Matthew 6:24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

You claim to be a servant of the Most High God but does your behavior correspond with your words? Do you really live your life as if you are serving God or do live your life for yourself and the things of this world. Your talk talks and your walk talks, but your walk talks louder than your talk talks.

It does not matter how many people at church that you are a servant of God, if during the rest of the week you are a slave to the things of this world, your words are meaningless in the eyes of God. Yes you need to proclaim the name of Jesus and exhort one another to do that which is right in the eyes of God. Nonetheless, you are a hypocrite to proclaim to others that you are spiritual when you are a slave to the things of this word.

The religious leaders during the time of Jesus made all sorts of appearances of just how spiritual they were. However, they had the son of God living among them and they were such a slave to their traditions that they failed to see Christ for who HE was. Christ called the religious leaders white washed sepulchers.

You are a creation of a perfect God who requires that you live to HIS perfect standards in order for your life to be pleasing to HIM. Adam and Eve sinned and one of their punishments was that they were kicked out of the garden that God had made for them. When Jesus was on the cross, HE died to take the sins of the world. One of the last things that Christ said before HE died was a question to God in which HE asked what God had forsaken HIM. Jesus the perfect Son of God felt the rejection of HIS Father when HE died to pay the ultimate sacrifice so that we might have a renewed relationship with God.

Jesus Christ was perfect yet just because HE was taking the burden of our sins away from us, Christ experienced the separation from God. God could not have anything to do with HIS own Son. If God could not have anything to do with HIS own Son, what makes you think that if you are living a life enjoying the pleasures of this world that God will be pleased just because you proclaim to be a Christian.

God is not impressed with our words to HIM. God is not impressed that we have not missed a Sunday at church for the last 15 years. God is not impressed that we always give $5.00 to the local missionary that is traveling through town. It does not matter what we say or what we do that we think results in HIS good pleasure if we are a slave to the things of this world.

Satan knows your weaknesses and he knows how to tempt you to become a slave to something that comes between you and God. As much as you think you can justify your sinful behavior, you will not be innocent when you stand before God at the great throne of Judgment. You will be accountable to HIM for every time you allowed something to come between you and your Creator.

You must be diligent to add temperance to your life. You can either serve God or you can serve the things of this world. When you exercise self-control, you say no to the things of this world and start serving the God that you proclaim with your mouth. Next time you are tempted to sin, stop and realize that you will have to give an account to God for your actions.

Psalms 127:1 Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it: except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.

What can you do apart from the grace of God in your life? If God determines that you are not going to do something, there is nothing you can do to make it happen. You need God’s help if you are going to fulfill HIS purpose for your life; apart from God you can do absolutely nothing.

The Lord had called HIS people to enter into the Promise Land. However, because of a lack of faith, God told HIS people that they were going to have to wonder in the wilderness for 40 years. The nation of Israel decided to try to enter the Promise Land anyways but because God was not with them, they were soundly defeated.

When Nehemiah determined to rebuild the wall, God was with him and guided him. God gave Nehemiah grace with the leaders of the land and they provided the things that he needed to build the wall. Nehemiah was able to accomplish a great task in a short period of time because he allowed God to work through him so that God received the glory.

Yielding yourself to the will of God is not easy. To place yourself in a position that you are utterly dependent upon God requires a radical change in your life. However, there are great benefits to those who learn to completely trust in God. As you learn to place all your reliance upon HIM, God will be able to open doors so that HE receives the glory.

God does not make mistakes. HE is never late. If you are going to live a life of faith doing the will of God, then you must learn to yield your will to HIM. You must learn to hear the still small voice of God and allow HIM to open the doors that you need to walk through. You must learn to trust God for your daily provision like Elijah had to when there was no rain on the earth for three and a half years. Elijah had to hear God and go where God directed and God provided for HIS needs.

You will never find true contentment for your life if you are not in the center of God’s will. Unless you change your mindset to be pursuing the things of God in God’s timing, the things of this world will frustrate you and discourage you. Peter was able to walk on water as long as he focused upon God’s strength. However, as soon as he saw the waves, he lost focus on God and he found that he could do nothing in his own strength.

God has truly great things that HE desires to do through you. You must become willing to completely trust God. There will be storms that arise in your life to discourage you from doing what God desires of you, but if you allow your mind to be filled with the good report of all the times that God has directed, protected, and provided for you, then you will have the strength to see God continue to use you to do great things for HIM.

Apart from God you are nothing. As long as you think that you can do great things on your own, you will be disappointed and discouraged. Filling your mind with the virtue of God will be the only way that you can have complete trust in God. As you learn to let go of your own ambition and allow God’s grace to flow through you, God will be able to create in you a testimony that you can share with those around you of how God did the impossible through you. God is waiting to work, are you willing to be HIS servant.

Psalms 126:4 Turn again our captivity, O Lord, as the streams in the south.

On many occasions the nation of Israel was in captivity to foreign nations. Sometimes they were actually captives in a foreign land like with the nation of Egypt and the nation of Babylon. Other times the nation was held captive in their own country like with the Midianites in the time of Gideon or the Philistines during the time of Samson. It did not matter what type of captivity it was, there was only One who could deliver them, God.

You may not think that you have ever been a captive but you were once a captive of sin. As a sinner, the only way you were going to be released from being a slave to sin was by the grace of God. You had to come to God and repent and ask God to free you. By God’s grace, you were freed from bondages of sin.

Just because you asked God to forgive you for your sins and you became a servant of God, this does not mean that Satan has stopped trying to bring you back into his camp. Look at the nation of Israel. God would deliver HIS people as captives to a foreign nation, the people would cry out to God, God would rise up a deliverer, and free HIS people. However, as soon as the leader died, the people went back to their wickedness and God allowed another captivity to begin.

It is no different in your life. You are always at battle with Satan over keeping your mind right before God. Satan loves to bring you into captivity to sin and he knows your weaknesses. Satan will tempt you with the things of this world in order to distract your attention from serving the Lord your God with all your heart. It is real easy for you to slip back into being a captive of sin. Satan will do it gradually; he will encourage you to make small compromises that feel comfortable. As you compromise your faith, you will become a captive of sin and you will need to repent and have God deliver you once again.

You can be a captive of so many things. Each of us has our own weaknesses. For some it can be power, for others passions, for others possessions. It does not matter what your personal captivity is, the only way for you to escape will be by the power of God. You will need to cry out to God. You need to acknowledge your sin. Cry out to God and ask HIM to deliver you. Ask God to protect you from falling back into that sin that besets you. By God’s grace you will be delivered and HE will be glorified in your life.

What is your captivity? What is holding you back from fully trusting in God? What sin is in your life that is preventing you from having great faith? Examine yourself and see what weaknesses Satan is exploiting to damage your effectiveness for God. Is your mind right before God? Is there anything that comes between you and your relationship with God? If there is, you are in captivity and you need to turn to God to deliver you from that sin that binds you.

You need to set your mind upon the things of God. Fill your mind with the things of God and not the things of this world. As you add to your faith virtue, God will be able to open doors to you that you thought were shut. The reason why those doors might have been shut was because God allowed you to be a captive because of the sin that was in your life. As you fill your life with God, doors will open and you will be free to serve HIM.

Psalms 100:3 Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

There is no such thing as a self made man. Apart from God you can do nothing. It is God who has given you your talents that you can use to do great things for HIM. It is God who has given you the treasures that you have; apart from the hand of God, you would have nothing. It is God who has given you time on this earth; HE knows the number of your days. It does not matter what you do, you must be careful that you do not allow pride to rise up in your life and take credit for the things that you have done.

God created you and thus you are HIS. You have the choice to be a slave to sin or a servant of God. Regardless of how you choose, it is God who permits both good and evil things to occur in your life. It is God who has created you unique. You can pretend all you want that it is because of you that good things have occurred in your life but you would be foolish in taking credit for the things that God has done.

You must take the time to understand that the Lord is God. You must study God; you must become a student. The more you know of God, the more you will realize that God is love and that apart from HIM you would be nothing. You will never learn of God if all you ever do is beg God for things that you need. Instead, if you desire to know that the Lord is God, you will have to meditate upon HIS word the Bible. If you desire to know that the Lord is God, you will have to go to the Lord in prayer and spend time covering all the elements of the Lord’s Prayer, not just asking God for your daily bread.

David understood that the Lord was God when he stepped out onto the battlefield to face Goliath. David saw Goliath mocking God and realized that greater was HE that was in him then he that was of this world. David did not have the skills necessary to wield Saul’s armor, but David knew that God had given him the ability to use a rock and a sling. David took the talents that God had given him and he used those talents so that God would receive the glory.

Moses had a close relationship with God. God told Moses that he was supposed to speak to the rock and it would bring forth water for the people. Moses had once obeyed God and had brought water out of the rock by striking it. Moses did not obey God this second time and speak to the rock but instead he attempted to take matters into his own hands and he struck the rock twice and brought water out of the rock. Moses did a great thing, but God was not glorified and as a result.

If you want to learn the subject of math, you must spend the time learning the subject, take the time to practice the problems, and then be prepared for the test that proves your knowledge of the subject. The same is true if you desire to know God. You must take the time to fill your mind with the ways of God. Allow God to bring circumstances into your life where you will have to trust HIM and allow HIM to prove to you and those around you that HE is God. You must understand that you will face a trial of your faith. However, the trial of your faith worketh patience and “let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” (James 1:4). If you desire to know who God is, take the time to add virtue to your life.

Psalms 91:4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.

The clasp of thunder can be heard in the distance. A mother bird quickly grabs a worm and then heads off to her nest. After she has fed her babies, she sets herself in the nest and spreads forth her wings to protect her babies from the impending storm. No sooner had the mother spread her wings then the storm erupted. As long as the baby birds stayed under their mother’s wings, the storm will not harm them. They were safely in the nest that their mother had made for them. The babies have been provided for and now their mother is going to protect them. In a few weeks, when they are stronger, their mother is going to teach them how to hunt for their own food.

The same God who put in that mother bird a desire to protect and provide for her young is the same God who desires to protect and provide for you. God has established a perfect place for you. If you are resting in the place HE has prepared, why should you worry about the storms that arise around you. The storm can do you no harm as long as you remain in God’s perfect place and as long as you allow God to protect you.

You would think that the baby bird is stupid in the middle of the storm to tell its mother to get lost. The baby bird would only cause harm to itself if it were to get up in the midst of the storm and tell its mother how scared it is of the storm and that it must now leave the nest to go find shelter elsewhere in order to ensure its safety. The safest place for the baby to remain is under the protection of its mother’s wings. It is not ready to brave the storms on its own. It is not ready to face the enemies that it will have in the world. The storm should drive the baby birds to their mother, not away from their mother.

Jesus commanded us to not worry about tomorrow. How easy is it to start concentrating on tomorrow’s problems? God instead desires that we learn to trust in HIM. We need to turn our eyes upon HIM. When storms arise around us, we need to look to ensure that we are in God’s perfect place. If we are in the place God has for us, then you can trust that God is with you and HE will protect you. The storm can do you no harm as long as you trust God. If you find yourself outside of God’s perfect place, then you must understand that one of the purposes of this storm is to drive you back to God’s perfect place.

The choice is yours; you do not have to trust God to protect you. You can choose to suffer the consequences of the storms because you refuse to allow God to be first in your life. God is worthy of your trust, if you are in the center of HIS will for your life, you can be at ease knowing that HE will provide and protect you.

Stop and consider where you are at right now with God. What is your relationship like? Are you like the baby birds who rest under the protective arms of their mother or are you the prodigal son who has gone out to do that which is right in your own eyes?

It is time to change your thinking. You can be a servant of God and trust in HIM for your protection and provision or you can be a slave to sin and suffer the consequences of your actions. If you choose to be a servant of God, then you must change your thinking to add virtue to your life. Virtue will enable you to trust God regardless of the storm.

Psalms 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.

It does not matter what you do, you cannot create for yourself a clean heart. Your own wickedness has dirtied your heart and you have no righteousness to make it clean. You must accept the righteousness of God in order to receive the clean heart that David is crying out for in this passage. It does not matter what works that you do, only God can give you a clean hear and a clear conscience.

You can attempt to do a 1,000 good works a day, but it will not create a clean heart in you. There is nothing you can do except receiving God’s righteousness that will give you the clean heart that you need in order to spend eternity in heaven.

How often do you find yourself allowing the concerns of this world to control you? How often do you see anger, worry, fear, greed, or bitterness creeping up into your spirit? When you allow the things of this world to control you your spirit cannot be right with God. God needs you to stop allowing yourself to get into the downward spiral and instead, allow HIM to lift you up.

God desires to renew your relationship with HIM. God longs for you to be utterly dependent upon HIM. God can do the impossible but HE desires that you change your attitude and renew your spirit so that HE is the focus of your life. Until you are at the place where you are utterly dependent upon God, God will not show HIMSELF strong in your life as you desire.

Scripture shows us two particular battles that king Asa was a part of. The first one Asa cried out to God and acknowledged that he rested fully on HIM. Asa understood that God could save them with many or with them that had no power. God showed himself strong in Asa’s life and the Lord smote the Ethiopians.

The second battle that Asa face he did not cry out to God. Instead he turned to his gold and used it to pay off the Syrians so that they might help him defeat his enemies. God had shown himself strong in the life of Asa but Asa did not keep his heart right before God and allowed himself to rely upon his own strength. God was not pleased with Asa and within a short period of time, Asa died because he did not cry out to God for deliverance.

The children of the world appear to be able to live in this world without God, but they do not live the fulfilled life that you are able to live when you are following God’s perfect plan for your life. Yes, you can survive this world without God, but you will never make it to eternity with HIM. You must understand that because you have become a servant of God, your whole existence is reliant upon HIM.

God desires to do great things through you. However, you need to change your mindset and rather than thinking upon the things of this world, you need to learn to think upon the things of God. As you fill your mind with virtue, you will learn to understand God’s power in your life. You will not experience this power if you allow the things of this world to consume you. Instead you must learn to be consumed by the things of God. God is all you need, and God should be your top priority.

Psalms 23:3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

God is willing to restore you, but the real question today is whether you are willing to be restored? You have sinned and fallen short of HIS perfect will for your life but God is ready to bring you back into HIS’ arms. Are you willing to wait on HIM? Are you willing to follow HIS’ leading?

You are like a sheep and the Lord is your shepherd. If you desire to not lack provision, than you must be willing to lie down in the place that the Lord has put you. If you desire the Lord to restore you, than you must be willing to follow HIS’ leading. You do not have to choose to follow the Good Shepherd. Instead you can be like the lost sheep that went astray. However, the Good Shepherd will be looking for you and will be willing to restore you if you will but be willing to follow HIM.

Are you sick of your sin and desire more for your life? God can restore your soul. However, if God were to restore your soul today, how long would it last before you allowed yourself to slip back into your self-centered sinful state? God not only desires to restore you, HE desires to change you so that you do not have to constantly be coming back to HIM asking HIM to restore you.

To be fully restored will require a change in your life. No longer can you be the sheep that goes where it wants when it wants. Instead, you must be the one who patiently waits for the direction of God. You must be willing to follow the Lord’s will. You cannot serve two masters. You must choose who is going to be the master of your life. You can allow the Good Shepherd to be your Master or you can allow the world, the flesh and the devil to be your master. God is not going to make you choose HIM?

God desires to bring you to he place where you are relying fully on HIM. To do this, you must change your mindset from being self-supported to relying upon God for your provision. When the nation of Israel were in the land of Egypt, they knew that they were in bondage but they were comfortable with their bondage because they could rely upon their own strength for their provision. In order to prepare HIS� people to be ready to conquer the Promised Land, HE had to lead them around in the wilderness for over 40 years. For 40 years, the Lord provided their daily need for food.

God provided for HIS people. HE desired to show HIMSELF strong in their lives. HE did not give them too much but only gave them what they needed for the next day. God is willing to do the same for you if only you allow HIM. It took the nation of Israel 40 years of seeing God’s provision, protection and direction for them to trust HIM enough to see HIM give them the thing that HE had promised.

It is time to change your mindset. You must be willing to change your thinking to put the things of God first. Do not rely upon your own strength, instead trust in God and allow HIM to work through you. Add virtue to your faith so that God can restore you and finish the good work that HE has begun in you. The choice is yours; no one is going to make you fully trust in God. Allow virtue to change your mind and God will change your heart.

Psalms 22:23 Ye that fear the Lord, praise him; all ye the see of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel.

How grateful are you to God for the things HE has done for you? When was the last time you sat down and thanked HIM for the good things HE has done for you?

You are made in the image of God. There are so many books on the market today teaching the importance of praising your spouse, or your children, or your employees. It is a proven fact that the relationship grows as individuals sincerely seek out the good in others rather than constantly complaining about perceived faults. Just as you need to hear the praises of others in order for your relationship with that individual to grow, so you need to sing forth God’s praises if your relationship with God is going to grow.

Seek and you shall find. If you seek to find ways God has blessed you, you will find them. If you do not make the effort to find the good things God has done for you, Satan will try to fill that void in your life by trying to concentrate your attention upon those times that you perceived that God forsook you.

You have chosen to be a servant of God; you have an obligation to praise God. Praise is an important part of your relationship with God. Praise God for the way HE has directed your steps. Praise God for the way HE has provided for you in the past. Praise God for the way HE has protected you from harm. Praise God for giving you life. Praise God for those individuals who HE has placed in your life who have helped you grow closer to HIM. Take the time every day to praise the Lord. God desires to hear your praises, take the time each day to ensure that your thoughts are filled with finding the good that God has done for you.

Drawing closer to God does not need some magical solution. You will draw closer to God if you take the time to make your relationship with God important. You must change your perspective on life. God is not like an old rag doll that is on display. God desires that you take the time to develop a close relationship with HIM. HE is there waiting for you. God is not going to force HIMSELF upon you. HE is not going to demand that you serve HIM. Instead, HE is looking for those individuals who desire to draw closer to HIM. HE is looking for those individuals who are willing for God to use them.

Are you willing to be used of God? What are you doing about it? Are you taking the time to ensure that your relationship with God is solid? Are you taking the time to draw closer to God? Are you taking the time to thank God for the good things that HE has done in your life? Until you are ready to change your view of God, why should you expect God to hear your prayers and show HIMSELF strong in your life? If someone constantly berated you, you would not be quick to go out of your way to do something nice for them; so too, if you are constantly complaining about life, why should God bless you?

Adding virtue to your life requires a change of mindset. It requires that you start thinking about the things of God. In Philippians 4:8 you are commanded “if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” Take the time today to think about how God should be praised in your life.

Psalms 15:1 Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? Who shall dwell in thy holy hill?

Where is your focus today? Is your focus upon the things of God or is your focus upon the things of this world? If your focus is upon the things of God, then your actions will show to both God and the world that you desire to prepare for that day when you shall live for eternity with HIM.

If your hope is in eternity, then you will do things differently than the individual who is living for the moment. In this Psalm, David goes over a long list of actions that will be seen in the individual who is striving to put heaven first here on this earth. If you are living for God, your walk, your work and your words will reveal to all that God is number one in your life. Your life will be a testament to those around you that God has made a difference in your life.

From the people that you associate with to the keeping of your promises, your life should be so different from the world that when they look at you, all they see is the light of God reflecting in your life. The world should see the love of God through you and it should cause them to desire what you have because they can see that whatever you have is real.

Living for God is not easy. It requires that you make a commitment here on this earth. It requires that you put aside the things of this world in order to pursue the things of God. You cannot live for heaven here on this earth without making a drastic change to your life. It should affect every aspect of your life.

You are commanded to be in this world but not of this world. Your mindset must be like that of a traveler. A traveler may stop and spend a night at a motel. The traveler does not think his motel room as his home. The traveler knows that the things that are in the motel room are not his to keep but are instead there for his benefit for a short time. So likewise, this earth is just like that motel room. The things of this world are not for eternity, they may be enjoyed and they have a purpose, but there is coming a day, when you will leave them all behind in order to reach that destination where you can call home.

If you were to go to ten independent witnesses of your life, would they say that you are living for God or for yourself? Have you made a commitment to not only proclaim to be a Christian but also to live your life in such a way that those around you can say without hesitation that you are a Christian? Your life may be the only example some people will have of what it is like to live for God on this earth.

The choice is yours. God does not require you to choose to accept the gift of HIS Son. However, once you make the choice to become a servant of God, then it is your responsibility to live your life in a way that is pleasing to the Master.

In order to please the Master, your life must change. You need to add virtue to your life. You need to change your thinking from putting yourself first to putting the things of God first. You must put on the mind of Christ. Christ was willing to yield HIS own life in order to do the will of God. David gives a list of characteristics that are necessary in the individual who desires to dwell in eternity with God. You must change your life in order to live according to the high standards God has for you.

Matthew 25:30 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Jesus had just told the parable of the traveling man who gave talents to his servants. This man gave one servant five talents, another two talents and the third one talent. When this man returned, the first servant had turned the five talents into ten, the second servant had turned two talents into four, and the last servant hid the talent and returned it to his master. The master was upset with this unprofitable servant and took the talent from him and gave it to the servant who had earned him five talents.

The unprofitable servant had told his master that “I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: and I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth”. When Jesus started this parable, HE likened this parable to the kingdom of heaven. This means that there are those who are here on this earth who proclaim to fear the Lord but then they do nothing. Because this servant was unprofitable, according to this parable, he did not enjoy the rewards of heaven. This servant was cast into hell.

The first lesson you must understand from this parable is that this man was a servant. He was not a slave. This man voluntarily made a choice to follow his master. This is similar to your willingness to call yourself a Christian and being called a servant of God. This unprofitable servant accepted the benefits of being a servant of this master and he received talents from his master. So too, God gives you many good things as a result of your choice to follow HIM. God gives you direction, protection, and provision. God also gives you special talents that you are to use for the furtherance of HIS kingdom.

In this parable, we see the unprofitable servant received a gift from his master and he went and hid that gift. He did not use that gift to further his master’s purpose as the other servants had done. This servant allowed his fear of his master to freeze him into inaction. So likewise, you must take Jesus’ words as a warning for your own life. You cannot afford to allow the fear of God to freeze you into inaction. You have chosen to be called a servant of God and you have received from God the tools and talents necessary to fulfill HIS purpose for your life. You cannot squander HIS talents. You must allow God to work through you so that when HE comes to render an account, you will be as the profitable servants who rendered to their master a good report.

God has not allowed you to be called HIS servant for the sole purpose of enabling you to hide. God allows certain things to occur in your life so that you can use them to expand the kingdom of heaven. God will one day come and render an account for all your actions and inactions. Are you ready for Judgment Day?

This unprofitable servant needed to add virtue into his life. This servant may have feared his master but he did not allow this fear to produce any results. When you add virtue to your life, you put on the mind of Christ. You fill your mind with the things of God and like the profitable servants, you take the things God gives you and use them to expand God’s kingdom. You must think about the things of God and understand how God intends to use you for the furtherance of HIS kingdom. Do not be lured into inaction.

Matthew 18:1 At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?

The disciples asked Jesus who was the greatest in the kingdom of heaven and Jesus replied that unless they became as a little child, they could not enter the kingdom of heaven. Jesus went on to say that if you were humble as a child, then you would be great in the kingdom of heaven. Another time Jesus told HIS’ disciples that “If any man desired to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all.” (Mark 9:34).

Christianity will change your perspective on life. As long as you are a slave to sin, your focus is upon yourself and what you can obtain for yourself. When you choose to allow the blood of Christ to remove the chains that bind you to sin, you now choose to be a servant of God. However, just because you are a servant of God, it does not automatically mean that you will seek God’s perfect will for your life. It does not mean that you will maintain a humble spirit.

Your relationship with God must change your mindset. If you desire to be all that you can be for God, then you must follow Christ’s commandment and maintain a humble spirit here on this earth. Rather than allowing pride and your sin nature to control how you respond to others, you must obey God and do HIS perfect will by responding correctly.

Jesus said that you must become as a little child. In this passage, a little child refers to either an infant or a very young child. A little child cannot take care of itself absent the help of its parents or another adult. Because a little child is not self-sustaining, it must yield its own will to the will of its parents or else face serious consequences. While some parents might eventually yield to a little child who is throwing a temper tantrum, your heavenly Father will always be there to assist you in pursuing HIS best for your life.

In order to become as a little child, you must voluntarily follow Christ’s commandment to love the Lord with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself. You must be willing to put God and others first. Jesus demonstrated this principle when at the last supper HE washed HIS disciples feet. Jesus was the Son of God, all HE had to do was say the words and a million angels would have come down from heaven and all the disciple’s feet would have been cleaned. Instead Jesus humbled HIMSELF so that you might have an example of what attitude you must maintain.

God has commanded that you maintain a humble spirit. It is your choice whether you are going to obey God and pursue HIS perfect will for your life or whether you are going to fill up your mind with thoughts of pride. The choice is yours; God will not force you to be humble. However, God has rewards for you that you will never obtain if you do not change your mindset in order to pursue the things of God.

To obey Christ’s command and to humble yourself will require a change in your mindset. You will need to fill up your mind with the things of God in order to leave no room for the world, the flesh and the devil. By adding virtue to your life, you will enable yourself to remain humble and obey Christ and please God. In order to be great, you must become least, in order to become least, you must change your mindset.

Matthew 16:25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.

All around you people are trying to find purpose for their life. They are looking for happiness in relationships, in material possessions and in occupations. However, the harder they try, the more they fail to find true peace for their lives. It does not matter what they do they are never content.

Those who are of the world fail to realize that as long as they are a slave to sin, they will never find the true meaning for their life. However, all they have to do is accept Christ’s gift of salvation and they can be freed from the chains that enslave them. By accepting Christ’s gift of salvation, you no longer were a slave to sin but became a servant of God. It is your choice to do that which is right in the eyes of God.

The old man that you replaced when you became a servant of God is constantly trying to entangle you. As long as he can cause you to live for yourself, you will not have the time to seek the things of God. The old man will never stop trying to cause you to sin and fall short of the glory of God.

The harder you are tempted to live your life for yourself, the more you need to turn to God and relinquish your right to control your own life. In order to truly find life, you must realize that you must lose your life and follow Jesus. It is only when you choose to be a servant of God and to do HIS will that you find the true meaning of life which will give you peace, happiness and contentment.

It sounds so counterintuitive that you must give up your life in order to find it. However, Jesus demonstrated this principle when HE revealed to us that it was not HIS desire to die on the cross. Nonetheless, Jesus was willing to do the will of the Father and by relinquishing HIS right to do what HE wanted the true purpose of HIS life was fulfilled.

A child is naturally selfish and desires to do what he wants when he wants. However, a good parent understands that if their child is going to become a productive member of society, then they must train him to do things that she would rather not do. The child must learn to give up his free time in order to do chores. The child must learn that manners are important in a polite society. Unless the child is willing to trust his parents and do what they say, the child will never be prepared to live life in the world and as a result will never have real life. Just as a child must learn to trust his parents and lay aside his desires in order to do the will of his parents, so too must you trust God and lay aside your own desires for your life in order to do the will of God so that you will be prepared for life in eternity with HIM.

You must understand that you do not know it all. You do not know what God has in store for you. Until you are willing to relinquish control over your life, your sin nature will ensure that you never have life. You must add virtue to your life and change your perspective. Just as a parent will often control the life of their child in order to ensure that their child lives a productive life, so too you must choose to follow God’s will for your life and trust in HIM so that in the end you will find your purpose in life.

Matthew 10:37-38 He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.

Jesus came to this earth to set an example for you. HE commands that HE must be number one in your life. You cannot love your father or your mother more than HIM. You cannot love your son or your daughter more than HIM. If you desire to be worthy in the eyes of the Lord, you must love the Lord with all your heart, and then you must be willing to lay aside your own burdens and your own cares in order to take up HIS perfect will for your life and follow HIM.

Christ is not saying in this passage that you cannot love your family. Christ is simply saying that you cannot love your family more than you love HIM. Christ is teaching you that you must take the time to understand HIS purpose for your life. Once you understand HIS purpose, then you will be in a position where you can follow HIM.

Esther’s cross was that she had to be willing to lay down her life for her people. Esther did not know what was going to happen when she presented herself before her husband. All she knew is that this was God’s purpose for her life and that regardless of the consequences she was going to ensure that her actions were pleasing to God.

Your life will be out of balance if you allow anything to be more important to you over your relationship with God. If you allow your love for a person to supersede your love for God, not only will you not be worthy in the sight of God, but you also will never be content. In the same way that a recipe will never taste right if you measure the wrong amount of the various ingredients, so too will your life never be in balance if you allow something or someone to come between you and your God.

God has a perfect plan for you. HE has a cross that HE desires you to carry. Just as Jesus’ cross required that HE had to die to HIMSELF and HIS will in order to do the will of God, so also will your cross require you to die to yourself to do what you want to do in order that you might live your life pleasing to God. The world may live their lives according to their own will but they are slaves to sin. You on the other hand chose to call yourself a Christian. This choice means that you are no longer a slave but that you are a servant of God. As a servant, you are dependent upon your Master to direct and provide for you. How can you expect your Master to provide for you if you do not follow HIS direction for your life? It is your duty to God to put HIM first in your life. You must follow HIS perfect will or else you will be an unprofitable servant.

You must add virtue to your life and change your perspective. If you allow the things of this world to be more important than the things of God, you are actually making your life miserable as you are attempting to serve two masters. You will never find contentment or peace as long as you allow your life to be out of balance. Instead, when you choose to be a child of God, you must learn to put the things of God first in your life. Whenever you feel that a relationship is becoming more important to you then your relationship with HIM, simply take this as a clue that your life is not right with God and take the time to draw closer to HIM. Learn HIS will for your life and allow HIM to guide you.

Ruth 2:12 The Lord recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust.

Scripture tells us that Ruth was a virtuous woman and that the entire community recognized the virtue that dwelt within her. One of the things that Ruth did which demonstrated to the community that she was virtuous was her trust in the Lord. Ruth not only made a decision to serve the God of Naomi, she also made a decision to trust HIM and to allow HIM to guide and support her life.

There is a difference between willing to follow God and being willing to trust HIM. Take a couple which has decided to take a long journey. As they get in the car, the passenger is agreeing to “follow” the driver by not taking their own car and going their own way. However, if the passenger is constantly second guessing the driver and saying things like “If I were driving I would have done this”, then the passenger is not demonstrating any trust in the driver’s ability to get them were they desire to go. The passenger may have agreed to go to the same place, but there is a lack of trust involved.

God is like a mother eagle. A mother eagle understands that her eaglet cannot spend its entire life in the nest. As such, the mother eagle will cause her eaglet to fall out of the nest. However, the mother eagle will swoop down beneath her eaglet and catch it with her wings before it reaches the rocks. The eaglet had to learn to trust her mother for its provision, and now it must trust the wings of its mother in order to learn how to fly.

Ruth not only agreed to serve the God of Naomi, she also learned to live her daily life trusting in the Lord allowing HIM to direct, protect and provide for her. Ruth demonstrated to Boaz and the community that not only did she say that she trusted God, but her actions demonstrated her trust.

How often have you seen someone who says that they believe in God but when you examine their life, it is obvious that while they claim to be servants of God, they are the ones who are in control of their life? How often are you that individual who refuses to allow God to be in complete control of your life?

God desires that you learn to completely trust HIM. When the nation of Israel came out of Egypt, it was clear to all that God was leading them. God destroyed their enemies and HE provided them a new law. However, every time a difficult situation arose, the nation demonstrated their lack of trust in God by complaining to Moses that God didn’t care and that HE was about to destroy them. After 40 years of wondering in the wilderness, the nation was finally at a point where they trusted the Lord so that HE could lead them into the promise land. Now as they received God’s promise, they were able to trust HIM and follow HIS direction in order to receive HIS protection and provision.

Ruth’s virtue was demonstrated by her complete trust in God. So likewise, if you learn to completely trust God, you will demonstrate to those around you that you are different. You will demonstrate that your mind is not on the things of this world but is upon the things of God. Do not simply say that you trust the Lord, instead, you must allow your thoughts, words and actions demonstrate to the world that you trust HIM completely.

Proverbs 31:19 She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff.

The tenth characteristic of virtue Solomon was to look for in a woman he desired to marry was that she demonstrates a humble spirit in that no work was below her station in life. Several commentators on the Bible indicate that at this time in Jewish history it was the servant’s job to work with the spindle and distaff. However, the virtuous woman that Solomon was to look for would be a woman who was not only willing to work with her hands but that no job was too lowly for her and that by her example, she would teach her servants diligent working habits. The virtuous woman that Solomon was looking for not only was willing to work, but she was capable of working many different trades and thus was able to help wherever the need arose.

When you add virtue to your life, you put on the mind of Christ and change your perspective for your life. No longer are you to be a respecter of persons, but instead you must see all people as God’s creation. While God may not have given others the high calling that HE has given you, they are still created by HIM for a purpose. No person or job should ever be below you.

You understand that Jesus told you that “if any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all.” Not only did Jesus teach you to demonstrate humility here on this earth, HE also demonstrated humility by his actions. At the last supper, Jesus humbled HIMSELF and washed his disciples feet. Jesus could have commanded any of the disciples to wash his feet or HE could have had an angel appear and wash HIS’ feet. Yet Jesus understood that HE had to demonstrate that in order to be first, HE had to put others first. Jesus was an example to us that no job was to lowly that even the Son of God could not do.

Whether you are an employer or an employee, when you have virtue in your life, you should consider no task to trivial for your position. It does not matter who you are, Jesus set an example that you should not give more respect to an individual because of their title. Instead, you must treat everyone the same and you must be willing to humble yourself in order to make others great.

The virtuous woman understood that while she did not have to work with her hands and spin wool and flax, she chose to work with her hands so that her servants were well trained and her house was prosperous. The virtuous woman was willing to demonstrate to her servants that she appreciate their work and did not consider it trivial but that she saw it as such a vital part of her ministry that she was well versed in their trade and was willing to assist them fulfill their duties.

Joseph was given a high calling yet the Lord allowed him to be a servant and a slave. It does not matter what God has called you to do, you must be willing to humble yourself and to put other people first. You have taken the name of Christ by calling yourself a Christian. However, have you taken on the mind of Christ and demonstrated to the world the qualities of virtue by humbling yourself and by treating all individuals as equals? If you take on the name of Christ, then you must live your life as HE lived HIS life. You must be an example to the world of the character of Christ.

Acts 20:19 Serving the Lord with all humility of mind, and with many tears, and temptations, which befell me by the lying in wait of the Jews:

Paul is speaking to the elders of Ephesus. Paul is telling these men that God is calling him to go to Jerusalem. Paul does not know what God is going to do, all he knows is that God desires for him to go. What is important to understand in this passage is the fact that Paul acknowledges that he has been tempted.

As Christians, we often make heroes out of the characters in the Bible. We often forget that they too were human and had to face trials and temptations. Paul was no different. There were times when he desired to quit but he had to persevere because it was God’s will for his life. Paul was faithful in serving the Lord but even though he was faithful, he was still tempted to sin and fall short of the glory of God.

Because of Paul’s humility, he was willing to acknowledge to the elders of Ephesus that the Jews had caused him to be tempted. You know that on at least one occasion, because of the Jews, Paul was going to pack up and leave town. However, because Paul listened to the Lord, God directed his paths and Paul stayed and saw great fruit.

Paul’s mind was set upon the things of the Lord. Paul understood that God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. In order to be humble, Paul had to understand his position in relationship to the spotless Lamb of God. Paul’s mindset was that in and of himself, he was nothing, and that he was just a servant of the King. Paul often referred to himself as the chief of all sinners.

Paul knew that just like you, the elders of the church of Ephesus would face many trials and temptations. Paul desired to encourage you and the elders by reminding them that even though God had blessed him and done many great things through him, he was just a man who faced trials and temptations.

Have you ever found yourself in a position like Paul? You know what God is asking you to do, but it does not make much sense. Satan is going to use that situation to try to cause you to depart from God’s perfect path for your life. However, you do not have to yield. You do not have to depart from the ways of God. When you face these trials, you must humble yourself before God and acknowledge that you are his servant. You must humble yourself before God acknowledging your position and ask for the strength to succeed.

Paul states that he had learned to be humble starting with his’ mind. Paul understood that he could easily be humble on the outside but inside be proud of all that the Lord had done through him. Paul had added virtue to his life which means that he had changed his mindset and this caused him to win the battle of pride beginning at the very root, the mind. Because Paul put God first, God was able to give him the strength to overcome.

It is not easy transforming your mind to the mind of Christ. Satan does not want to see you serving the Lord with all your heart, mind and soul. Nonetheless, by God’s grace, you can overcome the temptations of the evil one. By God’s grace you can add to your faith virtue. Do not allow temptation to alter the path God has placed you upon.

Titus 1:1 Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God’s elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness;

Paul is acknowledging his status with God that is a result of his faith. Paul understands that because of the gift of salvation, that he is called of God and he now has a duty to serve the Lord and to do those things that are pleasing in God’s sight. Paul’s faith has resulted in him becoming a servant of God. However, before you think that this is a demotion, remember that the other option is to be a slave to sin.

You have a choice, either you can be a slave to sin or a servant of the most High God. The difference between a slave to sin and a servant of God comes from your faith. When you are a slave to sin, you may think that you have freedom to make the decisions that you desire to make. However, in truth, you do not have freedom because you are bound by your own lusts and are driven by sin’s insatiable appetite for more debauchery. Sin is never satisfied. In fact, the more you feed your lusts, the hungrier they become. As a slave to sin, sin will always be trying to make you take the next step.

Absent the fear of God in your life, once you are on the slippery slope of sin, you cannot stop. However, by putting your faith in God and your willingness to put HIM first in your life, you can claim victory over your sin. Paul had an insatiable appetite for the blood of Christians. He could not get enough. While at first he stood by and watched, he soon started seeking out Christians to destroy. When he found out the Christians were fleeing, he started to pursue the Christians where they were fleeing. Saul was a slave to sin, but by the mercies of God, Saul became Paul and Paul became a servant of God desiring to do those things that are pleasing to HIM.

What is the difference between a slave and a servant? Webster 1828 dictionary defines slave as “A person who is wholly subject to the will of another; one who has no will of his own, but whose person and services are wholly under the control of another.” Webster 1828 dictionary in the definition of servant defines the difference between a slave and a servant, “servant differs from slave, as the servant’s subjection to a master is voluntary, a slave’s is not.”

By faith Paul choose to forsake being a slave to sin and instead be a servant of God. Paul was not forced to be a servant of God; this was a choice that he made after experiencing the power of God in his life. Paul saw who God was and realized that it would be better to serve the one true God then to be a slave to his own sin. By faith, Paul accepted God’s gift of salvation and by faith Paul pursued God’s will for his life. Paul voluntarily put himself in a position that it was no longer his will that he was seeking but that instead it was the will of God that he desired to accomplish.

Are you a profitable servant of God? Are you seeking to serve God with all your heart? Serving God is a voluntary choice that you make. Once you make that decision, you need to fully dedicate yourself to the cause of Christ. You do not want to be an unprofitable servant. Instead, once you have committed to be freed from sin, then you must be like Paul and totally dedicate your life to the Lord, seek HIS will and seek to do those things that HE desires you to accomplish for HIM. By faith you are no longer a slave to sin.

II Timothy 4:7-8 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only but unto all them also that love his appearing.

Paul is looking back at his life and he proclaims that he has fished the race that God has assigned to him. Paul knows that since he has fought the fight that God has placed before him, that he is entitled to heavenly rewards. Paul may have suffered many afflictions running the race assigned to him by God, but upon his death, he received great rewards.

Your purpose in this life is not to gain accolades here on earth, but to hear in heaven, well done thou good and faithful servant. Jesus told you that when you fast and when you pray, you are supposed to do it in such a manner as to not gain the attention of men. You are to fast and pray for the spiritual benefit and for God’s glory. You know that Jesus said that you can only serve one master. You cannot serve both God and the world. If your expectation in this life is for the praises of man and earthly treasures as your reward for doing the will of God, then you are losing track of your real purpose as a Christian.

God and the world are at war with one another. God desires that you do that which is right in HIS eyes whereas the world desires you be like them and do that which is right in your own eyes. Therefore, you must be in the world but not of the world. Your focus should not be for the praises of man and earthly treasures when doing the things of God.

Paul understood that he was striving for spiritual rewards and this gave him the strength to push through the afflictions that he suffered on this earth. If Paul had his sights upon earthly rewards, he would have been discouraged at doing the will of God and possibly would have quit the race that was set before him. Paul was doing great things for God and Satan would have liked nothing more then that Paul stopped the ministry. However, Paul was focusing on things above and not things on this earth. Paul was able to finish the race set before him because he had his eyes in the right spot.

You are faced with many decisions to make on a daily basis. You must examine your life and determine if you are fighting the fight that God has for you. Is your focus upon finishing the race that God has given to you or is your focus on simply getting by with the minimum effort spiritually so that you can enjoy the things of this world. You must learn to be like Paul who totally dedicated his life to doing the will of God. Yes, there were times where he was not as active preaching the gospel such as the time when he was in Corinth making tents. Nonetheless, during this time at Corinth, he was able to disciple Aquila and Priscilla who later were active in serving the Lord.

Where is your focus? Is it on doing God’s will and receiving God’s rewards, or is it upon enjoying the praises of man and man’s treasures? Your focus must be on finishing the race that God set before you. God desires that you keep the faith. You have committed your life to the Lord, do not look back, instead, keep your hand to the plow and ensure that you fulfill the will of the Father. It takes faith to strive to put God first, but HIS grace is sufficient for you. Your purpose in life is not to be comfortable here; your purpose is to glorify God in all that you do. Keep the faith.

Acts 10:34 Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:

Just before Cornelius’ servants arrived at the place Peter was staying, God came and showed Peter a vision. As Peter thought about the vision, God spoke to Peter a new doctrine that was contrary to the traditions he was raised with. Peter heard God and he obeyed God. Peter went to the house of Cornelius along with some believers and he preached the gospel and led them in baptism.

Peter was willing to follow God by doing something that was contrary to his upbringing. Peter had received a vision from God and upon meditating upon the purpose of the vision; Peter heard God’s direction and he simply obeyed and demonstrated his faith.

God’s will that the gentiles be partaker of the gospel was revealed to two different men over the course of a couple of days. Both Peter and Cornelius had ears that were willing to hear God and they both promptly obeyed. God desired to demonstrate to the world that HE was no respecter of persons and that anyone who calls upon HIS name should be saved. However, in order to convey this message God needed both Peter and Cornelius to hear and obey. God’s will was established through a multitude of witnesses.

Peter had seen Christ’s ministry focus mainly on the Jews. Yes, Jesus had healed a couple of Gentiles, but Jesus had said that he was here on this earth for the Jews. Peter was a Jew and he followed in Christ’s footsteps of ministering to the Jews. However, when Jesus had left this earth, HE had told his followers that they were to preach not only to the Jews but also to the uttermost parts of the world. The disciples were not actively going outside of their comfort zone. God needed to shake things up. He did this by taking Peter and helping him see that the gospel is not only for the Jews.

Peter had been caught up by the traditions of man. His ministry in life was limited by his own thinking. God needed to come in and rip out the fences in Peter’s mind so as to help him see the true potential for ministry that God had for Peter and the church. Peter demonstrated his faith by not only allowing God to rip out his fences, but by immediately stepping out in faith and going and planting new fields.

A little boy sits at the dinner table and he tells his mother he is not going to eat lima beans because he does not like them. His mother asks him if he has ever eaten lima beans before and the boy honestly has to reply that he has not. The boy’s mother makes him at least try the beans. The boy obeys and discovers that they are not nearly as bad as what he imagined them to be.

Are you willing to be used of God? Are you willing for God to expand your ministry? Will you obey God if HE asks you to do something that is beyond your comfort zone? God is looking for individuals who are willing to be stretched by HIM so that HE can expand their ministry. Will you be the individual that God chooses? Do not become entrenched in your way of thinking. Be willing to be flexible. Demonstrate your faith by listening to God and obeying HIM by doing a new thing. Allow God to change the way you were thinking. Remember you are not God; you are His servant.

Acts 6:8 And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people.

The word full means replete, covered over, and complete. Stephen was full of faith and power. This means that his faith and power completed him in Christ. Because he was complete in Christ, God performed many miracles through him. Stephen’s ministry expanded because he sought to be complete in Christ.

Stephen had a choice to make. He either was going to be full of God or full of himself. If he chose to be full of himself; he was the one responsible for his life and he was the one who deserved the praise and glory for the things he had done. However, Stephen did not seek his own, but instead, Stephen sought to be complete in God. Stephen understood that it was God who would receive the glory for the things that he did. Stephen was able to do many wonders and miracles because he was complete in God.

You too have a choice to make. Are you going to pursue God so as to be complete in HIM. This means that you are no longer your own. This means you are no longer free to do your own will but are now the servant of God and are constantly seeking to do the will of God. This means that you are living your life so that God receives the glory.

In order to be complete in God, you must first understand that you are not perfect and that you have deficiencies. God created man in HIS own image but sin caused man to fall short of the glory of God. Stephen by faith desired a closer walk with God and as such, he spent his time seeking God and learning HIS will for his life. It was Stephen’s faith that completed him in Christ.

Stephen did not do many mighty things for God because he was good looking. Stephen learned to do many miracles because he sought the power of God in his life. Stephen not only sought the power of God in his life, but he sought for opportunities to use the power of God to draw attention to God.

How would you like to have so much faith and power that God says of you that you are complete in your faith? Stephen’s testimony is not only reserved for Stephen but is something that you too can obtain. It is a choice that you must make. Everyone loves to take matters into their own hands. There is a worldly philosophy of being a self-made man; however, this not the way to be complete in God.

Stephen’s miracles were a result of his being full of faith; he was not full of faith because of the miracles that he performed. Stephen first desired a closer relationship with God and from this relationship God was able to use him to do many miracles.

God is looking for those who will draw close to HIM; those who are willing to lay aside their own personal agenda in order to be used of God. We all have the same amount of time each day. The difference is how you use that time. If you desire to be complete in God, then you must choose to draw closer to HIM and do what HE has said regardless of how impossible it seems. God is waiting to complete you. In order to be complete, you must first be willing to allow HIM to have every aspect of your life. If you desire to do great things for God, you must first allow God to complete you through faith and power.

Luke 17:5 And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith.

The disciples had just been instructed by Jesus to forgive those who did them wrong and sought forgiveness, even if it was seven times in one day. As long as they came and repented, we are to forgive. The disciples did not think they were spiritually ready to be able to constantly forgive one who offended them so many times in one day and as such, they asked Jesus to increase their faith so that way they could obey Jesus’ commandment.

Jesus responded to their request for more faith with two object lessons. In the first object lesson, Jesus stated that how even a little faith can do great things. In the very next verse, Jesus tells them if they had the faith the size of a mustard seed, they could say to a sycamine tree to be plucked out by the roots and be planted in the see.

The second object lesson is a story of duty. Jesus tells about a servant who worked all day in the field, and then comes into the house and prepares a meal for his master. The master does not thank the servant, but after the master eats, then the servant is permitted to go into the other room and eat. Jesus ends the story in Luke 17:10 by saying “So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.”

If all we did was that which was commanded us to do, we are unprofitable servants in the eyes of God. The disciples thought they needed more faith just to obey Jesus’ commandments. However, Jesus was trying to tell them, as servants of God, you are expected to do what HE has commanded you to do, and HE has only commanded you to do those things that HE has already equipped you to do. Thus, you do not need more faith to simply obey. God has equipped us with enough faith to obey HIM. We do not need to be asking HIM for more faith since God would not have commanded us to do something that was beyond our current level of faith. God is not like Pharaoh who gave a task to be completed but did not give the proper supplies to complete the task.

Instead, God as the loving Master who watches our every move desires to see us be profitable servants by taking the little bit of faith that we do have and go out and do the impossible so that HE is glorified. With just a small amount of faith, we have the power to move nature. God has already equipped us beyond just the simple ability to obey. HE has equipped us to go out and do great things for HIM. Our faith in HIM grows as we obey HIM and watch HIM work all things together for good. However, to really cause the Lord to be proud of us, we must be willing to step outside our comfort zone. We must be willing to allow HIM to stretch us beyond that which we think we are able to bear. As HE does the impossible through us, we will see our faith increase.

While the disciples made what appears to be a good request for more faith, Jesus informed them that they did not need more faith in order to do that which HE commanded them to do. A request to increase our faith would be more proper in asking the Lord to do something above and beyond what HE has commanded us to do. Make sure the next time you ask the Lord to increase your faith that you are not doing it like the disciples were here when they asked the Lord to give them the tools to do the job that the Lord had already given them the tools to complete.