Shalom,
Psalm 41:13 should be our declaration, our confession, our shout and our song!
13 Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting and to everlasting [from this age to the next, and forever]! Amen and Amen (so be it).
That is from the Amplified Bible. Here is Young's Literal Translation:
13 Blessed [is] Jehovah, God of Israel, From the age - unto the age. Amen and Amen.
This is the Complete Jewish Bible:
13 Blessed be Adonai the God of Isra'el from eternity past top eternity future. Amen. Amen.
And finally, the Message Bible:
13 Blessed is GOD, Israel's God, always, always, always. Yes. Yes. Yes.
Allow the praises of God to continually flow FROM you TO Him, every day, and all day long! Remember, He inhabits the praises of HIS people (Psalm 22:3)! Thank You, Lord! Here is another older song by Joel Chernoff of Lamb: "Blessed Be The Lord God of Israel"
We have covered 1 Timothy verses 17-18 before, but this really bears repeating. We each need to check where we are at in being obedient to this! Here are these verses in a couple of different Bible translations. First is the Wuest Translation:
17 Let the elders that are ruling well be deemed deserving of double honor, especially those who are laboring with wearisome effort in the Word and in the teaching; 18 for the scripture says, You should not muzzle as ox while he is treading out the corn, and, The worker is worthy of his pay.
Next is the Complete Jewish Bible:
17 The leaders who lead well should be considered worthy of double honor, especially those working hard at communicating the Word and at teaching. 18 For the Tanakh says, "You are not to muzzle an ox when it is treading out the grain," in other words, "The worker deserves his wages."
The Message Bible says:
17 Give a bonus to leaders who do a good job, especially the ones who work hard at preaching and teaching. 18 Scripture tells us, "Don't muzzle a working ox," and "A worker deserves his pay."
The last one we'll look at is from the Amplified Bible:
17 Let the elders who perform the duties of their office well be considered double worthy of honor [and of adequate financial support], especially those who labor faithfully in preaching and teaching. 18 For the Scripture says, You shall not muzzle an ox when it is treading out the grain, and again, The laborer is worthy of his hire.
SO, what should we be getting out of this? We should be specifically praying for the financial prosperity of our Pastor and those teaching the Word of God, honoring and encouraging them, and seeking the Lord about how we can be more of a blessing to them, financially and otherwise! THEN - double it! When we appreciate the "gifts" (Ephesians 4) that God has given us in this way, we will ALWAYS have a full supply of what we need to succeed in our own dreams and goals! Try it! Be a doer of this Word and then stand back and watch how God blesses YOU in return! I can't wait to hear about it! AMEN!
In 2 Chronicles 25-26 we read about Amaziah and Uzziah, the son and grandson of Joash. They both "did right in the sight of the LORD" FOR A TIME! It seems that these kings were humble in the beginning when they were young and unsure of themselves. The sin came later in life when they began to be full of themselves and all of THEIR accomplishments! They failed to remember that any and all of their success came from the One, True, Most High, Living, Almighty God of the Bible! Many born again believers have fallen into that same trap of the enemy! The way to keep that attitude out of YOUR life is to spend some time every day in praise, thanksgiving, and worship to the One, True God for WHO He is, AND for what He has done for you! That works every time, if were are sincere about it!
Shalom in Him!
