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12/26/23 Gifts Freely Given

“As you become obedient to Me, there will be no end to the legacy that you will leave for others. Do not try to reason out My call to you. If you do, you will try to outguess Me and make fatal mistakes. My provision for you has never been for you to consume blessings upon yourself. Remember My Son? His work continues to this day because He gave everything away, keeping nothing for Himself, including His life. Give your gifts freely, and they will be amplified by My heavenly provisions to become eternal gifts with eternal value.”

 Ephesians 1:17-19 AMP

17) [For I always pray to] the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, that He may grant you a spirit of wisdom and revelation [of insight into mysteries and secrets] in the [deep and intimate] knowledge of Him,

18) By having the eyes of your heart flooded with light, so that you can know and understand the hope to which He has called you, and how rich is His glorious inheritance in the saints (His set-apart ones),

19) And [so that you can know and understand] what is the immeasurable and unlimited and surpassing greatness of His power in and for us who believe, as demonstrated in the working of His mighty strength…

Ephesians 5:1-2 AMP

1) THEREFORE BE imitators of God [copy Him and follow His example], as well-beloved children [imitate their father].

2) And walk in love, [esteeming and delighting in one another] as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us, a slain offering and sacrifice to God [for you, so that it became] a sweet fragrance.

 

For the longest time, I don’t believe that I ever thought that my life and the things that I did were building a legacy, an eternal one at that. I mean, I knew that everything I did throughout my life impacted other people’s lives in my small circle in some way. I knew that future generations were formed and life patterns were affected by my actions toward those with whom I came in contact, but an eternal legacy to many for hundreds of years from now, should the Lord tarry?  That word “legacy” somehow impacted me as never before.

By definition, a legacy usually means money or tangible wealth handed down to another generation through a will. It is a transfer of wealth from one generation to the loved ones of another. As a Christian, it didn’t occur to me that multiple future generations could become spiritually impoverished or wealthy because of what I allow or do not allow God to do with my life.

How many succeeding generations have been impacted by how Paul allowed God to direct his life? What about Finney, Moody, Wesley, or actually anybody who truly followed after God, whose name we have never heard of? Through the life that they lived, how many families have been able to pass on an eternal legacy to others - and they, in turn, to others? I wonder if they ever thought of the wealth that they gave to others because of their obedience to the will of God. Probably not. They were more than likely too busy caring and submitting to their Lord to ever really stop and think about it.

Conversely, how much untold harm has been caused by all the foolish people who chose not to follow God in Spirit and in truth? What kind of mire has been caused by the disobedience or the rebellion of people who only cared for themselves and their puny existence?

It seems that the Lord is saying that I should evaluate my life - my every interaction with others - and realize how important it is to God from that perspective. He is reminding me that there is an eternal generation whose relationship with God may be affected by whether or not I am obedient to God and allow Him to work through me. Perhaps He is saying the same to you.

Needing His power to truly understand how important my actions and choices are to others—and to the God Who loves them,

Jim Corbett

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12/26/23 Living for Others

The slogan the Lord has given us for our MASH United ministry is “Living for Others with Brothers We Trust.” Living for others is something we do because it’s very much on the heart of God. It’s a goal for any man who says he’s devoted himself to Jesus. Living for yourself is diametrically opposed to the way Jesus lived.

Finding brothers we can trust is where it gets a little dicey. Most men live with surface friendships, unless we’re driven to trust one another by mutual need, like combat situations or childhood friendships that continue into adulthood. In today’s society of throwaway friendships, few stand the test of time.

God, however, is in the process of developing kinsmen friendships and covenant relationships. These associations are God-welded relationships, where two or more walk together to overcome the world and its ways in the seasons to come. They are Holy Spirit-empowered alliances that will provide the opportunity for all involved to live for the best interests of the others while accomplishing God’s plans.

As a husband and father walking through the challenges that affect your family, be on the lookout for those men who function with the same heart as David’s mighty men. Prepare to have men brought into your life that are dedicated to God first, and trained to live out the heart of Jesus toward others. Prepare yourself to be the same kind of trusted friend. God will build these relationships; our job is to surrender to His will so we can become a trusted friend to those He sends our way.

Let’s talk more!

Jim Corbett

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12/23/23 Good and True

“Often I watch you as you go about your business and marvel. You delight Me. I am struck by the way that you get up when you fall. I cherish the times that I see you venture into the unknown, trusting Me to guide and protect you. It pleases My heart when you tell others of My love. I boast about you as you turn in My direction rather than the ways that you used to go. Most of all, I delight in Our times together. You are very precious to Me. I think that you are wonderfully made. When you share your life with Me, My heart bursts with a desire to give Myself to you fully, so that you would have everything you need to prosper. I love to listen to you. I love to fulfill your needs. I think that it is precious when you come and sit with Me. I wish that you would come more often and stay longer.

"Did you know that when you leave, some of Me goes with you? It’s true. I give some of Myself to you each time We are together. You take it with you so that you can function a little more like Jesus. Even though you have been wonderfully made, you are every day taking on a little more of who Jesus is. Thank you for praising Me. Bless you for representing Me. You are very valuable. I love you.”

2 Cor. 6:18 NIV

I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.

I John 3:1-2 NIV 

1) How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.

2) Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.

 

Most of us walk in fear of our loving Father in heaven. There is no question that He is the awesome, almighty God; but to not embrace Him as a loving Father, our Abba, would deny the work of the cross.

Originally, we were formed in His image, designed to have fellowship with our Lord. Sin separated us from that true fellowship; but the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus completely restored it.

Maybe it’s time for each of us to revisit what has been done for us by Jesus. Maybe we should go to our Father and ask Him to tell us what He really thinks of us. Maybe when we do, we might find the proper place that has been established for us; one of a very much-loved child. Too good to be true? No! So good because it is true.

Excited every time I get to jump on my Abba’s lap,

Jim Corbett

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12/23/23 Why Were You Born?

Each one of us has been given a specific purpose for our lives. In the eyes of our Lord, who we become really matters. What we do for Him has eternal impact on others. He likes that.

As husbands and fathers, we often forget that He cares about our wives and children in the same way. Their relationship with Him really matters. The significant lives they lead will not only bode well for them when they face Him, but they will impact many for the kingdom of God.

You, as a husband and father, have been placed in the very important position of directing and affecting the outcome of their lives through your influential office and the power of the Holy Spirit. You have the power to help create the atmosphere that gives them the freedom to become all they can be in Christ. You can love your wife as Christ loved the church, laying down your life for her. You can bless her comings and goings as He would, so that she understands her value.

As you seek the Lord on behalf of your children, you can create favorable influences on them to guide them in the paths the Lord has determined. You can lovingly walk with them until they have the spiritual power to walk with the Lord themselves. You have the office! You have the power through the Holy Spirit! You have the favor of God because you are in line with His heart and His Word. Time to get to it!

Let’s talk more!

Jim Corbett

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12/22/23 Planned That Way

“Do you know what My anointing is? It is when I take your small offering and empower it through My Holy Spirit. My presence and My power do all of the work to make an optimum impact in all that I call you to do. Understand that you have little to offer Me other than your full surrender to My power. Your skills are limited. I know that. It’s how I planned it. Mine are boundless, eternal, and accompanied by sovereign insights. Allow Me to amplify your offering of love into the eternal realm. Allow Me to do everything My way through you. You will marvel at how free you will be to enjoy what I call you to do, as you see how much is accomplished when you wait for Me to do it My way.”

Esther 6:1-3 AMP  

1) On that night the king could not sleep; and he ordered that the book of memorable deeds, the chronicles, be brought, and they were read before the king.

2) And it was found written there how Mordecai had told of Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king’s attendants who guarded the door, who had sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus.

3) And the king said, What honor or distinction has been given Mordecai for this? Then the king’s servants who ministered to him said, Nothing has been done for him.

Psalm 106:12-15a AMP

12) Then [Israel] believed His words [trusting in, relying on them]; they sang His praise.

13) But they hastily forgot His works; they did not [earnestly] wait for His plans [to develop] regarding them,

14) But lusted exceedingly in the wilderness and tempted and tried to restrain God [with their insistent desires] in the desert.

15a) And He gave them their request, but sent leanness into their souls…

 

The verses above minister mightily to me. The verses in Esther tell of a time when a king, unbeknownst to him, was awakened so that he could be used to further the mission of the Lord. God was working behind the scenes in His power. Mordecai was probably fretting and sleeplessly wondering how he was ever going to accomplish what was necessary, when all the while God was in the process of doing what Mordecai could never have done. God gave him favor in the heart of the king.

The verses in Psalm 106 smack of a people who insisted on their own way, not caring past their own needs. God answered their hard-hearted whining, giving them what they wanted; but also limited them to only what their carnal requests could produce. They missed the abundance God had for them, because they chose not to wait for God’s ways to unfold.

Let me not miss Your plans and Your ways, Lord,

Jim Corbett

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