You Need to Be Known

How well do people know you?  How well do you know Jesus?

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John 14:7 – If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.

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I’m about to take you to a new level of thinking today, perhaps deeper than you may have thought.  If you’ve already been there, rejoice.  If you haven’t, hold on for the ride.  Look closely at the words of Jesus in our Text for Today.  In simple modern English, Jesus is saying, “If you know Me, you know My Father, and if you’ve seen Me, you’ve seen My Father.”  It’s that simple.

Now let us consider some additional truth.  Jesus came, lived, died, and arose victorious.  His death and resurrection took place to prevent us from having to face that same kind of death.  His life was an example of how we are to live in this present life, as sons and daughters of God, being doers of the Word, and as such, imitating our heavenly Father by doing what Jesus did and greater.  To many believers, that seems too far-fetched to grasp.  That should NOT be the case.  Once again, we should be doers of the Word of God, and that without delay, hesitation, or doubt.  If God said it, that settles it.  For a moment, consider the power of that truth.  We have been given the Word of God, all things that pertain to life and godliness, and made partakers of the life, nature, and ability of God.  Add to that the power of attorney to use the Name of Jesus to accomplish anything Jesus did and greater, and the infilling of Holy Spirit as the dunamis ability to exercise the exousia authority that is ours as believers, and the picture should be well developed in our thinking.  As heirs of God and joint-heirs of Christ, we have been set forth in the earth in these last days to live as the image of our Lord before a world lost in darkness.

The full realization of this truth is simple.  We should be able to say as Jesus did, “If you know me, you know Jesus.”  I’m not speaking here of knowing His as Lord and Savior, but being able to recognize His life, love, nature, and ability through our lives.  We should likewise be able to say, “If you see me, you see Jesus, for I am living in this age as His joint-heir, and have been sent here by Him as He was sent by the Father.”  I know – to the natural mind, that is big thinking.  But have we not been commanded to “let this mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus?”  Think on that, my friend, and make Jesus known in your world. 

Manna for Today – John 14:1-14; John 1:1 & 14; 1 John 5:7; John 14:15-17; Ephesians 5:1;       Hebrews 6:12

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I AM

When Moses asked, “What is Thy Name?”, the Lord said, “I AM.”

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John 14:6 – Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

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I remember a chorus that some years ago was sung often in worship services.  The refrain was, “He’s all I need; He’s all I need; Jesus is all I need.  He’s all I need; He’s all I need; Jesus is all I need.”  Such a simple chorus, but such a powerful truth, and it is certainly bourn out by our Text for Today.  There Jesus makes three statements, each one uniquely powerful and singularly true.

• “I am the way” – There is no other way to the Father but by Jesus.  There is no other Name whereby one can be saved but Jesus.  If you want Father’s ear when you pray, you must come to the Father in the Name of Jesus.  And being the way, He is the illumination of that way, for His Word (Jesus) is a light to our path and a lamp to our feet.  He is the “strait and narrow” way that leads to life.  He is the way that is higher than man’s way.  He is the way to and of Father.
• “(I am) the truth” – He is the truth that makes one free.  He is the truth, the Word, that cannot lie.  He is truth by which our spiritual loins are girded.  He is the truth that is God while any word of man contrary to that truth is a lie.  He is the truth that was in the beginning.  He is the truth that, along with grace, fills the Word made flesh that was with God in the beginning.  He is the truth that said, “Light, be,” and began a shining that continues to spread across an ever-expanding universe.  He is the truth of Father.
• “(I am) the life” – He is the life that was, that is, and is to come.  He is eternal life, the ZOE of God.  He is the Word that is “life” to those that find it, and health to all their flesh.  He is the life that rests in the hands of Father from which no one can pluck one having that life.  He is the life that was laid down and taken up again.  He is the life that springs eternal from the well of salvation.  He is the life that was breathed into the nostrils of man that made him a living soul.  He is the life from Father.

There is none like Him; the Way, the Truth, and the Life.  I reference again the words of the chorus I mentioned in the beginning.  “He’s all I need; He’s all I need; Jesus is all I need.”  In Him are all things that pertain to life and godliness.  In Him is the fullness of the Father.  In Him is the fullness of the Spirit.  In Him we live (LIFE)  and move (WAY)  and have our being (LIFE). 

Manna for Today – John 14:1-14; Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-20; Exodus 3:1-14

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He Is Coming

Make no mistake about it.  If God (and in this case, God the Son) said it, that settles it!  He IS coming!

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John 14:3 – And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

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If God said it, that settles it…forever.  Repeatedly in the Scriptures we are told that Jesus, the risen Lord, will come again, and that when He does, the dead in Christ shall rise first, and then we that remain shall be caught up together with them to meet the Lord in the air.  We know that as the rapture of the church.  We also know that He will come again after seven more years, this time bringing us with Him to establish the millennial kingdom in the earth.  I know there are many who doubt this, who think it some kind of symbolic speech, or who disavow it altogether.  They are wrong.  In fact, if one truly studies the Scriptures in light of their proclamation and the timing of historical events, one would see an accuracy of proclamation that is undeniable.  The Scriptures have NEVER failed.  Again I offer you the statement, if God said it, that settles it.  So, to know that and then doubt the statements of His coming would be utterly foolish.  Sadly, foolishness has flooded far too many hearts and minds in our world today.  Still, those who know Him, believe and stand, holding fast to His Word.  And them He will honor.

My friend, it’s time for the church to be highly expecting the coming of Jesus.  There should be no doubt that we are living in the last days.  The prophecies are being fulfilled rapidly, especially the final ones.  There is a rising sense of urgency in the church to unite in the faith of God.  The five-fold ministry is coming to the forefront in church thinking, not for the fame of a few, but for the “perfecting of the saints.”  The gospel of the kingdom is being preached across our globe in the greatest measure ever, with more accuracy than ever, and leaders in the work of the kingdom are being raised up at the greatest rate ever.  Let us busy ourselves in the work of reaching the lost, training and discipling believers, and doing those things that please the Father.  We are closer to the coming of Jesus than ever.  Let us be busier than ever.  He will make us more successful than ever.  The church will grow faster than ever.  And Jesus will receive more glory than ever. 

Manna for Today – John 14:1-14; Psalm 119:89; Psalm 138:2; Isaiah 55:11; Joshua 1:6-9;  1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Malachi 3:6; Hebrews 13:8

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The Real Mansions

You won’t find your mansion in heaven, and no cabins either.

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John 14:2 – In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

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I remember as a child hearing an old gospel song with words that said, “Lord, build me a cabin in the corner of glory land.”  While that may have sounded humble to some people, I must tell you that such thinking is totally absurd.  But there is another, loftier view of heaven that is just as erroneous.  It is the view that says, “I’ve got a mansion just over the hilltop.”  Let’s look at the Word of God rather than songs that struck some emotional tone for hearers.  There are three words we need to examine: (1) house (Fathers’); (2) mansions; and (3) place.

• HOUSE – this is “Father’s house” (Greek – oikia) – an inhabited edifice; the inmates of a house; family.
• MANSION – (Greek – monay) – abiding place of the Holy Spirit indwelling believers.
• PLACE – (Greek – topos) – portion, or space marked off; an inhabited place; a city; a place in a book; a space limited by occupancy.

Now let’s put it together in simple terms.  “In My Father’s FAMILY (HOUSE) are many HOLY SPIRIT INDWELLING BELIEVERS (MANSIONS): if it were not so, I would have told you.  I go to prepare a MARKED OFF SPACE; A CITY; A SPACE LIMITED BY OCCUPANCY (PLACE) for you.”

What do we see in this rendering using the defined Greek terms, HOUSE, MANSION, & PLACE, from Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance?  We see that the “mansions” of “Father’s house” are, in reality, believers (those in whom Holy Spirit dwells).  And what of the “place” He has gone to prepare for us?  It is each believer’s place at the table of the marriage supper of the Lamb; it is the city of New Jerusalem, a city Whose builder and maker is God; your name written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, and in the book of remembrances in which the Lord records every word you speak about Him, and every thought you think about Him.

I know this is greatly different from what we have traditionally heard.  But think of this.  Why would Jesus build mansions in heaven for all the members of His body when “heaven and earth shall pass away”?  Paul writes that “in a great house” there are vessels of honor and dishonor, and that if a man would purge himself of certain things, he would be “a vessel of honor, sanctified and meet for the Master’s use.”  The “great house” of which Paul writes is “Father’s house.”  And those “vessels of honor” are the “mansions” of which Jesus spoke.  And consider further the Lord’s call for us to build our house (our life) on the rock by being doers of the Word.  He also added that when one of His people build on the sand, their house (life) will fall, and “great will be the fall of it.”  That speaks to the fall of a “mansion.”  Will you be one of His mansions?  It’s your choice.  He is preparing a place just for you.  Be faithful. 

Manna for Today – John 14:1-14; 2 Timothy 2:20-21; Matthew 7:24-27; Malachi 3:16-18

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Time to Awaken the Rooster

Not long after Jesus spoke the words of our Text for Today, Peter heard the rooster crow.

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John 13:38 – Jesus answered him, Wilt thou lay down thy life for my sake? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, The cock shall not crow, till thou hast denied me thrice.

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Over the years, Peter has been the brunt of much bad publicity.  After all, three times he denied that he knew or followed Jesus, and Jesus was so close to him at the final denial that He turned and looked at Peter.  Don’t you know that look was burned into Peter’s heart and mind?  Yet it was to this same man that Jesus said three times by the shore of the Sea of Galilee that he was to feed His sheep and lambs.  I wonder how many of us would have been so forgiving, for this forgiveness came AFTER His betrayal, arrest, beating, crucifixion, and suffering.

But Peter’s commitment to the Lord was not a thing to be lightly considered.  He had said that he would lay down his own life for Jesus.  How often in our lives have we made powerful, sweeping statements of commitment that, if actually called upon for completion, would likely have been well beyond our own will to complete?  I personally know of no one who had NOT made such a committal statement.  And I likewise know of no one who has not failed at some point to keep such a committal statement.  But when Peter failed, a rooster crowed as an awakening to his failure.  Could it be that we are living in such a loud, noisy world today that our “roosters” are not heard?  Or could it even be that we are generally so over-whelmed with busy-ness, tumult, bad news, advertising, and distraction that it appears our “roosters” have been silenced?

Is it “time to awaken the rooster?”  Could it be that we all, at least at some time, need to come to a place where we can hear the “rooster” crow in our own lives?  Do we need a wake-up call?  Do we need to be startled to an awareness of our failure to carry out our full commitment to the Lord, that we need to hear the “rooster” crow in such a manner as to alert us to our need for repentance in some arena?  It’s not about making some public profession.  It’s about being honest with ourselves and the Lord.  It’s about confessing any sin in our lives of which we are aware.  It’s about humbling ourselves under the mighty hand of God.  He wants to bless us, show us His favor, enrich our lives, make and keep us well.  He wants to do that for us personally and individually.  But for that to happen, we must hear the “rooster” crow and turn it all back to Him. 

Manna for Today – John 13:31-38; John 15:13; Mark 10:17-30; Psalm 15:4; Matthew 12:37; 3 John 2; Jeremiah 29:11; Isaiah 45:11; Isaiah 55:11

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BY THIS

Don’t limit the word, “love.”

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John 13:35 – By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

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Let’s come straight to the point.  The love the world understands, and most often the love about which it talks, writes, sings, and publishes is nothing more than a combination of emotions and lust.  You can name all the so-called “exceptions” to what I just wrote that you can, yet the proof that what I have said lingers in day-to-day living across our globe through the millennia of man’s existence on this earth.  ONLY the love of God can convey one to the level of love needed to display a life that witnesses to the life of God in a man/woman.

The word “love,” in our Text for Today is the Greek word “agape.”  We know this as “the God kind of love.”  And since we know God is love (agape), then we could say we know “agape” as God.  That is the love of which I write today.  There is nothing emotional about it, though emotion can certainly spring from it.  And there is CERTAINLY NO lust connected to agape in any way.  The agape love of Scripture is the highest quality of love that exists, and is based purely on the character of the originator of that love, He being Jehovah God.  It is not “phileo” love, based on a growing relationship, but also a love that can be damaged, and even ultimately destroyed.  Yes, we grow in our relationship with Father, but He does not grow in His relationship to us; He is never changing.  It is not “storge” love, or affection based on the benefits received from the object loved.  For example, we love chocolate ice cream until we gain ten pounds.  We love puppies until the chew up your favorite shoes.  You love a fellow worker until he puts you down to make you look bad so he can look good and get the promotion.  And it is certainly not “eros,” a relationship we try to call love, but it means nothing more nor less that “sex.”

AGAPE is both noun and action.  The “noun” of AGAPE is the person of our God.  So, it is a proper noun, a living being, Jehovah God, manifest in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.  And when one is born again, one becomes one with AGAPE, as Jesus is the head of the body (AGAPE) and we are the body.  Think of it this way.  What is your last name.  If your head is recognized by your last name, so is your body.  You don’t have two different last names.  If our Head (Jesus) is AGAPE, then so are we.  And AGAPE as a verb is action; pure, undefiled, perfect action.  It is keeping His commandments.  And that means being a doer of the Word in public and in private, at home and at work, engaging is serious matters or simply relaxing, towards all people at all times.  No, we’re not perfect, yet, but that doesn’t change the standard.  It is BY THISthat all men will know that we are His disciples.  

Manna for Today – John 13:31-35; John 3:16; John 14;15-17; 1 John 5:3; Deuteronomy 6:5; Mark 12:30

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Jesus and Prosperity

I really get tired of hearing people talk about how poor Jesus was.

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John 13:28-29 – Now no man at the table knew for what intent he spake this unto him.  For some of them thought, because Judas had the bag, that Jesus had said unto him, Buy those things that we have need of against the feast; or, that he should give something to the poor.

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I cannot tell you how many times in almost seven decades of life I’ve heard people, especially ministers, talk about how poor Jesus was.  As a child, I bought into that tradition.  However, when I began to study the Word of God for myself, especially after receiving the call of the Lord to the five-fold ministry, I learned differently.   There is a huge basis of evidence to show He was NOT poor.  When one studies the truth of the wise men who came with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to worship Him as a child, we see that even the beginning of His life was powerfully and abundantly provisioned by the Lord.

Add to that the fact that we know Jesus was a doer of the Word.  That means He was a tither, and more than that, He was a giver.  This should be especially noted when we study His Own teaching on the laws of reciprocity, as well as the Old and New Testament outside His earthly ministry.  Add to that consideration of the power of God that moved through Jesus when He was called upon in some way at times where great provision was necessary; turning water to wine, feeding the 4,000, feeding the 5,000, and even supernaturally receiving the money needed to pay taxes for Peter and Himself.

And we must not forget to examine the facts around our Text for Today.  We know Judas Iscariot was a thief and had been stealing from the ministry treasury for quite a while.  When one is poor, one has no money to steal.  When Jesus told Judas to do quickly what he was to do, the other disciples thought He had sent Judas out to purchase all the supplies they would need over the days of the Passover Feast, or that He may have sent Judas to give money to the poor.  Poor preachers don’t fund their own ministry.  And poor ministries don’t have money to give to the poor.  There are other instances to which one could refer, other incidents one could examine, but the case is made.  Jesus was not poor.  And one more thing.  Why would Roman soldiers gamble for the garments Jesus wore if He were beggarly poor and dressed thusly?  Consider what I say, meditate upon the Word, and allow Holy Spirit to help you see what a life of supernatural provision looks like. 

Manna for Today – John 13:21-30; Proverbs 19:17; Luke 6:38; Mark 10:17-30; Malachi 3:6-12

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One Loved

Are you really convinced that Jesus loves you?

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One Loved 

John 13:23 – Now there was leaning on Jesus’ bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved.

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What I write about today is confidence – supreme confidence – the kind of confidence one has when one is convinced beyond ALL doubt that one is loved.  We know from reading the surrounding text of our Text for Today, and the surrounding texts of our Manna for Today, the name of the disciple referenced in all these passages.  It was John.  Imagine that.  The writer of the Gospel of John, the epistles of First, Second, and Third John, and Revelation wrote these words about himself.  At this point I ask you, do you believe in the divine inspiration of the Word of God as having been given to men of God by direct inspiration of Holy Ghost?  If you do, you must accept that for John to write these words found at least FIVE times in the Gospel of John, he was inspired of Holy Spirit to write them.  That means there is something here the Lord wants us to know, believe, and live.

Think for a moment about this Apostle of God named John.  He was the son of Zebedee, brother of James, and disciple of Jesus.  He wrote five books of the Bible.  He was in the closest inner circle of Apostles of the Lamb, among the three, Peter, James, and John.  All three of these Apostles came to deep and precious revelations of Who Jesus was and the work of redemption He performed.  But it seems that John’s revelation, particularly the one he spoke of in the Gospel of John was the fact that Jesus loved him.  And not only did he have that revelation, he was in no way ashamed, bashful, or even hesitant to speak and write about it.  Have you considered the boldness of John in the words he penned?  I am sure he was aware that Jesus loved them all, but on at least five occasions in which it is written, John referred to himself as the “one Jesus loved.”

That revelation does not belong to John only.  It belongs to every believer.  But while it belongs to all believers, it is so sad that many believers are not aware of it.  Others are aware of it, but for numerous reasons don’t believe it.  And there are those who know it, and believe it, but are not bold enough to lay hold of it by speaking it forth as a declaration of their faith.  I urge you, my dear reader friend, take hold of this revelation.  Jesus loves you.  If you were the only person on the earth who needed the redemptive work of Calvary, Jesus would have done it for you.  Believe it and let your faith be anchored in it.  And be bold enough to make it a part of your confession of faith.  Let it live BIG in you, and you begin to live BIG in it. 

Manna for Today – John 13:21-30; John 19:26; John 20:2; John 21:7; John 21:20; 1 John 5:14-15

 

Is There Still Trouble?

Are you aware that the only thing that could likely trouble Jesus is YOU?  Just a thought.

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John 13:21 – When Jesus had thus said, he was troubled in spirit, and testified, and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me.

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Read our Text for Today once more.  What was it that troubled Jesus in His spirit?  It was the knowledge that one into whom He had poured His words, life, wisdom, knowledge, and love was about to betray Him.  Of course, we know who that someone was.  It was Judas Iscariot.  Jesus had known from the beginning that He would be betrayed, and He knew who it was that should do so.  Still He loved Judas and maintained a godly attitude towards everyone around Him.  Regardless of circumstances, Jesus abode in love.

Now let us add to our considerations for today that fact that Jesus never changes.  Yes, it was after this that He was crucified, died, was buried and was raised from the dead.  But just as He was sinless BEFORE His passion, so He is sinless AFTER His passion.  And being unchanging, that which troubled His spirit BEFORE His passion would still trouble Him AFTER His passion.  Knowing that someone would betray Him, and knowing who that person was and how close He carried that person in His heart troubled His spirit.  It is at this point that the questions must be asked.

Are you a Christian?  A follower of Jesus?  As an heir of God and a joint-heir with Christ, how close are you to His heart?  Remember, He loved the world enough to die for it.  So, how much do you believe He loves you who have become part of His body.  In reality, you could not be closer in love to Jesus than you are right now.  Remember, too, that Judas Iscariot was not born again.  He was still a Jew under the Old Covenant, yet Jesus loved him as much as He loves you and me.  With all that before us, consider this query.  What do you think happens today when someone for whom Jesus suffered, bled, died, went to hell, and conquered death and hell betrays Him?  Jesus doesn’t stop loving; no, not to the slightest degree.  He, being one with Father, IS LOVE!  But because He never changes, His spirit would still be troubled by any betrayal that comes through one of His Own.  Of course, we have all failed; we have all sinned and come short of the glory of God.  But still He loves us, and still He forgives us, completely.  But knowing all that, let us strive with all that is within us to live a life of non-betrayal to that love.  Holy Spirit will surely help us, but we must strive toward the same.  He will NEVER trouble your heart.  Work to live so as never to trouble His. 

Manna for Today – John 13:21-30; John 14:1 & 27; Malachi 3:6; Hebrews 13:8; Romans 3:23

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Who Sent You?

In the kingdom of God, more important is who sent you than to whom you are sent.

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John 13:20 – Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me; and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.

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At this writing, I have just witness the marvelous and moving funeral service of Dr. Billy Graham.  He was a great man of God, and he was sent to the world.  But his life and ministry and message were not about those to whom he was sent, but about WHO SENT HIM.  His life, ministry, and message were all about Jesus.  It is to that end that I write to you herein.

You have been sent to someone.  That sending will be manifest in at least one of four ways.  Some are sent VISIBLY.  That means that the Lord has sent them to personally go into some arena of ministry to a particular people for a particular cause.  You might be an apostle, a prophet, an evangelist, a pastor, or a teacher.  You might be sent by the Lord to be the armor-bearer of such a person, or to fulfill some specific arena of ministry, i.e. medical, education, and the like.   You may be sent VICARIOUSLY.  That means that while you personally are not sent into a particular arena of ministry, you may be commanded by the Lord to support with finances and prayer someone who is sent VISIBLY.  I believe this would be, by far, the greatest number of believers in the world.  And finally, you may be sent VIRTUALLY.  This kind of sending by the Lord is truly quite new to church history.  This means you use the technology of our day to reach people you could not otherwise reach, and it is a powerful method that is now available to the church.  And of course, regardless of who one is, ALL BELIEVERS are sent VITALLY.  You are to be a witness where you are now.  That generally does not require travel out of your normal day, money beyond what you already have, or even technology and the means to use it widely.  It means you live as an example of who Jesus made you to be in front of everyone you meet wherever you are whenever you are there.

Whatever we do, we must NEVER compare ourselves among ourselves.  Each of us has a prime objective – go where God sends us to do what God desires us to do.  It’s that simple.  We need to know where we’re going, but more importantly is knowing who sent us.  It is God Who made us, it is God Who called us, it is God Who anointed us, it is God Who sends us, and it is God Who empowers us.  As long as we keep our focus on Him, walking in obedience to His sending, we will hear “Well done, good and faithful servant.”  It has nothing to do with who preaches the most to the most people, how far we travel, or how much we give.  It’s all about knowing and honoring Him Who sent us. 

Manna for Today – John 13:1-20; Matthew 28;18-20; Mark 16:15-20; 2 Corinthians 10:12

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