Perhaps the most clear instruction of what God desires of each of us was penned by the Prophet Isaiah in the 58th chapter of the book that bears his name.
If you had the opportunity to stand in front of God and ask Him to tell you what His greatest heart's desire is, what do you think He would say? Before you answer, think about the unique bond between family members and the One Who is the Head of the Family. Just as we stand ready to come to the aid of our family members when they have a need or are in a place that threatens their safety, our Heavenly Father stands ready to come to our aid at any given moment. You see, there is a dynamic at work that we have to understand. When we commit our lives to the Lord Jesus Christ, and pursue Him with our whole heart, we become grafted in to His bloodline. A divine connection to God is what now makes us 'family' with Him. Perhaps one of my favorite passages of Scripture that expresses how important 'family' is to God is the one in Isaiah 58. Now, as you read this, consciously think about God as the Consummate Family Man that He is. Everything He does, and has ever done, is all about loving and caring for every one of His Children... *His Family*.
Our Heavenly Father's will and passion is to have all of us walking side-by-side with each another, working with Him to fulfill His purpose and plan for all of His Creation,. He is overjoyed when we are raising one another up so we work together, caring for one another, and treating each of our fellow-man as a member of the family. This is, and has always been His desire for each of us. For as long as we are here on the earth, a great part of our fulfilling His will for our lives is our looking after all of God's Children, which, by the way, does not go without its rewards. God's greatest desire is, as His children, that each one of us look to see ourselves and each other through His eyes, seeing the way He loves us with an enormous and truly indescribable love, so that we, as His children, will express that love and, at the same time, will know that same love expressed to us in such a way as He would.
Perhaps the most clear instruction of what God desires of each of us was penned by the prophet Isaiah in the 58th chapter of the book that bears his name. Relaying God's Word to us all, he writes, "Is not this the fast that I have chosen? To loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? When thou seest the naked, that thou cover him: and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh? Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the LORD shall be thy reward. Then shalt thou call, and the LORD shall answer: thou shalt cry, and He shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity; And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday: And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not." (Isaiah 58:6-12)
You are infused with a spiritual gift God placed in you to be used in working with Him, for fulfilling His purpose and plan, for His glory! You are gifted - uniquely and individually! Never forget it or doubt it. There is not another "You" and we will never be able to get a replacement for you. So, we need you and the gifts that God has given you, to fulfill the purpose and role for which you and your gifts are here to fulfill.
Keith wrote and recorded these lyrics in a song called "You Can Be The Answer", on his latest CD entitled "Between The Lines":
You can be the answer to somebody's prayer,
if you'll only open up your heart and let the Lord shine.
If you're ever feeling down and lonely, and you don't know what to do,
turn to the Son of God and His peace will lead you through.
If you're feeling like you have no purpose and love has all run out,
take a stand, help your fellow-man, that's what it's all about.
If you're feelin' like you have a burden for some new part of the world,
take another look around; You need to plant your seed here first.
Great in number like the stars above, people everywhere in need;
Take a stand, help your fellow-man, and the Spirit will place the seed.
You can be the answer to somebody's prayer,
if you'll only open up your heart and let the Lord shine.
There is no greater joy on this earth than walking and working side-by-side with our Heavenly Father, encouraging those around us to reach for God and find Him, and to stay on the path to becoming one with Him. There is such unspeakable joy that floods our heart as we look outside of ourselves to fan the flame in the hearts of others, to help others to put aside the weights and sin that have bound them, so that they too can enjoy doing the things they are called by God to do. Again, there is an added reward to consider also, that when you come to a time of need, "thou shalt cry, and He shall say, Here I am." (Isaiah 58:9) The LORD will guide you continually, and satisfy you when you are lonely or hurt: and you will be like a well-watered garden, and like a spring whose waters never run dry.
We've saved one final thing for last, and you'll want to write this on the tablet of your heart! If you think of a talent or spiritual gift you have as "so small" or "not significant", there is no such thing! To God, what you possess is very, very important! And, the fact is, God has ONLY gifts of significance to give! We encourage you to throw off any lies of the enemy that comes to try and convince you that you, or the things God has created you to be and to do, are not significant. And, as you do, you will walk in the truth written within the signature verse of this very ministry, "I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:14)
It's a fact... You can be (ARE) the answer to somebody's prayer,
if you'll only open up your heart and let the Lord shine.
It is our prayer that, as the LORD looks on your life, He will find you... "Fulfilling 58!"
Keep PRESSIN' IN!
Keith's "Comments from the Author":
"In our note for Wisdom Wednesday this week, we are speaking about how we can effectively represent Christ Jesus to our coworkers and others in the workplace. Over my many years in business, The Person of The Holy Spirit has taught me countless lessons on how to not just succeed, but how to excel as a Christian in a secular work environment. With demonic spirits of 'entitlement' permeating society today, business owners and managers are finding it tremendously more difficult to 'weed through the masses' in order to locate, hire and invest in training employees who will give them, as my grandfather used to say, 'an honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay'. Having managed several companies over the years, I have decided to take these next few weeks to pass along to you, from 'the bosses' perspective, some simple, yet tremendously effective ways that you can increase your chances of holding on to your present job during these tough times, and to also greatly increase your potential for advancement. Next week, we will lay out several things for you to begin working into your daily routine. Until then, our Wisdom Wednesday graphic below is one for you to think about throughout the coming week."
"A good man out of the good treasure of the heart brings forth good things." (Matthew 12:35)
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Your friends & servants in Christ,
Take me back to the top of this post.
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Take me to the Journey through Chapter ONE of Keith's book, *Keep the FAITH*.
Take me to the previous post.
Take me to the Journey through Chapter ONE of Keith's book, *Keep the FAITH*.
To Show GOD BIG in a World that Sees Him small…
sums up the reason Keith stepped out in faith to focus on reaching the lost and strengthening believers everywhere, through Toward The Mark, Inc. Our constant prayer is that you will be encouraged and edified by the Secrets from God's Word that we recounts in our written and recorded products. The complete collection of original podcasts, music, blogs, books, CDs, and other resources of Toward The Mark, Inc. has been made possible by the prayer and financial contributions of the faithful family of Toward The Mark, Inc. We'd like to welcome you on-board, as a family member also! Join TODAY!
sums up the reason Keith stepped out in faith to focus on reaching the lost and strengthening believers everywhere, through Toward The Mark, Inc. Our constant prayer is that you will be encouraged and edified by the Secrets from God's Word that we recounts in our written and recorded products. The complete collection of original podcasts, music, blogs, books, CDs, and other resources of Toward The Mark, Inc. has been made possible by the prayer and financial contributions of the faithful family of Toward The Mark, Inc. We'd like to welcome you on-board, as a family member also! Join TODAY!
We INVITE You ... to follow and share these resources that are available as well, for helping build your faith in God, His Will, and His Ways:
~ "TTM Singing Sergeant" on Twitter
~ "Sharing Messages God Whispers" on the website
~ "Between The Lines TTM Podcast" by Keith Shealy
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