Category: Strength for Today

1 Corinthians 9:9
“For it is written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen?”

It is interesting that one of the most fleshly churches in the Scriptures is reminded to reward the ox. Paul reminded this church how that he and Barnabas had given of themselves to help them get back to doing what they were supposed to do without reward; however, this problem was obviously one of the greater problems in this church. Many of the people who served in this church were not being rewarded, and Paul reminded them that the ox should be rewarded for its work.

I believe there is a great truth that is often missed in this verse. This verse is oftentimes used to talk about financially caring for men of God, but I don’t believe this is the only principle that this verse is teaching. The principle is that a person should be rewarded for their work. This is talking about any type of work. For instance, it is work for a person to grow in the LORD, and they should be rewarded accordingly when they grow. There should always be a reward for when someone “treadeth out the corn.” Let me give you a couple reminders that will help.

First, work always comes before reward. A mistake I have seen in recent years is that we are rewarding people before they have worked. Colleges are giving free tuition before the student has even studied. The government gives some citizens finances before they have worked. Pastors have rewarded their children with position before their children have even worked. In each of these cases, it doesn’t mean that the person is not doing a good job, it is simply taking reward out of God’s order. Likewise, you don’t give someone a position in the church in hopes that they will conform to the church’s rules for leadership. You give someone a position because they have grown in the LORD. You must always remember that God’s order is work first, reward second.

Second, reward comes after accomplishment. You will notice that the ox had already treaded the corn before it was rewarded. There was an accomplishment before they were rewarded. Certainly, someone is worthy of their hire, but reward should only come after accomplishment. If someone is doing what everyone is doing, then they should not be rewarded with leadership, but simply paid for their work. Accomplishment must be the standard people see for reward.

Third, a lack of reward after accomplishment only frustrates the one who has worked. It says in verse 10, “…that he that ploweth should plow in hope.” If a person accomplishes something, then reward should follow. Many Christians have been frustrated to the point of quitting because they accomplished something spiritual and were not rewarded for that accomplishment. One of the reasons someone grows in the LORD is that they will be rewarded for their growth. If there is no reward, then what is the purpose of growing?

Friend, let me encourage you to reward people when they have grown in the LORD. Don’t make them “prove” themselves longer to allow them to step up for this will only frustrate them. Simply put, those who have accomplished something are those who should be rewarded with leadership. Don’t be guilty of frustrating the growth of those whom you lead.

2 Kings 6:16
“And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.”

The war between Syria and Israel became personal when the King of Syria sent a band of men to kill Elisha. Elisha was advising the King of Israel where the Syrians were and where he should put his troops. The king of Syria couldn’t figure out which of his men were spying for Israel and ordered an investigation into the matter. The investigation revealed that Elisha, the man of God, was the one who was telling Israel Syria’s movements. It was then that the Syrians were ordered to go and assassinate Elisha.

When the servant of Elisha woke up the next morning, he saw their complex surrounded by an army of Syrians. Fear struck his heart as all he could see was impending death. Elisha tried to encourage his servant when notified about these troops by saying, “Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.” Elisha then prayed and asked God to open his eyes, and to his servant’s amazement “…he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.”

What this servant saw in a time of hardship is very similar to what many people see in their trials. This servant was looking at the circumstances instead of looking at the God Who controls the circumstances. There is no doubt that through eyes of flesh the circumstances were dire, but through the eyes of faith the victory had already been won. The perception of the circumstances was determined by what eyes the servant looked through. When he looked through the eyes of faith he realized he would not be hurt.

You have a choice when adverse circumstance come your way to either look through the eyes of flesh or look through the eyes of faith. When looking through the eyes of faith you will always see that God has given you more than what you could imagine. When you look through the eyes of faith you will see that your battles are already won. God is not going to leave you to fight your battles alone. He has promised to be with you, but you will never see His presence until you look through the eyes of faith.

However, when you look through the eyes of flesh, you will be discouraged. The only reason you feel defeated when facing adverse circumstances is because you have not opened your eyes of faith to see what God is doing for you. When you are discouraged, you are looking through the eyes of flesh. When you are complaining, you are looking through the eyes of flesh. When you feel hopeless, you are looking through the eyes of flesh. These fleshly feelings are a result of looking through the eyes of flesh.

Friend, the answer to looking through the eyes of faith is to ask God to open your eyes so you can see what He sees. The eyes of faith will never see clearly until you get into the Word of God and have them strengthened. God’s Word is what makes the eyes of faith to see clearly. Romans 10:17 says, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Until you spend time strengthening your eyes of faith in the Word of God and asking God to open your eyes of faith, you will continue to see the circumstances in life. You can live a victorious Christian life if you will look through the eyes of faith. When looking through the eyes of faith, you will see there are more with you than there are with them.

2 Kings 4:6
“And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And he said unto her, There is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed.”

Two stories are very similar, but they both have very different outcomes. Each story had a man of God. Each story had a widow who was in great need. In each story the widow had some oil, but the outcome of the oil was very different.

The first story is found in 1 Kings 17. God commanded Elijah to go the to widow of Zarephath during the time of famine. When Elijah arrived at her house, he saw her gathering sticks to prepare a final meal for her and her son. The only thing she had was a handful of meal and a little oil in a cruse. When Elijah saw her, he asked her to cook him some bread to eat. Elijah didn’t change his command when she responded that she didn’t have much. She obeyed, and went and drew from the barrel and poured oil from the cruse. To her surprise meal reappeared and the oil didn’t fail. As long as she kept pouring from the cruse the oil never stopped.

The second story is found in the verse above. This widow came to Elisha to ask him what she should do. Her husband had died and left her with several bills, but she had no money with which to pay these bills. Elisha asked her what she had in her house. She responded, “Thine handmaid hath not any thing in the house, save a pot of oil.” He then told her to go and borrow as many vessels as she could. He even said, “…borrow not a few…” After she gathered the vessels, at the prophets command she began to pour the oil into these vessels. When she had no more vessels to pour into, “the oil stayed.”

It is interesting that one widow kept drawing from the cruse and the oil never stayed, while the other widow became satisfied with the vessels she had and the oil stayed. The difference between the two widows was their vision and faith. One kept going to the cruse while the other simply poured into what she had instead of gathering more to keep the oil from staying. One gathered what she thought she needed and stopped, while the other kept making the trip to the cruse to keep drawing from it. Both of these widows saw miracles, but the one widow who kept going to the cruse kept seeing the fresh oil every day.

Friend, yesterdays oil is not good for today. Too many Christians have stopped going to the cruse and the oil has stayed in their lives. What God did yesterday should not be your satisfaction today. You need to go to the cruse of oil everyday and keep drawing from its oil. As long as you keep going to the cruse, you will find the fresh oil you need; but, when you stop going to the cruse, the oil will stay in your life and you will have to live on yesterday’s oil.

Let me encourage you to increase your faith and keep going to the cruse. If you will keep attempting greater things for the LORD, you will find that you will have to keep going to the cruse; however, when you become satisfied with what you have, you will find that your trips to the cruse will stop and the oil will stay.

Are you living on yesterday’s oil? Have you stopped going to the cruse of oil? Has the oil stayed in your life? Friend, let me encourage you to never stop going to the cruse of oil. God will continue to give you the fresh oil you need as long as you keep going and pouring from the cruse of oil.

Mark 3:5
“And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other.”

The heart is the core of every problem. If a person has a heart problem, then their bad heart risks not only the quality of their life, but their life as well. You cannot continually have heart problems without it eventually taking your life. The Word of God shows us three types of heart problems that will hurt the Christian’s life.

The first heart problem is a hard heart. The verse above shows that a hard heart causes someone to be unchangeable no matter what evidence has been shown. Jesus was in the presence of a man whose hand was withered. The Pharisees watched whether Jesus would heal this man on the Sabbath so that they would have something for which to accuse Him. It didn’t matter that this man needed help, the heart of these Pharisees was so hardened that they were not going to change their course of action.

Christian, you must be careful that you don’t become so stubborn with what you want to do that you never change your actions. You must be careful that you don’t allow your heart to become so hard that you never listen to truth. A tender heart is willing to change when it sees its actions are wrong, but hard hearts will hurt the work of the LORD.

A fat heart is the second heart problem. Isaiah 6:10 shows us that the fat heart is one that is too sluggish to research truth, so it suffices to continue in its course of action even if it is wrong. You must be careful not to become so spiritually lazy that you don’t study God’s Word to understand its truths. A fat heart is one that will listen to truth, but will never give out truth. You need to be very careful that your heart doesn’t become so fat that it leads to a hardened heart. God intends for everyone to give out what they have learned. If you want to avoid getting a fat heart, then you need to get involved in teaching people God’s Word. This will force you to study the Word of God so you will understand its truths.

A deceived heart is the third heart problem. Isaiah 44:20 shows that a deceived heart is one which bases what it believes on man and not on the Word of God. Everything that any person teaches or preaches must be based off the Word of God. Just because a preacher you trust tells you something doesn’t make it right. You need to be sure that your beliefs come from the Word of God. Let me ask you, do you know why you believe what you believe? Believing something just because your preacher says it is right is not good enough. That will eventually lead to a deceived heart. A deceived heart will eventually lead to believing error. You need to now why you believe what you believe, and base it solely on the Word of God.

Do you find yourself having heart problems? The key to keeping a right heart is to study the Word of God. Let me encourage you to study God’s Word so that whenever you are asked why you do or do not believe something, you can take them to the Scriptures and show them why. God’s Word should be your sole basis of actions and beliefs. Study it so you don’t acquire heart problems.

1 Kings 17:7
“And it came to pass after a while, that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land.”

In the beginning of Elijah’s ministry, God had him decree to Ahab that there would be a famine for several years. God told Elijah that as soon as he told Ahab about the famine that he was to go hide by the brook Cherith, for in that place there was water to drink and some ravens that God prepared to take care of him.

In the verse above, we see that the brook dried up. It seems as though the prophet had no hope, but God sent him to the widow of Zarephath. It was this widow whom Elijah told to make him a little cake, but she only had a handful of meal and a little oil in a cruse. For the rest of the famine, Elijah was cared for by that handful of meal and a cruse of oil. Though the brook dried up, there was still oil to supply his need.

Everybody, at some point in their life, will experience their brook drying up. You must understand that when the brook dries up, there is still some oil. The oil is always symbolic of the Holy Spirit power. You may right now be in a time of your life when your brook has dried up, but let me remind you that there is still some oil in your cruse that can help you through this time.

When the brook of personality dries up, there is still some oil. Your personality will only take you so far, but let me remind you that there is still some oil when it dries up. You may have tried everything you know with your personality, but there is still some oil that can help sustain you when the brook has dried up.

When the brook of methods dries up, there is still some oil. You can run to every conference and read every book to learn every method of how to do God’s work and still be dry, but there is still some oil that will sustain you if you will yield. There is nothing wrong with methods, but don’t forget the oil.

When the brook of education dries up, there is still some oil. You may have tried everything you learned to solve your problems, but there is still some oil. Education can certainly be helpful in life, but there will come a time when education will fall short. In the times when education falls short, let me remind you that there is still some oil.

When the brook of man dries up, there is still some oil. You may look to a leader who seems to always have an answer for you, but one day that brook will dry up. When man has let you down or fallen into sin, there is still some oil to sustain you through that dry time.

Friend, all of these things and more will help, but they will eventually dry up. You must always remember that there will always be oil. Instead of trusting these things, why not trust the power of the Holy Spirit in the first place? It is God’s power that supersedes all of man’s methods and ideas. You can put your trust in your brook, but eventually your brook is going to dry up.

Has your brook dried up? Do you feel that you are dry and have nothing more to offer? Then turn to the Holy Spirit, for He will never dry up. He always has the power to finish the job in the way God wants it done. When your brook in life dries up, always remember there is still oil.

Matthew 28:20
“Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”

One of the benefits of being saved is having the presence of God with you at all times. Knowing that God will never leave us nor forsake us is comforting for whatever you may face in life. God’s presence in one’s life is what assures us that we can make it.

There is a difference with having God’s presence and having His accompanying presence. The verse above says, “…lo, I am with you alway…” The word “with” means to accompany. God is teaching us that when we have His accompanying presence, we then have His help. Certainly, God’s presence is always with the believer, but He doesn’t always help the believer. That accompaniment has conditions we must meet.

First, you must go if you want God’s accompanying presence. God says in verse 19, “Go ye therefore…” You will never get God’s help until you follow the basic command to every Christian to go and be a soul winner. As long you as you sit and do nothing, you will never experience the helping hand of God. Paul obtained the “help of God” in Acts 26:22 because he went. Going is the catalyst to God’s help as the striking of the match is to a fire. When you go, it springs God to action to begin helping you.

Second, you must not only go, but you must fulfill the Great Commission as you go. God says that we are to “teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things…” In other words, we are not only to win people to Christ, but we are also to get them baptized and teach them the Word of God. God’s accompanying presence will help you as you do all of these things. Someone once asked me, “Bro. Domelle, what do I do if I mess up?” I told them that as long as they would simply go and obey what God has commanded them to do that He would be sure they would get the help they need. In other words, as we obey, God takes what we do and say to help those we are teaching to understand. What a promise!

Third, if you want God’s accompanying presence then you must “observe all things.” The word “observe” means to guard from loss or to build a fortress. What are we guarding? We are guarding “all things.” Friend, God is interested in His children taking every part of His Word to heart. There is not one part of God’s Word that is more important to Him than another. It is all important to Him. When the Christian focuses their energies on defending all of God’s Word, then He promises to help them. In other words, you are to build a fortress around God’s Word and never let anything pull you away from It. As you defend those truths, God promises to help you in that defense.

These three areas are a package deal. After God shows what He expects from you, He then says, “…and, lo, I am with you alway…” He is saying that if you will do these things, then He promises to help you as you do them. Let me remind you that you don’t have to do God’s work alone. He promises to help you if you will simply go and do.

1 Kings 8:53
“For thou didst separate them from among all the people of the earth, to be thine inheritance, as thou spakest by the hand of Moses thy servant, when thou broughtest our fathers out of Egypt, O Lord GOD.”

The best day of my life was June 21, 1973. It was a Thursday evening, my father was out soul winning and my mom sat my siblings and I down for family devotions before  we went to bed. After devotions and family prayer, I went to my mother and asked her how I could go to Heaven. After sending my brother and sisters to bed, she opened the Scriptures and showed me how to be born again. That night, I knelt beside our couch and received Jesus Christ as my personal Saviour. This was the greatest day of my life because my destination went from Hell to Heaven. My relationship with God changed from being lost to being a child of God.

Several things happened that night that I didn’t totally understand. Just like Israel didn’t understand when God called them out of Egypt, I didn’t understand that I was called out to be His inheritance. Salvation certainly saves one from sin, but it also calls them out unto several things.

First, when a person gets saved, they are called out to be God’s. Notice that God separated Israel to be His “inheritance.” God didn’t separate us from the world to bring glory to man, but He called us out to bring Him glory. You must always remember that God wants the glory for calling you out. When Israel started giving God’s glory to a golden calf, He severely punished them and ground the calf to powder. God didn’t call you out for you to give glory to any man. You must be careful that you don’t take God’s glory and give it to man for He likely will remove the man so that He receives the glory. You were called out to be God’s; be careful that you don’t give the glory God wants for calling you out to anyone else.

Second, God called you out to be separate. God separated Israel from Egypt, and He did not want them going back. God didn’t call you out of the world for you to go back and live like the world. He called you out to be separate. God wants the world to know that you are His. When you dress, talk and live like the world, they will never know that you were called out to be God’s. Be careful that you don’t try to live like the world. God called you out to live that separated life from the world. Don’t ever fall for the lie that you can look like the world and that God doesn’t care.

Third, God called you out to be blessed. God called you out to be His inheritance. In other words, He wants to bless you. This is why you must live the separated life that gives glory to Him, because it is that life that brings His blessings upon your life. God wants the world to know that living the Christian life is the best and most blessed life one could live. They will never know that if you are living to identify with the world. They will only know this when you live that separated life that gives glory to Him.

You are called out of the world unto God. Remind yourself every morning that you are called out that day to show a world of the great God Who saved you. Then, as you walk throughout the day, yield yourself to His Holy Spirit so your life will show the world that you have been called out unto God.

Matthew 20:1
“For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard.”

Having the right attitude is important to the direction of one’s ministry. You can have all the talent in the world, but with the wrong attitude your talent will never perform to its capability. You can have all the education in the world, but with the wrong attitude your education will not help others to its capacity. You can have the best charisma a person could obtain, but the wrong attitude will turn your charisma into a weapon that destroys those who you are to help. In this chapter God shows us three attitudes that are important for every Christian to have as they work in His kingdom.

The first attitude God desires is a “do my job” attitude. The first parable God uses in this chapter is about people who were more worried about their compensation and position than they were about doing their job. They saw others coming in after them receiving the same payment, and it angered them. You will never be successful in the ministry when all you’re concerned with is position. Far too many Christians get upset with leadership because they are not rewarded with position when they really need to be concerned with doing their job. If you will take on the attitude of doing your job the best that you can without concern for position, you will find that attitude will give greater rewards and satisfaction.

The second attitude God desires is a servant attitude. In verses 20-28, the disciples became concerned with having position so they could tell people what to do. Jesus turned the tables on them and taught them that the greatest in His kingdom was the person who took on the attitude of serving others. A person without a servant’s attitude will be a poor leader. The whole purpose of leadership is to serve. The best Christian is the one who desires to serve others. Jesus came to Earth to serve others, and that is the attitude He expects from His children.

The third attitude God desires is a people attitude. In verses 29-34, two blind men heard Jesus passing by, and they began to cry out for mercy. They wanted to be healed, but when the crowds heard these men, they tried to silence them. Jesus stopped and had compassion for these men, and He healed their blindness. Jesus wanted Christians to learn that they should never get so busy in serving the LORD that they forget that serving the LORD is all about people. When you get so wrapped up in your ministry that you forget that your ministry is about people, then you need to stop and get refocused on why you are doing what you do. There is no purpose for what we do in our ministries if it were not for people. Always remember that your job is about people.

Do you see yourself lacking these three attitudes? The key to making sure you have these attitudes is to take yourself out of the equation of life. When you completely die to self, you will find these attitudes are not hard to have. This is why you must crucify your flesh on a daily basis. By crucifying your flesh, these attitudes naturally become a part of your being. Daily ask God to help you keep these attitudes, and you will see that you will make a greater influence on those you serve.