"Even Yet!" - Again

 "For he was yet in the loins of his father, when Melchisedek met him." (Hebrews 7:10 KJV)

  "You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered. I can't even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me!" (PSALM 139:16-18 NLT)

 Okay, so I didn't give up on my job and get into the ministry or change the lifestyle we were starting to get into; but I have been consistent in staying faithful; going to church, being involved in ministry, making sure that I always give, faithfully and cheerfully. That said, I have always wished that I would have made a different choice! 

 Not that I have regrets, because I cannot do anything about the things I should have done; besides that, God can use us in all sorts of different ways; sometimes, even though we don't know we are doing it! If you look at the illustration Jesus gave about the sheep and the goats, the sheep were acknowledged for doing for the Lord, yet they asked, "Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you?" (Matthew 25:37 NLT) 

 Without making any judgement or accusation about anyone, sometimes those who are in fulltime ministry are the ones who think they are owed something special. Those that don't look for recognition or great praise, are the ones that are just happy to be serving, just because they like helping others; while those who want to be praised for doing something, have received their reward. 

 Hopefully you can understand what that means, because if we want the praise of men, then that is the sum of our reward, which is temporal and will fade away. "Only what's done for Christ will last!" That is what I have come to understand, because if we do anything for our own recognition, then that is our reward, which really doesn't count, except to receive the glory for ourselves.

 From what I have understood, God gets the glory, always...

"I was circumcised when I was eight days old. I am a pure-blooded citizen of Israel and a member of the tribe of Benjamin - a real Hebrew if there ever was one! I was a member of the Pharisees, who demand the strictest obedience to the Jewish law. I was so zealous that I harshly persecuted the church. And as for righteousness, I obeyed the law without fault. I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done." (Philippians 3:5-7 NLT)