We have all eaten at a restaurant sometime or another. Did you ever walk into your favorite restaurant, sit down at the table and ask the server; “Is my order ready?” Well of course not. Unless you called ahead for reservations and preordered your food the serve would look at you as though you had lost a marble or two. God is expected by his people to have all their order ready before they even ask. We expect our needs to be met before they are even made known.

            Sometimes we ask for the wrong reasons. James 4:3 says, “You ask and you receive not because you ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.” Plain and simple it is not asked for in the Will of God but in your own personal desires. We get turned down because it is not in God’s nor is it in our best interest. Ask yourself, what the motive behind what I want? I John 5:14 tells us: “And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask anything according to His Will, he hears us:” Our prayer should be that it is God’s Will that is done. Lamentations 3:25 assures us that if we properly seek Him that no matter how long it takes we will find him.  Trust God, don’t fret over the outcome and take matters into your own hands.

            God wants to be good to you, so you must tell him what you want. Luke 12:31 tells us: “But rather see ye the Kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you. This verse says that if we truly seek Christ, leave the economy of the world and enter His economy, all of our needs will be met. God keeps His promises.

            Our little church is trying to raise $85,000 to purchase the building that we are meeting in. God is blessing, praise the Lord our attendance has tripled. We held a fundraiser: pancake breakfast, spaghetti dinner, yard sale, and we made apple butter. It was a busy time getting ready and there were a dozen or so real tired folks, but what a time of fellowship. We didn’t get the building paid for; however we certainly let God know what we were working for. Whatever your need, ask God, and thank Him for the answer that will come in His time.

            Just a few days ago I heard a young man telling another that he was finally free; he was on his own and had no one tell him what to do. True he may have gained some new freedom, however he is not excused from accountability. Christian parents should have trained him for the things he would face in life. Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” As Christians we are accountable for and to more than we often are wiling to recognize.

            We are to be accountable to our spouses. Ephesians 5:31 tells us: “For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.” Our spouse desires our best in all we do. We are accountable though all our actions to our spouse.

            Life throws things at us that we quite often fail to handle well or not at all. Fellow believers ought to be on the list of accountability. The Bible says in Ephesians 5:21, “Submitting your selves one to another in fear of God.” A fellow Christian can become our accountability partner. We promise to call one another when negative things become too hard to resist. We share our failures and challenge each other to work toward goals that have been established for our well being. When our interactions are based on our love for God, we will succeed in building a healthy Christian relationship.

            God expects us to be accountable to all who are over us; employers and our government leaders. 1 Peter 2:13 tells us to: “Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake.” At work, at school, in everyday life we are expect to follow some rule or law that has been established for our well being. God expects us to set a good example by being accountable.

            Look around and you’ll see will a lack of accountability everywhere. Someone is passing the blame to someone else, and all the while, no one is held accountable. There’s an old joke about the first sin. Adam blamed Eve, Eve blamed the Serpent, and he didn’t have a leg to stand on. One of the wisest men in the Bible, Solomon, in his wiser years, failed in his accountability to God when he worshipped other God’s. Each of us are accountable for what we do. Stand accountable for what you do.

            Everyday people talk about how hard it is in today’s world. Neighbors don’t help neighbors like they did in days gone by. Why it is nearly impossible to get people to show a little kindness toward their fellow man? Pushing and shoving, screaming and yelling; there’s such a lack of compassion or kindness. The elders told King Rehoboam in 2 Chronicles 10:7, “If you will be kind to these people and please them and give them a favorable answer, they will always be your servants.” Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, was not a nice person. He rejected the elder’s advice, ruling the people with no kindness at all. A little kindness does make a difference. There is a story about a little boy walking on the beach after a huge storm. He was tossing star fish back into the sea that had been washed ashore. A man asked the young boy if he was really making a difference. As he tossed another starfish back into the water, the boy said, “It made a difference to that one.” Each kind word, each kind deed, and each kind action does make a difference to the people around you.

            There is an old English word, virtu, from it comes the word we use today, virtue.  Virtue is described in the dictionary as a preferable quality; of moral excellence; kindness. 2 Peter 1:5-7 says that we should make every effort to add goodness to our faith. When we fail to practice goodness, we fail to grow in our Christian walk, and tend to forget that we have been forgiven of our sin. As we grow with God, the more of God’s kindness will show in our lives and we will begin to think more of others than of our self. Let people se God in our life. A Sunday school teacher gave the class an assignment to draw a picture of what they thought God looked like. One boy drew a picture of a man sitting on cloud and another boy drew a rainbow. “I don’t know what God looks like”, said one little girl, “so I just drew my grandmother.” What a Godly virtue that grandmother must have that God can be seen in her. God is kind to us, so why is it so difficult to be kind to others.

            No matter where you happen to be you can find yourself in a difficult place. 2 Timothy 2:24-25 says: “And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle to all men, apt to teach, patient, In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth.”

             The word; strive in verse 24 means that we should not get into endless discussions that serve no purpose. The Bible here tells us to be gentle, teaching what is correct and to be patient with those who are not easily taught. Living like God is not easy, we can’t change the world, only God can do that. We are however commissioned as Christians to treat everyone as God would treat them, no matter how difficult it may seem. In verse 25 “…God peradventure will give them repentance…” takes care of the doubt, chance, or uncertainty to those who place themselves in opposition to the Bibles teaching. Praise God for His kindness and allow that kindness to show in you.

            There is a very interesting story in the Bible that happened some 4000 years ago that bears a lot of similarities to what we are living today. The story is found in Genesis 47:13-27. Famine has struck the land of Egypt, food is scarce, and economic hard times have devoured the people. About 1715 BC Pharaoh, ruler of Egypt had a very strange dream which was interpreted by Joseph, the Hebrew, sold into slavery by his brothers. This dream foretold of seven years of plenty followed by a wide spread famine lasting seven years. Joseph under God’s direction told Pharaoh to build great store houses, fill them with grain and prepare for the coming famine. The famine was very wind spread and covers all of the land. Egypt, had it not been for Joseph would have been experiencing starvation of many of its people.

            Pharaoh had placed Joseph in the position of looking after all the storehouses of grain. The people of Egypt brought all of their money to Joseph for grain until they had no more money to bring. The people then thought that they would perish since their money had failed and Joseph took their cattle as payment. The famine continued and with their cattle all gone they again went to the government for help. This time they exchanged their homes and land for food. Things were going pretty good until the money ran out, then the cattle were all traded off, and now the land was traded away. The only thing left was to trade them to Pharaoh for food. They had sold out to their government.

            Adding to the story, Joseph’s father, Jacob, as result of the famine, had been forced to leave Canaan and move his family to Egypt to find food. They, too, were forced to buy food. Unlike the Egyptians, the children of Israel trusted in their God for the help they needed. Jacob and his family settled in the land of Goshen, a part of Egypt, where they grew and multiplied. Jacob and his family were true to their God. (Genesis 47:27)

            Here we are in economic hard times some four thousand years later selling out to the government just like in the days of Pharaoh. We depend on the government for our needs rather than trusting God as Israel had done. Sure we think that we trust God for our needs, while at the same time allowing Satan to cloud our mind with doubt. Look around, seems like everyone is in need of something; people are losing homes, jobs, families are falling apart, it is a mess. Dependency on Pharaoh led to slavery 4000 years ago and it can lead that way again. God will provide if we only look to him for our needs.

            Pharaoh’s dream, interpreted by Joseph, a servant of God saved two nations from starvation. The people of Egypt turned to the government to meet their needs, exchanged all they owned for Pharaoh’s care and were left with nothing. The Egyptian people had sold out to Pharaoh. Joseph gave the people back seed to plant; in return they would have to now pay to the government one-fifth of all they produced. Yes Israel too bought grain from Pharaoh; they also trusted God for their needs and they grew. We need to work for and accomplish things through God without dependence on the government. Trust and put your dependence in God before you become labeled “Sold Out”.