Good morning everyone. Today the word vessels hit my spirit like a ton of bricks. I started analyzing the word but I went in the wrong direction. I started thinking of big ships and oil tankers, then it hit me again and I realized that the vessel the spirit was talking about was us Christians. First we will pray and then I will share more of the revelation and the practical lesson I learned from a close friend a few years back.
Today’s Prayer
Father, I come before you on behalf of my brothers and sister in Christ to thank you for Your mercy and grace. So many times You bless us and we just gloss over the blessing as if it is owed to us. Thank You for making each of us that has accepted Your son as our Lord and savior, a vessel to be used by you the way that You see fit. Thank you for the privilege, in Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
Let’s eat.
Being a Vessel to Bless Others
One man gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed. – Proverbs 11:24-25
As you have probably gathered, I have immersed myself in the Proverbs this morning seeking better understanding and wisdom. I am convinced that one of the reasons God entrusts money to us is to bless others by helping them meet their needs. I’m also convinced that God uses the transfer of money within the Body of Christ to build unity among Christians. Sometimes we withhold money that God has designated for someone else He wants to bless through us, but His will can’t be accomplished through us if we are disobedient.
I remember talking to a friend of mine about this very subject a few years back. He is the head of a division of the company that he works for and received a nice bonus for the efforts of his division. He told me that the Lord had directed him to share his year-end bonus with another employee to show his appreciation for him. He said that he wrestled with what was put in his spirit for three full days before obeying. When he finally met with the employee to give him his check, the man said he had been praying about a financial need he had three days earlier. He had decided to borrow the money to meet his need. The amount of money he borrowed was the exact amount the Lord had put in my friend’s spirit to give him.
You see, God had already planned to provide for the employee through my friend, but because he was hesitant, he almost missed the opportunity to be a vessel of the Lord in this man’s life. Even so, he could have prevented the man from having to borrow money if he had acted when the spirit said to do it. It was an important lesson for my friend and in remembering, it’s a great lesson for all of us that are partaking in this meal.
Now I ask you, how many people do we let down because we feel the “harvest” God provides is all ours? In our society (and yes, even sometimes in the church), the pressure is on to move up the ladder of material accumulation. We sometimes seek to build bigger buildings when we have not used the ones we have to glorify God and save lost souls. Jesus warned us about this. If our focus is on accumulation, we will not look for opportunities to be God’s vessels of financial blessing to others.
Ask the Lord if you have an open hand when it comes to finances. My hope is that this meal opens the eyes of some else other than myself.
Quote of the Day
Every person has fallen at some time in his life – most, many times. Peter’s steps in denying Christ have since been traced by every human foot. Anyone can understand how he could have slept in the garden, when he should have watched and prayed. Most of us feel an almost unconscious sympathy for him. But there is something in Peter’s life that is much greater than his sin. It is his repentance. We all too easily relate to Peter in his weakness, but few of us grasp the wonder of his change. Sinful Peter is one man, and repentant Peter another. That is the real lesson in his life.
Henry Drummond
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REV. ELDER G E STERRETT
FOUNDER
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James H. Taylor Sr. – Kankakee City News has published my Daily meal message for a decade.