Born for Adversity

Proverbs 17:17 says:  A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.

This scripture speaks volumes to my heart.  Why, because the bible teaches me that there is a friend that will stick closer to me than a brother.  In Hebrews 13:5 Paul reminded the children of God that Jesus said he would never leave them nor forsake them.  

Jesus himself said it best in Mathew 28:19 when he said:  lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
Friends are wonderful and true friends indeed love you at all times, but a brother is born for adversity.  You see a brother is born to be there in the good times and in the bad.  A brother is one that will lift you up above the storm and hold onto you through it all as the winds rage and the rains fall.  If you have been born again, that makes you a brother of Jesus Christ.  In all the adversity in your life, he will be there, right beside you, lifting you up.  But you see there is more to it than just letting Jesus be your brother, you must now be his!  The bible teaches in Romans 8:17 that if we are children of God, then we are joint heirs with Christ!  We are his brothers and sisters.  We must also lift him up!  We must never forsake him nor deny him but must be ready at all time to tell others of his saving grace.  When trials and troubles come upon us, then we must lift up his name and trust in him as our brother and know that he will never leave us.  The definition of adversity is that you are in a state of misfortune, a state of serious or continued difficulty.  What a wonderful thing to know that when we were born again, that Jesus became our brother and brothers are born for adversity,  When those troubles come, he will be there and as long as we put our trust and faith in him, we will have a brother that will lift us up.  Saints of God, you were born for adversity.  You were born to never deny nor forsake his holy name.  Just as Jesus Christ said he would never leave nor forsake us, we are never to leave nor forsake him. We are brothers and sisters, born for adversity, born to stick together through good times and through bad times.  Born to weather to storms of life together!  

Work the Fields!

The harvest is ripe but the laborers are few. As I look around me everyday, I do indeed see what is happening in this old world. Jesus told us of it over two thousand years ago. Today we need to pray for laborers to work the field. We need to understand that getting someone into the church and seeing them pray is not all our job is about. Seeing a soul saved is truly one of the best experiences in life but so often they let the worries and cares of this world drag them back away from Christ. This is where we as Christians are slacking in our jobs. Folks, we have a job to do and it doesn't end at the alter, it has only just begun. We need to begin praying for that soul that God will fill it with knowledge and spiritual understanding. We need to pray that the Holy Ghost grows stronger within them everyday and that they yield to his presence and allow him to teach them. We need to be their brother, their sister and even their mother. We need to call them if they miss church and let them know we love them. Check on them and make sure they are not in need. We need to start doing our jobs! This is what is on my heart this morning. We need to work the fields of life. Paul let us know that once we hear of someone's love for God that we should not cease to pray for them. It's the prayers of saints of God that lift sickness, pain and even death away from those in need.  It takes praying for one another to get us through life.  Prayer indeed changes things!

Colossians 1:8-13

8 Who also declared unto us your love in the Spirit.

9 For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;

10 That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;

11 Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;

12 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:

13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:

Love not the World!

¹⁵ Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
¹⁶ For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
1 John 2:15-16
As Christians, it's important that we understand that while we must live in the world, we are not part of the world. We are children of light.  This world is filled with darkness and sin.  We are not to partake of what the world has to offer.  Our father Abraham walked through this world and lived many places but he never built a home, he lived in tents.  Do you know what he did build?  Everywhere he went, he built an alter so that he could worship God.  He knew that he was not part of this world.  He was looking for a city not made by man.  

⁸ By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.
⁹ By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:
¹⁰ For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.
Hebrews 11:8-10

I am not saying we should give up our homes and go live in tents.  What I am saying is that our homes and none of our worldly possessions should ever come before God in our lives.  God loves his children and he wants to bless you and see you prosper.  In fact, Moses told the children of Israel to keep God's covenant so that they would prosper.   

⁹ Keep therefore the words of this covenant, and do them, that ye may prosper in all that ye do. Deuteronomy 29:9

You can see that God made his people to prosper from Genesis to Revelations.  Having things is not a sin.  Putting those things before God is a SIN.  You can go trail riding six days a week and have all the fun you want, but when you skip church to go trail riding, it becomes a sin in your life.  We have all done it at one time or another without evening thinking about it.  Today, I encourage you to check your life.  Enjoy all the good things that God has blessed you with and then set aside a time to worship him and be thankful.  Set aside a time to let God know that he still comes first in your life.  I am so thankful this morning for his amazing GRACE.