by David Brenneman
"And He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And there was a woman who for eighteen years had had a sickness caused by a spirit; and she was bent double, and could not straighten up at all. When Jesus saw her, He called her over and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your sickness.” And He laid His hands on her; and immediately she was made erect again and began glorifying God. But the synagogue official, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, began saying to the crowd in response, “There are six days in which work should be done; so come during them and get healed, and not on the Sabbath day.” But the Lord answered him and said, “You hypocrites, does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the stall and lead him away to water him? And this woman, a daughter of Abraham as she is, whom Satan has bound for eighteen long years, should she not have been released from this bond on the Sabbath day?” As He said this, all His opponents were being humiliated; and the entire crowd was rejoicing over all the glorious things being done by Him." Luke 13:10-17.
Many times in my life I have seen and heard of people thinking that the extremely erroneous thoughts of the so-called separation of Church and State were true.
God is at work all the time. 24/7 365 days a year. The business of the Church of God goes on all week long, not just a few hours on a Saturday or Sunday.
Our calling has roots in many basic principles of the Scriptures such as praying without ceasing. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul and spirit. Love your neighbor as yourself. These do not come to us on a schedule.
We also are not to put them on a shelf until after we run off to do whatever is more pleasurable to us in the moment.
I find it amazing how people want the benefits of Godly people but don't put in the work towards that themselves.
They want people praying for them but aren't lifting a finger to approach God themselves. The Spirit doesn't work that way.
The Spirit sets His mind on the Will of God for you and I in Christ Jesus. Not the whims of our lives but the directives of our Savior.
Truth be known...we aren't "in Church"...we ARE the Church wherever we go, whatever we do.
The Church of Jesus Christ is never on vacation. Has no paid holidays.
Has no PTO days in abeyance.
The benefits of being in the body of Christ are always available.
Our world teaches compartmentalizing life.
We are easily the most tempted when it comes to selfish desires.
The desire of time we want to spend as we see fit. The desire of spending money as we see fit.
Really there's no end to the desires of the heart when not spent in regards to the Christian life.
We are easily the justifiers of all that life can have in it. We are in a culture of relabelling what God has stated. Creating new labels concerning everything from sexuality to eating...and then celebrating them.
The rebellion of the human heart really has few limitations.
Do you not realize the profound truth in the statement that this is the day that the Lord has made, that we will rejoice and be glad in it?
The day we call today was created with an expectation of intimacy with your Savior in mind. Do you not want that? Is it secondary to your personal desires? Just because you must go to work this too doesn't negate that intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. Just because you're on vacation this too doesn't negate that intimate relationship with Jesus.
Jesus is everywhere you are because, my Dear Reader, if you are truly saved, He’s in you all the time.
He sees what you see and more.
He knows what you know and more.
He is thousands of steps ahead of you in regards to knowing what's best for you in growing in Christ.
Nobody who's experiencing the intimate righteous life that God desires for them really has ever ever expressed displeasure at the time spent with Jesus.
Do not, I repeat do not, expect the world to understand. Scripture says that the things of God are foreign to them.
So what that you might miss out on this or that happening around you. Preferring one another above ourselves is taught by the Spirit to each of us. Being aware of how our freedoms in life could cause others to stumble is taught by the Spirit to each of us.
We are at war with our flesh just as much as we are against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the world today.
Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be added unto you. Not complicated at all.
This day you set out to experience...Jesus is there waiting to go through it with you.
This day you think is before you will have highs and lows. Jesus is still there to guide you.
This day has enough trouble of its own...but Jesus has already gone before you.
Don't try to handcuff the work of the Spirit of God by pushing for what you want first.
Our life is one of the transforming sanctification of the Spirit of God in Christ Jesus. It's not about our getting everyone to like us, it's not even about us getting what we want.
Set your mind...focus...on the things that are above. Realize that Jesus wants to share this life with you in ways you haven't begun to imagine.
Set no limits on the work of God in you. Jesus is here now, in the here and now...waiting for you.
All NASB 1995 and NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission. (C) Lockman Foundation.
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