Encouragement
'Come Home, It's Suppertime'
by Travis Wiginton
04/30/05
Free to Share
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From the Israelites of the Old Testament to the present, God has pleaded for His people to possess their possessions!
To me, this means for us to lay hold by faith and experience, all of the blessings that God wants to give us. Paul put it best in Philippians 3:7-10 and 4:19.
We are truly BLESSED TO BE A BLESSING.....
but we can not, if we do not know 'the Blessor'...and the Blessings.
Our theme for life could be: Lay hold upon that...for which God laid hold of you.
Having been raised on a cotton farm and dairy in Southwest Oklahoma and serving as a pastor for over 50 years, I call this "Come Home, It's Suppertime". (Luke 14:15-24)
By the time that we worked in the fields and milked 22 cows (by hand), we were ready for Mom's suppertime!! Mmm good! I can taste it now!
How much greater is God's Suppertime!
Jesus told the story in the Luke passage about a great supper that was prepared and many people were invited. However, many made excuses and did not accept the invitation and missed the blessings. I've said before, 'excuses are reasons with holes in them' and God sees through these holes. Others were invited and many came and received the blessings.......but oh, the sorrow of those who did not!
So let's look at the supper that is prepared for you:
All begin with the letter 'p' to help us remember and enjoy the blessings of God's supper.
In all of it, remember:
God provides the supper ...
Jesus presents the supper ...
You must accept the supper.
1) PAST - I John 1:9
God takes care of the past by His forgiveness. God's grace equals mercy that takes the cup of sins and empties it and wipes it clean, with Jesus' blood and fills the cup with love! So grace equals mercy plus love, but please remember that he who forgets the past, is in danger of repeating it.
2) PRESENT is cared for by His Presence (Hebrews 13:5 and Matthew 28:20)
So many miss the God Who is.....by concentrating on the God Who was....or the God Who will be. God is the Eternal I Am.
3) PROSPECTS are as bright as the Promises of God -
Abraham believed (Romans 4:20-21)
Moses believed (I Kings 8:56)
Paul believed (Acts 27:25)
and Jesus by His crucifixion and resurrection underlined all the promises as TRUE!
Truly, the future IS as bright as the Promises of God, but you must know the Promises.
4) PLAN and PATH - Jeremiah 29:11-14 and Proverbs 3:5-6
His overall plan for us, is followed by the path (Way) He leads us. (John 14:6)
But remember Proverbs 12:15, 14:12 and 16:25, tell us that 'there is a way that seems right to man, but it is the way of destruction'.
I like Proverbs 16:7, 'when a person's ways please the Lord, God makes even his enemies to be at peace with him'.
God gives light for us on His path (Psalm 119:105) God's Will and Way is like a two-seated bicycle, but make sure that Jesus is in the FRONT seat!
5) PERSON - We can relate to God as a 'person' -
He loves....we love,
He desires fellowship and so should we.
He desires intimate relationship with us and we must desire it with Him.
However, the person who REALLY relates to God must come God's Way and we believe that Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Remember, God has no favorites, but He does have intimates. Be one of those!
6) POWER (Matthew 28:18)
Jesus said, "All power is given unto Me, in Heaven and in Earth". And before He ascended, He promised to send the Holy Spirit, to give power (John 16:7-14).
In I John 4:4, "Greater is the power in you, than any power in the world".
In Ephesians 5:14-211, there is a great study on the Holy Spirit and Paul's 'gospel in a verse' (Philipians 3:10) is great. Two Greek words for 'power' are dunamis (dynamite) and pneuma (wind). (John 3:8)
7) POSITION - Paul's favorite topic is 'union with Christ'....or.....'I am in Christ and Christ is in me'.
We take a position by repentance and faith, then the Person and Power of Jesus is in us.
"The first makes me fit for Heaven, the second fits me for earth;
The one changes my destination, the other changes my destiny.
The one makes Heaven my home, the other makes the earth my workshop". (Ian Thomas)
8) PASSION - (Like Paul in Romans 10:1-4)
Paul never lost the wonder of what happened on the Damascus Road. (Acts 9)
He shared this experience often, and we need to share our experience.
Christ in you (Col.1:27) can give you a passion, for He is the same yesterday, today and forever. (Hebrews 13:8)
The pattern for our life never changes...... Christ likeness! But our intimacy needs to stay constant - the Word and Prayer can help this. These days, much passion can be wasted on good things (sports, movies, music, etc.) yet we can miss the best.
The world can leave you 'flat'...God can lift the load, turn our disappointments into His appointments, turn obstacles into opportunities.
I have a sign in my study which reads: 'OU is Number 2...God is Number 1".
I had passion when I played baseball for OU (Oklahoma University), but I hope my greatest passion has been my work for the Lord.
I have more thoughts on this subject, so we will continue this study next week.
In the meantime, you could prepare your own list of our priceless privileges from God.
PLEASE ENCOURAGE AUTHOR BELOW LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE
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Dear Pastor, Another great article. Unlike any of the others here at faithwriters, I've known you for over 30 years and I know you practice what you preach. I sincerely pray that God allows you and your bride to minister for another 30 years. You have always been a blessing.
Another well written article Travis. And you are so right there is no better meal, than feasting on the word, and dwelling in His presence. Blessings, Sharon
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