Bro Gary Wednesday Night 9/7/11

Bro Gary Wednesday Night 9/7/11

1Co 15:58  Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

There is a lot of labor that is in vain.  My wife has washed and ironed this shirt many times.  I wear it and it needs to be done over again.  There is something about the labor of the Lord; it is not in vain.

2Co 6:1  We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.

Grace is there for us.  It covers the ten meanings of grace.  God help us to not frustrate it.  May God help us to bring our minds and bodies into subjection so that it is not in vain.

2Co 6:2  (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)

It is never wise to procrastinate getting saved.  It is unwise to put it off even one day.

2Co 6:3  Giving no offence in any thing, that the ministry be not blamed:

Behave yourself in such a way that you don’t cause offence.

2Co 6:4  But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses,

When you find yourself getting low on patience we need to cry out that God would help us to open our heart so that we can receive the grace we need.

If we live we will be afflicted physically.  You may be healthy most of the time but as you age you will probably have sicknesses.  God wants you and me to go right on serving God.  It is important that when God opens a door for labor, even when our body is not feeling well, we look to God for the strength for the day.

Pressures, it seems as if of late our plate has needed side boards.  There is a lot to do.  Fall is coming on and it seems there is a lot of fall work to do.  There are all sorts of pressures.  When the pressure gets on us, we need to say, “God I’m under pressure but I want to have the attitude that whether it is hard labor or a labor of love that God is well pleased.”

I feel very blessed in Western Montana.  Yet sometimes it is pretty tough to scrape a living off of these rocks.  Sometimes it is necessities, God how do you want me to handle this?  I will do my best to counsel you but there are things in your life where you are going to need God’s help to know how to handle them.  When you find yourself in the midst of necessities, “God what shall I do, I want to do what is right.”

2Co 6:5  In stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings;

Most of us will not get beat up physically, we’ll get beat up by being bad mouthed.  We have to handle it right.

You can talk of your rights and throw a kicking fit but God will not be pleased with that.  He allows these things for an opportunity to show Himself strong.

There are watchings going on today, there are prodigals, there are children whose life is being wrecked by sin.  Your brothers and sisters, you may have a family member that you’ve almost felt like giving up on.  Have faith in God and look down the road again.  Is there any turning in that grandson?

You may have in-laws that draw some lines.  If you draw on faith and begin to watch for change, someone prayed, someone kept watching, someone exercised faith and reached out even if they may had gotten hurt. 

Fastings, God I’m going to give up this meal because I want you to know how important this is to me and I want you to hear prayer.

2Co 6:6  By pureness, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned,

May God help you and I to show the world something better.  There is nothing like knowing God and knowing the Bible. 

Know about God.  Know what God said that he was and He is.

Unfeigned means without partiality.  We’ve all come across people that are pretty ugly, undesirable, rude and crude.  They need to know someone that has unfeigned love.

2Co 6:7  By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left,

2Co 6:8  By honour and dishonour, by evil report and good report: as deceivers, and yet true;

2Co 6:9  As unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and, behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed;

2Co 6:10  As sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.

2Co 7:5  For, when we were come into Macedonia, our flesh had no rest, but we were troubled on every side; without were fightings, within were fears.

Whatever you are called to do, be an example of the believers.