Qualities for Success!

Message preached today at Redemption Centre by Rev Joan Millar. Listen as one of God's beloved generals and experienced soldier shares from the heart of God through her heart to yours!

 Some thoughts gleaned from message:
1. It's discipline not desire that determines your destiny!
2. Plan your work and work your plan!
3. Failure to plan is planning to fail!

On Joseph...
1. He had a God given and God ordained dream
2. He lived a disciplined life and was not haphazard
3. He did not trust in his own ability but in God
4. He had a humble spirit and did not yield to pride.
5. He made wise choices
 
Dream...plan...discipline....excellence....humility.
Success depends on you being able to respect those over you.
The difference between the rich and the poor...the rich make their money work for them; the poor is always chasing money!
If you play today you will spend the rest of your life struggling to make it. If you work hard today you will chose when and where you play!
Character counts!It's the sum total of your choices and habits!

LOVEST THOU ME? DO YOU REALLY LOVE ME?

There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two other of his disciples. Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto him, We also go with thee. They went forth, and entered into a ship immediately; and that night they caught nothing. But when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore: but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus. Then Jesus saith unto them, Children, have ye any meat? They answered him, No. And he said unto them, Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes. Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved saith unto Peter, It is the Lord. Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girt his fisher's coat unto him, (for he was naked,) and did cast himself into the sea. And the other disciples came in a little ship; (for they were not far from land, but as it were two hundred cubits,) dragging the net with fishes. As soon then as they were come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon, and bread. Jesus saith unto them, Bring of the fish which ye have now caught. Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land full of great fishes, an hundred and fifty and three: and for all there were so many, yet was not the net broken. Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine. And none of the disciples durst ask him, Who art thou? knowing that it was the Lord. Jesus then cometh, and taketh bread, and giveth them, and fish likewise. This is now the third time that Jesus shewed himself to his disciples, after that he was risen from the dead. So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs. He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep. He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep. Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not. This spake he, signifying by what death he should glorify God. And when he had spoken this, he saith unto him, Follow me. Then Peter, turning about, seeth the disciple whom Jesus loved following; which also leaned on his breast at supper, and said, Lord, which is he that betrayeth thee? Peter seeing him saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do? Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me. John 21:2-22 KJV

We are absolutely assured of the love of God for us. How He loves us so much! He went the whole distance to show us that. His love is unconditional, with no strings attached because He is Love! If there is one thing we are absolutely assured of, it is that God loves us!

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.  John 3:16 KJV

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.  John 15:13 KJV

But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.  Romans 5:8 KJV

Paul prayed:

For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. Ephesians 3:14-19 KJV

It’s a prayer for believers to understand and know the love of God which passes knowledge!

The question to examine is: how much do you love Him? Jesus said:

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it. If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. John 14:12-18 KJV

Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me. John 14:23-24 KJV 

Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me.  John 8:42 KJV

So what does being in love with Jesus mean?

1. Every conscious thought is full of Him.  If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. Colossians 3:1-2 KJV
2. You want Him to be the topic of every conversation and every time His Name comes up in conversation you are alert.
3. You want to be near Him and know His Presence all the time and any thought of separation brings anxiety and troubles you. You want to be completely one with Him - no less!
4. You want to hear Him tell you that He loves you, that you're special to Him - feel the thrill. You want everyone to know that you love Him and are loved by Him!
5. You long to know more about Him, to extol His virtues and graces...and do not care to hear bad things said about Him.
6. You want to trust Him completely, without reservation, with all the secrets of your heart! You want to place all your confidence in His Word when you cannot feel His literal presence, when it seems He is far from you. When doubts and unbelief step in absolute trust in His Words are essential! You want everyone to know that you love Him and are loved by Him!
7. You face persecution, opposition, 'seeming disgrace' and shame without actually realizing it, and it doesn't even bother you! There is a readiness to sacrifice for Love's Sake! And to him they agreed: and when they had called the apostles, and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name. And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ. Acts 5:40-42 KJV
8. You want to be pleasing in all ways to Him. You would never want to do anything that would cause Him sorrow and pain so that you never have to tell Him sorry! You want to give Him of your best - nothing less! 

Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. We love him, because he first loved us. If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also. 1 John 4:7-21 KJV

His Love for me caused Him to do what...? My love for Him should cause me to do what...?

Do something for Love! Before we can even think about dying for God we need to die to self! Someone said “You only love Jesus as much as you love the person you love the least.”

Jesus didn't die for you because it was fun

He hung there for love because it had to be done

And despite of the anguish his word was fulfilled

Love is not a feeling it's an act of your will

Love is not a feeling it's an act of your will (Don Francisco)

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.  Romans 8:28 KJV

My Jesus, I love Thee, I know Thou art mine;

For Thee all the follies of sin I resign.

My gracious Redeemer, my Savior art Thou;

If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, ’tis now.

I love Thee because Thou has first loved me,

And purchased my pardon on Calvary’s tree.

I love Thee for wearing the thorns on Thy brow;

If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, ’tis now.

I’ll love Thee in life, I will love Thee in death,

And praise Thee as long as Thou lendest me breath;

And say when the death dew lies cold on my brow,

If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, ’tis now.

In mansions of glory and endless delight,

I’ll ever adore Thee in heaven so bright;

I’ll sing with the glittering crown on my brow;

If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, ’tis now.

 (William R Featherston)

GATHER YE TOGETHER FIRST THE TARES

 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn. Matthew 13:24-30 KJV

Matthew 13:36-43, "Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house: and his disciples came unto him, saying, Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field.  He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man;  The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;  The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.  As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.  The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;  And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.  Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear."

Ever wondered why the Lord said 'gather ye together first the tares' in the parable?

Some knowledge of Bible times and customs come in handy here. According to such studies the tares (weeds) is of a form known as darnel which resembles wheat in all of its early stages so as to make it difficult to distinguish from the genuine plant.

However as it reaches maturity the grain produced is black and so is distinguished from the true grain of wheat.

It is also said to be lighter than the regular grain so that as the fruit in both mature the heavier wheat will bend while the lighter weed stand out proudly above the wheat making it easier to identify and remove.

With this knowledge the parable takes on more significance! It is generally difficult to identify counterfeit Christianity until the fruit is produced…you know…by their fruits you shall know them?!... Just as the darnel with its color and weight results in its identification so the false Christian's true colors and personality are exhibited as they go on display!

I see here a picture of fruitful saints of God bowed in humility and submission quietly producing for the Lord, while the proud and loud counterfeit stands out in an obnoxious display of self!

The darnel is also said to be poisonous resulting in dizziness, convulsions vomiting and even death.

How often have we not been fooled by a person’s flair and flamboyance as they subtly present a 'gospel' that ultimately glorifies not the CHRIST but the person?

How many of supposedly genuine 'God's servants' ultimately reveal themselves by their fruit.

I cannot help but speculate about what would have been the opinion of the apostle Paul if he was alive on earth today! I doubt he would have subscribed to being a superstar because he would have been too busy proclaiming Jesus rather than himself! I really cannot see the apostle Paul or any other of the apostles for that matter selling tickets for you to go and hear them speak! It is hard for me to visualize these faith giants of old living it up in lifestyles of the rich and the famous, on monies begged, cajoled and manipulated out of poor little old ladies and others who are struggling to survive… all in the name of Jesus.

Yeah these 'darnel' stand out tall and proud who, in order to fuel their jets and warm their swimming pools, think nothing of threatening the humble saints of God with curses and doom unless the saints empty their pockets.

Beloved the Lord has made it very easy for us to detect the false…May He also help us to remain humble in His presence and quietly produce fruit to His honor and glory…!

1. Jesus said the world, not the church, is the field. God is sowing the good seed. He is placing the children of the kingdom into this world. At the same time the devil is planting his counterfeits. These may look like the children of the kingdom in all respects but by their fruit you shall know them. They all looked alike in the young stage but as the fruit appeared there was recognition of the tares. (a darnel which looks like wheat except that it produces black grain)

As harvest approaches a singular distinction is made. The wheat which are now ripe are bowed with the heavy grain. The darnel (tare) remains proudly erect with its light fruit. It is now easy to go through the fields and pluck the tare which lifts it head up proudly above the lowly bowed wheat.

2. The Lord said to gather the tares first and placed them to be burned. This is to take place at the harvest. There is a reason for the waiting. It is not because the Lord wants the tares to flourish. It is because the act of pulling up weeds may result in much wheat being pulled as well. This is not what the Lord desires so the wheat is allowed to grow with the tares because the Lord knows the nature of the tares and what will happen at the harvest time.

3. At harvest the grain is ripe in the wheat. The tares are also in full fruit. However here is where the difference makes itself literally stand out. The wheat is ripe and heavy on the stalk. As a result the weight causes the stalk to bend. The tares on the other hand produce fruit which is so light that they remain standing straight up with the black fruit plainly identifying the tares. Harvesting them out from the wheat is very simple then without risk of harming the precious grain.

The wheat with its full heavy grain bowing low is representative of the child of God so full of fruit and humbly bowing in the presence of God.  The tare with its weightless black fruit raised up represents the imitation proudly on exhibit for all to see looking like the real thing but having no value. Instead of humility it proudly sticks its neck up!

Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten. Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days. Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth. Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter. Ye have condemned and killed the just; and he doth not resist you. Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh. Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door. James 5:1-9 KJV

If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness; He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself. But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses. 1 Timothy 6:3-12 KJV