TODAYS BIBLE READING:
 

No matter what we do in life we start out in ignorance and slowly gain knowledge and experience. How effective we are in what we do depends a great deal on what we do with this knowledge. We read in 1 Corinthians 8:1, “...We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies.” We read in 1 Corinthians 13:2, “And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains but have not love, I am nothing.” Though initially, much of our personal growth in the Word is to secure our faith and enable us to see Him who is the “Author and Finisher of our faith”, once we are His children, the Word should not be used to puff ourselves up, instead to reach and love others with God’s message of hope and salvation. What I mean by this is when speaking to one who is completely ignorant to the Word of God, rather than rifling off quotes of book, chapter and verse in King James english which draws attention to ourselves, it would be better to simply communicate God’s message in love. Saying, “Jesus said in the Gospel”, would probably make more sense than saying in John 8:31-32, it says,....

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We read in 1 Kings 4:29-34, “And God gave Solomon wisdom and exceedingly great understanding, and largeness of heart like the sand on the seashore. Thus, Solomon’s wisdom excelled over the wisdom of all the men of the East and all the wisdom of Egypt...He spoke three thousand proverbs, and his songs were one thousand and five...And men of all nations, from all the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom, came to hear the wisdom of Solomon.” We must not miss the important part of 4:29, besides all of the wisdom and understanding, God gave Solomon, “largeness of heart”. I can’t fathom the depth of Solomon’s wisdom and knowledge but it was his heart that made others want to listen.

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Every child of God has a ministry, whether they realize it or not. We read in Matthew 5:16, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” Whatever our vocation might be: physician, electrician, stay-at-home Mom, police officer, etc. our role is to be God’s light to those that surround us. No part of our life is separate from God. As God’s ambassadors, we serve in that role whether at work, at a restaurant, or at a ball game. As we grow in knowledge, our role is to communicate, relate to, and love others, in the process drawing attention away from ourselves and onto Him. We are God’s army in a world that largely doesn’t know or respect Him. May we each suit up our armor (Ephesians 6:10-18) each day and effectively stand firm taking every opportunity available.