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Be Thou My Vision — Meditation and Imagineering:

Psalm 119:15-18; Exodus 35:30-35; [Proverbs 8:17; 3:5,6]:

During times of meditation, we should not necessarily be praying for others or situations and things, but asking God what He wants for us. “Meditate” means to muse upon, ponder, or deeply consider. In the lands and times of the Bible, those who meditated with God would commune with Him. There are all types of secrets God can reveal to us about life and living when we seek Him like this. If the Christian community took to heart that they have the spirit of God and sought His plans, there would be a flood of beneficial inventions headed to the U.S. Patent Office. George Washington Carver was a wonderful example of a man who sought God early and asked what secrets could be revealed to him to benefit others. Let us set aside a special time during the day to just sit and ask God to reveal secrets and treasures to us. When we do so, we should be prepared with a pen and pencil to receive the wonderful ideas He will give us.

Render Unto Caesar:

Matthew 22:15-21; Mark 12:12-17; Malachi 3:6-12;

Tax time comes every year and as citizens of this country, we must pay the required amount. If we try to cheat on our taxes, we will find ourselves in a bad situation. When the question of taxes arose, Jesus was asked about the legality of paying them. Jesus responded that it is right to render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s, but we should also render unto God what is His. Jesus’ answer is that it was lawful to pay taxes and to pay tithes. Our way of life should not include rationalizing about paying tithes, especially when we understand the principle of receiving, giving and receiving. Everything comes from God and when we tithe, we are merely returning a portion unto Him. The result is we will receive His blessings.

Hands-On Ministry:

Luke 10:27-37; James 1:25-27

Part of the ministry is branching out in how we serve. We are to be a part of our communities, getting involved with people out of love. The parable of the good Samaritan illustrates the point. The Samaritan had compassion on the man who had been left half dead. Compassion has a deeper meaning than pity but includes getting involved. The Samaritan’s compassion required him to take time out of his life to help, to spend money and to be inconvenienced for this stranger’s sake. We are to love our neighbors as ourselves, which means getting involved in their lives. Our neighbor is merely one who is near to us. Our ministering involves paying attention to the needs of others. We can clothe and feed a needy person but also teach them how to help themselves. “If you give a man a fish, you feed him for the day. If you teach a man to fish, you feed him for life.” As we spend time with God and render Him His due, we can be doers of the Word and help others as He instructs us.