This
last Sunday, Pastor Obie continued our sermon series through the book of
Genesis, opening with the story of Harland David Sanders, who held a number of
jobs. When he was 10, Sanders began to work as a farmhand for local farmers, then
steam engine stoker, and insurance salesman. In
1930, the Shell Oil Company offered
Sanders a service station in North Corbin, Kentucky, rent free, in return for
paying them a percentage of sales. Sanders began selling fried chicken from his roadside restaurant in North Corbin, Kentucky, during the Great Depression and at the age of 62, the first KFC "Kentucky Fried Chicken" franchise opened in
Utah in 1952. In September 1970 he and his wife
were baptized in the Jordan River in Israel.
It
is never too late to have the Lord transform your life and have you affect the
lives of others. God intentionally positions all of us at this specific time
and place in His story for a godly reason and purpose. Even the patriarchs had
lives marked by sin and disobedience, yet were transformed by God to achieve
later accomplishments for the Lord’s orchestrated events that shaped history. We
need to ask ourselves: What could I have done, and what can I do, to control
and manage “some part of my life” in order to improve and become a
better person, with Jesus Christ as my example, aligned with the holy Word,
Will and Way of God)?
Pastor
Obie gave us five ways to consider: (1) Show responsibility and ownership. At
the very least, we are responsible for our thoughts, words and actions … or
lack thereof. Do not “pass the buck” (the act of attributing to another person
or group one's own responsibility), which limits your potential growth. No, the
buck stops here (make the decisions and accept the ultimate responsibility for
those decisions)! How can you and I make our lives better and continue to grow
and mature as a Christian? Do not play “The Blame game”. Do not be afraid to
fail with the cards that you have been dealt and your lot in life. Failure can
be a catalyst for great growth and improvement.
(2)
Show a change of heart. It starts with the sin nature emotions of envy and
jealousy. The 1828 Webster’s dictionary defines the word “envy” as to look with
enmity. “To feel uneasiness,
mortification or discontent, at the sight of superior excellence, reputation or
happiness enjoyed by another; to repine at another's prosperity; to fret or
grieve one's self at the real or supposed superiority of another, and accompanied
with some degree of hatred or malignity, and often or usually with a desire or
an effort to depreciate the person, and with pleasure in seeing him depressed.
Envy springs from pride.”
2
Corinthians 11:2 “I am jealous for
you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so
that I might present you as a pure virgin to him.”
The
1828 Webster’s dictionary defines the word “jealousy” as “that passion of peculiar uneasiness which arises from the fear that a
rival may rob us of the affection of one whom we love, or the suspicion that he
has already done it; or it is the uneasiness which arises from the fear that
another does or will enjoy some advantage which we desire for ourselves. In
short, jealousy is awakened by whatever may exalt others, or give them
pleasures and advantages which we desire for ourselves. Jealousy is nearly
allied to envy, for jealousy, before a good is lost by ourselves, is converted
into envy, after it is obtained by others. Jealousy is the apprehension of
superiority.” Noah Webster goes on to state that “God's jealousy signifies
his concern for his own character and government, with a holy indignation
against those who violate his laws, and offend against his majesty.” Pastor
Obie explains that the opposite of jealousy is rejoicing in another’s
achievements. Instead of an ungodly “jealousy of them”, it is a godly
jealousy for them. This is that godly jealousy. God tests us all on
this.
Let's continue Pastor Obie's message on "Transformation" in the next post.
In Christ, Brian
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