October 29, 2022 ~ Devotions: "Harvest"

   And So I Continue . . . . . .  

That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving, and 

tell of all thy wondrous works.   Psalms 26:7 KJV  

Colossians 3:23 And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; 24 Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ. KJV

I am so thankful that God planned this day for me, and this is the day I would study in the book of Colossians. Sometimes, even though I may have read or studied a passage previously, I find that the Bible is alive and real, and through it God teaches me something new each and every time, without a doubt. Today, I learned that no matter who, what, or when I do anything, I must do all well and "heartily" for the Lord's sake - not mine nor men. And when we obey the Lord; talk about icing on the cake - not only can we do whatever we do as if unto the Lord; but our reward will come from God; and His retirement plan is "out of this world"! It makes absolutely no sense that He would reward us with an inheritance simply for applying this principle of working wholeheartedly, but these verses give us incentive to keep the right attitude and perspective in all things, "as unto the Lord" should be our motto. 

Let me give you my understanding and a little background on our verses; Paul is incarcerated and visited by Epaphras who had just come from the Church of Colossae where he preached, and he was concerned that the church was in danger through some false teachers that had got among them. These deceivers were introducing the "philosophy" of the Gentiles, people who are not from the twelve tribes of Israel and had an entirely different mindset on God, idols etc. Epaphras reported that he had preached, and the people had received the message of the Gospel gladly and supported him and they had a great love for the preachers sent their way that spoke the true Gospel. But he was greatly concerned about the false teachers that were infiltrating and causing doubt in the saints' minds of all that he had taught, and he took this report to Paul while he was in Prison. 

Paul then writes this letter of encouragement, and we get the benefit as well. Paul reminded them of the teaching of Epaphras and tells them that he preached as Paul preached and they were to guard themselves from those bad men who would deceive them with their principles. There are many false teachers in the world today, and God warned us of them in Scripture. These verses particularly come to mind.  2 Timothy 4:3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.  Folks, they are in our churches, homes, neighborhoods, community and with social media as we know it today, they spread their philosophies everywhere. Beware!

Paul strongly encouraged or exhorted the church to continue in their duty to God, men, and one another. This is an awesome truth for all believers. It is NOT about us; it is ALL about Him. Once saved, this truth can shape your mindset and understanding of the kingdom of God and where we will be going one day. 

When we understand that God wants to be glorified in everything we do, we will fulfill His commandments. It doesn't matter whether it be big or small. All we need to do is work at it for the Lord's sake not for any other reason. These verses are an incredible revelation knowing that the Lord will reward us for the work we do here on earth. Praise the LORD! 

So, I want to ask you, do you feel as though your efforts, for the Lord, are nothing compared to others? Are you concerned that you are not doing your part? Maybe that is the Holy Spirit reminding you of what you should be doing? Pray - God will give you discernment on His path for your life.  The work of pastors and missionaries, while important, does not carry any more weight with God than you, or from anyone in some other station of life. Whether you are a deacon, Sunday schoolteacher, janitor, salesman, accountant, housewife; any title you want to put on yourself, as long as we are sharing the truth of the Gospel with others, God is pleased. We do not need to be in full-time ministry to work for the Lord. Why? because it is not what YOU do; it is Who you do it for! 

When the Gospel is given in love and compassion, as the Lord taught, it will not go out void! Isaiah 55:10-11 says, “As the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, . . . So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void” (KJV).  Share the Gospel with someone today. If it is a stranger, family member, friend - don't worry about what or how you say it; your effort will be blessed by God. Carry Gospel tracts with you everywhere you go. Leave them everywhere you go.  If you need some tracts, contact me; we print 10's of thousands of them at the printing ministry. Make sure you are the one that shares the Gospel Truth, not mans. 

May the Lord bless you really good today!  Go out and win one for the Lord. The HARVEST is full, God just needs us to GO.

Lord, help us to be wise, studied up, aware, and faithful to You. Amen.

With love and prayers,

LKMilam

May we be faithful to be your Philippians 2:16 Missionaries. 

Philippians 2:16 Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.

Tom and Linda Milam

  

October 28, 2022 ~ Devotions: "Harvest"

  And So I Continue . . . . . .  

That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving, and 

tell of all thy wondrous works.   Psalms 26:7  

Galatians 6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. 8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. 9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. 10 As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.

Even in the early days of the church, there were those who would be called "false teachers". Men who deceived God's people in to believing that everything they said was truth. Today's modern language some would call this behavior, "Gaslighting".  What does that mean? In the dictionary this is a person who will manipulate (someone) by psychological means into questioning their own sanity.  I had a psychiatrist explain it to me this way one day. You are sitting beside or across from a gaslighter over a coffee table. There is a candy dish on the table and while you are talking, they quietly slide the candy dish closer to you. They continue talking but, in a moment, they burst out, "Why did you move that candy dish?" - and you in confusion say, "I didn't touch that dish!"  "Yes, you did I saw you myself!" They carry on like this until you begin to question yourself to the point that YOU apologize for moving the candy dish.  You say that's crazy, that could never happen.  Yes, it could. It happened to me, and it happened in Paul's day to God's people.

Paul is trying to rein in the church at Galatia and warn them of these false teachers whose main goal was to dissuade the Galatians from communicating with their honorable pastors, and faithful ministers of the Word. To support them as they were taught; but the false teachers have been able to deceive the people into believing they ought not to support the men of God who shared the true Word of God with them. Paul called them what they were deceivers to the people. He warned the church to continue in the faith, there is a punishment for disobedience to God and the Word. These men mocked God and convinced the people of "their spirituality" and that all they said was true, and the people blindly followed them.

As we continue our journey here on earth as Christians, and till His returning, we should ever be cautious of those who would deceive us into believing other than the Word of God. Men wax glorious and tell great stories, but the true Gospel is kept out of their great "messages". They have deceived men from the beginning of time, to believe everything that comes out of their mouths is truth, until we become so enamored with them that we would believe all that they say. Be careful Christian that you never let your guard down to those who do not preach the whole counsel of God.  There is a punishment to the sinner, there is a literal heaven and a literal hell. There is a day when ALL will be judged.  Make sure of your own salvation. Read your Bible, study on the Word you know is true and if a man begins to tell you otherwise from a "pulpit", pray and ask God to give you clarity of mind and soul. Then obey God not man!  Acts 5:29 Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.

Lord, help us to be wise, studied up, aware, and faithful to You. Amen.

With love and prayers,

LKMilam

Linda K Milam

Missionary to America and Around the World

William Carey - A Missionary Who Transformed a Nation

 William Carey

A Missionary Who Transformed a Nation ~ S. Allen 

When Englishman William Carey (1761–1834) arrived in India in 1793, it marked a major milestone in the history of Christian missions and in the history of India. Carey established the Serampore Mission—the first modern Protestant mission in the non-English-speaking world—near Calcutta on January 10, 1800. From this base, he labored for nearly a quarter century to spread the gospel throughout the land. In the end his triumph was spectacular. Through his unfailing love for the people of India and his relentless campaign against “the spiritual forces of evil” (Eph. 6:12), India was literally transformed. Asian historian Hugh Tinker summarizes Carey’s impact on India this way: “And so in Serampore, on the banks of the river Hooghly, the principal elements of modern South Asia—the press, the university, social consciousness—all came to light.”
Who was William Carey? He was exactly the kind of man that the Lord seems to delight in using to accomplish great things; in other words, the kind of person that most of us would least expect. He was raised in a small, rural English town where he received almost no formal education. His chief source of income came through his work as a cobbler (a shoemaker). He had an awkward, homely appearance, having lost almost all his hair in childhood. Upon his arrival in India and throughout his years there, he was harassed by British colonists, deserted by his mission-sending agency, and opposed by younger missionary recruits who were sent to help him. Despite these setbacks, he became perhaps the most influential person in the largest outpost of the British Empire.

October 27, 2022 ~ Devotions: "Harvest"

  And So I Continue . . . . . .  

That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving, and 

tell of all thy wondrous works.   Psalms 26:7  

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Galatians 5:22-25

Do any of us plant a garden of fruit, vegetables, flowers and expect to harvest thorns? No, of course not. And when we got saved, and the Holy Spirit indwelled us, did we realize that the "works of the flesh" would no longer be welcome or a part of our lives? I have to admit when I got saved, I didn't know anything about the Bible, Church, Sunday School, praying; all those things that grow a new Christian. I didn't realize, as Paul tells us here, that my new 'harvest' would be from the Holy Spirit indwelling and that my hate would turn to love, my unhappiness to joy, my scrambled mind to peace, that my inability to be patient would be longsuffering, that my hardness to others would turn to gentleness, that my faith in God would be complete. 

I didn't realize that the old self would be made new! 2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. I just knew that something amazing had happened to me. I knew that I would never go to hell, I mean never. I trusted God with all that I was. Then I began a long journey. . . sometimes I was weak, I let the old affections and lusts rule over my heart. . . God was working on me. I learned to know, in the end however, that no matter what I did, where I went, who I was with, that God was keeping me for a 'day'. He was preparing me in every way for the walk that I walk today. No, I am not perfect, that will come with my entry into heaven and my departure from earth, but I have the assurance that He loves me and He will never leave me. Hebrews 13:5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

Do you have a Spiritual Harvest or are you still "living in the flesh" - walking in your old path, and shunning the new one God has carved out just for you? What caused you to stop going to church? Reading your Bible? Witnessing of the marvelous love of Christ Who died so that all may be free from the clutch of the devil.  Do you remember when you got saved? Do you remember the Holy Spirit calling you in your spirit? Did you make a decision to take Christ as your Saviour, and then do nothing else? If you are saved and not surrendered, you can change that path right now.  Trust Him, He loves us so much He sent His Son to die for us.

May our harvest be from the Holy Spirit. Tell someone about the wonderful Saviour Who can meet every need in everyone's life.  I sure am glad someone told me. May He give the weary, strength. The lost salvation, the unloved peace, the down and out hope.  May God bless each one of you in a special way today and when He does, make sure you proclaim the wondrous miracle in your life.

With love and prayers,

LKMilam

Linda K Milam

Missionary to America and Around the World

October 26, 2022 ~ Devotions: "Harvest"

  And So I Continue . . . . . .  

That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving, and 

tell of all thy wondrous works.   Psalms 26:7  

19) Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20) Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21) Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.  ~Galatians 5:19-21

There are many types of "Harvest", when you think about it.  Normal thought goes to a field of corn, hay, or some type of fruit like apples, peaches, oranges. But have you ever thought of the harvest of our own hearts? Folks like to say; "You are what you eat!" or "You are 'like' who you hang around with!"  Both usually true. As long as we live, we will be associated to something or someone. Whether as children are like their parents as like their friends, or adults who can be classed in those same categories. Then there is the stark difference between those who are "Like Christ" and those that are "Like the devil."  

Whatever your association, Paul says that the works of our flesh will harvest our true inner person. We will manifest our "flesh" (corrupt nature, as before and by the works of it. Not only external acts of sin, but inward lusts that no one knows about but God.) These can include hatred, wrath, envying's, all those things Paul named in the verses above.  Both inward and external acts are so called because they come from the "flesh" part of our beings, the corrupt nature of man. We are good about keeping those "inward" fleshly feelings to ourselves aren't we, but they are still sin, growing as a Harvest and they will eventually show themselves in our external selves! This type of "harvest" is contrary to the Spirit, and to the principle of grace that we form in the heart. Though Paul did not name all of the fleshly characters of sin, he named enough to hit my heart.  

We are all subject to committing every sin named in the Word of God, but God gave us a way to overcome such things in our lives. We have the entire written Word of God to read, study, learn, apply to our lives.  That wonderful spiritual side that most Christians should desire to have, can be ours for the asking. 1 John 3:21 Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. 22 And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight. 

Do we want to be more Christlike, and willing to surrender every portion of our beings to the Lord? I choose Christlike, yet there are times that we as Christians will fall short, temptation takes over - for the devil himself KNOWS he cannot have your soul, but he can destroy your testimony. To me that is like stabbing me in the heart. If I do anything that would cause anyone from turning away from God, may God forgive me.  

What is your heart "harvesting" ~ are the results of your harvest pleasing to God.  That is what I want.  May I challenge all of us today to work on whatever harvest is in our lives that is not pleasing to God.  Tell Him, you are sorry for any sin in your life and ask Him to forgive you! I must admit, I turn to Him daily for forgiveness for any reason.  He will! He loves us. 

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Start your day off on your knees. Trust Him with your every care and watch that spiritual harvest show itself from your heart!

With love and prayers,

LKMilam

Linda K Milam

Missionary to America and Around the World

October 25, 2022 ~ Devotions: "Harvest"

 And So I Continue . . . . . .  

That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving, and 

tell of all thy wondrous works.   Psalms 26:7  

Luke 12:16-21) 16And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: 17 And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? 18 And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. 20 But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? 21 So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.

    There are many people in our world today that are just like this rich man, spoken about by Jesus. Their sole interest is how much wealth THEY can amass, and yet it is never enough to share with those in need. If they never change, by the acceptance of Jesus as their Saviour, they will end up in the same place that this rich man is then and now for an eternity in hell! The moment he declared to his own soul that he could take his ease for all the bounty he had would suffice, is the day the Lord required his soul. The day will come when judgment will be given, and punishment will be delivered, just as it was delivered to the rich man.  May God help us to ever love and serve God with all of our heart, mind and soul.  It is He that will deliver us from this evil of greediness.

    May our eyes be open always to those who are in need. May God forgive us, if we lose sight of the needy in body and soul! We have so much, why is it so difficult to share.  You may say, "I do give, share of my bounty!" But is it just giving because you have a certain amount or is it sacrificial giving.  

    Sometimes we may hurt to give, but our GOD is faithful in providing for us.  He will replace what you give, and abundantly so that you can continue giving as HIS emissary.

    Praying that God will give us His merciful hand and guidance till He come again! ~LKMilam

Linda K. Milam

October 24, 2022 ~ Devotions: "Harvest"

And So I Continue . . . . . . 

That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all thy wondrous works.   Psalms 26:7  

Good morning. This is a little long, but I pray you will read its entirety.  I often receive letters, notes, poems to encourage me along the way from others who care about me and my husband and the ministry that God has graciously allowed us to be a part of. However, I also receive negative comments on occasion. 

Recently, I received this poem below. I have been struggling for the last two months in posting my devotions on social media; a series of devotions I have been writing for over two years. Why? Maybe I didn't allow the Lord FULL control, for when some negative, hurtful, comments came my way "privately", I stopped posting. I took those comments personally. I didn't stop writing; I just didn't share. I let a few interfere on a part of our ministry God gave me personally through an invitation to join a group on FB. I thank my friend, Amanda, for inviting me to join. 

I never want to be the cause for anyone to turn away from Jesus; my sole purpose was to bring others to the knowledge of Jesus Christ our Saviour, and their souls salvation, or to one who has strayed away from their "first" love the knowledge of knowing that God still loves them and wants them to come back home. Will you pray for me in my weakness, and for those who would be harmful to our ministries, and that God will reveal Himself through the printed page and my feeble effort of sharing the Gospel.  Giving HIM all the praise honor and glory for He is the one Who leads, guides, and directs.  May His will be done in my life.  I will allow HIM to deal with those who would harm in any way. 

Please, accept this "letter" as an encouragement to you, if you have had this same experience.  The Lord showed me, "they" were touched spiritually by something I had written, and they were "fighting" the Holy Spirits calling; they are HIS and He will continue to work in their lives.  I just have to keep doing my part. Don't give up, quit, or turn back, and certainly do not judge. Time is running out!

 The Ministry of Printed Letters

Lord, I sometimes think,

I can’t strike another typewriter key,

I can’t write another paragraph or word,
I can’t even put down a period
at the end of a sentence.

I look at the fat bundle
of unanswered letters
and it all seems so futile.
so time-consuming, so unending
I can’t think or concentrate.
What I write seems empty, lifeless.

I struggle to keep my thoughts coherent.
Yet, I know I must keep on.
I have committed myself
to a ministry of writing –
Writing letters!

And often, God, when I begin to question
my personal commitment
You send me a ray of hope…
a personal rainbow.

Someone stops to say,
“Ten years ago, when I needed it most,
you sent me a letter of encouragement.
I’ve read it a hundred times.
It’s worn and tear-stained,
but I’ll treasure it forever.”

Lord, I don’t even remember writing.
It’s been so long. But it doesn’t matter.
I see again the value of ministry
and so, I’ll continue.

But first, Lord,
I must put a period after the sentence
I so wearily wrote just an hour ago.

- Ruth Harms Calkin

Thank you for reading. . .

Linda K. Milam (LKMilam)

Missionary to America and around the World