Greetings again my Brethren. This month let us continue to look at God’s divine provision in our call from God. Now before we can see God’s divine provision we first must be able to see God’s divine call on our lives. It all starts and ends (in His purpose and plan) from that revelation. If we fail to allow this revelation grip our heart we will struggle and be frustrated no matter what God does divinely for us. Often a miracle can open the door to more questions instead of increasing our stamina and endurance that God has planned to do. The first point I would like to discuss is how we are laborers together with God. Now here is a news flash for some Christians, God does not do all the work. God expects us to join into His plan and His purpose, to roll up our sleeves and get with it. Not that the working for God is so important, but use becoming the work of God is as we co-labor with God in the field of life ripe to harvest. God cannot (and will not) us lazy children. I hear many Christians plead, “God bless the works of my hands” and God replies, “do something!” I remember in the 70s and 80s many Christians went on “a love walk” where all they did all day was communed with the LORD, read their Bible, pray, and expect you to get them money because of their commitment to Christ, mule muffins! They were just lazy Christians trying to get over on the Brethren. Paul tells us, “For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building.” (1 Corinthians 3:9) God expects us to engage into His building program as He first builds us (His church) then as he builds His plan and purpose in our lives. His plan and purposes for us cannot be accomplished until He can build in us His character and nature. The second point I would like for us to look at when we discuss God’s divine provisions is God bears witness. No matter what we do for God if God does not bear witness, approve or verify the deed then God is probably not doing it. All throughout the Bible in the Old and New Testament God bore witness to the things done by His hand through men and women. We see this in the lives of the disciples in the early church. In the Book of Hebrews the writer wrote, “God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will?” (Hebrew 2:4) Not miracles alone, but signs and wonders in the heavens and in the hearts and lives of men. God has His ways of confirming His works. Anything divinely inspired always has the hallmark of God’s approval. Flashy sometimes (signs and wonders), but most times it is a small still voice in the pit of our despair. Out of our bellies will flow rivers of living waters that only we can explain and people will know that they know without a shadow of doubt that God has ordained this deed, this person, this calamity, this sorrow, or this joy. God does have ways of showing the world who His children are that the world cannot deny. And this leads into the third point, God brought special miracles by the hands of Paul and others. In the Book of Acts we read, “And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul: 12So that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them.” (Acts 19:11) Guess what, today God still desires to do special miracles through our hands. My friends the days of miracles are not over as many denominations preach. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever why would God change His nature for the here and now? All throughout the Bible in Old and New Testament God used miracles to provide protection, substance, and a means of guidance. It does not make Godly sense to believe God has stopped using miracles today unless you are trying to convince someone into believing your certain vein of doctrine. Miracles are for unbelievers, like speaking in tongues (see Acts 2:5-37). In miracles the divine provision is to the person first then to the local Body of Christ. We read what happened when the people heard the Gospel message from Peter, “Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? 38Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. 39For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. 40And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation. 41Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.” (Acts 2:37-41) Miracles are not to rise us up (as we see on TV), but pull us down so that God can be glorified. Glory always has two paths either man’s self or God’s glory and we get to choose the path.
Next month we will continue to look at God’s divine provision as we begin to look at God’s divine provision for His maintenance. Can you hear Him now?
