Investing in God

Gen 47, 48; Ps. 10; Luke 19

Scripture: “The king answered, ‘It’s my responsibility to see that I get the best returns from my investments. Those who make good use of what I give them will be given even more. And those who do nothing with what I give them will lose what they have, and it will be given to those who know how to use it. As for those who didn’t want me to be their king, bring them in. The law of the land demands that they be put to death for their rebellion in the sight of the king.’ ” Luke 19: 26, 27

Observation: It’s God’s responsibility to see He gets the best return that He invests in human beings. By this investment He gives us talents or gifts, which we use to bring others to believe and have faith in Him. If we misuse our talents or gifts then He will give them to another. For those who never come to believe or have faith in Him the law demands their death.

Application: People need to try and find out what their gifts are and use those gifts wisely. Not everyone’s gift is a big one. It may be something as small as talking to little children about Jesus, your own children for example. Be prayerful about this and Jesus will guide you to as little or as much of a gift He thinks you will need. But remember never stop believing and having faith in Him because when you do you have as good as signed your own death warrant.

Prayer: Dear Lord help me to see what gifts I have that would glorify your name. Help me not to be afraid to use those gifts wisely. Amen

Answers

Gen 44-46; Luke 18

Scripture: I want to tell you that even though God sometimes seems to wait before He answers, He is eager to answer as quickly as possible. He will see that justice is done. But the real question is this: When God comes to set up His earthly kingdom, how many people will He find who still have faith in Him?” Luke 18: 8

Observation: God does answer all prayers, but in His own time. Sometimes the prayers are delayed for reasons that God only knows. Usually it’s for our own good. Unfortunately, we are a people of the here and now kind of prayers. We want them answered immediately. This is where faith comes in…..we need to wait for the answers. So when God comes back to set up His earthly kingdom who will have the faith to be there with Him. Do you lose your faith because prayers were not answered immediately or not in the way you wanting them to be answered? God forbid! You wait!

Application: I know personally in my life I’ve definitely had to wait for my prayers to be answered, but I’m glad I did wait because things weren’t right for me when I thought I needed those prayers answered right then and there. God knew when I needed them answered and how it would be taken care of wasn’t always the way I thought it would be taken care of. God had a better plan! Bottom line is don’t lose your faith in God just because your prayers haven’t been answered yet.

Prayer: Dear Lord may I have faith in you to take care of all my needs in this life and not to lose my faith in you when things go wrong and prayers are not answered immediately. Amen

The Coming of Jesus

Gen 42, 43; Ps. 5; Luke 17

Scripture: The disciples asked, “When will all this take place?” Jesus answered, “When people see vultures sitting in the trees, they know that a life is about to end. And when God’s people see all these things happening around them, they will know that my coming is near.” Luke 17: 37

Observation: Just like a vulture lurking around in the air, on the ground, or in a tree, we know when we see this type of thing taking place it’s because a life is ending. These birds are waiting to get at the dead carcasses, so they may eat their remains. The same analogy takes place to know the sign of the times of Jesus’ return. We read our bibles to know what signs will take place and know we are living in them. Look at all the strife in the world that is going on: Wars, rumor of wars, pestilent, famines, high crime rate, etc. If this isn’t what God was talking about being the end of time then what are we all going through this for if not to prepare us for his soon return?

Application: We need to be prepared for Jesus’ return. We need to study our bibles, tell people about Him, and work in preparation for Him. To prepare for His coming can be a big thing like evangelism or it can be as small as talking to one person about Jesus.

Prayer: Dear Lord please helps me to be strong and to have a wisdom of knowledge of You so I can prepare not only myself for the day of Your coming, but also others. Amen