Good Power

 Good Power

Romans 12: ¹⁷ Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. ¹⁸ If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. ¹⁹ Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. ²⁰ On the contrary:

“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
    if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”

²¹ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

 

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After working hard for months, I sat for my evaluation. I received a “Good” as the performance rating. I was furious. ‘After all that hard work, you mean to tell me that it was ‘good’” I said. Good meant “doing as expected” and I felt I exceeded expectations by staying late and doing more. I wanted better than “good.”

 

• There were times when I felt “Good” was not powerful.
• There were times when I felt good people finish last.
• There were times when I felt great was better than good.

 

Paul continues with his radical words given to him by the HOLY SPIRIT. He speaks about not taking revenge. This was strange because the law said “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.” In other words if someone does something bad to you, it is your right to do something bad to them. But GOD wants a different way.

 

• GOD wants me to leave vengeance up to HIM.
• GOD wants me to feel sorry for my enemies because HE felt sorry for me.
• GOD wants me to use good as a powerful weapon that overcomes evil.

 

“Great” is not suggested to be used to overcome evil, but “good” is. Being good when there is a chance or even the right to do evil, puts me in a better place with GOD. HE sees my “good” effort and rewards me.

 

Meanwhile, HE says “Let ME handle the evil this person has done to you.” GOD’s wrath on enemies is nothing to gloat at, but to be feared by all. I accept the powerful weapon of good to fight against those who purposefully do evil.

 

• Has someone done something evil against you?
• Do you want to take revenge out on “that” person?
• Will you allow GOD to take revenge on who HE chooses, meanwhile keep doing what “everyone” considers good so HE will be please with your actions?

Kindness

 

Kindness

Acts 27: When it was decided that we would sail for Italy, Paul and some other prisoners were handed over to a centurion named Julius, who belonged to the Imperial Regiment. ² We boarded a ship from Adramyttium about to sail for ports along the coast of the province of Asia, and we put out to sea. Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica, was with us.

 

³ The next day we landed at Sidon; and Julius, in kindness to Paul, allowed him to go to his friends so they might provide for his needs.

 

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Planning my day, I thought of all that I had to do. As I crept towards the toll booth, I could see the building where I worked. This let me know I had to be ready. When I got to the window to pay, the attendant said, “You can go. The driver ahead of you paid your toll.” I stopped thinking about work for a moment and was thankful.

 

• I have experienced many kind acts.
• I have experienced times when people have done kind things, just for me.
• I have experienced kindness and it made me thankful.

 

Paul and the other prisoners were being transported to Rome. Paul had appealed to Caesar for his defense, but had done no wrong. Many people knew Paul was innocent. Julius, a centurion, decided to do something. He decided to be kind to Paul.

 

• GOD wants me to be kind to people.
• GOD wants me to use kindness to bear fruit.
• GOD wants me to remember to be kind to people so my heart will be filled.

 

Empty distracted hearts easily forget to be kind. I mean, the distractions of the world can lead to hurt and pain. BUT GOD steps in and sends HIS servants to be kind in the middle of a doom-filled situation. From giving me a ride to simply smiling at me, many people have been kind.

 

Acts of kindness from others prompts me to be kind to someone that day. But when I am flustered and it seems like a lot of problems are rushing at me, I can use kindness as a weapon. I may only have the strength to smile at people, but it makes the problem smaller and smaller. I am glad people have used the fruit of the Spirit by being kind to me.

 

• Have people been kind to you?
• Are you easily provoked to anger, jealousy and rage?
• Will you trade in your hurt for kindness, so you act can be remembered by GOD today?

Am I “with” GOD or not?

2 Timothy 2:  

¹¹ Here is a trustworthy saying:

   If we died with him,
   we will also live with him;
¹² if we endure,
   we will also reign with him.
If we disown him,
   he will also disown us;
¹³ if we are faithless,
   he remains faithful,
   for he cannot disown himself.

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Parking was very difficult around the stadium so we parked a half mile away. This time we weren’t going to see a sporting event rather serving at an outreach crusade. A very famous old pastor was speaking and I wanted to be part of the outreach while he was still alive.

After weeks of preparation I felt capable to speak to strangers who were seeking something different in their lives. He spoke the most simple message I have ever heard. “We are all sinners and deserve to go to Hell, but JESUS died for you and me and believing in HIM gives you eternal life.”

“What? That was it?” I asked myself. “You mean you got us all here to deliver this simple message?”

• GOD’s message of salvation is truly simple.
• GOD’s message of salvation is the only necessity for eternal life.
• GOD’s message of salvation is supersedes any “good” behavior I could ever do.

“Dying to my way” means I stop using worldly logic and start using GODLY faith. In other words my critical reasoning needs to be pointed at GOD not at man.

• If I die to my ways then GOD’s miracles will flourish.
• If I endure trials and troubles then I will reign with HIM in this life as well as eternity.
• If I believe in GOD becoming a human to die in my place I will have eternal life.

The message is very simple yet so complex. All I know is GOD gave me a promise and HE can never be faithless. HE promised HE would “never” leave me nor forsake me. That’s good enough for me.

• What happens to humans when they die?
• Is there “life” after death?
• If so, do you think you can be “good” enough to receive eternal life?
• Are you trying to work hard for your salvation by being “good?”

It's good to be good but my good is not good enough!

Acts 13: 38"Therefore, my brothers, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. 39Through him everyone who believes is justified from everything you could not be justified from by the law of Moses. 40Take care that what the prophets have said does not happen to you:

 

41" 'Look, you scoffers,

wonder and perish,

for I am going to do something in your days

that you would never believe,

even if someone told you.'"

 

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Over the years I have struggled with the notion of "good" versus "evil." How good should I be? What are the consequences for my sins? Since I'm saved from my sins, can I sin as much as I want to?

 

This is a difficult concept to grasp and explain so, as always, I have to explain it from my perspective. When Adam wondered if his wife would live or die by eating the fruit of "life", everything changed.

 

Every human was sentenced to death because sin was passed down through the birth process. GOD said "All have sinned and fall short of HIS glory." Humans got so wrapped up in their sin that GOD destroyed the earth and left one sinners family alive, namely Noah.

 

After repopulating the earth and after many battles and struggles, prophets and kings were put in place to declare GOD's message. The message they declared was "Salvation comes through following the law."

 

JESUS volunteered to become a human before the world was made but HE chose to be born 2000+ years ago. HE lived as a perfect human and was killed for healing people and supplying their needs. HE was murdered by the people trying to follow the law.

• The flaw I have with the law is I follow parts of it and not all of it.
• The flaw I have with the law is I get "proud" of what I do which breaks the law.
• The flaw I have with the law is I think it is what keeps me saved.
• The flaw I have with the law is I question if I am close or far from GOD.
• The flaw I have with the law is I think I am in control of how much GOD loves me.

 

GOD did not do away with the law. In fact HE wrote it on every humans' heart. In the law HE wrote about HIS SON and rejecting the law still means rejecting HIS SON. So what am I to do? Should I follow the law or should I just believe in JESUS?

 

I think it's both! Believe in JESUS and use the law for good judgment.

• Believing that JESUS saved me from my own death is what makes me want to follow the law.
• Believing that JESUS saved me from my own death makes me want to tell people about the simplicity of salvation.
• Believing that JESUS saved me from my own death keeps me from thinking there is some good in me that steers GOD into loving or hating me.

 

GOD loves me with a strange and powerful love. HIS grip is so tight on me that HE will never let go. The people who "scoff" at my belief will wonder and perish, but I am to love them just as CHRIST loves "ALL" humans.

• Do you think the message of salvation is easy or complicated?
• Are you busy trying to be "good" to please GOD?
• Do you know HE is pleased with you already?
• Since GOD placed HIS HOLY SPIRIT inside of you, how can you ever be "far" away from HIM?

How should I act?

Luke 3:10"What should we do then?" the crowd asked. 11John answered, "The man with two tunics should share with him who has none, and the one who has food should do the same."

12Tax collectors also came to be baptized. "Teacher," they asked, "what should we do?" 13"Don't collect any more than you are required to," he told them.

14Then some soldiers asked him, "And what should we do?" He replied, "Don't extort money and don't accuse people falsely—be content with your pay."

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Thinking of others did not come naturally for me. When I got married. my wife had to teach me how to think of others. She would serve people scrumptious food, give clothes away and listen to people. I had none of that.

Serving others is something that needs to be taught, learned and practiced. It is not natural for us to serve one another. When I tried serving people for the first time, it was great. Over time I ran into the people I didn't want to serve.

The person who always has to get the last word or the person who has nothing but poison in their heart makes it difficult to serve them. The person who is always complaining or saying discouraging things about me never ranks high on my serve list.

John is busy pointing humans toward a life that pleases GOD. He tells us that JESUS is on HIS way so prepare yourself. Fight your natural tendency to be selfish, sneaky or power hungry.

• He tells the person with plenty to share with the person who has nothing.
• He tells the person who is in business to make the right amount of profit and don't gouge the people.
• He tells the person in power to not misuse their power for greedy gain.

It sounds like John wants us to be "nice." Don't nice people finish last? This is where many Christians are conflicted. They don't want to seem like push over’s. John followed GOD's ways and was never tempted by the things of this world. He was hardly a push over.

JESUS never sinned, never owned a possession and was the nicest human who ever existed. HE was not a push over. Being nice doesn't mean you have to take abuse from people with poisonous hearts. Being nice means you point your life to CHRIST.

• When I act nice towards someone they are more open to hear about CHRIST.
• When I act nice towards someone, my anger subsides.
• When I act nice towards someone, GOD gives me peace that I don't understand.

I find that it takes courage to be "nice" to people. Paying for a strangers meal, dropping in a toll for the person behind you, holding the door open and smiling at a frowning person takes courage.

Approaching the bitter, mean, nasty person with "nice" takes even more courage. It takes a lot of practice to approach this type of person. In the words of John, JESUS is returning soon, have HIM find you doing something "nice" for someone.

• Is it tough for you to serve the difficult person?
• Are "you" the difficult person?
• Do you give to organizations?
• Can you give directly to a person who has nothing?
• Are you fair with your dealings?