I'm in it for the Profit

Good Morning Kingdom Seekers,

Here is a devotional that I placed on my website a few years. It still holds true today. I pray that it ministers to you.



And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. 1 Corinthians 13:3


Greeting in the high, holy name of our Lord Jesus Christ who is rich in mercy, abundant in grace, and loves us with an everlasting love. Have you ever heard, or maybe said it yourself, “I’m in it for the money.” My husband and I have said this many times to our renters that are slack in paying their rent. It’s usually Bob that takes care of the rental business and he has told our tenants that they must pay their rent because plain and simple, we need the money. They seem to think that we are loaded and don’t need the cash (NOT!!!) and Bob has to explain to them that we are in this business for the money; for the profit we can gain. If it wasn’t for the money who in their right mind would put up with such aggravation? It’s a blessing to have good tenants.

We all go to jobs that we sometimes don’t like and our co-workers can be aggravating, but we do it in order to receive a paycheck. Let’s face it – we all go to our jobs in order to gain a profit, we invest money in the stock market in order to gain a profit, we put time and money into many other investments in order for them to be profitable to us, either immediately or in the future. It is no different in the spiritual realm and the apostle Paul gives us this admonition in
1 Corinthians 13.

It’s strange to think of working for the Lord and pursuing godliness in order to acquire gain and maybe that concept goes against everything you’ve been taught, but as we will discover it is scriptural. We often accumulate material possessions and we work hard for those things – a nice home, a nice car, nice clothes, nice furniture, nice vacations, etc. And how often have you heard the expression, “You can’t take it with you.” Well, the material things you acquire in this life you can’t take with you, but there are some things you and they can’t be transported in a U-Haul trailer. The things that we take with us are in the spirit realm and we don’t necessarily take them with us when we go to heaven; the profit we have gained in the spirit are already in heaven waiting on us when we get there, because we have sent them on up ahead of us. Everything we do now for our triune God is making deposits for us in heaven and those rewards are waiting on us there. It’s our heavenly profit!!!

Let’s take a look at some scriptures to confirm a spiritual profit or gain:

1 Samuel 12:21 And turn ye not aside: for then should ye go after vain things, which cannot profit nor deliver; for they are vain

Proverbs 3:13-14 Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding. For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than find gold.

1 Corinthians 9:19 For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more.

1 Corinthians 10:33 Even as I please all men in all things, not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.

1 Corinthians 12:7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.

Philippians 1:21 For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

1 Timothy 4:8 For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.

2 Timothy 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.

1 Timothy 6:6 But godliness with contentment is great gain.

Titus 3:8 This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that thy which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. (These things are good and profitable unto men.)

Hebrews 12:9-10 Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.

As you can see there are many scriptures that teach us concerning profitability and gain. As I was researching this I found 67 references for the word ‘profit’ including it’s various forms; and 41 references for the word ‘gain’ and it’s variations. Anytime the Holy Spirit sees fit to repeat something over and over again in the scriptures it’s a ‘heads up’ and we need to pay attention to it.

It’s more than obvious that the Lord expects us to be profitable to someone else and in the doing gain profit for ourselves. We see in Paul’s statement in 1 Cor. 10:33 that we are to seek the ‘building up’ of others and also in his first letter to Timothy that godliness is profitable to ‘us’ in all things. What a foreign idea, that we should pursue our Christian walk in order to gain a profit – but as you can see it is biblical. But lets be clear, the profit is more for the Kingdom of God and Christ than for us! Jesus said:

Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. John 15:8

Let’s look briefly at another example: What happened to the stewards in Jesus’ parable in Matthew 25? The ones that gained a profit were praised and received a reward, and the one that did not was ‘cast into outer darkness.’ The servant that gained nothing was called by Jesus, ‘the unprofitable servant.’ Christ expects us to be a profit and a benefit to His kingdom. Not in heaven, the Lord has no need of our talents there. Our profiting is to be here on earth; and all the while storing up for ourselves treasure in heaven. Also, take a look at Jesus’ words in Matthew 16:26a:

For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?

Although your work is here on earth, your reward will be in heaven. Oh, please don’t think that you won’t receive a few goodies here on earth, we most certainly will. But it may come in a way that you never expected – all your bills paid on time; health for yourself and your family (what a blessing to never hear the word ‘terminal’ from your doctor); your children serving the Lord with zeal and gladness all their life and marrying others that have the same zeal for the Lord; etc. But, if you expect your blessing to be the BIG house on the hill, and the BIG bank account, and the expensive cars, you may be sadly disappointed. God rewards those who are His obedient servants and the most valuable piece of profit-sharing we can receive from the Lord comes in a package that when opened we find a jewel called “PEACE.” Another package comes on your doorstep and inside is a nugget of gold marked “SATISFACTION & CONTENTMENT.” Well, what d’ya know, the delivery angel has stopped at your house once again with another package. You hasten to open it and find a precious ornament labeled “FULFILLMENT.” I can’t think of any other better earthly rewards than these. I can do without the big house, cars, a large bank account, and expensive clothes in order to have peace, satisfaction, contentment, and fulfillment. These, my precious brothers and sisters in Christ, are all worth whatever it takes for us to be a profit to someone else, to ourselves, and ultimately to our Lord.

In conclusion, I want to leave you with the words of the apostle Paul concerning two of his fellow co-workers in the ministry. And it is my prayer that the following statements may be said of us all:

2 Timothy 4:11 Only Luke is with me. Take Mark, and bring him with thee: for he is profitable to me for the ministry.

Philemon 1:10-11 I beseech thee for my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my bonds: Which in time past was to thee unprofitable, but now profitable to thee and to me:

Go with God Kingdom Seekers,




1 Timothy 4:15 Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all.

Changed by the Word

Hello all you Kingdom Seekers,

You know how I love to pass on meaningful quotes. Well, here's another one:

"[It] is important that with every message something of an intensely practical character should be incorporated lest its hearers be carried away with the glowing pictures of the future and the visions of such prophecies as set forth in Daniel and The Revelation, while very careless and indifferent as to their life. Once when I was asked to give some addresses on the Second Coming of the Lord, a speaker sitting beside me remarked as someone entered before the meeting commenced, "There is one of the most godless men in our community and yet he is always on hand if anyone lectures on prophecy." He is so interested in finding out all about the future--When I got through preaching, this man came up to me. "Brother," he said, "I'm glad to know that you hold the Second Coming - I hold that too." I asked, "Do you? Does it hold you? It is one thing to hold the Second Coming, it is quite another thing to be held by it. The Word says, 'Every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as He is pure.' Does it have that effect on your heart and life?" --H.A. Ironside

Be blessed today and God glorified,
Your Kingdom Seekin' Mama,

Heroic in Faith

Good Evening, all you K.S. Guys and Gals,

It's a raining Friday evening in southern Ohio, so that makes it a perfect time to blog. I ran across this quote and it expresses exactly how I feel about the standard, that our heavenly Father has put in place for His church, is continually being lowered by men and women who want to appease their flesh and not walk according to the Spirit. And in doing so they lead others that are immature or weak in their faith astray. Here's the quote:

"The world can no longer be left to mere diplomats, politicians, and business leaders. They have done the best they could, no doubt. But this is an age of spiritual heroes - a time for men and women to be heroic in their faith and in spiritual character and power. The greatest danger to the Christian church today is that of pitching its message to low."
Dallas Willard, 'The Spirit of the Disciplines'

I give this a hearty 'Amen.'

Be blessed all you Kingdom Seekers and God glorified,
Have a good weekend,

Your Kingdom Seekin' Mama,

Standing Alone

Hello, all my dear Kingdom Seekers,

It's been awhile since I've been able to post here, but the last several weeks have been more than challenging. But, the Lord has provided a little time this morning to talk to you about something that is so important in all our lives - 'standing alone.'

If we are going to be Christ-like, there is going to come a time when we will have to stand alone; because we are going to stand for the truth of God's Word that is so often not popular. I just saw an article where an Old Testament professor wants the translations of the book of Genesis rewritten to accommodate her views. This professor is promoting her interpretation of the biblical text that God did not create the earth - how foolish! How many will follow after this individual and her teaching because she is dregreed and holds a position of leadership and authority in a university (don't misunderstand, I believe in coming under authority; but when that authority isn't teaching the truth of the Bible and the whole counsel of God, then we can no longer place ourselves under their influence). And many of those followers will be in the Christian church because they are not taught truth, nor are they seeking it on their own. Because the leadership in many churches do not promote the study of the scriptures by those in the pew, many will be deceived. But, those of us who have studied the Word of God and know better can stand against such foolishness as this, and stand 'alone' if needs be. We that know the truth know that the scriptures tell us that:

All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. John 1:3

And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands: Heb. 1:10

Well, as far as I'm concerned, that settles it - God is the creator of everything. This woman is not taking into consideration the whole counsel of God, which is the entire Bible (although she claims to). And so those of us that are in Christ will have to take a stand against what is being taught by this professor and possibly stand alone.

I often tell my younger son (age 10) that at some point in his life he 'will' have to stand alone. It's just part of our suffering for the cause of Christ. It doesn't matter if you're 10 or 100, it's never easy; but it's how we share in Christ's suffering and only those that "suffer, will reign with Him" (2 Tim. 2:12).

I want to encourage you to strengthen and prepare yourselves to stand for Christ. And if necessary to stand alone - you will be rewarded for it. But don't forget, like the apostle Paul when he had been abandoned by his companions, that the Lord stood with him (1 Tim. 4:16-17). You may feel alone physically, but the Lord is always by your side.

Be blessed today my K.S. sweeties and always remember, 'Go with God.'

In His Word and at His Work,
Your K.S. Mama,




if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister. Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, Col. 1:23-24 esv

Thin-Skinned or Hard-Hearted

Happy Saturday all you Kingdom Seekers,

I told you in my last post that I had something to share and I've got a little time this morning so I thought I would get on here and talk to ya for a few minutes.

It has been an on going problem for me - being thin skinned. I can't take being talked down to, having someone be hateful to me, being criticized in a negative way (constructive criticism is OK, as long as it's done in love), or just someone being rude or mean to me. When someone is mean to me, Oh it breaks my heart. I will cry and cry over it. Especially when that someone is an extended family member or my immediate family. I've been told that I'm thin-skinned, although I never considered myself so. I've never been sure why I turned out this way; I always thought it was a direct result of my up-bringing. I do not want to be disrespectful or dishonoring to my parents, so I won't elaborate on that. But, this is the way that I am.

This particular 'issue' had been coming up more and more often lately. So, I began to earnestly seek God over it. I wasn't sure how to pray about; I just began to ask God to help me with it. I began to take it before the Throne of Grace and I told God that I didn't really know what to do about it or what His perfect will was concerning this for me. I took this matter of being
'thin-skinned' to my heavenly Father again and again without receiving any special instructions or revelation, either from the scriptures or my husband (these are the two places I look to first for answers or to discern the will of God for my life). Then one day, out of no where, I felt that God spoke to my heart about this matter. I wasn't praying, studying the scriptures, listening to praise and worship music, or anything particularly 'spiritual.' I was up in my bedroom looking for a book that I had misplaced and had this topic of being thin-skinned on my mind when I felt so strongly the Spirit of the Lord. I felt that the Lord spoke to my heart, "Charlotte, you're not thin-skinned; others are hard-hearted. You are tender-hearted as a direct result from being protected from the world. But, others, that are mean and hurtful, are hard-hearted because of their constant exposure to it. And they have knowingly built up a thick skin on their hearts to endure the constant onslaught of an evil, godless world." Wow! What a relief; because I was beginning to think of myself as a weany. I was beginning to think that if I was to ever continue in ministry that I'd better 'toughin-up.' Oh, how I thank God for His ministry of the Holy Spirit to me that day.

You know, my younger boy is a bit thin-skinned. He's only 10, but because of his christian up-bring, he too has been protected from the world. He knows that Christ, for our family, is our life; and because his parents are called into ministry, he is too and there are great responsibilities with that. He has learned to prefer others over himself (especially his older handicapped brother); he has learned to forgive; he is (like all of us) learning to make decisions for himself as to whether his actions are pleasing to the Lord and producing the fruits of righteousness in his life; and he is learning to stay sensitive to the Holy Spirit and allow the Holy Spirit to prick his heart when his actions and attitudes are unbiblical. All of this is making him thin-skinned. I was told that this is not a character trait that I would want my son to have, especially as he grows into manhood. But, I disagree; because there was something else that the Lord spoke to my heart that day - He said, "It's someone who is thin-skinned that is tender-hearted; and it's a tender-hearted person that hears My voice and follows Me." Caleb has already told me that he has heard the voice of the Lord in His heart and that when he is around the lost he has the unction of the Holy Spirit to witness to them (and he does from time to time, but he's still a little shy about it). How precious is that - a 10 year old boy asking someone "Do you know Jesus" or "Are you a Christian." There are many adult Christians that have been saved a long time that don't witness to a soul. But, my 'tender-hearted' 10 year old boy will witness for his Savior. I've told Caleb, "Don't ever change. Don't let the world beat a hard path across your heart. Don't let the hardships of life make you hard-hearted."

One of the character traits that a Christian is suppose to possess is compassion and humility. There is no way you can be compassionate and humble, and hard-hearted at the same time. They're like oil and water, they just don't mix. If for whatever reason you have become hard-hearted, if life has beat you up a bit, and people have treated you bad; remember Jesus didn't do that to you, nor will He ever. Use the hardships of life for something positive; like using that bad experience to minister to someone else that is going through the same thing. It's the only way I know to kick some dust in the devil's face and do some damage to his dark kingdom.

I know these are old cliches, but so appropriate: 'When life gives you lemons, make lemonade;' 'When life hands you scrapes, make a quilt;' 'When life is a mess, let God turn it around and give you a message.' And when you stay tender-hearted through it all, you will look like Jesus and be His compassionate heart to someone else who is hurting.

In His Word and at His Work,
Your Kingdom Seekin' Mama,

Fall Bible Study

Good Morning to all my Kingdom Seekers,

It's been a while since I've been able to post here. I've been sooo incredibly busy. But I love being busy, so I wouldn't have it any other way. I'm grabbing a few minutes to this morning to let you all know I'm still alive and kickin'.

I am so jazzed about starting fall Bible study. We begin on Wednesday, Sept. 16th and I will be facilitating Beth Moore's Daniel series. It's one of my favorites (the other being 'Beloved Disciple'). There truly isn't anything else I want to do than study God's Word and then teach it to others (the first being my own family). So many people wonder how can anyone study the scriptures so much? Well, we can study till Jesus comes and never know it all. It's a never ending resource of wisdom and strength. And what makes it so great is that it is soooo practical for our daily lives. That's what I love about God, He's sooo into my dailiness. And, Oh, how I need it. I need God to be in my marriage, parenting, finances, etc. And of course I need Him as I serve others through my ministry outside the church and my service to the saints inside the church.

I have something to share that God has given me, but it will have to wait until tomorrow. I've simply run out of time today. But, please check back later.

Please know that I love you all with the love of the Lord and I am praying that God will be glorified in your life.

Your K.S. Mama,

Fellowship

Happy Monday, all you K.S. Gals,

Just a quick note to let you know that all went well during the whole process of burying my father-in-law. It's so difficult to go through the loss of a loved one; but God gives special grace for things like this and Bob and our entire family most assuredly felt that grace in abundance. The Holy Spirit sustained us through the visitation and funeral, and we are extremely grateful for it. We were very concerned about how our older boy (Josh, 25 yrs. old and mentally handicapped) would handle the whole thing, but he could not have been better; an answer to prayer if there ever was one. And our younger boy (Caleb, 10yrs. old) served as pallbearer and helped to carry his Grandpa's casket; it was so precious!

This part of the journey is over; and we continue to grieve his absence and allow God to heal. Psalm 34:18 says, "The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart;..." We will never feel the closeness of our heavenly Father any stronger than when we've lost a loved one and our hearts are broken. But, the Lord knows just how to put broken hearts back together.

We are so thankful to all those that were sustaining us through prayer, and request that you continue do so.

But, on the lighter side, myself and a couple of my spiritual daughters are going to church tonight. This is a one night revival and an awesome man of God (that is local to our general area) will be bringing forth the Word of the Lord. It's so difficult for me to ask other gals in the body of Christ to attend a revival or some other function and have them say, "No." I think it is so important for us, in this day and age that we live, to keep ourselves built up in the Lord. No, I don't need to go to a revival, etc. to build myself up in the faith; all I need to do is get my Bible and head for my prayer closet. But, the journey is so much sweeter when we have traveling companions and get out for some girl-time at a church-related event; for me that simply is the best. It's so encouraging to be with other Christian women who are like-minded. In the Strong's Concordance, the definition of the word 'like-minded' is 'equal in soul.' Oh, to have the fellowship of those who are on the same path as you are, pursuing God with the same tenacity as you. What a sweet experience it is when you mention the name of Jesus and a precious sister's eyes light up with anticipation over the conversation that is getting ready to ensue. What a precious treasure it is to have those who are 'equal in soul' and Jesus, alive and fully active, in their life. He's the reason they get up in the morning. I so look forward to the fellowship of other Christian women that love God and are in hot pursuit to know Him; and all the better when we are receiving a fresh Word through one of God's servants.

Gotta run, the girls will be at my house soon and I'm fixing dinner for us (Mexican, Beth Moore would be proud). We're going to feed our bodies, head to church and get our spirits fed, and the dessert will be the sweet fellowship we have with each other - can't wait.

Your Kingdom Seekin' Mama,