Pearls of Grace - August 30
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August 30
How Are You Using Your Resources
"When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus. This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given {to him.}And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock; and he rolled a large stone against the entrance of the tomb and went away."
Not much is known about Joseph of Arimathea who requested to have the body of Jesus after He had died. We do know the important things; the eternal choices of Joseph’s life. He had surrendered his life to Jesus and he used his blessings to minister to the body of Christ. He was a man of great wealth and anyone who owned his own burial plot was among the elite. We see him put forth great effort to make claim to Jesus’ body and take complete responsibility for funeral costs and arrangements. He put Jesus in his own tomb, giving whatever it took to meet the need of the hour. In other words, Joseph gave unto the Lord what was needed.
Joseph believed in Jesus, He was His Lord and Savior, understanding that when he came to know the Lord he gave to Him his very life and all that came with it. When we give our lives to Jesus, He has rights to everything by surrender. He’s always had them beloved, but when we come to know Him as our Lord and Savior we surrender them on our own and there they should remain. It’s wonderful to give the Lord all our bad things about ourselves and receiving His forgiveness, but it can be a struggle to let go of the "good" things we have such as possessions, money, position and power. We not only sign over the title to our past and all that comes with that but we yield ownership to all He has blessed us with and will continue to bless us with. Joseph understood this so to him paying such a high price for the body of Jesus and the cost incurred was nothing compared to what Jesus had paid for Him. All Joseph had belonged to Jesus and there was no inner struggle of the flesh to give it at the time it was needed because it had already been over at the time he became a Christian.
All that we have, beloved, was surrendered at the cross along with all we will ever be given. This includes our jobs, our homes, our bank accounts, our talents, our children, our grandchildren, our marriages, our singleness, and every other gift or resource God gives or will give to us. It’s all His. Calvary bought it beloved and it is no longer ours. I pray that whether you are a woman who has wealth or poverty that you will not take back up the title to what belongs to God. Use all that you have fully for the Kingdom of God; to minister to the body of Christ.
He owns the cattle on all my hills.
Pearls of Grace is a book of devotions for the entire year, including a read through the Bible in a year calendar, broken down for every day. Beautifully written with encouraging words of hope and empowering words of joy and strength for every woman. Pam draws from the truth and richness of God's Word and gives real life examples in her down to earth style. A must have in your library, click here for more information.
For more from Pam Jenkins and Jabbok Ministries, please visit www.jabbokministries.com!
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