that He would help me. I even gave Him thanks because He has always helped me in the past, so why wouldn't He help me now? When I got home that same day from school, guess what was waiting for me in the doorstep of my house? My book. Can you imagine how I felt? That book was not supposed to be there but God heard me and miraculously, becuase He knew I needed it and had faith in Him, God delivered it to my door!

These are the things God does for us! I would really appreciate it if you could please write back to me with a story of something God has done for you. The purpuse of today's verse is for us to come together and support each other, confirming our faith with the work God has done in us. Just as I have given you a story to show God's hand, tell me what He has done for you. There are about 20 of you that this email goes out to, let's encourage one another! I won't write the name of who sent the story in if you wish to remain anonymous, but please remember that through your testimony, God can help touch and strengthen someone else!

Today's Prayer:
Lord Jesus, thank You so much for the gift of who You are. Thank You for loving me so much as to deem me worthy of listening and partaking of Your Word. Help me to be a light to others and in giving You thanks for the blessings I receive, I help encourage the faith of my brothers. In Your Name we pray, Amen.