For Them

I am doing the Bible study Esther, by Beth Moore. She said something that really moved me. She talked about having a past. She called it a "risky identification." We try to hide that "risky identification" so that we won't be judged.

But Beth Moore said that perhaps God wants you to tell. She went on to say, "you went through it 'for them,' and if they can't see it, what good is it?"

In the Bible, when Joseph was sold into slavery by his own brothers he spent years falsely imprisoned before he finally was put into service under the Pharaoh. When he saw his brothers again, he didn't lament all his troubles to them, instead he said, "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives." (Gen 50:20)

In the book of Matthew, a blind man is brought to Jesus. Jesus' disciples asked Jesus who had sinned, the man or his parents, for the man to be blind. Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life." (John 9:3)

What pain are you going through in your life today? Or what past pain are you holding against God because He let it happen to you in the past?

Maybe it happened "for them" to save lives or so that God may be displayed to others through your story. I have a hard time with why God let my childhood go as it did. Yes, I've even been mad at God. But to think that it happened "For them" makes it hurt a little less.

Why not try to let go of your pain today, and instead focus on who can benefit as a result of your experiences. Display God. He let it happened for them.

Digging Deeper

Do you garden? I'm not a fan of gardening. It's so much work! The worst part are the weeds. You need to pull even the tiniest weeds. It's better to get them while they are small. Those tiny little ones are the monsters of the patch a week or two later. The weeds that are close to your plants rob them of moisture and nutrients. And the worst part is, most weeds require pulling out all of the root system.

Isn't sin that way too?

To read the rest of this post, head on over to Titus 2 in Action, where I'm a guest contributor every other Wednesday, starting today!

The Recipe

When baking a cake, it calls for flour, sugar, baking powder, egg, flavoring such as vanilla or cocoa, oil or shortening, and liquid such as milk or water. Each of these ingredients is important to the recipe. Without flour, they're be no cake. Without sugar it would be bitter, without baking powder it would be flat, without egg it would be dense, the flavoring gives it the yummy taste, the oil/shortening gives it texture and the liquid makes it light. Every ingredient is important, and to take one out would change the end result.

Likewise, there are 5 ingredients to salvation. They are:
Hear
Believe
Repent
Confess
Be Baptized

You must "hear." If you haven't heard the Gospel, you can't believe it. You must believe that the Bible is true. You must repent, being truly sorry for your sins, and admit you need to turn away from them. You must confess Jesus is the Lord of your life, and finally your must be baptized.

If you leave out any of these steps, just like the cake recipe, you will end up with a different result. Follow the recipe and you'll end up with a sweet treat - eternal life.

Romans 10:9 -- That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Acts 2:38 -- Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.




For more information on how to be saved, Visit the How 2B Saved Website.

Don't forget to visit the kickoff post of Titus 2 in Action today! I'll be serving there as a guest contributor every other Wednesday, starting this Wednesday.