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Today is Friday March 19, 2010 and we are reading through the Bible in a year. Today's message comes from the reading of the Book of Joshua, chapters 17-19. If you would like to read the chapters along with us here online you can Click Here to read them or copy & paste this URL onto your browser: http://www.readytofollow.com/bible-march-19

Title: Bible Study: Make An Effort
As Christians we are to set the example for the rest of the world, we are to be loving and forgiving and kind to everyone, even those in the world. However, even kindness can go so far, we can not do so much for the world and even other Christians that we lose the concept of what loving kindness is. For example, everyone comes across a family member or friend that really has no ambition in life, but wants everything handed to him/her with no effort to make a change. Are we really helping people who do not help themselves? Not really, all we are doing is trying to get them out of our hair, but in reality all it does is keep them coming back for more.

Now, the Israelites finally are in the promised land and all the land is being divided by tribe, how much land they received was according to the number of people in the tribe. So, naturally if they did not drive the people that were there out of their part of the land, there was not enough land to contain them all. Of course, this caused issues. “And they came near before Eleazar the priest, and before Joshua the son of Nun, and before the princes, saying, The LORD commanded Moses to give us an inheritance among our brethren. Therefore according to the commandment of the LORD he gave them an inheritance among the brethren of their father........Yet the children of Manasseh could not drive out the inhabitants of those cities; but the Canaanites would dwell in that land. Yet it came to pass, when the children of Israel were waxen strong, that they put the Canaanites to tribute, but did not utterly drive them out. And the children of Joseph spake unto Joshua, saying, Why hast thou given me but one lot and one portion to inherit, seeing I am a great people, forasmuch as the LORD hath blessed me hitherto?” - Joshua 17:4,12-14. Although they had received some of the best territory in the promised land, the tribes of Manasseh and Ephraim complained that they should have more territory given to them because of their great numbers and what they perceived as their prominent position among the tribes. The Ephraimites were proud of their history as descendants of Joseph and that Joshua, the victorious commander who had led in the conquest of Canaan, was also from their tribe. However, these two tribes chose to compromise with the Canaanites instead of doing what God had commanded. The blessings of God depend upon our faith in Him, but if we are not willing to do some work to help Him along then we are wasting our breath praying for it. God will not bless people who want everything, but are not willing to do any work to get it. “Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.” - I Corinthians 3:8. We will receive our blessings according to the work we do to get it.

One thing I would like to stress is that doing the work needed to receive blessings is not the same as getting saved. We can not work our way to heaven, the only way to heaven is through Jesus Christ. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” - Ephesians 2:8-10. We are saved by the grace of God through our faith in Jesus Christ, not by what we do for God. In fact, until we are saved, God will not even acknowledge our works. Jesus Said, “Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are: Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets. But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye ,workers of iniquity. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out.” - Luke 13:24-28. Many, many people will try to enter the one and only gate to heaven, claiming that they have done all these things to get to heaven, but God will say I do not know you and anyone that He does not know will be cast out of the Kingdom of God.

There is a saying that comes to mind, you can not help people that can not help themselves. If we want to go to heaven, we need to have faith in Jesus and we have to make the effort to ask Him to save us. If we want things to change in our lives, we have to have faith that it will change and make an effort to change them. If we want to see others change, we have to have faith and stop giving into their habits. Until they see for themselves that they too have to make an effort, nothing will change. God wants to bless all His children, He does not want to see us go through needless suffering, but He does wants us to trust in Him and have faith in Him to help us receive those blessings. If we just had everything handed to us, as those with no ambition do, would we appreciate it? Absolutely not! We never appreciate the things we have until we no longer have them. Think about it. If you are thirsty, what do you have to do to quench that thirst? You have to go get something to drink. You can not blame God for not giving you anything to drink when you just sit there and expect it to fall out of the ceiling. If you are thirsty and want something to drink you need to get up and go get it. We would all avoid a lot of needless suffering if we would just stop waiting for things to be handed to us and start living by faith and doing the work needed to get them. “Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?......For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” - James 2:17-20, 26. We can and do have God's blessings, as long as we are willing to make an effort to show God that we want His blessings.

Enjoy the rest of your day/night and weekend.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

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