| ............ | A Word In Due Season May 2022 5/5/22 DON'T BE CONFORMED - BE TRANSFORMED Scripture: Romans 12:2 "Be not conformed to this world: but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." It takes very little effort to conform to this world because the process is very subtle and we are usually unaware that a change is even taking place. It is like wet cement that simply conforms to the mold or pattern of the frame that it is poured into. We cannot pour wet cement into a square mold and expect it to come out round. Likewise, our minds tend to conform to the ideas and mindsets of the things that we yield ourselves to. As we do routine things such as attend movies, read literature, listen to music, and associate with friends, our spirits begin to come into agreement with their ideas, morals, and ethics. Our attitudes and actions are slowly influenced and shaped by the world about us. Little by little, we start acting in compliance to the world's expectations. Eventually, we develop into its image and may even give in to its motto, "If it feels good, do it." Most often conformity occurs because we are not established in our own hearts and unsure in our minds concerning certain matters. The Apostle Peter confirms this result of ignorance in his writings. He tells us "not to fashion ourselves according to the former lusts in our ignorance" (I Peter 1:14). It takes effort on our part to fashion or transform our minds so that we do not stay in the place of ignorance. We can only do this by the renewing of our minds, which comes about as we study and meditate on God's Word on a regularly basis. Through right information and Godly influence, our thoughts can be changed or transformed. As our thoughts are changed, our lives will also begin to change, and there will be an outward manifestation of the inward working. This is a supernatural work of the Holy Spirit. A metamorphosis happens in our spirit like the process of a comely caterpillar transforming into a beautiful butterfly. The spiritual process of transformation, like the natural process of metamorphosis, is hard and gradual, but the results are just as beautiful and overwhelming. When we allow this spiritual metamorphosis to occur in our lives, we then begin to live according to God's design and He is pleased. We are no longer conforming to the world nor allowing it to shape us into its example, but we are allowing God to transform us into His image. As this transformation occurs within our inner man, we become like the wet cement that is ready to submit to a particular mold. Whatever God wants, we become because we no longer desire to live according to the world's standards. We eagerly "present our outward man to God as a living sacrifice and are ready to do His good, acceptable, and perfect will" (Romans 12:1). Obedience to God's command becomes "our reasonable service." We delight to do His will because we are no longer conformed to the world but we are transformed by God's Spirit. +++ 5/6/22 VIRTUOUS WOMAN Scripture: Proverbs 31:10 & 28 "Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies ... Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband praises her." Women and mothers are very special because each day of their lives is one of sacrifice and giving. Their greatest reward is to know that they have made a difference in the lives of their family, whom they love and cherish. There is no greater reward for a woman than to have her children bless her or her husband praise her. Likewise, there is no greater need or satisfaction than for a child to have a mother who is a blessing to them or for a husband to have a virtuous wife whom he can trust and truthfully praise. King Solomon declared that the worth of this type of woman is far above monetary value. She cannot be purchased with the simple price of rubies, and her role and influence cannot be passed over as unimportant. She directs the future as she "trains up her children in the way that they should go, so that they do not depart from the right path" (Proverbs 22:6). In II Timothy 1:5, we see an example of the importance of mothers and grandmothers who taught and lived their faith in front of their children. The great Apostle Paul taught and mentored young Timothy in the things of the Lord, yet, Paul gave much of the credit for Timothy's faith to Timothy's mother, Lois, and his grandmother, Eunice. Paul said that he remembered Timothy's sincere and unqualified faith. He noticed that Timothy had been taught to lean entirely upon God and had displayed an absolute trust and confidence in God's power, wisdom, and goodness. Paul had also seen this same type of simple but profound trust in God in the hearts of Timothy's mother and grandmother, who were women of virtue. It was easy to recognize that their influence had affected Timothy in a big way and that the pure faith which they possessed had been transferred to him in the same degree and measure. Lois and Eunice had been diligent to train Timothy in the things of God and in the way that he should go. The evidence of their faith lingered in the heart of Timothy and the results could definitely be seen. There will be days in our lives that will be uneventful and maybe even seem boring, but we should never forget how important our roles are as mothers, grandmothers, and wives. This includes step-mothers and adoptive mothers because love is stronger and more powerful than blood. Whichever category we are in we have great influence so we should always strive to be virtuous women of purpose. Proverbs 31:10-31 declares that a virtuous woman has strength, ability, efficiency, wealth, valor, faith, and is excellent in every way. Her price is far above rubies and she cannot be purchased. Yet, her love, faithfulness, and service to her home and family come free. We should ask God daily to help us develop these characteristics. We can be assured that when these qualities show forth in each day of our lives, our children will rise up and call us blessed and our husbands will praise us. +++ 5/9/22 EXPERIENCING GOD Scripture: Acts 17:27 "That they should seek the Lord, if they might feel after Him, though He be not far from every one of us." The Apostle Paul told us that we should seek the Lord and feel after Him as though He is not far from us. Other translations of this verse tell us that we must "reach out for Him," "feel our way towards Him," or "grope for Him." It is like finding the light switch in the darkness. The switch is there and is stable, but we must reach for it and find it if we want to experience the light. I got up in the middle of the night and headed towards the light switch that was on the wall near the door to the closet. The door was open and in the darkness I was misdirected and instead of finding the light switch, I walked into the open closet. I knew that I had gone astray because the wall the switch was on was not far from my bed. Confusion set in and I could not figure out where I was. The only alternative was to keep groping in the darkness and carefully feeling around until I touched something familiar. When my hands touched the clothes, I realized that I had made a mistake and walked pass the switch. I then reversed my steps and made my way back to the outside of the closet. God is not playing hide and seek and He is not far away. He is always very near. Like the light switch on the wall, He does not change. He remains stable. We are the ones who go past His presence and are led away into the darkness. Paul said in verse twenty-nine that we are not to think of the Godhead as being an idol of silver or gold, for this is ignorance. Jesus is real. He is our resurrected Lord and Savior who sits at the right hand of God in Heaven, and this is the Lord that we should seek. If we are groping around in the darkness with no joy or victory, we must repent and find the source of our light, which is Jesus. God is not far from every one of us. He is near and how we choose to experience Him is based upon our own individual pursuit. James 4:8 says, "If we draw near unto Him, He will draw near to us." We can fear the Lord, enjoy Him, love Him, resent Him, neglect Him, or seek after Him. Our search for God can be in a halfhearted manner or with all of our heart. We can pursue Him with great zeal or in laziness. The decision is totally up to us. Yet, how we seek for the Lord determines how we will experience Him. We may try to excuse ourselves or blame others or our circumstances for not being able to have time with the Lord. Yet, the responsibility of our search rests upon our own shoulders. II Chronicles 15:12 says, "They entered into a covenant to seek the Lord God with all of their heart and with all of their soul." In the darkness of this hour, let us determine to do the same. The Lord is waiting for us to reach out and touch Him. So let us seek God and feel our way towards Him until we find Him and experience Him in the fullness of the Spirit. +++ 5/10/22 MOVE FORWARD IN FAITH Scripture: II Kings 7:3 "... Why sit we here until we die?" Four leprous men were living outside the gates of the city because this was what the law of the land required. As they began to commune with each other, they asked themselves, “Why sit we here until we die?" They came to the conclusion that they needed to make a change in their life or else they were going to die. Their options were few. Verse four tells us that if they went into the city, they would die because of the great famine in the land. Yet, they would also die if they remained where they were. They decided to do something bold, which was to approach their enemies, the Syrians. They felt that they had nothing to lose. If their enemy ended up killing them they would be no worse off than they were at the present moment. These men had little hope of survival and had just about given up on life. Little did they know that God was working on their behalf. As they began to move forward towards their enemy's camp, God caused the Syrians to hear a great noise of chariots and horses. The Syrians fled from their camp in fear. In their haste they left everything behind, and when the lepers arrived on the scene, they found food, drink, clothing, and gold. Their bounty was more than enough to meet their own need so they took the news back to the city and shared their good fortune with a starving and needy people. Decisions of faith are not always easy and they very rarely make sense. Yet, faith will always move us forward. It will take us to places that we have never been and provide peace in every circumstance. Like the situation with the leprous men, many times things look hopeless because there are no reasonable options. We just have to go forward and believe that when we get there God will make a way where there seems to be no way and will provide for every need. Make no mistake; God is the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End. He is well able to do far more than we could ever ask or think. When God gets ready to bless us, He may do it in an unexpected way like He did with the lepers. We must simply trust the Lord to make a way in the wilderness and believe that He will drive our enemies out before us. With God all things are possible. It is better to move forward in faith than to sit in doubt and die. If we do not give up in despair, we will find ourselves standing on the other side of victory. +++ 5/11/22 FROM DAWN TO FULL LIGHT Scripture: Proverbs 4:18 (NIV) "The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter until the full light of day." King Solomon compared the path of the righteous to the light of the sun. As the sun rises in the morning there is little light or heat, but this light gets stronger and the heat intensifies as the morning progresses. Finally, at noon, or as Solomon said, "at the full light of day", the path of the righteous is very clear. Helen Keller said, "To have eyes and no vision is worse than being blind." Helen Keller was blind and had to grope around in a dark world because she had no sight. She was also deaf so she lived in silence with no audible sounds or voices to lead her. Yet, she felt that to lack spiritual vision was a worse disability than having physical blindness. Even though she could not see the first gleam of dawn or watch the light grow brighter through the day, it is apparent that she understood the concept of progressive vision. God has set a path before each of us. At the dawning, there is little light and it is often hard to get a clear picture of what the Lord desires to do in our life. God may even purposely hold back part of the plan at the beginning because He knows the whole picture will overwhelm us. There may be shadows or early morning fog that distorts the vision. Yet as the light shines upon our path, the shadows and fog disappear and the vision of God's plan becomes precise and impassions our soul. When God's vision begins to dawn upon our soul, responsibilities come that require commitment and discipline. The manifestation of His light also demands change, so God takes ample time to deal with us in His love. As time passes, God's Holy Spirit prepares our heart by shining a little more light as we proceed down the path of our destiny. It is much like waking up in the morning to the bright sun that is too much for our eyes to handle. As we wake, we comfort our eyes by squinting and rubbing them until we can handle the light and our vision becomes clear. Spiritual sight is much the same. God knows us and will not put more upon us than we can bear. He starts with the light of dawn and we often cannot believe the new word that He is imparting to our spirits. Yet, He begins to shine His light upon that word and His plan and purposes become more definite and defined within our hearts. His light gets brighter and brighter like the sun that rises at dawn and it confirms our path and gives direction. As the Lord leads us one step at a time, we sense our desires changing and coming in line with His great purpose for our lives. Finally, we get a glimpse of how it will all work out and can say, "God's will has dawned upon me and is getting brighter like the full light of day." +++ 5/12/22 PROVISIONS FROM GOD Scripture: Nehemiah 9:15 "The Lord gave them bread from heaven for their hunger, and brought forth water for them out of the rock for their thirst." God is so awesome. Just when we think we have things figured out, God does something new. He amazes us with His creativity and surprises us with the unexpected. Look at the Israelites as they came out of Egypt. They were hungry and had need of food and they were thirsty and had need of water. To meet these vital needs, God provided them with manna from an open heaven and water from a rock. Who would have ever thought that you could secure water from a rock in the desert by simply speaking to it? Or who could have ever imagined that enough bread could fall out of the heavens every morning for forty years to feed six million people? God is truly incredible. God's provision for His people came with such simple instructions, "speak to the rock" and "gather the manna daily." God speaks to us in this same simple way today. He is the Rock of our refuge (Psalms 94:22), and He tells us to speak to this Rock. He said, "Call upon Me and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things that you have not known before" (Jeremiah 33:3). When you pray, He will create solutions that are just as amazing as water coming from a rock. If you have a need of any kind, He says, "Come to Me in the Name of Jesus ... Ask and it will be given, seek and you shall find, knock and it will be opened to you" (Matthew 7:7). Your Rock, Christ Jesus, is waiting for you to speak to Him. God also told us to gather our manna daily just as He did the Israelites. Jesus said our prayers are to be "Give us this day our daily bread." We are not to worry and fret over future provisions. Jesus told us not to be anxious about what we are going to eat, drink, or wear. We are to "Seek the Kingdom of God first and all these things will be added to us" (Matthew 6:31-34). God does not depend upon our resources but supplies all of our needs according to His own riches. He opens the windows of Heaven and pours out blessings that we are incapable of receiving. We serve the same God that Moses and the Israelites served, and He is just as interested in meeting our needs today as He was in meeting their needs. What He did for them, He will do for us. We must trust Him. God's resources are awesome and unlimited. +++ 5/13/22 THINGS THAT BELONG TO PEACE Scripture: Luke 19:42 "If you had known ... the things which belong unto your peace." Jesus wept over the people and desired that they come to know the things that pertained to their peace. Who would know better about peace than Jesus, for He is the Prince of Peace? The Words of the Lord are so powerful. In fact, they are sharper than a two-edged sword. Just one phrase or one sentence from His lips can speak peace to our storm, drive away our darkness, and turn our lives around. We can learn a great truth from His simple Words that speak to us even today, which is to "know the things that belong to our peace." Jesus came to give all of us peace, but receiving His peace is an individual and personal issue. There are some spiritual things that we need to know to have peace in our hearts and soul. There are also some natural things that we need to understand and then do so that we may obtain peace. In the spiritual realm, we must first receive Jesus into our lives as Lord and Savior, for without that security, we will never have true peace. The knowledge of our salvation settles the question of who we are, who we belong to, and where we will spend our eternity. Peace will also be ours when we spiritually cast all of our cares upon the Lord and allow Him to carry our burdens for us. To continue in peace, we need to confess our sins daily and allow the Holy Spirit to wash us with the water of God's Word because receiving forgiveness generates peace. We also need to keep ourselves from worrying about the future. Instead of allowing anxiety to torment our minds, we must rest in God's promises and believe that He will take care of all of our needs. On the other side of the coin, if we want to have peace we must also deal with things in the natural. For different people, it may mean different things. Many lose their peace when they are surrounded by clutter because they find it hard to concentrate or cannot find things because they are not in their proper place. Simply misplacing our keys can steal our peace. It causes us to be late and makes us have to rush in order to make up for lost time. Neglecting to pay our bills on time can hinder our peace because this habit brings undue stress into our life and steals our finances through late fees. This is not to mention the havoc that is caused by the worst case scenarios when the bill is so delinquent our utilities are shut off. Then too, simply not obeying the laws of nature by eating right or getting enough rest can hinder our peace because we will become agitated when our physical body is suffering from lack of care. If we do not obey the laws of the land a multitude of problems can occur that will steal our peace. Being at odds with our friends and family will create tension that will destroy our peace. Also engaging ourselves in battles that do not have eternal value will frustrate us and drain our peace. Sometimes, we must stay quiet and allow God to fight for us if we want to keep our peace. We must ask God to help us recognize the things that will bring peace into our own life. When we know what creates peace for us, then we must make ourselves available for change. God will be there to help in the spiritual, but we will have to deal with the physical. The Lord will not pay our bills, clean up our clutter, exercise for us, or force us to obey the laws of the land. We will have to do our part and deal with the natural things, and then God will be faithful to do His part. Jesus has already paid the price for our personal peace. He said, "My peace, I leave with you." It is not a peace like the world gives but a peace that passes all understanding. His peace is a great gift, so we must come to know the things that belong to peace and allow Jesus, the Prince of Peace, to rule over our life. +++ 5/16/22 AFFLICTION INSTEAD OF PLEASURE Scripture: Hebrews 11:25 "Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasure of sin for a season" This scripture speaks of Moses and the choice that he made for his own life. When Moses was born, his mother hid him for three months from Pharaoh and when he was too big to hide, she put him in a basket and placed the basket on the river. His mother was trying to hide him because Pharaoh had commanded that the male Hebrew children under a certain age be put to death. Yet, God had a very special plan for Moses and it was not death. God’s sovereignty caused Pharaoh's daughter to find Moses and when she saw the baby Moses, she had compassion upon him. She drew him out of the water and brought him into Pharaoh's palace and raised him there as her own son until he was grown. When Moses was old enough to make his own choices in life, he did something that probably confused a lot of people. He refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter. He may have loved her as a mother but the call of God on His life was a stronger commitment. He chose to sacrifice his place of honor amongst the people in Pharaoh's court and he walked away from the wealth and pleasures that could have been his. Verse twenty-four says that he made this choice by faith. He left the easy life and walked into the darkness and hardships of the unknown. He willingly put aside his comfortable life and the luxuries that he was accustomed to. He forgot his fame amongst Pharaoh's servants and went to live on the backside of the desert where no one knew him. He chose to live in a tent rather than in Pharaoh's beautiful palace. He tended his father-in-law's flock in the field instead of being in charge of more important duties or commanding a host of men. Moses stayed in this humble position for forty years. It was in this setting that God spoke to Moses from a burning bush and commissioned him to bring the Israelites out of the bondage of Egypt and into the Promised Land. God planned to use Moses long before he was ever born and God ordered his steps and protected him from all harm. When Moses refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, he probably never dreamed of the fame that he would receive or that people would still be talking about him almost 4000 years later. Yet, he chose the path that God had ordained for him. His choice not only affected him but also a multitude of people, for his personal sacrifice brought millions of people into blessings and freedom. Our lives are full of choices. Some of them are easy because they promise joy and happiness, but others are difficult. They call for true commitment and sacrifice without speaking of reward. It may not be on the same scale as Moses' sacrifice because none of us will have to give up our palace, our easy life, or our multitude of servants. Our sacrifice may be to simply share our meager means with someone who has less, go the extra mile when we are weary, or allow others to take the best of the lot. Yet, the choice still demands something from us and like Moses' decision; it will take faith on our part. We must remember that God never asks for anything that He does not intend to repay. We will never know the rewards of what could have been unless we make the right choice. To experience God's best, we must be willing to choose the affliction instead of the pleasures of sin that last for only a short season. +++ 05/17/22 FAITHFUL STEWARDS Scripture: I Corinthians 4:2 "Moreover, it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful." We are required to be faithful stewards over that which God entrusts to us. The Apostle Paul said that it did not matter to him what men said about him or how they judged him. It was not even important how he judged himself. His main concern was that the Lord would see him as a faithful minister and steward. In verse four, Paul said, "It is the Lord (Himself) who examines and judges me." It was more important to Paul to be in the place where God wanted him to be than to have the praises of men or the wealth of the world. There is a story of a lady who walked in the country. As she looked at the things of nature, she thought surely God had made some mistakes. She saw the strong tree that held the very small fruit of an acorn. She also noticed the small vines on the ground on which the large watermelons grew. She questioned the wisdom of the large fruit on the small vine, and the small fruit on the large tree. In all her wisdom, she thought that she would have planned things a little differently had she been God. As she sat down under the tree, however, her mind was suddenly changed when a small acorn fell from the tree and hit her. It would have been quite a disaster if the watermelon had been growing in that tree. Romans 12:6 tells us that we have been given gifts that differ according to the grace that is given to us. The foot should not complain that it is not the hand, and the ear should not complain that it is not the eye. All of the members of the body are important and necessary. God has set every one of the members in the body as it pleased Him (I Corinthians 12:15-18). Like the small acorn or the large watermelon, God has put us in the places on this Earth where He felt that we would fit the best and He has fashioned and formed us for that particular place. We must depend upon the wisdom of God in all areas of our life. We are not responsible for gifts that God did not ordain for us or for positions where He did not place us. We must never force a ministry that God has not called us to do. We must only be good stewards over that grace which has been entrusted to us and faithfully bloom and be a blessing wherever the Lord has planted us. +++ Copyright © 2021 Mary Padgett Ministries. All Rights Reserved www.widsonline.com |
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