Tuesday, June 9, 2015

What Are We Feeding the Lord?





Wow! I’m reading “Fasting” by Jentezen Franklin. Five chapters in and its quite the extraordinary book. I read in the second paragraph of the forty-second page, “If I were hungry, I would not tell you; for the world is Mine, and all its fullness” (Psalm 50:12) and a bomb explodes within me. I eagerly want to share this wonderful thing the Lord showed me with you, so now, I invite you Into My HEART...


The question arises: What am I feeding the Lord? Let us look at the scope of God’s Word in this context to see where we stand as those to whom are granted the privilege to serve the Lord:

“Hear, O My people, and I will speak, O Israel, and I will testify against you; I am God, your God! “If I were hungry, I would not tell you; For the world is Mine, and all its fullness. Offer to God thanksgiving, And pay your vows to the Most High. Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.” “Now consider this, you who forget God, Lest I tear you in pieces, And there be none to deliver: Whoever offers praise glorifies Me; And to him who orders his conduct aright I will show the salvation of God.” 
(Psalms 50:7, 12, 14-15, 22-23 NKJV)

Beloved, before I continue on, I am made aware of a translation that reads easy and I wanted to reiterate the above in this translation; the Contemporary English Version (CEV):

“My people, I am God! Israel, I am your God. Listen to my charges against you. If I were hungry, I wouldn’t tell you, because I own the world and everything in it. I am God Most High! The only sacrifice I want is for you to be thankful and to keep your word [remain faithful to me]. Pray to me in time of trouble. I will rescue you, and you will honor me. You have ignored me! So pay close attention or I will tear you apart, and no one can help you. The sacrifice that honors me is a thankful heart. Obey me, and I, your God, will show my power to save.” 
(Psalms 50:7, 12, 14-15, 22-23 emphasis added)

Beloved, the above as well as these present words in this paragraph are in addition (being today June 5, 2015) to the original writing I divinely was inspired to write. I wanted to remind you if you have not yet come to understand this; thankfulness to God is the very door to all blessings from God. For none of us could know God if not to be thankful for His Son Jesus, and in this thanksgiving, a faith is made known, a Savior is received, a Spirit visits us, inhabits us, regenerates us and indwells in us forevermore to seal us up not only as the inheritance of the Lord, but God’s children as well! Halleluyah! Yes, thankfulness is what God desires. It is what honors Him and behold, according to His testimony above, He, through our thankfulness, will show us all His power to save. Therefore, rejoice and let your rejoicing be exceedingly great, for God our Savior saves a people who honor Him through a thankful heart. Amen.

Now let us continue. What are we feeding the Lord? What is our service to Him like? Are we diligently feeding Him a hot meal or a cold one? Have we lost enthusiasm and patience and decided to merely offer a lukewarm plate to Him? Like one who grows tired of waiting and allows other things to captivate their attention, leaves a meal in a microwave or in a stove and possibly leaves a note showing such indignation toward the one they were waiting and waiting on, let us not fall asleep while waiting on the Lord to return. Let us not grow weary. Let us not give into impatience, but let patience have its day, and since a day to the Lord is like a thousand years and a thousand years is like a day to the Lord, let us rejoice in God’s timing, in which is able to surprise and move in manners that baffles the human race and is able and willing to accomplish much in such little time, and within such little time, accomplish much!

We must remain in our first love by stirring up our gifts in the Lord (2 Timothy 1:6). This will cause us to wait patiently on the Lord and equally be still and now He is God [the One of promise that we can perpetually count on]. Now let us look at this word—in. “In” is quite the miraculous word although at first glance it does not appear to be so, yet the same was said of Jesus (Isaiah 53:2; John 1:11).  


“In” has a profound meaning. It means to establish a secure place with Jesus (John 15). Whoever abides in Jesus, feeds off of Jesus. Like the vine that can only nourish the branch that is purposed to bear fruit in its season, so is the believer in Christ who is secured [in] Him. 


Now if Jesus feeds us abundantly of Himself (John 6:47-48,50-51,53-59,63; 1 Corinthians 15:45), and we are called to abide; to remain [in] Him, how can we as a people of God if that is what we truly are (John 1:12-13), serve up the Lord sloppy seconds and leftover platters that have gone spoiled and cold? 

Let us now heed these words from the Lord our God: “Now consider this, you who forget God, Lest I tear you in pieces, And there be none to deliver” (Psalm 50:22).

The Lord presents to us and we ought to not only heed His Word but with all reverence [fear] and diligence [be quick to act; that is repent and ask for forgiveness], plead our case before our King while He will still hear us! 

From His mouth comes wisdom, by His speech comes life. If He were to utter a sound in our direction our future is secured. Now this Word He speaks, is something that should shake us out of our apathy towards Him and His commands

Like dead men, the Word of God brings that which is dead back to life! So let our sack of bones in which is our weak faith and our corpse in which is our lack of obedience be revived by His Word! Let us I pray, even now, [consider] the Word of the Lord, and may our gracious God who is slow to anger and quick to forgive the broken heart and contrite spirit, know no longer what is stale, what is cold, what is putrid from us, but may He delight in our obedience like affection that is properly served at a temperature He will rejoice in, be what we are feeding our Savior, our King, our Lord and God, in whom we live, thrive and have our being. Amen. 


Again I ask, What are we feeding the Lord? Cold and lukewarm dishes upset the stomach, causes one to vomit and can never please the appetite. A hot meal to a hungry man is a sure delight and our thankfulness through faithfulness to God is a hot meal served up to the King of kings and the Lord of lords. 


Oh Lord, hear our cry, examine our hearts. If we are genuine in our approach, forgive us from your heavenly throne and heal our land. So that all we produce and all we harvest and all we shall serve you, will be to your glory and praise. Amen. 

Beloved, as always…YOU ARE LOVED.

—F. Lugo
4/21/15

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