Master – Page 4 – Praying Pint

Let your ear be attentive

Genesis 24:10 Then the servant took ten of his master’s camels and departed, taking all sorts of choice gifts from his master; and he arose and went to Mesopotamia to the city of Nahor. And he made the camels kneel down outside the city by the well of water at the time of evening, the time when women go out to draw water. And he said, “O Lord, God of my master Abraham, please grant me success today and show steadfast love to my master Abraham. Behold, I am standing by the spring of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water. Let the young woman to whom I shall say, ‘Please let down your jar that I may drink,’ and who shall say, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels’—let her be the one whom you have appointed for your servant Isaac. By this I shall know that you have shown steadfast love to my master.”

Before he had finished speaking, behold, Rebekah…

Genesis 24:26 The man bowed his head and worshiped the Lord and said, “Blessed be the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken his steadfast love and his faithfulness toward my master. As for me, the Lord has led me in the way to the house of my master’s kinsmen.”

Genesis 24:42 “I came today to the spring and said, O Lord, the God of my master Abraham, if now you are prospering the way that I go, behold, I am standing by the spring of water. Let the virgin who comes out to draw water, to whom I shall say, “Please give me a little water from your jar to drink,” and who will say to me, “Drink, and I will draw for your camels also,” let her be the woman whom the Lord has appointed for my master’s son.’

“Before I had finished speaking in my heart, behold, Rebekah came out with her water jar on her shoulder, and she went down to the spring and drew water.

Genesis 24:48 Then I bowed my head and worshiped the Lord and blessed the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who had led me by the right way to take the daughter of my master’s kinsman for his son.

Nehemiah 1:11     O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who delight to fear your name, and give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.”

Nehemiah 2:4    Then the king said to me, “What are you requesting?” So I prayed to the God of heaven.

Psalms 37:5   Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act.

Proverbs 3:6     In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

Abraham’s servant prayed that God would make his way in this matter plain and clear before him. Nehemiah prayed for success and also on how to respond to the King.

Our times are in God’s hand; not only events themselves, but the timing of them. We must be mindful of being over-bold in urging what God should do and when He should do it, rather than seeking to ensure we are honoring God by willing to allow His will and time take place.

How many, of faith, have been weakened by being so bold to speak and leave no room for God’s plans and purposes? How many have lived with God at arms length and seek to define what and when God should do something.

Keep close to God, learn of Him and His ways, and choose to humbly serve and honor Him. You will hear the quiet whispers of God and see His hand at work around and through you. He is able to give you wisdom, courage, strength, patience and confidence in whatever you are facing.

What shall be the sign?

Genesis 15:8 But he said, “O Lord GOD, how am I to know that I shall possess it?”

2 Kings 20:8 And Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “What shall be the sign that the LORD will heal me, and that I shall go up to the house of the LORD on the third day?”

Luke 1:18 And Zechariah said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.”

Psalms 86:17 Show me a sign of your favor, that those who hate me may see and be put to shame because you, LORD, have helped me and comforted me.

Genesis 24:2-4 And Abraham said to his servant, the oldest of his household, who had charge of all that he had, “Put your hand under my thigh, that I may make you swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and God of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell, but will go to my country and to my kindred, and take a wife for my son Isaac.”

Genesis 24:13-14 Behold, I am standing by the spring of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water. Let the young woman to whom I shall say, ‘Please let down your jar that I may drink,’ and who shall say, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels’—let her be the one whom you have appointed for your servant Isaac. By this I shall know that you have shown steadfast love to my master.”

Judges 6:36-40 Then Gideon said to God, “If you will save Israel by my hand, as you have said, behold, I am laying a fleece of wool on the threshing floor. If there is dew on the fleece alone, and it is dry on all the ground, then I shall know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you have said.” And it was so. When he rose early next morning and squeezed the fleece, he wrung enough dew from the fleece to fill a bowl with water. Then Gideon said to God, “Let not your anger burn against me; let me speak just once more. Please let me test just once more with the fleece. Please let it be dry on the fleece only, and on all the ground let there be dew.” And God did so that night; and it was dry on the fleece only, and on all the ground there was dew.

1 Samuel 14:9-10 If they say to us, ‘Wait until we come to you,’ then we will stand still in our place, and we will not go up to them. But if they say, ‘Come up to us,’ then we will go up, for the LORD has given them into our hand. And this shall be the sign to us.”

Isaiah 7:11 “Ask a sign of the LORD your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.”

Matthew 12:38-40 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, “Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.” But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.

There are certain aspects of our christian life that definitely do not need a sign from God for us to follow.

2 Peter 1:4. Through these He has given us His precious and magnificent promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, now that you have escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith virtue; and to virtue, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness;

Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

One thing is clear, if we do not spend time cultivating a life with these foundations being hammered solid through reading and applying His word, how its it expected to see a sign from Him in whom there is not daily desire to honor, glorify, serve, follow and obey. Walking with God this side of eternity has questions which requires living active faith. Faith that is grown and cultivated through His word.

We can ask God to give us a sign but I have found many times that He confirms directions for us to follow without us needing to ask. We just need to have our heart and ears tuned in to listening for the quiet small whispers of God through the indwelling Holy Spirit.

Do you want a sign?

Do you want to hear Him speak into your life through His word?

Do you want to see things unfold knowing God’s hand is active in plans and purposes in your life?

Faith is the substance of things hoped for and evidence of things not seen. In our life of instant everything we seem have lost the ability to seek God with expectant faith anticipation.

Being Ready

“And he said to man, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.’”

Psalms 90:12 So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.

Psalms 39:4 “O LORD, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am!

Deuteronomy 32:29 If they were wise, they would understand this; they would discern their latter end!

Ecclesiastes 9:10 Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might, for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going.

Luke 12:35 “Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning, and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will dress himself for service and have them recline at table, and he will come and serve them. If he comes in the second watch, or in the third, and finds them awake, blessed are those servants! But know this, that if the master of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have left his house to be broken into. You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”

John 9:4 We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work.

Ephesians 5:16 making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

Proverbs 2:2 making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God. For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;

Proverbs 4:5 Get wisdom; get insight; do not forget, and do not turn away from the words of my mouth.

Proverbs 7:1 My son, keep my words and treasure up my commandments with you; keep my commandments and live; keep my teaching as the apple of your eye; bind them on your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart. Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,” and call insight your intimate friend,

Proverbs 8:32 “And now, O sons, listen to me: blessed are those who keep my ways. Hear instruction and be wise, and do not neglect it. Blessed is the one who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting beside my doors. For whoever finds me finds life and obtains favor from the LORD, but he who fails to find me injures himself; all who hate me love death.”

Proverbs 16:16 How much better to get wisdom than gold! To get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.

Proverbs 22:17 Incline your ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply your heart to my knowledge,

Proverbs 23:12 Apply your heart to instruction and your ear to words of knowledge.

Proverbs 18:1 Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire; he breaks out against all sound judgment. A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion.

Jude 1:19 It is these who cause divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit.

Being ready at all times is much different than thinking about being ready. Being ready and living ready is putting the Word of God into action in our lives. Thinking about being ready is just that, stuff moving through our head and no action to follow it up. God’s will must be a desired and sought after presence in our lives. This desire and seeking keep us actionable for His purpose and plans. Reread these verses and as is says in Proverbs 22:17 Incline your ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply your heart to my knowledge,

Hearts far from God

“Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me,”

“the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces and put him with the unfaithful.”

John 15:22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin.

John 3:18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”

John 9:41 Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, ‘We see,’ your guilt remains.

John 12:48 The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day.

Ezekiel 2:5 And whether they hear or refuse to hear (for they are a rebellious house)

Ezekiel 33:31 And they come to you as people come, and they sit before you as my people, and they hear what you say but they will not do it; for with lustful talk in their mouths they act; their heart is set on their gain. And behold, you are to them like one who sings lustful songs with a beautiful voice and plays well on an instrument, for they hear what you say, but they will not do it.

Acts 17:30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent,

Hebrews 6:4 For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt. For land that has drunk the rain that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed, and its end is to be burned.

James 4:17 So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.

Romans 1:20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.

Romans 2:1 Therefore you have no excuse

1 Peter 2:16 Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.

Revelation 3:15 “‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.

How do we know if our heart is hard? How do we know if we are only serving God with our mouth and not our heart, mind, and soul? What are we going to be held accountable for? What does it mean to be without excuse? What does it take to be rejected or, for that matter, restored? How do we know if we are lukewarm? I remember it being considered normal to attend Sunday morning bible study, then worship service, then Sunday evening study, having a couples bible study during the week, Wednesday evening prayer meeting, and a mens bible study one morning during the week. Being in God’s word throughout the week. It does not seem this is the norm any more. In fact it appears that if we are attending Sunday morning worship service every week we are considered a fanatic. The expectation for what it means to humbly serve, honor, follow, and obey God has dropped to a very low expectation in our culture. We need to be mindful of our heart, mind and soul and the influence of the world and it’s expectation making us think we are in some way serving God with a lukewarm life. We are meant to be a light shinning in the darkness, making disciples, serving God, feeding on His word, knowing His word, meditating on His word, hearing His whispers of guidance, being led by the Holy Spirit, finding purpose each day seeking to honor Him. How is this done if our we neglect His word? Scripture is clear we are without excuse for being complacent. Praise be to God that He pursues us and draws us back to Himself. Praise to Him for not leaving us in a state of being lukewarm. Praise to Him for standing at the door of our heart knocking. Praise to Him for His steadfast love. Forget doing right and wrong and thinking this in someway makes it right with God. Come to Him broken and seek His building you up into a humble servant. Seek to honor Him. Desire to follow and obey Him for the purpose of glorifying Him. Run to Him for His leading in your life. Yield fully in service to Him. SPEND TIME IN HIS WORD

Imitators of God

“For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.”

Psalms 85:13 Righteousness will go before him and make his footsteps a way.

Psalms 89:14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; steadfast love and faithfulness go before you.

Isaiah 58:8 Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily; your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.

Psalms 119:35 Lead me in the path of your commandments, for I delight in it.

John 13:14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.

Ephesians 5:1 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

Hebrews 12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,

1 John 2:6 whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.

Righteousness and Justice are the foundation of the throne of God. Steadfast love and faithfulness shine a light on the path our live should follow. Jesus walked this side of heaven teaching with His word and also as an example of humbly serving, honoring, following, and obeying God the heavenly Father. Paul said we ought to imitators of God, walking in love and setting aside every sin that clings so closely to us. We are to live like this with a heart desire and endurance. In Psalms David requested to be led on a path that followed God’s statues and commands. There is a choice required in our heart, mind and soul to seek and know God. This same choice desires to be led on paths that honor and glorify Him. Each day we have a choice to commit to following Him or be complacent. We have a choice to know Him more and more each day or neglect His word. To be imitators of God and be a light in the darkness, time in His word with desire to humbly serve, honor, follow and obey Him are essential.

God honoring life

“Her priests have done violence to my law and have profaned my holy things. They have made no distinction between the holy and the common, neither have they taught the difference between the unclean and the clean, and they have disregarded my Sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them.”

“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being a priest to me. And since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.”

Malachi 1:6 “A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then I am a father, where is my honor? And if I am a master, where is my fear? says the LORD of hosts to you, O priests, who despise my name.

Jeremiah 5:30 An appalling and horrible thing has happened in the land: the prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule at their direction; my people love to have it so, but what will you do when the end comes?

1 Samuel 2:28 Did I choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to go up to my altar, to burn incense, to wear an ephod before me? I gave to the house of your father all my offerings by fire from the people of Israel. Why then do you scorn my sacrifices and my offerings that I commanded for my dwelling, and honor your sons above me by fattening yourselves on the choicest parts of every offering of my people Israel?’ Therefore the LORD, the God of Israel, declares: ‘I promised that your house and the house of your father should go in and out before me forever,’ but now the LORD declares: ‘Far be it from me, for those who honor me I will honor, and those who despise me shall be lightly esteemed.

Jeremiah 2:21 Yet I planted you a choice vine, wholly of pure seed. How then have you turned degenerate and become a wild vine? Though you wash yourself with lye and use much soap, the stain of your guilt is still before me, declares the Lord GOD.

1 Peter 2:17 Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor. Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust. For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly.

Rejecting knowledge of God leads directly to not honoring Him. There are many ways for us to honor Him. We can start with a desire deep in our heart, mind and soul to know Him. We can live with a committed choice to follow and obey Him. We can seek first how to give the best of what we have with purpose to honor Him. We can endure sorrow and suffering unjustly. We can love others more than ourselves. We can confess our sin and rely on His forgiveness. Honoring God begins in the heart and mind. The manifestation of this want to honor Him can be seen and heard in what we say and do throughout our day. Choosing to neglect Him does not honor Him. Choosing to serve and live for self interests does not honor Him. Choosing not to give generously does not honor Him. We have a choice to make every moment of every day. Joshua put it best “as for me and my house we will serve the Lord”

Instant Access

“Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that good and bad come?”

“ Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!”

“Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears us up; God is our salvation.”

“Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the LORD GOD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.”

“My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.”

Psalms 62:1 For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken.

Psalms 25:5 Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long.

Psalms 27:14 Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!

Psalms 33:20 Our soul waits for the LORD; he is our help and our shield.

Psalms 40:1 I waited patiently for the LORD; he inclined to me and heard my cry.

Psalms 123:2 Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maidservant to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the LORD our God, till he has mercy upon us.

Psalms 130:5 I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I hope; my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning.

Isaiah 30:18 Therefore the LORD waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the LORD is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him.

Isaiah 40:31 but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

Lamentations 3:25 The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.

James 5:7 Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains.

Waiting patiently is hard. Trusting and waiting patiently is harder. Knowing, Trusting, and waiting patiently is faith. Our faith is something that grows (or should grow) based on knowing God in our lives. Our faith grows as we read His word and believe it. Our faith grows as we seek God and He reveals Himself to us. Our faith grows as we learn to hear His whispers of guidance into our lives. Our faith grows from clinging to His promises. And our faith grows when we patiently wait for Him. Our culture and technology lead us down a path where everything is available nearly immediately. We have grown to expect instant response to our wants and needs. Instant response to many things is not bad. We can instantly find almost anything at our finger tips. Many times this seems to help us function and does. It helps us make decision, take proper care in these decisions and shows us how to accomplish a task unfamiliar to us. Instant access, instant information, and instant response seem to the way we are wired right now. However, in light of the scriptures above, technology seems to draw and pull us away from seeking, hearing, knowing, and serving God. Technology seems to have replaced God. We seem to have lost sight of our need for Him in this world of instant self reliance. We are instructed to seek Him with all our heart, mind and soul. We have instant access to His word but neglect it. We are instructed to desire Him but choose to desire things of this world above Him. We are instructed to serve, honor, follow, and obey Him but have shut our ears to listen for His guidance. We are told to rely on, trust in, and cling to Him alone but have choose to rely on self. Our lives will always be in shallow satisfaction apart from being in His purpose and plan. What disaster or misfortune must come your way before you see need for God? Choose now whom you will serve. Choose now to deny self. Choose now to seek Him. Choose now to confess self-reliance and turn away from it. Choose now to spend time in His word each day. Choose now to humbly serve Him. Choose now to honor, follow and obey Him. Choose now to want to know Him and His plan and purpose for your life. Choose now to never want to hear at your entry into eternity “Depart from Me, for I never knew you”. Choose now to purpose each day for God alone.

Be like the Teacher

Do you ever wonder what example to follow? Our life is not to be a list of do’s and don’ts. Our life is to be filled with desire and purpose to Honor and Glorify our Master and Teacher. It does not take much reading of God’s word to know we fail to look for His example and obey what it says. What would the world look like if we truly desired to be like our Teacher?

Matthew 10:24
“A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master

John 13:16
Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them

Luke 6:40
A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher