Strength for Today – Page 17 – Old Paths Journal

At the Master’s Call

John 11:28
“And when she had so said, she went her way, and called Mary her sister secretly, saying, The Master is come, and calleth for thee.”

One of the missed facets in the story of Lazarus coming back to life is the call of the Master. We have heard how Jesus delayed His coming when He heard of Lazarus’ sickness. We have heard of the lack of faith of those who surrounded Lazarus’ family. We have enjoyed the part of the story where Jesus raised Lazarus from the grave.

However, one of the important elements of this story is the call of the Master. When Jesus came to the tomb where they laid the body of Lazarus, Martha ran to the Master and bemoaned the fact that if He had been there her brother would not have died. After Martha’s dialogue with Jesus concerning what He was about to do, she ran to Mary and said, “The Master is come, and calleth for thee.” There may be no better words a person could hear than that the Master has come to visit you in the time of grief. Five things are learned from this event about what happens when we respond to the Master’s call.

First, there is comfort at the Master’s call. Both Mary and Martha received comfort when they responded to the Master’s call. You will find the comfort you need in the heartaches of life if you listen to the Master’s call. Don’t let the grief of the moment keep you from responding to the Master’s call. One of the reasons He calls is so that you can receive comfort by His presence. Nobody will be able to give you the comfort you need like the Master Who is the source of all comfort.

Second, there is release at the Master’s call. In verse 32, Mary was able to pour out her heart to the Master and get the release she needed from her grief. Psalm 61:2 shows that God is the one to whom you should go to when your “heart is overwhelmed.” There are times when the pressures of life are so great that you feel like you are going to burst. The only release you will find from that pressure is by responding to the Master’s call.

Third, verse 40 shows there is a view of God’s glory at the Master’s call. You will never see the glory of God manifested in your life without responding to the Master’s call. God wants to be glorified through your life, but you must answer when He calls.

Fourth, verse 44 shows that there is new life at the Master’s call. Lazarus received life at the Master’s call. You may find that life’s fire may be flickering; the only way to rekindle the flame in life is to respond to the Master’s call. The Master has a way of rekindling the vision and excitement needed to make life fulfilling again.

Fifth, verse 44 shows that there is freedom at the Master’s call. Lazarus was bound by death’s clothes, but those cloths were removed at the Master’s call. What cloths of death are still holding you back from serving the LORD? The easiest way to overcome sin’s grip on your life is to respond to the Master’s call. You will find the cloths of death will begin to fall off when you start obeying the call of the Master.

Friend, “The Master is come, and calleth for thee.” Listen and obey His call. If you properly respond to His call, you will find these five things will happen in your life.

Through Him

by: Dr. Allen Domelle

John 3:17
“For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”

The verse above comes at the end of a dialogue between Jesus and Nicodemus. Nicodemus was a spiritual ruler of the Jews; he was a Pharisee. He was a man who knew the Jewish laws and customs, but he had seen so many of Jesus’ miracles that he knew there was something different about Him.

The dialogue was about being born again. Nicodemus couldn’t understand how a person could go back into their mother’s womb and be born. Jesus expounded on being born again by telling him that a person must be “born of water and of the Spirit.” In other words, Jesus explained that there must be a second birth in order for a person to get saved. After Jesus explained the second birth, He then told Nicodemus how to have a second birth. Several things in these verses explain how a person gets saved.

First, salvation has nothing to do with religion. Nicodemus was a Pharisee; he was a religious ruler, and yet his religion was not good enough to save him from his sins. Whatever your denominational background may be, you must understand that it cannot save you from sin. If we could take a peek into Hell, we would find that every denomination is represented in Hell. Religion has not paid for your sins.

Second, salvation is not obtained through a human personality. Nicodemus was a religious personality, and yet he still needed to be born again. The pope, rabbi, pastor, elder, priest or any other religious leader cannot take away your sins. You are still lost if you are trusting for a religious leader to absolve your sins and save you.

Third, salvation is not obtained by religious works. The Pharisees were a very moral people, but Jesus still emphasized that Nicodemus needed to be born again. You can try to be good enough to get yourself to Heaven, but you will still fall short of salvation no matter what your good works may be. Works will send you to one place, and that is to Hell.

Fourth, salvation is not for a chosen or elect person. God makes it clear that salvation is for “whosoever.” It is foolish to think that God elects people to get saved because He offers salvation to all. Jesus didn’t die for an elect few; He died for the world. Verse 16 doesn’t say that Jesus so loved the elect, but it says, “…God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son…” No matter who you are or what you have done, God loved you enough to die and pay for your sins. He loved you enough to offer you salvation.

Fifth, salvation only comes through Christ. The verse above says, “…but that the world through him might be saved.” Friend, the only way you can get saved is through Jesus Christ. Jesus is the only One Who can save you because He is the only One Who made the total payment for your sins through His sacrificial death, His burial, and His resurrection.

If there has never been a time you can point to when you put your complete trust in Christ to be your Saviour, make today that time. If you will ask Christ to be merciful to you as a sinner and save you, He will save you. If you have any questions about your salvation, please feel free to contact me so I can help you to settle this all-important decision.

Squelching the Urge to Retaliate

Luke 17:1
“Then said he unto the disciples, It is impossible but that offences will come: but woe unto him, through whom they come!”

God warns the disciples that they will have to deal with personal attacks and scandals. He says, “It is impossible but that offences will come…” The word “offences” means “scandal.” God then gives a warning to the person who would start the attacks or scandals. He says it would be better for that person to drown at sea than to start such an action.

At first look, you would think that God is warning the disciples that they would have to endure such attacks; however, when you continue to study the next few verses, you realize that Jesus is warning them not to start such actions because they have been hurt. This is why Jesus says in verse 3, “Take heed to yourselves…” It was a warning to the disciples not to be retaliatory. The Scriptures show us five things we can do to squelch the urge to retaliate.

First, watch your spirit that it doesn’t become vengeful. Taking “heed to yourselves” is a warning to carefully guard your spirit. You must be careful that your spirit doesn’t become one that wants to get even with someone because of what they have done to you. Yes, you may have a right to do so, but you must “take heed” to yourself that you don’t become vengeful.

Second, go to the person who has wronged you and try to settle the situation. Verse 3 says, “If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him…” You will find that many differences could be settled if you approach the offender in person. Dealing with someone face to face helps you to squelch the urge to retaliate.

Third, be willing to forgive. Verse 3 charges the Christian to forgive if that person repents. You must be willing to forgive if that person realizes their wrong. Don’t become so set on wanting revenge that you would be disappointed if they truly repented of their wrong. Never run out of forgiveness; you are going to need it.

Fourth, pray for God to settle the situation. Psalm 55:16 says, “As for me, I will call upon God; and the LORD shall save me.” This is a psalm about dealing with those who attack you. The psalmist understood that only God is capable of dealing with the situation and settling it properly. You are going to have to give the situation to God. As much as you would like to retaliate, you must exercise faith in God and allow Him to save you from those who attack and desire to destroy you.

Fifth, pray for the offender. Job 42:10 says, “And the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends…” God stepped in for Job when he prayed for those who maliciously attacked him. You will stay in bondage to bitterness and revenge until you learn to forgive and pray for those who hurt you. Don’t allow bitterness and revenge to keep you in a personal prison. Unlock the doors of your personal prison by praying for God to help those who have hurt you. Bitterness and the feelings of revenge will flee away when forgiveness steps in and you pray for the offender.

As Jesus said, it is impossible that you can go through this life without being offended. Let these five steps help you to squelch the urge to retaliate in the day of your offense and to keep your testimony and influence intact for Christ.

Cumbered About

Luke 10:40
“But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.”

Martha is like so many people in that she was so “cumbered about much serving” that she missed the opportunity to enjoy the presence of the Saviour. There is no doubt that Martha wanted the best for the Saviour, and that is very commendable, but she was so “careful and troubled” about getting the meal and the house ready that she missed the greatest opportunity of sitting and listening to Jesus.

The word “cumbered” means: to perplex or embarrass; to distract or trouble. In other words, Martha was afraid of being embarrassed because something wouldn’t be right. Her mentality caused her to be distracted and miss the true value of Jesus visiting her home. When you become like Martha and become so cumbered about everything, you miss the blessing of enjoying those who have come to visit you. Let me give you a few suggestions that will help you not to become distracted and cumbered about much serving.

First, do your best all the time. You must always ask yourself, “Have I done my best?” I’ve learned that if you do your best all the time, you won’t have to be concerned with doing your best the one special time. If your lifestyle is doing your best, it won’t matter how anyone catches you because they will catch you doing your best. For you to do your best when others come over and not do your best for those closest to you is wrong. Your immediate family deserves your best more than others. When you put the shine on for others and not for your family, you are telling your family that they are not as important to you as others. Get your priorities straight and do your best for your family and you will never have to put on the shine for guests who come to visit. Whether it is a church, organization or a family, your normal life should be to do your best all the time.

Second, work to please and not to impress. Martha was more concerned with impressing the Saviour instead of pleasing Him. Let me encourage you to stop trying to impress people and live to please the Saviour. Living to impress is selfish and wrong because you want people to notice you. If you live to please the Saviour, you will do your best all the time because it is a reflection of Him.

Third, don’t rob the presence for the present. Martha was so concerned with the presence of Jesus that she didn’t enjoy the present moment of His presence in her house. Friend, you can become so concerned with trying to impress people that you forget to enjoy them. When a person comes to visit, they come because they want to spend time with you. Don’t let their presence keep you from enjoy time with them.

Finally, if a person is going to judge you by how you put the shine on, they are probably not the type of person you with whom you should associate. This type of person will eventually not like something that you do. True friends enjoy you for who you are and not for what you can do for them.

This devotional is in no way giving you an excuse not to do your best, but it is a simple encouragement that if you do your best all the time, you can enjoy every person whom God sends your way. Be careful about being cumbered about like Martha. Do your best to please the LORD all the time, and you will be able to enjoy the presence of those who visit.

Dealing with Personal Attacks

Psalm 31:4
“Pull me out of the net that they have laid privily for me: for thou art my strength.”

The Christian always needs to understand that we are in a war. This war which we are engaged in is not a war against anyone else other than Satan. One thing we must remember is that Satan is not going to be fair in this fight. He will do whatever he can to win, including using people whom we love to fight against us. In fact, you will often find that Satan uses the weapon of personal attacks to discourage and defeat the Christian. David certainly faced this in the verse above. Yet, God gives four ways to deal with these personal attacks.

First, ask God to help your spirit. Verse 5 says, “Into thine hand I commit my spirit…” Every day you are going to have to ask God to help you not to get a bitter spirit. One of my daily prayers is for God to give grace for my spirit. If the Devil can defeat your spirit, he will defeat you as a Christian. You are going to have to watch your spirit. The more battles you fight, and the more personal attacks you endure, you will have to watch that you don’t allow your spirit to become angry and bitter towards others. The Devil is after your spirit more than he’s after you going into sin because he knows if he can destroy your spirit, your spirit will destroy others. You are going to have to closely watch your spirit when you are dealing with personal attacks.

Second, trust God to take care of the situation. It says in verse 6, “I have hated them that regard lying vanities: but I trust in the LORD.” You can’t try to help God out in your situation, but He knows how to deal with your situation without your help. If you trust God to handle those who are personally attacking you, you will find that He will handle it in a much better way than if you had personally tried to stop the individual who is leveling the attacks against you.

Third, choose to focus on that which makes you glad. Verse 7 says, “I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy…” You must purposely control your thoughts in the days of personal attack. Don’t allow yourself to dwell on it. It won’t be easy, but with the LORD’s help you can do it. Instead, choose to focus on those things that the LORD is doing through your life. Be careful not to equate God’s blessings to His caring for you because of the personal attack. Don’t go there! Just enjoy God’s blessings and don’t let His blessings cause you to refocus on the personal attacks. Enjoy the blessings as God’s goodness and mercy towards you.

Fourth, ask God for mercy to deliver you from the personal attacks. Verse 9 says, “Have mercy upon me, O LORD, for I am in trouble…” Even when David was attacked by Shimei, he understood that he didn’t deserve better; likewise, you must realize that God’s mercy in helping you is not because you deserve it, but because He is a merciful God. Certainly, everything that comes our way we deserve, but that doesn’t mean you can’t ask God to be merciful and deliver you from the personal attacks.

The result of dealing with personal attacks is found in verse 16 when it says, “Make thy face to shine upon thy servant…” If you deal with personal attacks properly, others will see God through you. Your desire should be that God’s face shines through you during these troubled times so that others will better see the goodness of God.

Faith’s Attributes

Mark 10:52
“And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way.”

Jesus had just finished a revival meeting in Jericho. Many people followed Him as left the city to go to the next place where He would preach. As He left the city, there was a blind man, by the name of Bartimaeus, who sat outside the city begging for money. This man lived in times when the government didn’t take care of those with special needs, and his only way to make a living was to beg and hope that people had enough compassion to give him the necessary money so that he could get some food to eat.

When Bartimaeus heard that Jesus was passing his way, he changed his begging for money to begging for mercy. He cried out to Jesus and said, “Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me.” The people thinking this would bother Jesus told Bartimaeus to hold his peace, which resulted in a greater plea and a louder cry that Jesus would have mercy on him. When Jesus heard his cry, He stood still and called for Bartimaeus to be brought to Him. When Jesus asked him what he wanted, he replied that he wanted his sight. Jesus’ response was, “Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole.” Immediately, Bartimaeus received his sight. In this story, you learn faith’s attributes. You will never see God work the miraculous in your life until these attributes of faith are evident in your life. Let me show you these four attributes.

First, faith has a willing heart. Bartimaeus was willing to do whatever Jesus commanded him to do. You will never be blessed by God or see Him perform the miraculous in your life until your heart is willing to do whatever God asks you to do. Faith’s call will sometimes seem ridiculous or impossible, but you must have a willing heart to do whatever faith asks you to do.

Second, faith has a listening ear. Bartimaeus was willing to listen to Jesus. Romans 10:17 reminds us that “…faith cometh by hearing…” You must listen to God’s Word if you want the faith to obey God’s command. God’s Word will give you the courage to obey faith’s opportunity. You must spend time daily in God’s Word and listen to the preaching of the Word if you want the strength to step out on faith’s command.

Third, faith has an obedient spirit. Bartimaeus immediately obeyed what Jesus told him to do, and it resulted in his healing. You will never be a person of great faith unless you are a person of complete obedience. Obedience is the kindling that ignites the fires of faith. If you lack faith, it is because you lack obedience.

Fourth, faith has a proper focus. Bartimaeus immediately followed Jesus after he was healed. You will never have the faith to see the miraculous when you are focused on man. The core of faith is following Jesus by faith. If you follow a man, you are living by sight; on the other hand, it takes faith to stay focused on Jesus, the One Who you can only see by faith.

Friend, you will never see God perform the miraculous in your life until you learn to walk and live by faith. What is it that you need God to do in your life today? Whatever your answer is, you will never see it happen until these four attributes are evident in your life. When they are evident, it is then that God can make it happen if it is His will.

Overcoming Discouraging People

by: Dr. Allen Domelle

Mark 3:21
“And when his friends heard of it, they went out to lay hold on him: for they said, He is beside himself.”

When you serve the LORD, you are going to find there will be people who are not as excited about what you are doing as you are. Many times, these who discourage you will be people who you would expect to be your encouragers. In spite of their well-meaning actions, you are going to have to find a way to overcome their discouraging words and actions.

Jesus faced the same discouraging people who you face. The first group that tried to discourage him was his family. The verse above says, “And when his friends heard of it…they said, He is beside himself.” Later in verse 31, His brethren and His mother were standing outside. They were not just standing there; they were the “friends” who had come to stop Him. You will also discover that not only did His family try to discourage Him, but also His friends, acquaintances, and the religious leaders. What do you do when those who should be your encouragers try to discourage you from following the LORD’s will in your life?

First, He didn’t expect them to understand what He was doing. You have to understand that the LORD spoke to your heart, not theirs. Don’t get upset with them because they don’t understand the LORD’s working in your heart. One day they will see it, but for the present time, you have to take your encouragement from the fact that you know what the LORD wants you to do. Friend, this isn’t the first time others have misunderstood you, and they probably won’t understand what you are doing when you step out by faith. Realize they are probably acting out of concern that you are going to hurt yourself.

Second, He didn’t attack them. You will see in every response that Jesus never one time tried to attack those who were trying to discourage Him. The worst thing you can do is to attack those who misunderstand what the LORD is doing in your heart. That will only give them more reason to believe that you are not acting “sanely.” The best way to act when people try to discourage you is to love them; don’t attack them.

Third, He didn’t let them sway Him from what He was supposed to do. It is so important that you keep doing what you are supposed to do even though it is tempting to stop so that you can explain to them what is happening in your life. The Devil will use these situations to get you distracted from doing God’s will for your life. Don’t let him distract you. Continue what you know as the LORD’s will for your life.

Fourth, He allowed time to show them He was right. It is interesting that while Christ was on the cross, He directly addressed His family. I believe it was at this moment that they finally understood most of the picture. Of course, they didn’t understand the whole picture until after He arose from the grave. Time is always on your side. One day they will see you are doing exactly what you are supposed to be doing if you will continue following God’s will for your life.

Nobody has ever done God’s will without being misunderstood. Let these remainders be your guide and encouragement in those times when those whom you expect to encourage you are discouraging you.

Pivotal Influences

by: Dr. Allen Domelle

Matthew 26:75
“And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out, and wept bitterly.”

Peter had many great intentions to do right, but he had the wrong pivotal influences which resulted in his denial of the church, his faith, and God. You have certainly heard about the incident in Peter’s life when he denied Christ three times, but like any incident, it should become a teaching moment to everyone who reads this story. If Peter had kept his pivotal influences right, he would have never denied Christ.

You make choices every day based off your pivotal influences. A pivotal influence is one that determines the direction of life decisions. It is vitally important to guard your pivotal influences because they ultimately determine what you become as a Christian. You may be right with God today, but if your pivotal influences are wrong, you won’t be right with Him in the future. The four pivotal influences that determined Peter’s denial are the same influences that will decide what you become as a Christian in the future.

The first pivotal influence is distance. Peter followed afar off instead of following closely. I know it is easy to criticize Peter because we were not there, but you cannot deny the fact that his distance contributed to his denial. Had Peter stayed close to the Saviour, the rest of the story would be different. Distance determines agreement. Amos 3:3 asks, “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” If your distance is right, your fellowship will be right. Don’t be the type of Christian who is uninvolved. Get involved! The more you do for Christ, the closer you will draw to the Saviour and the closer He will come to you.

The second pivotal influence is atmosphere. Peter found himself in an atmosphere of people who enjoyed watching wrong. Atmosphere determines action. You can’t be in the wrong atmosphere continuously and continue to do the right thing. You may think that atmosphere doesn’t matter, but it does. Atmosphere always influences your senses. If you want to keep your senses holy, you must keep yourself in a holy atmosphere. Be careful not to desensitize your senses by being in the wrong atmosphere.

The third pivotal influence is associations. Peter was standing with the false witnesses, and that was why he didn’t have the courage to stand for right. Associations dictate positions. If you want to be positionally right, make sure that your associations are right. You may presently be standing right with the wrong associations, but they will influence you to be wrong in the future. Solomon learned this lesson the hard way by having the wrong associations in his life, and they turned his heart from God. You cannot have wrong associations and stay right.

The fourth pivotal influence is stimulate. What is it that gets you excited? Peter stood at the heathen’s fire instead of being close to the Saviour. Stimulate decides choice. If you want to make the right choices, you had better get your excitement from the right places. You cannot receive your excitement from the world and not be worldly. Get your excitement from the things of God, and you will want to serve Him.

If you keep these four pivotal influences right, you will stay right with God.

The Power of the Church

by: Dr. Allen Domelle

Matthew 16:19
“And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

Many people will often misinterpret Matthew 16:18-19. There are some who think that Peter is the foundation of the church, which is absolutely false. Jesus is talking about Himself when He says, “…and upon this rock I will build my church…” Jesus is the Rock upon which the church is to be built. Ephesians 2:20 makes this clear when it says, “…Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;” Peter didn’t die for the church, but it was Jesus Christ who paid for the church with His blood. Acts 20:28 makes this clear when it says, “Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.” To think that the church is founded upon anyone else other than Jesus Christ is simply preposterous.

It is very clear from the verses above that Christ dearly loves the church. When reading the verse above, you see that God gives the church great power. There are four areas where the church has been given power.

First, God gives the church power to settle differences. When two people have differences, God wants them to come to the church to get them settled. When the church makes a decision, it becomes final in Heaven. Matthew 18:18 says, “Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Christian, you will find more of your differences will be settled with others if you will faithfully attend church and allow the church to be the judge that settles differences you have with others.

Second, God gives the church power to win victory. Jesus says concerning the church in Matthew 16:18, “…the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” God promises the church that no matter what attack Satan sends against it, the church will always prevail. You will experience more spiritual victory if you are faithful to church.

Third, God gives the church power to forgive in John 20:23. The key to this forgiveness is to be filled with the Holy Ghost. Every church must be careful not to become so judgmental that the sinner doesn’t feel welcome to come and find forgiveness. Every church needs to be the hospital where the sinner can come to find forgiveness and restoration. God’s desire for the church is that it becomes the place where the sinner knows they can go to when they have made a mess of their life.

Fourth, God gives the church power to get prayers answered in Matthew 18:19. I believe one of the things that have limited the influence of the church in this present day is that many have stopped coming to the church to pray. If just two people come to the church bonded with the same prayer request, God promises to be there to hear their prayer and answer it. Don’t every underestimate the power of church prayer!

The church should be an important part of your life. Let me encourage you not to just let church be a short three-hour period that you attend, but let it become your life. You will find more victories in the Christian life if you place the same importance on the church as did Christ.

Equipping the Called

by: Dr. Allen Domelle

Matthew 10:1
“And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.”

One thing the Christian must always remember is that God never asks you to do something that He doesn’t give you the wherewithal to do it. If God calls, He equips. God has never called someone to do something without giving them the necessary resources to do it. In over three decades of obeying the call of God on my life, I can testify that God has always given me the ability to do what He asks me to do.

In the verse above, Jesus called the disciples. After calling them, He then told them how He equipped them to fulfill this calling. What you need to understand is that God had already equipped them before they were called, He was just informing them of the resources He gave them if they obeyed the call. There are five things with which God equips a person who obeys His call.

First, God enables you with His power. The verse above says, “…he gave them power…” If you yield to God’s call for your life, He will give you the power you need to perform that call through the power of the Holy Spirit. You don’t have to fulfill the call of God alone. He gives you the power of His Holy Spirit to help you as you obey your calling.

Second, God stands with you in times of trial. God gave them power to “…heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.” When hardships come, and they will, He has already given you the power to withstand those trials. You might have to face sickness and disease, but you have all power to overcome them. You don’t have to let sickness or trials defeat you because God has empowered you to overcome them.

Third, God gives you the power to overcome outside attacks. God “…gave them power against unclean spirits…” Not only do you have the power to overcome attacks from within, but you also have the power to overcome the powers from without. When those without try to hurt you, God is there to help you to overcome their destructive power. Just like God was there to help the three Hebrew children when they faced the fiery furnace, you will have the same presence to help you as you obey His call.

Fourth, God gives you the wisdom to confound the enemy. In verse 19, when the enemy tries to destroy you, God will give you the words you need to say. You may feel that you are not eloquent enough, but God’s wisdom will be there to help you in those times when you feel inadequate to speak.

Fifth, God rewards you for your work. Verse 15 makes it clear that one day you will see the fruits of your labor. We often hear how people gave something up to serve the LORD, but my response is that you never give up anything to serve Him. God will not be a debtor to you. Your rewards may not be realized on this Earth, but you will see those rewards at the Judgment Seat.

Christian, you are never alone when you obey the call of God. God has called you to do something. Find what God has called you to do and do it. You may feel that you are inadequate, but these verses prove that He has already equipped you to fulfill your calling if you will obey.