Email from Abiding Place Daily Bread – November 18, 2024 (The Second Day – Genesis 1:6-8) Proverbs 10:4 – He will become poor through slacking off; but the hand of the diligent shall make rich. What Is Most Important To You? What is most important to you? Do you want to be rich in material goods, or would you rather be rich in spiritual things? Many will say you can have them both. Yes, but God’s way is that we seek first the Kingdom without mixture, and then all these other things will be added to us (Matthew 6:33). God expects us to give all diligence to making our calling and election sure (2 Peter 1:10). When we consider the great effort and time we put into material and earthly concerns on a daily basis, we can all recognize why we have such little time for anything else. Yet, everyone must understand that if we are going to grow in the things of the Spirit, then we have to be faithful with what God has given us to do. Being faithful with the things of the Spirit means that each one of us will diligently apply ourselves to the opportunities God has made available. God is a rewarder of the diligent, and demands the disciplined application of our lives to those sacred things He has freely given to us (Hebrews 11:6; 1 Chronicles 16:11). If we are going to minister the Word, then the more we preach the stronger the message and the greater the anointing. If we are going to win souls, then the more that we evangelize the stronger the anointing will be to reach the lost. If we are going to prophesy, then the more that we give ourselves to being trained in prophecy by the use of the gift, the stronger the prophecy will be. Successful people set goals for their lives, and then diligently give themselves to the achievement of those goals (2 Timothy 2:5). If we believe we have been called to do the works of Jesus and even greater works, then there must be a plan and a diligent application to the plan (John 14:12; Mark 16:17-18; Acts 6:8). It seems that many people sit around waiting for a day to arrive that never comes – while all the time the plan of God has never fully been implemented in their lives. If we fail to give ourselves to the development of the things of the Spirit, then how can we say that we are walking in the Spirit and being trained by Him? It is amazing how few give themselves to daily prayer so that through it they can be trained to communicate with God. If we rarely interact with the Holy Spirit and learn to yield to Him, how then do we expect to be trained to yield to Him in a deeper way? We cannot be slack with God and expect to be rich in the Spirit! Blessings, Pastor Mark Spitsbergen
Daily Bread 11/18/2024
