Archive for the ‘Christian Living’ Category
Your Performance Interview With God Is Coming!
Your Performance Interview With God Is Coming
What if God called you on the carpet? What if He asked you some personal questions about your conduct… spiritual and otherwise?
Employees of many companies are given performance interviews on a scheduled basis. Some of the questions asked by the interviewer are similar to some of those I once found at www.jobinterviewquestions.org.
Performance Interview Questions
- Tell me about your last position and what you did.
- Tell me about the last time you made a mistake and how you corrected it.
- If you don’t leave your current job, what will happen there? How far can you advance?
- Of all the work you have done, where have you been most successful?
- I see you were unemployed for a period of time. Tell me about it.
- Give me an example of when you’ve demonstrated your customer service skills.
- How do you define continuous improvement? What is the last new procedure you integrated into your job?
- What makes you stand out among your peers?
- What have you done to reduce your department’s operational costs or to save time?
- What would your current supervisors say makes you most valuable to them?
- If I asked your boss to evaluate your performance, what would he or she say?
- Have you held positions similar to this one? If so, tell me about them.
- What is the most important thing you learned at a previous job?
- What did/do you enjoy most/least about your last/present job?
- If there were two things you could have changed about that job, what would they be?
- How did your job change while you held it?
- What qualifications do you have that make you successful in this field?
- What have you learned from previous jobs?
- Describe a typical day at work.
- How have your previous positions prepared you for this one?
- What parts of your job do you consider most important?
- What job tasks do you feel most successful doing?
- What special skills or knowledge have you gained to help in this job?
- Describe an important project you worked on.
- You have a lot of experience. Why would you want this job?
- What do you consider your greatest strength?
- What is your most significant professional accomplishment?
- What was the last job-related book you read?
- What was your favorite job? Why?
As 2017 comes to a close, so does another year of living for the Lord. If He were to ask us about our performance in His Kingdom this year, how would we do? Could we answer His questions easily? Would our heads have to drop after the Lord asked us a direct question? Here is a list of possible questions He might ask:
The Lord’s 2017 Performance Interview Questions
- What if He asked about the Spirit and Attitude we manifested this year?
- What if the Lord asked us about our obedience or our Submission?
- If the question of Soul-Winning came up, how would we score?
- If questions about our involvement in Worship were asked, what would the answer be?
- What would happen if the Lord asked us about our Prayer Life in 2017?
- Would the answer be favorable to you if there were questions about paying your Tithes
- and giving in Offerings?
- Faithfulness in church attendance is sure to be asked. How would you do on that one?
- Surely, a question about any unwillingness to Forgive will be asked.
- Would He ask about the display of the Lusts of our Flesh?
- Would Jealousy or Envy be mentioned?
- A lack of Brotherly Love, or not Preferring One Another, will not sit well with Him.
- What if the Lord asked us about our lack of Sacrifice in service, or in giving?
- Would any questions about our involvement in Gossip put us in a bad light?
- What if the subject of Tale Bearing came up?
- If we were asked about Criticizing our Pastor, what would the answer be?
- Surely the Lord will act questions about our showing any signs of Loving Pleasure More
- Than The Things Of God.
- What is He asked us about our Love of the World?
- Do you think He might ask us why we had a problem with Holiness?
- Would there be any questions about Loving Our Neighbor?
- What if He asked us if we Love Him with All Of Our Heart, Our Soul, And Our Might, And
- Our Strength?
I pray that you do well in your Interview with the Lord. (He already knows the answers, before He asks.)
If you’ll pardon me, for a while… I think I’ll have a talk with Him right now. I need to before He talks to me later!
There is coming a Day when we shall all stand before Him, as we are judged. That Interview will be both an Entrance Interview for some, and an Exit Interview for others!
Revelation 20:11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
Revelation 20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
Revelation 20:13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
(May your Performance Interview of 2017 end with Joy, and not with Grief!)
Join me in pledging to do better and do more for Him in 2018! May we all hear Him say in that day, “Well done thou good and faithful servant.”
The Danger Of Being Too Friendly With The Evangelist.
The Danger Of Being Too Friendly With The Evangelist.
On occasion, your Pastor will invite a guest speaker or an evangelist. He wants you to like them and enjoy their ministry. It’s a compliment to his good judgment of preachers and ministries if you do.
Where there becomes an issue that is uncomfortable for your Pastor and his friends are when you give the guest preachers nicer and more frequent compliments than you give to your own Pastor.
After all, he’s the one that worries over you, prays for you, counsels with you and answers to God for you. Not the others. They may like you, they may like you a lot, but there is a line that must be drawn between them and you.
Make sure you give better compliments to your own Pastor than you do to anyone else.
It’s kind of like a man giving another woman a compliment and he doesn’t even compliment his own wife. Something is very wrong in their relationship. Something is very wrong in your relationship with the Man of God if you are guilty concerning this.
A seasoned evangelist can often spot those who have a problem with their Pastor and then try to give the guest speaker the personal attention and honor that belongs to their Man of God. That is just so wrong.
It even gets more complicated than this…
There are many Godly, precious people who dearly love their Pastor and would never knowingly do a thing to injure him. In innocence, they attempt to interact with another preacher they admire and sometimes feel put off or hurt because of the lack of warmth in his response to them. Actually, in good conscience, he can’t. So, don’t take it personal. He does like you and appreciates you, he’s just trying to be careful. His allegiance is to your pastor.
In the day of Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Messenger, emails and text messaging, don’t try to personally interact with other preachers (unless they are family) no matter how much you like them. It easily becomes quite an uncomfortable position for ‘ethical minded’ preachers.
Don’t expect him to respond to your emails or private messages. His loyalty is to your pastor. Do you realize that if word got out that an evangelist was having conversations, exchanging emails, phone calls, private messages on Facebook, and text messages with saints, that his days as an evangelist are numbered? It’s not right for you or him. Don’t give him your information and don’t let him give you his.
Any contact with other preachers should be directed through your Pastor. If he sees fit to pass your message or request on, then fine. If he doesn’t, then trust his judgment. He knows what he’s doing and why. Your spiritual safety is his greatest concern. Work with him on that.
Guest preachers who ‘work the crowd’ by lingering long with each saint, buttering up them, and learning personal things about their world should raise everyone’s eyebrows. Why would he make comments on your Facebook posts all the time? What’s his motive? Ethical evangelists know to stay on the platform after service or near the Pastor to protect themselves and for proprietary’s sake.
If you don’t understand why, imagine you as a woman contacting, calling, writing or leaving messages for a male acquaintance of your husband. Or maybe it’s him calling you. Your husband would have serious questions for you both, and rightly so.
If he didn’t run when you attempted to contact him, then if he has even part of a conscience, he would not be comfortable around your Pastor anymore because of guilt. He’d know he had crossed the line of ministerial ethics. His days would be over. It’s not worth it for him or you.
If you love your Pastor then protect him. Protect how he feels about you. Protect his relationship with other preachers. Protect yourself. He’ll love you all the more for it too.
Don’t try to private message other preachers. Don’t force them to cut you off, block you or ignore you. They want you to like them, sure! But they hate it when you push them into an uncomfortable situation.
Don’t walk up and hand them gifts, or even money. If you want to give an extra offering to the evangelist, then talk to your pastor and he will guide you through a process that is comfortable to him.
Any evangelist that would contact you and ask for money or any favor is unethical. They are to be ignored, blocked or unfriended. Their actions should be reported to your pastor immediately.
Your Pastor is to be loved, respected and honored. His office as Pastor is above all others, and I personally thank you for loving him. He’s God’s gift to you and your church. Love him. Show it by your loyalty, and your respect. Let no other preacher, family or not, come between you and your pastor. That is a sacred area that should never be defiled. It is a line that must not be crossed.
On his behalf, I thank you.
The Downspout In A Bucket Church
The Downspout In A Bucket Church
Eleven people sat quietly in the dank, poorly lit basement room. There was enough seating for about 30 people, but no one could remember it being full.
It had a bit of an odor too. The bare concrete block walls were unpainted and unprotected light bulbs hung from the ceiling by two bare strands of wire. The benches appeared to have not been professionally constructed and the flooring was an unpainted concrete slab. There were no windows in the room either.
This room took up less than one-fourth of the unfinished church basement area. The upstairs, where the main sanctuary was to be, was not completed. Actually, there had never been enough money to even get it started.
Work had stopped on the building many years ago. About 4 or 5 rows high of concrete blocks were all that had been laid for the walls and they sadly showed where the work had stopped. There was no roof. The unprotected flooring was exposed to the elements and left the basement completely to the mercies of what Mother Nature decided to do for the day. There was also bad plumbing, because the contractors that were going to do the plumbing service didn’t show, so they found another plumbers in http://plumberranchocucamonga.us .
When it rained or when the snow melted, most of the water seemed to just sit in puddles on the flat floor that served as a roof and also as a ceiling for the basement. The basement had leaks everywhere.
It was not advisable to even walk through the other parts of the basement in the rainy season. Only the small area where the services were held had even basic protection overhead from the elements.
The blueprints showed a beautiful church building on this location that would seat several hundred people. Up to now, only the pastor had that vision and no one had any money. All of the saints were poor, they were very poor.
The pastor’s wife was a saint. She sweetly did whatever she could to help make ends meet. There was never enough money coming in from the church to support them, so the burden of being a foster parent in her later years was added to her duties. She played the organ, worked in the garden out back, and kept the old two-story house looking pretty. Every preacher’s wife loved her. She was working and worrying herself into an early grave.
The pastor had grandiose ideas and plans for the church. He would spread out stacks of blueprints to every visitor that came into his home. He was very personable, but his gifts of envisioning and dreaming never put a lot of bread and butter on the table. There was never enough money to go around.
He had come from a big church as a young saint. Before he pastored he had even been on the trustee staff in another big church in another state.
Somehow, nothing was coming together for him here. The city was big enough to support several churches. Others seemed to be able to grow here, but he somehow just struggled. In the 25 years or so of being here, he couldn’t get passed the feeling he was just spinning his wheels.
The sad-looking building was nearly an eyesore to some in the neighborhood. The neighbors no longer spoke kindly to the pastor who lived next door. Behind his back they made comments. Petitions had been circulated. Inspectors had come.
The cold winters always ate up most of the church budget just for heating. There was minimal insulation at this point.
But the pastor and small flock were faithful.
No one had ever shouted in this church the whole time he had been there. Joy was not a word that was often heard in a testimony service. Victory was just a word in the dictionary. The services were not exciting. Visitors seldom ever came. If they did, more often than not, they rarely came back.
A lady in the church watched the foster children for the pastor’s wife while she played the organ. The pastor’s children were grown and had already moved away.
No new choruses ever made it into their worship here. The worn songbooks had always served wonderfully for 25 years and always would.
Tonight, was a special service. A guest minister was going to preach. (There was never enough money to invite special speakers. This one had already said he wasn’t going to take an offering.) The people were very excited he had come.
It was raining very hard outside and the stairwell that led into the basement’s side door entrance was gathering a fair amount of water. Some of the water began to stream into the small auditorium. No one seemed overly bothered. This had happened before and was taken in stride.
The song service and testimonies had gone well. It was now time for the guest preacher to be introduced.
He stood and came to the small pulpit and made his opening remarks. As he talked he could hear the fast drip-drip-drip-drip of water into the 5-gallon bucket in the middle of the small aisle. It sat at the base of a metal post that ran from the ceiling to the floor.
Fastened to the post was a downspout that emptied the water into the 5-gallon bucket. The bucket filled up several times during every service when it rained. Replacement buckets were always handy.
The downspout was connected to a 10-foot piece of gutter that hung down about a foot from the ceiling. Someone had used old coat hangers to wire it into place. It had been strategically located to catch to the largest amount of drips in the sanctuary area, and it did.
Despite the resounding drip-drip-drip-drip-drip, the anointing came and the preacher preached great! The saints all gathered around the front for the altar call and ignored the dripping of the water into the bucket. God’s will was once again accomplished despite the distractions.
This Too Is Home Missions.
The Desire To Be Cherished
The Desire To Be Cherished
“They do not love that do not show their love.” – Shakespeare
It’s A Basic Life Need
Cherish – Definition:
To hold Dear:
To Cultivate with Care and Affection
To Nurture
To Treasure, Prize, Value
To Feel And Show Affection For
Babies Desire To Be Cherished And Held.
- They cry often for their Mama’s touch.
- Children run to her to be comforted.
When Babies Are Not Cherished:
I read a few years ago about Romanian orphans who were given only the basic nourishment and hygiene. Soon the babies became withdrawn and unresponsive. They may be forever emotionally damaged… much like adults who are not cherished. They will almost always exhibit emotional problems and act out.
All Children Desire to Be Cherished.
Every child remembers if they were loved. Everyone remembers how their parents treated him or her when they were young. Not being cherished is something most difficult to survive.
Little Kids Ask Their Parents.
- Am I your favorite? Who do you love the most?
- How much do you love me?
- They are putting out feelers attempting to assure themselves that they are cherished.
Teenagers Desire To Be Cherished.
- They dream about it.
- They sing about it.
- They listen to music about it.
- They want to be loved.
- They want someone to cherish them.
- To complicate the matter, their hormones rage out of control during the process.
- Some girls never feel cherished by their father, so they seek elsewhere for male approval.
- They never felt cherished at home, so they look for someone to validate and approve of them.
- They just want to be cherished.
Sadly, the title of the song: “Looking for Love In All The Wrong Places,” has more truth than fiction.
During Courtship, Both Parties Practice Cherishing The Other Person.
- They say sweet things.
- They do sweet things.
- Treat each other with tenderness.
- The boy courts the girl and brings flowers and candy.
- They overlook each other’s imperfections.
My Father-In-Law, the late William R. Starr, gave me some wise insight before I even asked his daughter out on a first date. He said, “Men love with their eyes, but Women love with their ears.”
Dad Starr was telling me in man-talk, that a woman wants to hear that she is cherished! He was a very wise man.
All Husbands And Wives Desire To Be Cherished
Every woman wants to know she’s #1. So does every man. When you hold your wife in your arms and tell that you love her, she wants to feel your words coming from your heart, and not just your mouth.
If you are a wise man, you will NEVER stop courting your wife and affirming your love for her and expressing it often. The words, “I love you!” have a very short shelf life. You need to say it every day!
Flowers, cards, candy, dates and accomplishing ‘honey-do-lists’ with a smile, sure helps keep life wonderful at home.
Every Prospective Groom Says, “Will You Marry Me?” He is hoping he will be cherished and loved.
Every Prospective Bride Says, “Yes” She is hoping she will be cherished and loved.
To The Wife:
Don’t settle for less than being cherished. Likewise, cherish him. It’s a two-way street.
To The Husband:
Sir, you are to love your wife As Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it. You won’t easily give your life for someone you don’t cherish. The Lord meant for the husband to cherish his wife with his very own life. It’s really not hard.
Jacob Cherished Rachel.
He worked seven years to get her as his wife, and was given the wrong one. The Bible just says: “It seemed but a few days, for the love he had for her.”
David Never Cherished Michal
He always referred her to as “Saul’s Daughter.” He never said that he loved her. He never referred to her as his wife. That may be a reason why she acted out so badly.
The Proverbs 31 Wife
Proverbs 31:28 Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.
“He Praiseth Her”: The word praiseth here is – Halal
HALAL – haw-lal’;
- To shine; hence
- To make a show, (let everyone know)
- To be (clamorously) foolish; (enjoy with enthusiasm)
- To rave; (to go on and on with excited appreciation)
- To boast, (brag in public)
- To celebrate, (honor every achievement)
- To foolishly glory, (go overboard in expressing praise)
- To sing, (to express your emotion as deeply as possible, sing His praises.)
- To praise, (to say every nice thing you can)
- To rage, (to be wild about)
When joined with the abbreviated form of God’s name “Yahweh” = Hallelujah. That’s where the word Hallelujah comes from. (Saying Hallelujah like saying 10,000 praises to Jehovah)
When a man goes to this extent, of ‘Halal-ing” his wife, she will feel cherished and will perform unbelievable things for her home and family because she knows she has the backing of the man she loves.
In like manner, when the same man goes to this extent to Halal The Lord Jesus… there is no telling what the Lord will do for him.
Not Everyone Has Been Cherished In Life, But There Is Great News!
God Cherishes His People.
They Are The Apple of His Eye
Zech. 2:8 For thus saith the LORD of hosts… he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye.
(Warning: Don’t mess with any one the Lord cherishes!)
God Protected Israel In Goshen
- Egyptian Dogs wouldn’t bark against the Israelites.
- No Plagues came nigh them.
God Protected Israel In The Wilderness
- Provided in the wilderness.
- There was no sickness.
- No one’s clothes wore out.
God’s Desire To Be Cherished By Man
Yes, you say you love the Lord, but do you cherish him? Jesus wants to know for sure that you cherish Him before He can use you.
Jesus to Peter
John 21:15 So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.
John 21:16 He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep.
John 21:17 He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.
David
Psalm 137:5 If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning.
Psalm 137:6 If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy.
He was saying he loved God’s house more than anything in the world. David also said, “Thy word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against thee.”
He cherished the things of God! God said that David was a man after God’s own heart. Was David perfect? Oh no. He was far from perfect. But the way he cherished everything about God, made God smile upon him.
The Jealousy of God – Is Another Way Of Saying He Just Wants To Be Cherished.
2 Timothy 3:4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
Exodus 20:3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
God Desires Man To Cherish Him
Matthew 15:8 This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.
The Lord Knows The Difference Between Lip Service And Heartfelt Expressions Of Love.
- Men that cherish God – Worship
- Men that cherish God – Come to His House
My Visit To See Marcia, The Girl I Wanted For My Wife, In 1965
Before our engagement, in the early stages of our courtship, I once closed a revival service on Sunday night in Fort Worth, TX and drove 24 hours straight through to Albion, MI… just to see a little Miss Marcia June Starr for one hour. I arrived after 10:30 pm, left before midnight and drove two hours back to my home in South Bend, IN. It’s never a sacrifice to see the one you love.
You’re Not Faithful To God’s House?
- Don’t tell me you cherish God and you can’t make it to church.
- You don’t cherish Him if you layout of church!
- It’s never a sacrifice to see the one you love.
Like David, we should all say, “I was glad when they said unto me let us go unto the house of the Lord.”
Jacob Cherished The Birth Right
- Jacob had major character flaws I’m sure.
- But he cherished the same Birthright that Esau despised, so God chose to love Jacob and discard Esau.
- God cherished Jacob and said, ‘Jacob Have I loved, and Esau have I hated.’
- Make God love you too by cherishing those things, which are Godly and eternal.
Don’t Tell Me You Cherish The Lord Jesus…
- If You Don’t Pay Tithes.
- If You Hate Holiness.
- If You Aren’t Faithful To His House.
- If You Don’t Pray.
- If You Don’t Worship.
- If You Bring Disunity To His Church.
- If You Rebel Against His Word.
Sing Like You Cherish Him.
Pray Like You Cherish Him.
Talk Like You Cherish Him.
Dress Like You Cherish Him.
God is Jealous Of What You Cherish.
Amp Bible 1 John 2:15 Do not love or cherish the world or the things that are in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him.
You Don’t Cherish The Lord If…
- If Someone Has To Beg You To Come To Church
- If Someone Has To Beg You To Worship
- If Someone Has To Beg You To Pray
Think about the words the next time you sing: “So, I’ll Cherish The Old Rugged Cross”
The Old Rugged Cross
George Bennard 1913
On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross,
The emblem of suff’ring and shame;
And I love that old cross where the dearest and best
For a world of lost sinners was slain.
Refrain:
So, I’ll cherish the old rugged cross,
Till my trophies at last I lay down;
I will cling to the old rugged cross,
And exchange it some day for a crown.
Oh, that old rugged cross, so despised by the world,
Has a wondrous attraction for me;
For the dear Lamb of God left His glory above
To bear it to dark Calvary.
In that old rugged cross, stained with blood so divine,
A wondrous beauty I see,
For ’twas on that old cross Jesus suffered and died,
To pardon and sanctify me.
To the old rugged cross, I will ever be true;
Its shame and reproach gladly bear;
Then He’ll call me some day to my home far away,
Where His glory forever I’ll share.
The Lord Cherished Us Even In Our Sins.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
We Love Him Because He First Loved Us!
Here’s Your Homework For Today:
1. Tell Jesus that you love Him!
- Tell Him from your heart that you love Him.
- Yes, this very moment… say, “Jesus, I love you with all my heart!”
- Put your heart into it. He can tell.
2. Next, Go Tell Your Spouse And Your Family That You Love Them.
- Put your heart into it.
- They can tell.
The Holier Than Thou Church
The Holier Than Thou Church
It was Wednesday night Bible Class. Brother Dan sat on the front row. He always seemed to have a smile on his face. His recent discharge from the Air Force had allowed him, his wife and two kids to relocate closer to his wife’s family.
Dan was a gifted musician. He blessed the church with his saxophone playing. He had only been a part of this new church about 3 weeks or so. He was readily accepted and seemed to fit in.
The pastor had warmly received him and his family into fellowship because Dan’s former pastor had recommended they transfer there. Dan and his family had been raised in a very conservative church.
The only immediate difference Dan could see was that in this new church they wore wristwatches and in his old church they didn’t.
The pastor was teaching his class from a small lectern in front of the pulpit. During the course of his Bible study, he noticed that Bro. Dan wasn’t wearing a watch.
Having been raised with great respect for those with convictions and a desire for holiness, the pastor honored Bro. Dan.
Yet he sensed a potential hazard and attempted to address it openly, yet as careful as he could.
The Pastor stood in front of the congregation as said, ”Bro. Dan, you and your family are a gift from God to our church. I am so glad you are here! What a blessing you have been already. I love your saxophone playing.”
The church readily responded with a hearty amen and hand clapping.
“I notice that you don’t wear a watch. I also understand that was the teaching of the church you were in before you came here.”
Bro. Dan nodded in agreement. The smile was still on his face.
“I honor you for that. Thank God for those that are trying to be careful in a world that tries to push all the boundaries.
“My Pastor taught me not to make light of people’s convictions. They might be right.”
The people said amen, and so did the smiling Bro. Dan.
“I guess you’ve noticed that most of us here have a watch on.” The preacher said as he pointed to his own black wristwatch.
“We try to be careful here how we dress. Up to now, we have used watches for the purpose of getting to work, school, and church on time, and not for ornamentation.
“What I do not want you to do my Brother, is to go out and buy yourself a wristwatch and wear one because the rest of us are. I am afraid that you will injure your conscience. I can’t let you do that.
“Promise me you won’t injure your conscience and buy a watch just because you can, and hurt your walk with God.”
Brother Dan nodded and grinned.
“On the other hand,” the Pastor said, “If you don’t buy a watch, be careful and don’t let a holier-than-thou spirit get on you. If you don’t buy a watch, that’s fine, but don’t sit back and look at saints and at a Pastor with watches and think to yourself that you have more holiness convictions than anyone here. That gets dangerous.
“What happens when you do that is you begin to feel superior, and before very long the enemy may speak into your spirit and say, ‘How can the Pastor help you? You are already closer to God than he is.’
“You then wind up with an unteachable spirit and you won’t even mean too. One of the signs of the Holy Ghost is that it is easy to be entreated.
“Before you would ever do that and allow yourself to feel superior to your Pastor, I will order you to buy two wristwatches and wear one on each wrist until you get over that spirit.”
The Pastor, Bro. Dan and the church all shared a hearty laugh.
At the next service, Bro. Dan showed his pastor his new watch and smiled. The Pastor smiled too. Bro. Dan was teachable. He didn’t want a holier than thou spirit.
Why Pastor Robert Cavaness Sr. Wouldn’t Come To The Phone.
Why Pastor Robert Cavaness Sr. Wouldn’t Come To The Phone.
If Robert C. Cavaness was anything, he was a Christian Gentleman. He always seemed to be thoughtful of others and would often go out of his way to help someone. Even if it meant emptying his own pockets. He was a man who never ignored, or slighted anyone.
Friendship was something he never took lightly. If he ever called you his friend, you knew you were blessed for life because of his friendship. When he was needed, he came, never even expecting to be reimbursed. He was big-hearted and generous to a fault.
My father, Carl J. Ballestero, was blessed to be a close friend of dear Brother Cavaness. They stayed in each other’s homes, preached in each other’s churches, preached conferences together, traveled across the country together, and even went on missions’ trips together. They regularly talked on the phone, as well.
Brother Cavaness was a praying man whose personal devotions with God became a subject that caused great awe and respect among all those who knew him. I personally have walked into his living room at five am and seen him sitting in a chair with his open Bible in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other. That’s how he started his day.
If you were ever honored to be in service with him in Shelbyville, Indiana and you got there early enough for pre-service prayer, then you’ve heard him pray. Once you’ve heard him pray, you never forgot it either. The man could talk to God.
Then came that fateful night. The night when Pastor Robert Cavaness Sr. wouldn’t come to the phone. It was a Sunday night and about twenty minutes before service time. The phone rang in his office. Bro. Cavaness had asked one of the men to sit at his desk and take calls while he went into the sanctuary to pray before church.
“This is the Apostolic Tabernacle.” The baritone voice said as it greeted the caller.
“Praise the Lord, Is Bro. Cavaness there?” the caller inquired.
“Yes, he is, but he can’t be bothered right now.”
“Well, I need to talk to him and I need to talk to him now, if at all possible. It’s very urgent!”
“I’m very sorry, but it is not possible to disturb him right now.”
“This is Brother Ballestero, tell him it’s me, and that I need to speak to him now. He will come to the phone if he knows it’s me calling. Tell him I said it’s important.”
“I am very sorry Brother Ballestero, but he will not be able to speak to you now.
“Why not?” he asked.
He will not speak to anyone right now.”
“Why not?” he asked again.
“Pastor told me to tell all the callers that he cannot come to the phone right now, but for me to write down the names and the numbers of each caller. He said the reason he couldn’t talk to anyone on the phone now is that he is currently talking to the most important person in the whole world. He’s praying. And, he gave me specific orders to never disturb him while he was praying. He refuses to be interrupted when he’s talking to God. He said he would return all his calls after service.”
“I see.” Said the stunned and deflated voice of the caller.
“Thank you for calling, Brother Ballestero. Bro. Cavaness will be happy to return your call as soon as he can. I’ll tell him you called.”
Doing The Will Of God Without The Honor Of Man.
Doing The Will Of God Without The Honor Of Man.
There is nothing greater in life than completing the work God has chosen for us to do. He has no stage built on earth for us to stand on and receive accolades. God’s champion’s, His heroes, and faithful followers mostly seem to pass through this life unknown by the world.
Humans expect validation, recognition and honor from each other. We have ceremonies awarding trophies, and ribbons. We have newspaper articles, halls of fame, museums, and statutes. We’ve named some cities after their original founders. Streets are often named after those whom we honor. We bow before kings and queens.
We create crowns for those whom we call royalty. We have yearly contests to see who is the fastest, the prettiest, the best speller, and give scholarships to the smartest.
Life seems to focus on being rewarded for every achievement. Even the Pharisees wanted everyone to notice the amount of their offerings, so they made an obvious display of their giving. They made sure all their fellows noticed when they fasted, and they also prayed loudly to gain attention.
But, in God’s world, some of His most beloved children exist almost unknown by the public. Their time for honor has not yet come. Earth is not a spectacular enough stage for God to showcase His heroes. He has a better place in mind.
God’s Bookkeepers make no mistakes!
Remember Noah?
The generation of Noah was so full of sin and evil that God had no choice but to start all over. Only Noah found grace and favor in God’s eyes. So, he was chosen to build an ark to save all believers from the coming judgment.
- For one hundred years Noah and his sons worked on building a huge ark.
- For one hundred years Noah preached righteousness to a corrupt world.
- For one hundred years Noah preached about the world being destroyed by water.
- Did anyone else help them? No.
- Did anyone encourage them? No.
- Did anyone compliment them? No.
- Did anyone believe them? No.
- Did everyone mock them? Yes.
- Did everyone ignore the preaching? Yes.
- Did everyone look down on them? Yes.
- Did everyone think they were weird? Yes.
- Did God come by occasionally and offer any encouragement? No.
- Did God even speak to Noah for one hundred years? No.
Noah’s efforts in fulfilling the Will of God brought him no earthly honor. Only pain and the disrespect of his fellows. If he had focused on man’s opinion and honor, he would have quit. Unbeknown to him, the whole future of mankind depended on his willingness to do the Will of God, while being dishonored by man. Can the same be said of you? God’s Bookkeepers make no mistakes!
There’s The Potters.
1 Chronicles 4:23 These were the potters, and those that dwelt among plants and hedges: there they dwelt with the king for his work.
The potters were unnamed craftsmen who created beautiful vessels for the Temple of God in Jerusalem. They were conscripted to make vessels that were to last for centuries. Vessels made for service in God’s House.
- The potters were not even allowed to go home at night.
- They were not allowed to kiss their babies goodnight.
- They were not permitted to sleep in their own beds.
- They slept on the ground in the bushes.
- They had no roof over their heads.
- They were denied the company of their family.
- They did not get to eat their wife’s cooking.
- They did not get to see nor hear from them.
- They were to focus on doing what they were chosen to do.
- They made goblets from which they would never be allowed to drink.
- They made platters from which they would never be allowed to eat.
- They made utensils they would never be allowed to use.
- They made beautiful things they could never show their family or friends.
Their only comfort and consolation seems to be found in the one phrase that says, ‘with the king for his work.’ They slept on the ground in the bushes but the King stayed there with them the whole time. The very knowledge that they may be sacrificing a bit was overshadowed by the fact that the King noticed their work. The King was there with them the whole time. He’s there with you the whole time while you sacrifice and work for Him!
God’s Bookkeepers make no mistakes!
Then There’s The Calkers.
Ezekiel 27:9 The ancients of Gebal and the wise men thereof were in thee thy calkers: all the ships of the sea with their mariners were in thee to occupy thy merchandise.
Calkers? Yes. They were the unnamed crew members.
- The Calkers never became the captain of the ship
- The Calkers never became the first mate.
- The Calkers never learned to read a sextant.
- The Calkers never learned how to chart their course by the stars.
- The Calkers never got to say, ‘Land Ho’.
- The Calkers never got to get tanned by the sun.
- The Calkers never felt the wind in their face.
- The Calkers never got to see the whales surface and blow.
- They stayed below deck the whole time.
- They had the dirtiest job of all.
- They had pitch and tar covering their hands.
- They had no solvent to take the tar and pitch off of their fingers.
- No one wanted to shake their hands.
- No one wanted their job.
- No one saluted them or gave them honor.
- No one considered them skilled or highly educated.
- They were the ones who found the leaks below the water line.
- They were the ones who dipped hemp in tar and pitch.
- They were the ones who with a wedge drove it into the hole to stop the leak.
- They were the ones who kept the boat afloat.
- Your job in the Kingdom may not gain you national recognition.
- Your job in the church may not seem important to those in the limelight.
- Your job in the church may not place you in the spotlight.
- Your job however, is keeping the boat afloat.
God’s Bookkeepers make no mistakes!
And Then There’s The Ditch Diggers.
Three kings journeyed through the desert to fight against the king of Moab. But they ran out of water and thought they were going to die. In desperation they sought out the Prophet Elisha for help. He asked for a musician to play and then God spoke to him.
2 Kings 3:15 But now bring me a minstrel. And it came to pass, when the minstrel played, that the hand of the LORD came upon him.
2 Kings 3:16 And he said, Thus saith the LORD, Make this valley full of ditches
2 Kings 3: 17 For thus saith the LORD, Ye shall not see wind, neither shall ye see rain; yet that valley shall be filled with water, that ye may drink, both ye, and your cattle, and your beasts
Make this valley full of ditches? What was Elisha thinking when he gave that order? The men were without water. And, he wanted them the dig ditches everywhere! That would make them sweat and become more thirsty.
These were all officers and soldiers. These were highly trained warriors. They weren’t ditch diggers. Ditch digging was beneath them. They were seasoned and decorated soldiers. How dare the preacher require that of them!
The only shovels they had to dig ditches with, were their own personal paddles. The paddles were only used for hygienic purposes. They were ordered by God to cover up their personal excrement using the paddle. Now, they were asked to dig ditches with the same paddle. (God will never ask you to do anything, unless He has already equipped you to do the job.)
- ’’How many ditches do I have to dig?”
- “How deep is a ditch?”
Those questions had to be asked in their minds. Little did they know that the amount of their blessings would be in direct relationship to the number of ditches they dug.
They only desired temporary refreshment. God desired not only to refresh them but to give them total victory over their enemy. He wanted them to have complete dominion over their enemy.
2 Kings 3:18 And this is but a light thing in the sight of the LORD: he will deliver the Moabites also into your hand.
2 Kings 3:19 And ye shall smite every fenced city, and every choice city, and shall fell every good tree, and stop all wells of water, and mar every good piece of land with stones.
2 Kings 3:20 And it came to pass in the morning, when the meat offering was offered, that, behold, there came water by the way of Edom, and the country was filled with water.
2 Kings 3:21 And when all the Moabites heard that the kings were come up to fight against them, they gathered all that were able to put on armour, and upward, and stood in the border.
2 Kings 3:22 And they rose up early in the morning, and the sun shone upon the water, and the Moabites saw the water on the other side as red as blood:
2 Kings 3:23 And they said, This is blood: the kings are surely slain, and they have smitten one another: now therefore, Moab, to the spoil.
2 Kings 3:24 And when they came to the camp of Israel, the Israelites rose up and smote the Moabites, so that they fled before them: but they went forward smiting the Moabites, even in their country.
2 Kings 3:25 And they beat down the cities, and on every good piece of land cast every man his stone, and filled it; and they stopped all the wells of water, and felled all the good trees: only in Kirharaseth left they the stones thereof; howbeit the slingers went about it, and smote it.
2 Kings 3:26 And when the king of Moab saw that the battle was too sore for him, he took with him seven hundred men that drew swords, to break through even unto the king of Edom: but they could not.
Little did Israel know, that although they didn’t see the rain nor feel the wind, that somewhere off in the mountains, it would storm and the water would flow down the mountainside bringing a wall of water through the valley, filling up their ditches.
You may feel that you are skilled, yet your abilities are not utilized. You are asked to do things beneath your station in life. Things you even find embarrassing. Things like cutting up sandwiches for serving after church. Things like teaching the Three year olds. Things like going on a Sunday School bus route. Things like teaching a Home Bible Study to the impoverished. Yet know this, the water will come. The blessings will come. The dominion will come. Just be faithful in doing the mundane things.
God’s Bookkeepers makes no mistakes!
Where Is Your Pain Taking You?
Where Is Your Pain Taking You?
I am not talking about the kind of pain that takes one to the Doctor’s office or the Emergency Room. There are some pains and hurts so bad that they cannot be medicated or cured by science. Those pains need our focus.
There’s A Kind Of Pain That Doesn’t Always Lead Its Companions To The ER.
- This Pain will lead you in one of two directions.
- This Pain may lead you to God.
- This Pain may lead you away from God.
Pain will take you to countries you never knew existed.
Pain will give you citizenship in a foreign land that speaks a language known only to the locals.
Pain can pass itself off as a congenial tour guide while leading you down paths from which from which few ever return.
Pain will isolate you from family and friends.
Pain will tell you that you are alone and no one cares.
Pain will turn on you like a vampire and eat pieces of your heart out every day.
Pain will demand that you let it do your thinking for you.
Pain desires to control your actions and your feelings.
Pain plots to become your master.
Pain will dominate you.
Pain will control you for the rest of your life.
You Don’t Have To Go Looking For Pain. Pain Will Come Look For You!
Oh, Wounded Spirit!
Where Is Your Pain Taking You?
Don’t Let The Thorn (Pain) In Your Side Become A Thorn (Pain) In Your Spirit.
Pain will try to make you question God.
Pain will tell you God doesn’t know where you are at.
Pain will tell you that you are wasting your time at church.
Pain will tell you that you have more friends outside of church than you do inside.
Pain will tell you to turn your back on God because He let your family member die.
Pain will lead you to bitterness.
Pain will lead you to vengeance.
Pain will make you hateful.
Pain will make you unapproachable by God or man.
Pain will control your attitude.
Pain will control your reaction.
Pain will control your walk with God.
Pain will control your relationship with everyone.
Pain will control your attitude.
Pain will control your level of worship.
Pain will control your prayer life.
Pain will control your trust in people.
Pain will control your church attendance.
Pain is toxic.
Pain is demanding of your time.
Pain tends to take you away from God rather than to Him.
Pain will minimize your ability to function as a Person.
Pain will minimize your ability to function as a Saint.
Pain will minimize your ability to function as a Soul-winner
Pain will minimize your ability to function as a Spouse
Pain will minimize your ability to function as a Parent
Pain will minimize your ability to function as a Friend
Pain will minimize your ability to function as a Preacher
Where Is Your Pain Taking You?
To God, or away from God?
Pain Will Point At Your Cancer.
Pain Will Point At Your Divorce.
Pain Will Point At Your Lost Job.
Pain Will Point At Your Unfaithful Spouse.
Pain Will Point At Your Rejection.
Pain Will Point At Your Abuse.
Pain Will Point At Your Disappointments.
Pain Will Point At Your Failures.
Pain Will Point At Your Discouragements.
Pain Will Point At Your Sickness.
Pain Will Point At Your Neglect.
Pain Will Point At Your Injuries.
Pain Will Point At Your Loneliness.
Pain Will Point At Your Shame.
Pain Will Point At Your Addiction.
Pain Will Point At Your Condemnation.
Pain Will Point At Your Scars.
Pain Will Point At Your Enemy’s Success.
Pain Will Point At Your Abused Past.
Pain Will Point At Your Fear.
Don’t let Pain determine your eternity.
Don’t let Pain choose your eternity.
Don’t let Pain control your destiny.
Pain makes injured animals go into hiding to recover or die.
Pain makes injured lambs go to the shepherd for help.
Pain made David seek comfort in the Cave of Adullam.
Pain made Elijah hide in a cave too.
Pain made the Woman with the issue of blood touch Jesus.
Pain made the Syrophoenician mother ask Jesus for a miracle.
Where Is Your Pain Taking You?
Has It Taken You Into Hiding From God And Man?
How Will You Respond To Pain?
What will you do now?
What will be your reaction?
Job’s Attitude Refused To Let Pain Lead Him Away From God!
Job 13:15 Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him.
When The Prodigal Came To Himself, He Came Home To The Father And Was Restored!
Where Is Your Pain Taking You?
To God, or away from God?
Apostolic Expository Series
Christy Ballestero (My Beautiful DIL)
http://marciaballestero.com/
Pastor Anthony & Kim Ballestero, New Destiny Worship Center, Clearwater, FL (My Son)
Pastor Bryan & Christy Ballestero, Temple Of Pentecost, Raleigh, NC (My Son)
James Groce Blog – "Toward The Mark"
Kenneth Bow Blog
Kingdom Speak Podcast
Philip Harrelson – "The Barnabas Blog"
Verbal Bean Ministries
Holy Ghost Radio
The Ballestero Blog 