Harbor Of Light Ministries

Test Of True Friendship

2010-04-29T17:06:00.000-07:00

Wealth maketh many friends; but the poor is separated from his neighbour. - Proverbs 19: 4

One of the things we can learn from this economic crisis we’re in is how many friends we truly have. I believe true friends are the ones that hang around you even when you’re broke.

I don’t know what it is about being financially blessed that draws the crowd. It’s like when you have a cash flow and people know about it, these so-called friends come out of the woodwork. They are calling you on the phone, stopping by for a visit, and act as if they really care about you. But, now that the money is gone the phone rarely rings. What’s up with that?

Have you ever analyzed a telephone call? Let’s say your phone rings and you answer it. Let’s say the phone conversation lasts for thirty minutes. How much of that time was spent by your friend on seeing how you were really doing? Or were they buttering you up for the ‘what can you do me’ speech? It makes you wonder if people really care about you. I guess our natural need for friendship makes us blind to what real friendship is. We can’t see their motives behind the phone call. We automatically assume that since they called us they must actually care. That’s not always the case.

I remember a few years ago when we were doing good financially. Our business was successful and taking vacations was a common thing to do around here. We would even invite our friends along and cover the tab. It was a good life and we were very giving of what God had blessed us with and friends were everywhere. We didn’t mind sharing because money was basically green printed paper that could easily be made again. It was really no big deal. If someone needed something, we would always step up to the plate to help them every time they asked.

One of the lessons I have had to learn from this is that God expects us to be good stewards with what He has given us. This free flowing money that He blessed us with should have been used for good, not wasted on maintaining friendships. I also learned that giving all the time to the same people can actually cause more harm than good, especially if they are looking to you to provide for them instead of God who is the real source. Another lesson for me is that we can’t get bitter or angry when these people aren’t around in our time of need. If we are truly giving and helping people from the heart, we shouldn’t expect anything back in return.

Because of these lessons, I can see now who my friends are because they are the ones that are still in my life today. Actually, I have made more new friends because of our financial setback and are here regardless of how much money I have in my bank account. I have also learned that when I help someone it should be because I love them as Jesus does, not because I want to make and keep friends.

Many of us will be losing friends during this economic crisis, but according to the Bible, it’s to be expected. If you have lost your job or have been struggling financially because of some money setbacks, you may lose friends, too. Don’t let this get you depressed, bitter, or angry. Take a closer look at who your real friends are. You will be able to recognize them because they will be the ones that are still calling. They are the ones that come to you to see how they can help you and pray with you. Always remember who these people are because they are the real deal. And when you try to make a friend, put your money back in your pocket and see what happens.

Let’s learn all the valuable lessons we can from this economic crisis. One of them being the test of true friendship.

God bless you!

Jeff

Harbor Of Light Ministries

Author/Cartoonist for A Redneck's Guide

Double D's - A Time To Refocus

2010-04-29T16:45:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time, Satan was having a garage sale. Standing in little groups were all of his bright and shiny trinkets. There were tools that make it easy to tear others down for use as stepping stones. And over there were some lenses for magnifying ones own importance, which, if you looked through them the other way, you could also use to belittle others or even one’s self. Against the wall was the usual assortment of gardening implements guaranteed to help your pride grow by leaps and bounds: the rake of scorn, the shovel of jealousy for digging a pit for your neighbor, the tools of gossip and backbiting, of selfishness and apathy. All of these were pleasing to the eye and came complete with fabulous promises and guarantees of prosperity. Prices, of course, were steep; but not to worry! Free credit was extended to one and all. “Take it home, use it, and you won’t have to pay until later!” old Satan cried, as he hawked his wares.

The visitor, as he browsed, noticed two well worn, non-descript tools standing in one corner. Not being nearly as tempting as the other items, he found it curious that these two tools had price tags higher than any other. When he asked why, Satan just laughed and said, “Well, that’s because I use them so much. If they weren’t so plain looking, people might see them for what they were.” Satan pointed to the two tools, saying, “You see, that one’s Doubt and that one’s Discouragement — and those will work when nothing else will.”

I have always liked this story because it paints a true story of how Satan works on the lives of Christians. We have all been guilty of buying something from his garage sale once or twice. Some of us may have bought him out. Right?

Being a Christian is a life-long growing process and we can learn so much along the way. We soon realize how ‘not perfect’ we are, and that just because we are Christians, it doesn’t mean we won’t have our fair share of struggles. It’s a battle out there - no doubt! And if we really think about it, the battle gets harder the closer we try to live like God tell us from His Word.

I believe the best way to defeat Satan in his attacks against us is to recognize him when he throws things into our life and knowing that his main purpose is to keep us from moving forward. We’re saved and he can’t take that away from us, but he can put stumbling blocks in our path to keep us from helping others. Why would he do this? It’s the fact that God uses his people to reach out to people that don’t know Him and lead them to Him. Satan’s attack against us is really an attempt to prevent them from seeing Jesus in our lives and being saved. That’s his plan! Unfortunately, he wins a lot of battles against us and we may not realize it.

Just like the story above, he uses those tools to make it happen. Even after we’ve recognized and conquered many of his schemes, it seems that the double D’s (doubt and discouragement) are the hardest ones to defeat. It doesn’t matter if a person has been saved for a long time, the double D’s always seem to resurface.

Doubt is when we have uncertainty about God and in ourselves. We are unsure of what God is doing and what He wants to do in our lives. We doubt ourselves by allowing Satan to make us believe that we are unworthy and useless in God’s plan for humanity. I’m here to tell you that we are. It’s not that we are in our own strength, but because we are saved and God lives within us and is working through us. Remember, greater is He that is within us than he that is in the world.

Discouragement kicks in when God doesn’t work things out in our lives the way we think He should. We have to remember that He is God and loves us, but doesn’t work according to our time schedule and plans. God has a plan for every one of His children and we have to move according to His schedule daily. We can’t worry about tomorrow or even try to figure out what God is planning. His ways are not our ways. All we are told to do is to trust Him and believe.

Satan is tricky and is very active in the world today and preys on victims everywhere. We, as Christians, have to keep fighting the fight and not sit down. God wants us on the battlefield. Push aside doubt and discouragement and let’s get our focus back on God and the ones out there that don’t know Him. That’s what it’s all about!

God bless you!

Jeff

Harbor Of Light Ministries

Author and Cartoonist of A Redneck's Guide

Andrew - A Brother's Shadow

2009-05-14T11:48:00.000-07:00

As we all know, Jesus chose the original twelve disciples. From reading the Bible, it may appear that He made some bad choices in the men that were selected. These were ordinary guys with an extraordinary mission of spreading the Gospel to the ends of the earth. They had flaws, but Jesus was able to use them anyway and He had a specific purpose behind each one he chose.

Recently, I have been interested in why Jesus picked them. What was so special that made them qualified for the job Jesus wanted them to do? The Bible doesn’t mention any special gifts or talents other than maybe their occupation before they entered into the ministry. I believe the Apostles were selected because their character and traits would later represent the different people Jesus ‘chooses’ today. Which one represents you?

The disciple I would like to talk about today is Andrew. He is one of the twelve disciples that you don’t really hear much about. The Bible doesn’t say much about him, but yet he is an important character because of the fact that he was the ‘first’ disciple.

As everyone already knows, Andrew was the brother of Peter and the son of the Apostle John. He, too, was in the fishing business along with his brother (Peter), father (John), and uncle (James). They were all partners that worked together catching and selling fish to the nearby markets. This could have been a ‘booming’ business in those days and all of them may have been successful.

Andrew was a little different than his fellow business associates. He was a disciple of John The Baptist. This tells me that Andrew found time in his busy business schedule to learn the teachings of John The Baptist about the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ. While his family were carrying on with business and family matters, Andrew was learning about spiritual stuff. I would imagine that Andrew witnessed to his family a time or two to come and join him. I could almost guarantee that he shared with them what he had learned from John The Baptist.

According to John 1: 29-42, John The Baptist was giving a testimony about the Messiah to his disciples. He was telling them that Jesus would be coming and would be the Son of God. The following day, Jesus passes by and John points Him out. Immediately, Andrew and another disciple began following Him. It says in verse 42 that the first thing Andrew did was find his brother, Peter, and brought him to Jesus. This was the first act of discipleship where a person gets led to the Lord. That’s pretty awesome!

Based on what I have read about Andrew, he had some good and bad characteristics.

His Character: The Good Points
The Bible doesn’t say much about Andrew or contain a mile-long list of his accomplishments. However, he was mostly known for leading others to Jesus and by doing so, these people were able to accomplish great things. Andrew would be more portrayed as a person that was ‘behind the scenes’. These are the characteristics I see in him:

A leader - not because of his speaking abilities, but because he led people to Jesus

Loyal and obedient - when Jesus would tell him to do something, he acted on it quickly

A businessman - this contains the characteristics needed to run a business

Faithful - he was a follower of John The Baptist and Jesus

A man of action - he was quick on the draw - no hesitation

A willingness to share - after meeting Jesus, he immediately went to go get his brother

His Character: The Bad Points
Since there is not enough information in the Bible about Andrew, it’s hard to say what his bad points are. Knowing that these disciples were ordinary men, I would imagine they felt some of the same feelings we have. When Andrew’s name is mentioned, he is known as ‘Andrew, Peter’s brother’. It was as if he lived in the ‘shadows’ of his brother. Personally, there had to be some feelings of jealousy or a sense of unimportance in Andrew’s life. If there were, the Bible doesn’t mention it.

His Accomplishments In Ministry
By bringing his brother, Peter, to Jesus he was able to add 3000 people to the church (Acts 2: 41). You could say that he could take credit for the accomplishments of the ones that he led to the Lord.

After Jesus had died, Andrew went on to preach the Gospel in Greece. He was later martyred and tied (not nailed) to an ‘X’ shaped cross. He is considered a national saint today in Scotland and Russia.

How could we apply the life of Andrew today? If you are someone that works ‘behind the scenes’ in ministry, your job is just as important as the one ‘in the spotlight’. Yes, you may not get credit for your efforts, but God knows. That’s why He chose you! I believe behind every great leader, there is someone that pushes them forward.

Also, we can’t take for granted the job we consider ‘small’ because we really don’t know who we are ministering to. For example, if you are teaching a Sunday School class to ten kids. Yes, it may seem like a ‘small’ job, but do you know the future of the ones you are teaching to? Who’s to say that one of those ten may go on to greater things for the Lord? God knows. Maybe that’s why you are there - preparing and teaching them. God knows what He is doing and He’s doing it through YOU!

God bless you!

Jeff
Harbor Of Light Ministries

Jesus On My Spine

2009-05-14T11:28:00.000-07:00

I went to the dentist a few weeks ago. I hadn't been in years and was having trouble with some bad teeth. They took an x-ray of both sides of my face with a machine that circles your head. It was kinda cool. The amazing thing to me is what I saw in the x-ray photo. There appears to be a face located in my spine. Is it the face of Jesus? I'll let you decide:

The Marriage Feast

2009-04-13T11:18:00.000-07:00

Read Matthew 22: 1-14 (NIV):

Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: "The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come. "Then he sent some more servants and said, 'Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.' "But they paid no attention and went off-one to his field, another to his business. The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them. The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. "Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. Go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.' So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, both good and bad, and the wedding hall was filled with guests. "But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. 'Friend,' he asked, 'how did you get in here without wedding clothes?' The man was speechless. "Then the king told the attendants, 'Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' "For many are invited, but few are chosen."

A king is having a wedding party for his son. He has sent out the invitations, but many people have refused to come. The king gets angry! And I don’t blame him…

My 3 year old daughter recently had a birthday party. My wife invited as many people as she could. She called people on the telephone, sent emails, mailed invitations and told people when she would meet them in public. She wanted this to be a special occasion for our little Beth. This would be a special day.

My wife and I bought the necessary party decorations, made the reservations at the local park, and bought the food and drinks needed and expected many people to show up. The party was ready. Then came the excuses…

Needless to say, maybe a ¼ of the people showed up that got invited. Beth still had a great birthday party, but we had a lot of leftovers to bring back home that eventually got wasted. The parable mentioned above is similar, but it’s more serious than a simple birthday party. The parable above is talking about eternal life in Heaven.

The Invitation
The invitations have already been sent out. Everyone is invited to receive eternal life. Jesus paid the price on the cross at Calvary. Read John 3:16. He did it for the whole world. You are included! Don’t ignore it!

The Servants
Those of us that are saved should be telling the world about the Good News. The Gospel is being spread all over the place. That’s what we do - what we are called to do. We gotta’ get the Word out… Will you be joining us in the feast?

The Guests
These are the folks that say, “OK. Count me in!” And actually show up. These people are the ones that accept Jesus as Lord and Savior. They put on the wedding clothes and are dressed for the banquet. Some people play the game, but don’t take the necessary step by asking Jesus to come into their life and repenting of their sins. You may as well not of showed up at all.

And Those That Refuse To Come
Here’s the deal, according to the parable. The king is cleaning house. You are either in or you’re out. And being ‘out’ has a very bad outcome. Look at your invitation today. Will you be joining the feast provided by the King? I hope to see you there!

God bless you!

Jeff
Harbor Of Light Ministries

The Unforgiving Servant

2009-04-13T11:15:00.000-07:00

Read Matthew 18: 23-35 (NIV):

"Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt. "The servant fell on his knees before him. 'Be patient with me,' he begged, 'and I will pay back everything.' The servant's master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go. "But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him and began to choke him. 'Pay back what you owe me!' he demanded. "His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.' "But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened. "Then the master called the servant in. 'You wicked servant,' he said, 'I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?' In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. "This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart."

This is a parable on forgiveness and mercy. I think many of us can relate to it. Even though it speaks of forgiving money debts, it also relates to forgiving and having mercy on many levels.

Forgiving and Having Mercy For Others
One thing I have learned in life is that people are human. It doesn’t matter who they are. People make mistakes. The sad thing is that people’s words and actions affect us. The same people that can offer us encouragement or do nice things can say or do things that can hurt us emotionally and physically.

To live in the flesh and be worldly, we will have enemies and we will have friends. To live as a Christian and be spiritual in our walk, we need to understand the importance of love. Loving our neighbor means our friends and our enemies. Satan will use these people as a tool to bring us down. He tempts them, so that through their emotions, they can lash out on us in hurtful ways. How can we survive?

First, we have to recognize the enemy. Secondly, we need to understand the many ways he will try to defeat us. Thirdly, we should apply the love to our lives that Jesus tells us about from His Word and use it as a shield. If you truly love your neighbor, then their words or actions will never hurt you. We will know who is behind it all. We will be able to forgive them and have mercy on them.

Holding onto hate and bitterness towards someone will only destroy us in the end. Get rid of it!

Forgiving and Having Mercy For Ourselves
Sometimes I think our worst enemy is ourselves, but its mostly because the real enemy, Satan, is masterminding the whole scheme. You see, he uses your guilt and possibly pride against you. Here’s the deal! You’re not perfect either! You will make mistakes, too. Actually, it’s OK to not be perfect. As long as you are seeking righteousness and following Jesus, He will work with you. He will help you and develop the person He wants you to be. You’re a ‘work in progress’, so keep moving on!

The worst thing you can do is dwell on your imperfections and continue beating yourself up. You belong to God and you are His vessel. Try something new…forgive and have mercy on yourself! You are a child of the King!

God’s Forgiveness and Mercy On Us
I guess what it boils down to is this. As Christians, we are to be ‘Christ-like’. When we sin, and we all do, we know to pray to God and ask for His mercy and forgiveness. We are confident to know that… HE DID! At that moment you asked…HE DID! So, if we are to be like Him, we need to do the same…to EVERYONE!

Prevent Satan from having a foothold in our lives. Let’s share the things God gives us every day…FORGIVENESS and MERCY. Start by pouring yourself some… and then share! Ahh…refreshing!

God bless you!

Jeff
Harbor Of Light Ministries

An Encounter With Angels...And A Hundred Dollar Bill

2009-04-09T22:15:00.000-07:00

Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it. - Hebrews 13:2

Have you ever had an experience with an angel? I know that may sound like a strange question. But, I’m serious. Maybe something happened during an event in your life that was hard to explain. It could be a time when a ‘visitor’ appears from out of nowhere and helps you during your crisis and then quickly disappears.

I have had an experience similar to this and it has stayed with me for years.

The Bible talks of angels that watch over us and mentions them appearing to people in angelic form and human form. In Genesis 18, Abraham encounters three and thought they were travelers, so I know they exist. I believe I have came in contact with them even though I don’t really know the purpose for their visit. Maybe you have some insight.

Twenty years go, my wife and I had a choice to make. We weren’t living our life for the Lord at the time, but we were saved and were invited to two events on the same day. We could either get a baby sitter and go to a party with our friends or we could go with my family and listen to some Gospel singing at a Christian event a few miles from home. For some reason we chose to go to the singing and took our one year old son with us.

We sat down in the metal chairs at this function and the place was fairly crowded. My son sat in my lap as we listened to the Gospel tunes that the different bands were playing. I began playing the air guitar and drums with my son as I held him in my arms. I know this sounds silly, but it kept him occupied and involved with the music.

I remember an older couple coming into the small auditorium and setting down beside us. However, I don’t recall seeing their faces. The older gentleman reaches out with his hand to mine and says, “This is for your son.” I could tell he was handing me money as he crumbled the bill into my hand. When I turned to my left to thank him, I noticed the couple were walking towards the exit door. I looked at the money in my hand and saw that it was a one hundred dollar bill. I was shocked! I immediately put my son down and walked quickly to catch up with the couple. I wanted to make sure that they didn’t make a mistake by giving us this large amount of money and to give the money back or just tell them ‘thank you‘. I made it to the door and looked into the open parking lot. They had disappeared! Vanished into the night! I was scared and nervous! I wasn’t sure of what had just happened. Within just a few seconds, this couple had given my son a gift and left with no trace at all.

I would like to just let this go and assume that an elderly couple wanted to bless a young family that night. It would have been great if I could have told them thanks and everybody went there own way. This event happened so fast and the way it happened has left an impact on me.

What if it were angels that appeared to us that night? What was the money for? Was it a reward for a decision that I made? Or could there have been a message behind the gift? We didn’t need the money nor did any sudden emergencies spring up to where the hundred dollars was required. It was like this money had no purpose. I have even considered looking into the meaning of the number 100 to see if there may be something deeper. It may have just been a wake up call for me to turn my life around. Who knows?

Twenty years later, my son and I both are involved in a Christian evangelistic ministry, reaching the lost for Jesus, that happens to be related to music. I am thankful that the Lord didn’t give up on me. I just wished I knew why I encountered angels with a hundred dollar bill.

If you have experienced something like this, please leave a comment and let me know.

God bless you!

Jeff
Harbor Of Light Ministries

A Trip Down Memory Lane

2009-04-09T22:11:00.000-07:00

I have been working on a neat little side project lately. I have uncovered my old school yearbooks from 1984 and 1985 and have scanned them onto my computer. I have been posting the pictures on my personal Facebook account for all of my friends to see. I even looked up and added some of the people that I went to school with, regardless if we were friends in school or not. It has turned into a great way for everyone to remember the past and to find out where everyone is today. I mean…it’s been about 25 years ago. That’s a long time!

One of the hardest things for me is remembering some of the people’s names or remembering anything special about them. I can remember their faces, but the rest is blank. Occasionally someone will post a memory of that person and then my brain will say, “Oh yeah! I remember that now! How did I forget?”

The brain is a strange body organ that stores memories. It seems to save all of the good memories and the bad memories, but erases events that weren’t so important to us. If a person made an impact on our life, our brain will store their information for future use. This got me thinking.

What kind of memories am I leaving behind for the people I meet and encounter every day? How will they remember me? When they see my face 25 years from now, will they say, “He was a good Christian man.” or will they remember the bad things I have done or will they remember me at all? I want to leave good memories behind because my life as a Christian should reflect Jesus who gave it to me. And if someone has a bad memory of me, I need to make every effort I can to replace it with something good.

Another important thing I learned from memories is related to my walk with Jesus. When the Lord does things in my life, I need to consider how important they are and be thankful. If I underestimate its value, I may forget what He has done. This is like when Moses led the people from Egypt. God worked miracles in their journey, but they quickly forgot what He had done. When they came across another ‘problem’, they complained and forgot God. If they remembered what He had done in the past, they would know that He would provide for them again.

For me, I may need to write this stuff down. God has done so much for me and I take a lot for granted. Sometimes I don’t show appreciation or I just simply forget what He has done. When I face obstacles in my life, I will either lose faith in Him or begin worrying and complaining about it. The simple thing for me would be to ‘remember’ because my memories will offer hope for what God will do for me in every situation. God says He would never leave me nor forsake me and based on my memories, He has always been there.

Hasn’t God always been there for you? Let’s never forget how good He has been to us. Also, think about the memories you are leaving behind for your friends, family, and the people you meet. What will they remember about you?

Everyone takes a trip down Memory Lane from time to time. Let’s join Jesus and leave good memories behind for everyone.

God bless you!

Jeff
Harbor Of Light Ministries

The Two Sons

2009-04-09T22:09:00.000-07:00

Read Matthew 21: 28-32 (NIV):
"What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, 'Son, go and work today in the vineyard.' " 'I will not,' he answered, but later he changed his mind and went. "Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, 'I will, sir,' but he did not go. "Which of the two did what his father wanted?" "The first," they answered. Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.

Jesus gave this parable in response to the religious leaders concerning His authority. These leaders were self righteous men that did good works yet did not have the heart for Jesus. Their works were out of religious obligation. They had a form of godliness like the second son from the parable, but they weren’t doing the will of God.

The tax collectors and the prostitutes, after hearing the Gospel of John, had a change of heart. The didn’t have a form of godliness, but after their heart changed, began doing God’s will.

This is what I feel this parable is talking about to you and I. It’s all about a change of heart. In any kind of ministry, why do you do what you do? Is it because you feel you have to? Are you trying to earn ‘brownie points’ to get to Heaven? Is it to make yourself look good? If you said yes, let me bust your bubble. You are doing it for the wrong reason! You have the wrong heart!

First and foremost, your ‘good works’ do not give you a guaranteed ticket to Heaven. Oh no! Your ticket has been blood bought by Jesus and you have to accept Him into your life. How? By asking for forgiveness of your sins and turning from them. Believing that Jesus died for you and rose again. And simply accepting Him into your heart. This is when your heart changes. When Jesus saves you, you will change. The Gospel will begin to transform your life. You won’t be the same person you used to be.

You will no longer want to do the old things you used to do. You won’t act the way you used to act. You will want to ‘work’ because you are now serving the Lord. You will have a desire to reach the lost for Jesus. By doing so, you will be doing what the Father wants you to do - His will. Why? Because your heart changed.

Has your heart changed? Take the first step today by letting Jesus live in it.

God bless you!

Jeff
Harbor Of Light Ministries

The Wicked Tenants

2009-04-09T22:06:00.000-07:00

Read Luke 20: 9-16 (NIV):
He went on to tell the people this parable: "A man planted a vineyard, rented it to some farmers and went away for a long time. At harvest time he sent a servant to the tenants so they would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed. He sent another servant, but that one also they beat and treated shamefully and sent away empty-handed. He sent still a third, and they wounded him and threw him out. "Then the owner of the vineyard said, 'What shall I do? I will send my son, whom I love; perhaps they will respect him.' "But when the tenants saw him, they talked the matter over. 'This is the heir,' they said. 'Let's kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.' So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. "What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others." When the people heard this, they said, "May this never be!"

(Also read Matthew 21: 33.34 and Mark 12:1-9)

The Earth is the vineyard and God created it. He loaned it to us. It belongs to Him regardless of what our so-called ‘deed papers’ say. We, as human beings, are also His creation. We belong to Him, too. However, He has given us ‘free will’ and a freedom to choose. We can decide if we want God in our life or not. We are like the fruit of the vineyard.

According to the Old Testament, many people were persecuted for following God. God would love to see the world change, but because of ‘free will’, many people won’t. Actually they would rather beat and send away the ones that come and try to help them see the truth. In a last resort, God sent His Son. He was nailed to the cross.

Now the time has come. God will destroy the people that have not accepted Him and will give the vineyard to others - to us that have given our lives to Him. Which one are you?

God is still sending people out into the vineyard to reach the lost. If you are reading this and don’t know Jesus as your Lord and Savior, I am a messenger with Good News for you. You can be saved. Jesus loves you and wants you to have the gift of eternal life that only He offers. He died on the cross to give it to you. Yes, you have ‘free will’ and you have two choices:

Choice A - you can deny Him like you have done many times before. Or…

Choice B - you can say ‘yes’ and accept Him as your Lord and Savior.

If you feel a conviction in your heart that you are lost, you need to act on it. It’s your choice on how you decide and I would make your choice wisely. Time is of the essence.

God bless you!

Jeff
Harbor Of Light Ministries

The Unproductive Fig Tree

2009-04-09T22:01:00.000-07:00

Read Luke 13: 6-9 (NIV):
Then he told this parable: "A man had a fig tree, planted in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it, but did not find any. So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, 'For three years now I've been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven't found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?' " 'Sir,' the man replied, 'leave it alone for one more year, and I'll dig around it and fertilize it. If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.' "

Being productive is when an effort produces results. It’s like when a person works for a living. The result is when they receive their paycheck at the end of the week. If you’re one of the few that actually enjoy their job, your result may be more than the money. It could be the product you make or maybe the smile on the person’s face that you helped.

Companies try in various ways to improve productivity in their employees and the machinery they use. They offer incentive programs to award their workers if they can achieve certain numbers in finished goods or in the volume of their output. Some companies invest money into improving their machinery with hopes of it producing more. In all cases, improved productivity is a good thing.

I think one of the problems with this economic recession, is that people are being faced with a negative result to their efforts. For many of them, the years they have given working for a company has resulted in a loss of a job. I remember getting ‘laid off’ from a job eight years ago. This was a very sad day for me because I looked back on how long I worked there (14 years) and realized that I was just another employee. My employer didn’t care!

From the parable, I believe Jesus is talking to people leading churches and to people with ministries. Jesus wants to see results. He wants you to be productive and He cares about your growth. He loves you! The man in the parable was in charge of this fig tree planted in the vineyard, but it didn’t bear any fruit. It took three years and the owner saying something about it for him to stand up and start moving. He dug around it and fertilized it. I believe Jesus is the ‘owner’ mentioned here.

In ministry and church, we expect Jesus to do it all. In church, we think people will just walk in without us inviting them. For a church to grow, we have to fertilize it by asking folks to come. To ‘bring in’, you must first ‘reach out’. In ministry, we need to make sure we are doing what we can, too. Dig around it and put some fertilizer on it. Watch it grow!

I also believe this parable is talking to us as Christians about our spiritual growth. If you are in the same position you were in three years ago, something is definitely wrong! You’re not growing. If you’re honest with yourself, you are probably not reading His Word or you have stopped going to church. And you’re definitely not going to grow if you have stopped praying. You got to put some spiritual fertilizer in the mix - the Word, church, and prayer.

The ball is in your court today. You wanna grow? Then, let’s grow! Grab a shovel…

God bless you!

Jeff
Harbor Of Light Ministries