In A Cave Licking Your Wounds?

IT IS ENOUGH? LICKING YOUR WOUNDS?

NAW, GET OUT OF THE CAVE!

TEXT:

1 KINGS 19:4 But Elijah went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under the juniper tree: and requested for himself that he might die; and said IT IS ENOUGH; now O Lord, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.

1 Kings 19: 9 Elijah came to a cave, and lodged there; and behold, the WORD OF THE LORD came to him, and said to him, WHAT DOES THOU HERE ELIJAH?

I Kings 19:13 And behold there came a voice uonto Elijah, and said,

WHAT DOES THOU HERE, (IN THE CAVE), ELIJAH?.

ECCL. 12: 12 - 14

I ponder if we understand what our assignment before God is? How do you handle praise?

How do you handle criticism?

How you handle these two areas will tell alot about yourself.

Each believer has several general tasks and several specific tasks that Jesus has assigned to our duty.

Some of these are delegated authority, some direct.

Some opportunities missed might return, but some opportunities missed may never

return. Can we say honestly, we our doing our complete duty? We can never do

our duty, until we identify what it is! The more effort we give, the better

the understanding will develop.

Notice how fleeting the state of man is ---

yesterday in embryo;

today opportunity;

tomorrow regret and unfinished deeds?

So for what ever time we have, we should know our assignment and exercise all effort to accomplish our purpose.

Live life with a plan, be obedient to that plan -- invest all your

efforts with joy, and when the day comes to depart life, -- you can smile.

As an olive is a bloom on the tree, then a fruit hanging, developing, and then

ripping. We must see that the olive has matured through seasons. It will be

crushed and become a drop of olive oil.

All of this is a process of time. We must recognize the season that grew the little olive, the tree that matured it, and the process of time that the Father has planned. Why not see this in our walk?

We can develop wrongful, invalid conclusions and values about our

assignments by the teachings of society, by the daily menial life at home, by our goals for materialism and business, and by entertainment and emotions that make us feel good.

The "feel good" mentality that has invaded the camp of God will

never stand the TEST OF TIME.

Pain, bitterness, hurt, and being offended are parts of this process.

We must develop a strategy to overcome, we are VICTORS not victims.

Joseph illustrates the plan of God may lead through long valleys

that we can never understand, until the race is over.

The conclusions on our assignment are expressed by Solomon. Solomon

stated, the conclusion of the whole matter is to fear God and keep His

commandments.

For God will bring every work into judgment with every secret

thing, bad and good.

( Ecc. 12:12-14)

Have we lost our fear of the judgment in today’s church?

One of my fears, as a pastor, is: we never identify what our assignment

really is. The effect of not knowing our duties and performance expectations

could be: that we will fall short of our potential. No sadder words of pen

or tongue, are the words --"WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN?"

We can develop valid excuses due to others’ behaviors that can hinder.

But my parents, but the pastor, but --- they shoot their wounded ---

all just excuses?

Is it better to set the sight of the goal for the stars, and hit the

moon; than to constantly hit the muddle puddles of life?

The path of our assignment lies within menial daily life.

Yet, man seeks some great remote adventure.

We have a duty to love those that wrong us, we cannot stay on the

side lines because we have suffered.

If we identify and exhaust our efforts toward our duty, God will come in and do what we are not able.

Why ask God for more, until you do what you know to do?

Why seek a professional singing career, until you have sung that one song that God has given you?

If you sleep on your GUARD, watch, you endanger many and fail your duty.

Our duty to our Creator must become a conviction.

God restore conviction to us!

God has the right to expect each person to do their duty!

Duty can never be expressed properly without faith and hope.

Pain and hurt kill faith and hope, thus kill our assignment?

There is a very gratifying feeling, that is, when our duty has been done

with our best effort.

Taking offense, ship shod efforts, laziness are all killing our society.