Let's read from the Book of Luke 9:51-56,
"As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem;
He sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him; but the people there did not welcome him,
because He was heading for Jerusalem.
When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven like Elijah did to destroy them?”
But Jesus turned and rebuked them, "You don't know what spirit is leading you!"
For the Son of man came not to destroy the souls of men but to save them, and they went into another village.
We can see from this text, that if John and James were not genuinely following Jesus, for the same purpose and goals as Jesus,
when this rebuke happened, they would have got offended and even renounced discipleship.
If they were not honest and sincere with God, this rebuke would have exposed that they wanted power, fire, and do their own things.
When the Lord rebukes us, He is doing so to remind us of our focus and calling and service that we have to do for Him.
If your calling now is to do media-projection for the Kingdom then do it in the best way.
If you are responsible with worship and praise for the Lord, then make sure you prepare yourself some hours, before you do the service,
because the service is for the Lord not for men!
The Lord looks and James and John and reminds them the purpose of their calling.
"We didn't come to destroy men, we didn't come to make the people confused, we didn't come to give them another religion,
but, we came to seek and find the lost and save them!"
Why did James and John get offended in the first place and say, "Let us call fire from Heaven"?
Because their Master was rejected into the villages of the Samaritans.
What does this mean?
This means that if James and John had focused on their assignment they would have not looked at rejection and the problem.
Their focus was on what other were saying or doing towards them.
When you have the wrong focus you will take a bad attitude; when the attitude is wrong then the prayers are wrong;
and these expose your misbehavior and acting out of character.
When you take your eyes from Jesus and from the purpose you have from Him, and give your attention to others thing then you derail.
Let's also read from Genesis 4:4-6, "And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock,
The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor,
So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.
Oh, how patiently God is with us!
...and his face was downcast".
Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast?"
If you said, "Yes" to Jesus Christ, if you understood and found your place and received the grace to serve Him,
then the work that you do for Him, do it as for God, not as for men!
The sacrifice that you bring in the house of God is wise to be done according to His standard or else don't do it!
Whether you worship, whether you preach, or whether you do social media make sure is done accordingly!
God doesn't receive or need any second-hand sacrifices!
Imagine someone coming at your place, to honour you for your birthday,
and instead of bringing you something nice on which he spent himself and sacrificed, they bring you something cheap...
How will your reaction be? It humiliates me you may say...
Why God is lowered so much today at the standard of the flesh?
And when a work is to be done for Him is better to not do it than to displease Him and draw a curse on us!
Please, receive in good heart what I'm telling you, because the Almighty looks at the quality of your work and sacrifice!
That's why He is rebuking us!
For God Almighty, we are not called to do what everyone is doing, but what the best do!
God didn't appreciate the sacrifice and the work of Cain!
God is correcting and rebuking us to make us partakers of His divine holiness nature,
by crushing our flesh with its desires!
The Lord Jesus says in John 15:2, "He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes,
so that it will be even more fruitful.
How do you think this pruning is being done?
If we want to see God, we have to love this side of God also and understand that His corrections are not without purpose.
He does not correct His people in order to humiliate them,
but to partake them to His glory and holiness; so be ready to embrace the process
where your character of flesh has to die, and the character of the new man in Christ has to arise! Amen?
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