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Then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich.  And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature.  So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way.  And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, “Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.”  So he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully.  But when they saw it, they all complained, saying, “He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner.”

Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold.”

 And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” Luke 19: 1-9

Zacchaeus was hated by his countrymen for being a traitor and working for the governing authorities against his own people. He was shunned by the people, and he was certainly in no position to ask those around him to get in front of the crowd to see Jesus. But he was curious and desperate enough that he was willing to climb a tree and have a look at Jesus.

When Jesus saw him, He knew that this man was searching and seeking for the truth. Jesus called him by name, and told him that He wanted to stay at his house. Zacchaeus rushed down to receive Jesus joyfully! This could have been the first time that someone used his name in a positive context and showed their acceptance of him. He was elated in being accepted and received by the Lord! While those watching were furious with Jesus for choosing to spend time with the despised Zacchaeus, Jesus had the heart to see this man restored to his true identity!

Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? Romans 2:4

The Lord has been longsuffering towards all of us, but we can never confuse His longsuffering with His approval of our behavior or lifestyle. While on the surface it looked as if Jesus was accepting of Zacchaeus’ lifestyle of extortion, Jesus was after his repentance! By Jesus reaching out to Zacchaeus, it caused him to recognize the goodness and lovingkindness of God, and it convicted him to change!

Zacchaeus confessed his sins by declaring that he was going to give away half of his wealth to the poor, and he was going to restore fourfold to anyone that he had cheated and stolen from! This was a total transformation in this man’s life! If he were to restore someone’s stolen property, it would have meant that he needed to confess his sin to those he had falsely accused, restore his relationship with them to some degree, and then pay them back fourfold. It also meant that he would have had to change his lifestyle and career and give up being a tax collector for the Romans. He also gave up his wealth in order to be in the right relationship with God and with others!

This is the difference between God’s recompense versus the Lord seeking repentance. Zacchaeus could have easily assumed that he was so special that Jesus chose to come to his house. He could have also claimed that God was recompensing  Zacchaeus for the bad behavior he had endured from the hands of the Jewish people. To the contrary, Zacchaeus saw God’s lovingkindness through Jesus and caused him to wake up to his true sin condition. He realized that had been wrong about the treatment of his countrymen.

Sometimes, when God is good to us,  it is not because we were right or that he is paying us back for others’ bad behavior. Instead, He is doing it to show us our true condition through His love. The Lord is always after restoring us to truth and to turn us in love towards Him and towards the people we have hurt or offended. If we were wrong on how we treated others or falsely accused people, we need to confess those sins to the Lord and have the courage to restore what we damaged due to our insecurities or selfish reasons!

We live in a world that has insatiable desire to blame others for every wrong, and people have no interest to change or to take responsibility for their part. Unfortunately, this is also true in the body of Christ, but it should not be so! We should be courageous people who are willing to see ourselves in the mirror of the word of God and take responsibility for our sins and shortcomings. We may not have the 100% of the blame for something that happened, but we did our part to contribute to the problem. Therefore, we can do our part to make it right and allow the Lord to show us how we can be part of the restoration process. Those we have hurt or offended may not receive us, but we can show lovingkindness and longsuffering just as Jesus has shown towards us. We can allow the Lord to convict them to change in due time!

Have you experienced God’s mercy today? Has He been undeservingly kind to you? Is He calling you to turn to Him or to restore a relationship that is broken? What is required of you to restore a right relationship with the Lord and with others?

Heaven is My throne,
And earth is My footstool.
Where is the house that you will build Me?
And where is the place of My rest?
For all those things My hand has made,
And all those things exist,”
Says the Lord.
“But on this one will I look:
On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit,
And who trembles at My word. Isaiah 66:1-2

Our all powerful God is the creator of the heavens and earth, but His rest on the earth is dependent upon our rest! In the Old Testament times, God’s presence rested in the Tabernacle, but Isaiah spoke prophetically about God desiring the habitation of people’s hearts as His resting place.

The Lord is looking for His people as His resting place. Our hearts is the place of God’s habitation, reign, and rest! Those who are poor in spirit and proclaim that they can do nothing apart from God are the kinds of people that God can rest upon. He is seeking those who don’t get agitated easily but are humble in spirit. They trust in God’s ways and His timing. The Lord wants people who take Him at His word and are able to rest in faith and confidence in Him. When we are in the position of faith, humility, and dependence on the Lord, it makes us available and open vessels for God to have a place of rest in our lives!

In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his resting place will be glorious. Isaiah 11:10

Isaiah provided the answer as to how humanity will reach this place of rest. He spoke prophetically of the Messiah who was going to come from the family line of Jesse. He was going to bring salvation and deliverance from the hands of the enemy. He was going to rest upon His people and His resting place was going to be glorious!

When we come in faith to Jesus, we enter His rest! He is not expecting us to do more to be worthy of the relationship. We are no longer orphans and don’t earn the relationship by working at it. The Lord knows our needs and He wants us to look to Him and depend on Him with eyes of faith and humility. The Lord has a plan for our lives, and He will show us how to partner with Him. Our job is to make every effort to enter His rest and remain in it. This in turn allows God to having a resting place on the earth by inhabiting His people thereby His name is glorified on the earth! The fruit of resting in God will be evident as we fret less, don’t lean on our own understanding, and leave things in the Lord’s hands.

Praise God for the finished work of Jesus that allows us to rest in our relationship in Him! Jesus came to make us a restful habitation for God! As He rests upon us, His glory shines through his people! How marvelous are God’s works among His people! Those who are at rest in their spirit and in lifestyle are shining lights in a dark and stressful world. The testimony of this kind of life is bound to touch many who are looking for rest in their own lives!

But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come:  For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,  having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! 2Timothy 3:1-5

I shared in the last devotional the danger of loving ourselves and indulging our carnal nature. Being lovers of self is also important as it relates to raising loving and respectful children! The above scripture, tells us that in the last days children will be disobedient to parents. Paul prophesies that they will be unthankful, unholy, and unloving. This is a warning for all of us as parents and grandparents!

Many of us can be guilty of spoiling our children/grandchildren and making excuses for their bad attitude or behavior. Sometimes, we are so focused on their success, good grades, entering top colleges, and developing an impressive career that we forget what God cares about! The Lord cares more about the condition of our children’s hearts than their impressive accomplishments!

If children are disobedient and unthankful in their younger years, someday they will carry those attitudes to their jobs and their marriages when they are adults. Some parents marvel at their children talking back to them and having a sassy rebuttal. They see it as a leadership or negotiation gift. There might be some truth to it, but it’s the parents’ job to channel the children’s gifting and to teach them self-control. The truth is that if the children are comfortable challenging their parents at age 8 0r 9, by the time they get to teenage years, they have the capacity to rebel at a whole another level, and that sassy response won’t be cute anymore! Instead, their rebellion can create much pain for the children as well as their families.

There is also the danger of raising unthankful children! We live in a land of plenty, and many parents are blessed with vast amounts of resources. This allows them to give their children anything they want or desire. It is incumbent upon us to show self-control and not feed their every demand and desire.  It’s good for them to hear a “no” from time to time. For example, if the girls are getting regular manicures when they are 15 years old, what will be a special treat for them when they are 25 or 30!? Every time we give-in to their desires, we increase their standard of satisfaction thereby leading them to dissatisfaction! It makes it harder for them to be happy with simple things in life.

Dissatisfaction in life leads to having an unthankful attitude! Unthankfulness is one of the characteristics of being lovers of ourselves that Paul writes about in the above scripture. Children need to learn to be thankful and use the words, “Thank you!” Some people including children seem to have a problem to say, “Thank you!” That could be an issue of pride, and it shows that the person thinks more highly of themselves than they ought. There are many scriptures that instruct us to be thankful and to praise God in all things. Thankfulness is a state of humility and appreciating what God is giving the person. It is also a reminder that we need the Lord and others in our lives and that we are not an island to ourselves. If we want to raise thankful children, we have to put limit on how much we cater to their demands and observe their attitude when they don’ get their way!

I will continue with this subject in the next devotional.

Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, “I have acquired a man from the Lord.”  Then she bore again, this time his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.  And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord.  Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the Lord respected Abel and his offering,  but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.

So the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen?  If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.” Genesis 4:1-6

The story of Cain and Abel reveals our need for acceptance and the danger to achieve it in our own way.  Cain and Abel both brought an offering to the Lord. Abel brought an animal sacrifice, and the Lord accepted it. However, Cain decided to bring an offering from the produce of his own hands, and it was not accepted by the Lord.

Seeing Cain’s displeasure, the Lord explained to Cain that if he did well, he would also be accepted. The Lord also told Cain that if he chose not to do well, he was opening the door to sin. God both encouraged and warned Cain about his relationship with Him. This was Cain’s opportunity to get it right and bring the kind of offering that the Lord expected.

Instead of taking responsibility for his own actions, Cain took God’s correction as rejection and became angry! Cain took it further by directing his anger towards Abel and thinking that God’s rejection was due to the fact that Abel’s sacrifice was better. Cain could have had the opportunity to ask the Lord for forgiveness.  However, he chose to focus on Abel for his problems.

There are times that we look at those around us and consider them to be the obstacle to our acceptance.  Spouses complain about each other for being an obstacle for fulfilling God’s plan in their lives. Children rebel against their parents accusing them of holding them back from living to the fullest. Some are discontent with their jobs because they see their coworker as the obstacle for them being liked by the boss.  Some women compete for their desire to develop good friendships. People try to destroy one another by backbiting and gossip just so that they can be accepted. All the while, the person is aware of their areas of shortcomings that they can be working on. Instead of asking the Lord to help them, they blame others for their problems.

Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him. Genesis 4:8

Cain chose to kill his brother, even though Abel was not the problem. Abel had nothing to do with Cain’s offering not being accepted.  Cain could have been the only child, and his sacrifice still would not have been accepted by God. Cain had the option of running to God, but he didn’t. Instead of humbly accepting God’s correction, he became angry. He also ignored God’s warning about sin desiring to control him. He opened the door to the sin of murder, which eventually led him to living a life of fugitive and a vagabond.

When we try to strive for acceptance in our own carnal ways and ignore God’s instructions, we open the door to all kinds of evil including rejection, loss of relationships, hurting people, and living in a dry land as a vagabond on a quest for acceptance.

Do you feel accepted? If not, who do you see as your obstacle to acceptance? Do you trivialize God’s correction? Do you have a tendency to blame others for your problems? Are you angry at others who seem to be accepted? Do you find yourself moving from job to job, relationship to relationship, or church to church because you don’t find acceptance? Ask the Lord to show you and let Him speak to you about this important issue.

At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them,  and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.  Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 18:1-4

The disciples were curious to know who was the greatest in the kingdom. They were trying through reasoning to convert their own ideas into a spiritual reality. However, their carnal inclinations had clouded their spiritual lens in seeing God’s heart for His Kingdom. The disciples presumed that all of them were guaranteed entry to the Kingdom of heaven, so the more critical issue for them was the person greatest in the kingdom! However, that was not Jesus’ focus. He surprised the disciples by telling them that they needed to be converted and become like little children. 

Jesus stated two important principles that we need to reminded of. I will share about the first one in this devotional and the second one in the next devotional. The first principal is that whoever desires to see the Kingdom of God must be converted spiritually. Every person must accept that he/she is a sinner in need of forgiveness, and that he/she needs the salvation offered by Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection. This converts a person from a natural being to a life giving spirit. They become born again with a new nature born from above (See John 3:1-18).

Sometimes when we present the gospel, it sounds like God loves people so much that there are no conditions attached to salvation.  God loves everyone, but God does not save people apart from their decision to receive forgiveness and redemption. We all have to accept the fact that there is nothing we can do to make us change our nature or to buy eternal life for ourselves. It only comes by turning to Jesus and asking Him to forgive us and to change us. If we were raised in a Christian home, it does not guarantee that we are saved. If our parents or grandparents were pastors or ministers, it does not guarantee that we are saved. If we have been going to church most of our lives and are involved in ministry, it doesn’t mean we are saved. The salvation that Jesus spoke about brings a conversion that will be evident with the tangible change in our lives.

Let me pause here and ask you the most important question of your life. Have you turned to the Lord and admitted that you are a sinner in need of forgiveness? Have you ever repented of your sins and asked Jesus to enter your life? Repentance is about a changed mind and change of direction in life.  If you have never repented and asked Jesus to forgive you,  this is your chance to make it right with God and become born again. You can click on “Salvation Prayer” and pray the sinner’s prayer. When you do this, you begin a new, fresh, and alive walk with God that opens the door to the Kingdom of heaven.

Some of you may say that you accepted Jesus years ago, but your relationship with the Lord has turned distant, dry, and stagnant. This is your opportunity to recommit your life to the Lord and ask Him to wash you, cleanse you from all sin, unbelief, and doubt, and to breathe a fresh breath of life on you. 

If you made a decision to follow Jesus, I encourage you to make the commitment to read the Bible and to pray on daily basis. In addition, find a solid Bible-believing church and become part of a community of believers.

I will continue with this subject in the next devotional.

At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them,  and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.  Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 18:1-4

Jesus’ disciples continued to have carnal ideas about the Kingdom of God, so they asked Jesus who was the greatest in the kingdom of God. I wonder if they expected a certain response from Jesus.  Did Peter think that Jesus would call Him the greatest since He recognized Him as the Messiah!? Or did John assume that he was the favorite so he must be the greatest!? Maybe Judas thought he was a good money manager for Jesus, so he would be admired as the greatest! Each of them may have hoped that Jesus would call them as the greatest and He would not mention the others’ names.

Our fallen nature is rooted in insecurity, and it has an insatiable desire to be the greatest. Deep down inside, there is that secret place where people want to be the greatest, but it is not something they want to talk about or admit! The old nature cannot handle being forgotten or insignificant. Therefore, it tries, through right or wrong means, to make itself look important, great, or significant. 

The desire to be the greatest wreaks havoc in relationships. The scripture in James 3:16 tells us that selfish ambition produces confusion and all kinds of evil. This secret desire creates friction in families, confusion at workplace, and disunity in churches. It impacts our relationship with the Lord and with others. The truth is that as long as we are looking for something external to make us feel significant we are on a shaky ground and will remain insecure! There is always going to be someone who will look more capable, popular, and beautiful. This causes individuals to be on this never-ending cycle of competition in order to maintain their standing in whatever they deem important. 

In today’s culture, we are more sophisticated than the disciples. We would not dare asking that question from anyone, but we advertise our achievements in one way or another to ensure that people perceive us as great in something. Sometimes we receive that pat on the back from the number of “likes” we receive on social media. The comments people leave is another avenue that we try to satisfy the insatiable desire to be the “greatest”!

The good news is that the disciples’ desire to be the greatest did not disqualify them from being His disciples, but Jesus did not answer their question right away. Instead, He focused on who would be able to see the Kingdom of God! The disciples had an earthly and shallow perspective of the Kingdom of God. They presumed that all of them were going to make it to heaven. They assumed they were all heaven bound, so there must be something more special about the one who is the greatest in heaven.  As we know, their assumption was wrong and not all of them made it to heaven. Judas walked away from Jesus by betraying Him!

Do you have thoughts and desires of greatness? Do they cause competition or jealousy in your heart? If so, those desires are an opportunity for evil and confusion to take root in your relationships. They need to be surrendered at the feet of Jesus and walked away from.

So who is the greatest in the Kingdom!? I continue with this subject in the next devotional. 

Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance;  but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.” 1Peter 1:13-15

Peter reminds us that we have the hope and the expectation that Jesus will continue to reveal Himself to us until such a time that we meet Him face to face. This is an important point for all of us. Our personal relationship with the Lord requires us to remain in tune with Him. While we need to read the Bible daily, we should also keep our spiritual eyes and ears open to anything that the Lord wants to speak or reveal to us. Otherwise our walk with Him becomes dry, distant, and functional.

Peter goes on to tell us that we are called to be obedient children. We can’t be holy people and be disobedient at the same time! Many people live unrestrained lives because they have no hope or vision for their future. They think that this life is all there is, so they might as well live it up and do what they want to do. Others think that their hard work has earned them the right to splurge and that they deserve what they do with their time and money.

Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; But happy is he who keeps the law. Proverbs 29:18

The scripture tells us that without revelation and vision people cast off restraint. On the flip side, with vision and revelation from God, we can walk the narrow path, keep to His ways, and restrain ourselves from indulging ourselves. Everything we do has spiritual implications. We cannot create a compartment of holiness in one corner of our lives but then do what we want to do in other areas of our lives.

Furthermore, Peter told the believers not to walk in the former lusts as ignorant people.  When we accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior, He forgave us and delivered us from our past sins and habits. Now, on the other side of the cross and deliverance, we are able to see how the enemy had held us captive by wrong mindsets and habits. Our eyes were opened to the spiritual warfare waged against God’s people. We are no longer ignorant of the enemy’s devices who tried to hold us captive by various temptations and lusts.  Once we see the spiritual realities, we can’t go back to the old lifestyle of ignorance anymore. While the enemy will still try to tempt us, God gives us the grace to overcome in every situation if we look to Him for help.

Praise God for the work of Jesus on the cross. He purchased righteousness, holiness, and freedom for us through His shed blood. We could not have earned or achieved it in our own strength. However, once we become a born again believer, we have a responsibility to walk with Him in holiness. He gives us the new nature, the vision, the grace, and the enablement to overcome ourselves, the world, and the enemy! Now we become like Him as we walk in holiness.

Walking in holiness is about putting the past behind, getting a handle on our thoughts, remaining alert to temptations, and walking the narrow path of God’s ways. Are you able to declare that you are holy in all your conduct? Are you willing to walk the narrow path of holiness without regard to friends and family members whose goal and vision are not the same as yours? Are you able to overcome your own thoughts and emotions and surrender your will daily to the Lord? God will enable us to walk in this path of holiness one step at a time as we walk according to Peter’s exhortation in the above passage.

Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance;  but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.” 1Peter 1:13-15

Peter exhorted the church that in the light of Jesus’ work on the cross they are to live holy lives. As I shared in the last devotional, he began by telling them to gird up the loins of their minds. This would ensure that their minds would not give life to evil but good.

Peter also told them to live sober lives. There are physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual aspects to being sober. The below definition helps us to understand sobriety.

Definition of sober (according to Strong’s Concordance: G 3525): to be sober, to be calm and collected in spirit, to be temperate, dispassionate, circumspect, to abstain from wine (keep sober), be discreet:—be sober, watch.

We are the temple of the Holy Spirit, and physically we are called to stay alert and abstain from becoming intoxicated with alcohol. We have a culture that drinking alcohol is its favorite pastime. Much harm is committed in the name of having fun when people lose their alertness and get into foolishness. It is a known fact that college campuses have a high rates of drinking and rape, but unfortunately, it is not deterring people from this harmful activity.  When people are intoxicated, they can’t think clearly and act responsibly, which leads to much evil.

At the emotional level, we need to remain sober because it is very easy to get offended and emotional about little things. We have to have remain alert and understand that the enemy is after derailing every child of God, and he will use family, friends, coworkers, and strangers to offend us. When we are offended, we become intoxicated with our hurt feelings! All we can think about is how we have been treated unjustly. We are not focused on glorifying God, but our focus is how to relieve ourselves from anger and injustice. Being sober allows us to take a step back and not allow to get intoxicated with our own emotions. Instead, we allow God to speak into our hearts and we let Him have His way in the situation.

We also need mental alertness. There is much false teaching and fake information around us. We cannot continually partake of these things and expect to remain focused on holiness and the purpose of God in our lives. The mental alertness points back to Peter exhorting the church to gird the loins of their minds.

Finally, at the spiritual level, we need to be sober about the fact that the world around us is not setup to encourage believers in their process of holiness and sanctification. It has to be our conviction along with the grace of God that allows us to navigate this process of holiness for years to come without feeling like we are missing out on something. Sometimes other people’s lives seem more fun and interesting because they have chosen to live in denial of the truth and just live it up for the day. However, as children of God, we are called to live sober lives, which means we are continually watching and praying. We can’t let our guards down in this world because we can’t be passive about choices in life. We live our lives with the knowledge that Jesus gave up everything for us, so we can have a life that is free from bondage and the guilt of sin. We no longer serve the master of this earth but we are His children and His priesthood looking for those who are drunk with the choices in this world and inviting them to the freedom and sobriety that the Lord provides for us all.

Take time to allow the Lord to speak to your heart about the areas where you have been under the influence of your emotions, the culture, or people around you. I will continue with this subject in the next devotional. 

Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance;  but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.” 1Peter 1:13-15

Definition of Loins (according to Strong’s Concordance: G 3751): the hip (loin), the place where the generative power resided.

Definition of gird up: (according to Strong’s Concordance: G 328): a metaphor derived from the practice of the Orientals [and possibly Middle Eastern people], who in order to be unimpeded in their movements were accustomed, when starting a journey or engaging in any work, to bind their long flowing garments closely around their bodies and fastened them with a leather belt.

In the book of 1Peter, the Apostle Peter began by explaining the revelation of the work of Jesus on the cross that God revealed by the Holy Spirit. He elaborated that many prophets had spoken about the work of the Messiah who was going to come, but in his era, they found that truth revealed in the person of Jesus Christ. In the light of this amazing revelation and what Jesus had done for us, Peter instructed and exhorted all believers to live a life of holiness.

The first thing that Peter addressed in becoming holy is to gird up the loins of our minds. “The loins of your mind,” is an unusual phrase considering the mind does not have loins! Peter was telling the believers that their minds has the capacity to give life to something. The mind is the incubator of good or evil depending on how we use it.

We can produce much sin by how we think of ourselves or others. Our minds become the incubator of either Godly thoughts or evil thoughts. Just because others don’t see what we are thinking, it doesn’t mean that it is not producing sin and death. Looking at all the negativity that is spewed in the news, music, and social media, it is no wonder that people’s hateful reactions is so out of proportion to what occurs in various circumstances. They are the result of people exposing themselves to negativity for a long time, which in turn feeds them destructive thoughts and produce evil actions. 

Our thoughts can produce anger, hatred, and division. We can be distrusting of a group of people because we disagree with them on certain topics. We add to this problem when we gossip about them and cause others to develop a wrong perception of the person/people. Then there are those who continually have dark and hopeless thoughts about themselves, which brings about depression in their lives. Feeding on those thoughts can only produce hopelessness and evil. Some go on antidepressant drugs for years others become suicidal. All the while their needs are met and there is nothing significant wrong with their lives. It all began with incubating negative thoughts that produced bad fruit. 

Paying attention to what we are conceiving in our minds is an important part of our spiritual battle. If we allow ungodly and dark thoughts to take over our lives, we are not on the road to holiness.  Jesus told the Pharisees that they washed the outside of the cup but inside they were full of all forms of evil and wickedness (See Luke 11:39).

We can save our spiritual face before others, but our internal world will continue to become emptier and darker if we do not gird up the loins of our minds.  We will begin going through the motion of spirituality but getting frustrated because we will not see progress in our lives. What we give life to in our minds begins to take over our perception, attitude, and drive, and we will either move forward in faith, hope, love, and unity, or we will move in fear, doubt, distrust, and division. One will lead us to holiness and victory, and the other to carnality and despair.

What are you feeding your mind today? Examine your thoughts and determine if you gird up the loins of your mind! I will continue with this subject in the next devotional. 

A certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, saying, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the Lord. And the creditor is coming to take my two sons to be his slaves.”

 So Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?” And she said, “Your maidservant has nothing in the house but a jar of oil.”

Then he said, “Go, borrow vessels from everywhere, from all your neighbors—empty vessels; do not gather just a few. And when you have come in, you shall shut the door behind you and your sons; then pour it into all those vessels, and set aside the full ones.”

So she went from him and shut the door behind her and her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured it out. Now it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said to her son, “Bring me another vessel.”

And he said to her, “There is not another vessel.” So the oil ceased. Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debt; and you and your sons live on the rest.” 2Kings 4:1-7

After Elijah was taken up in a whirlwind, Elisha took over the ministry. A widow came to Elisha telling him that although her late husband had been faithful to God, the creditors were coming to take her sons as slaves for the money they owed. The Bible does not tell us why she owed money, but the word of God is clear that when we owe money, we choose to put ourselves under the slavery of another person. We are called to live within our income, which means we should strive to not put ourselves in debt, or get out of debt as fast as possible. In the case of the widow, it could have been that the death of her husband led them to financial hardship. They had no one to produce an income, and her sons could have been too young to take over the business.

Elisha asked her what she had in her house? The widow told him that she had just one jar of oil left. What we have in our hands is important in our journey with God. What need to bring to the table and allow God to breathe on it. Sometimes we may look down upon what we have, or we may think it’s too small or insignificant. Those are the moments that we are more self-conscious than God conscious. The widow was in a desperate position, which allowed to offer anything she had. 

The world continually tells us that we must have all the right pedigrees before we can advance or succeed in life. Everyone wants their resume to look impressive. This steals our faith and vision and causes us to look at our capabilities to sustain us. We should be more impressed with God’s capability and resources than ours. What He is able to powerfully achieve in a short time, we would not be able to accomplish on our own in a lifetime!

It appears that she had been in this desperate position for sometime if all she had left in her house was a jar of oil! Elisha told her to go and borrow empty vessels and bring as many as she can. The Lord had given a divine idea to Elisha on how to help this widow. However, he needed the cooperation of the widow. The widow asked her sons to help out by picking out empty vessels from neighbors. In addition, the neighbors responded by giving the boys what they needed. They played a part in God’s divine plan and the breakthrough this woman needed.

Elisha instructed her to fill those jars with oil, and she was able to do so until there were no more vessels left. Then the oil stopped. What if the woman had only asked for a couple of vessels? What if the boys had not cooperated and wondered what was the point of empty jars when they were about to be taken into servitude by the creditors. What if the neighbors did not give offer their empty jars wondering why the boys were wasting their time when they could be doing something better to help the situation?

After all the vessels were full, the oil stopped. Elisha instructed the woman to sell the bottles of oil and pay her creditors and live on the rest of the money. God not only provided for her immediate need, but he also allowed her to have additional funds to support her family. Praise God that He gives above and beyond what we can ask or imagine!

The breakthroughs that God has in store for us will not necessarily make sense to us or to others. The Lord does not expect us to understand but to just believe and obey His instructions. We all have to live in fresh faith daily and not talk ourselves out of what God has spoken in our lives!