Inside and Outside

When we are thankful for the little already deposited into us, it is a seed we are sowing for many more areas to grow in our lives.

In the above verse, the gentiles heard the preaching of the gospel, the proclamation of the good news and their response was to be glad and thankful for His message.

One of the key things for us to walk in joy is to consistently hear what God is speaking. When listening to podcasts, when reading the Bible, when spending time in prayer and sinking in Him. These are the points of encounter that will bring joy into us from the heart of God.

The group of Gentiles in the above verse did not have a history with God or religion like the Jews had, they did any systems in place, they were completely new to the God of Israel. Yet, when they heard this message, automatically joy sprang up in their heart.

Here are 2 KEYS to remember:-

KEY 1: Be Intentional to pursue a voice and revelation from God.

Seek after the revelation, the voice, it will not just come to us automatically but we have to be intentional in chasing after Him. We see in the above verse about ‘eternal life’. If 100 people were listening to that message, all 100 of them would have had a reason to be joyful, but yet not all 100 people became believers.

It shows that out of that group that received His voice, His blessings and joy, only a few were chosen for eternal life, only a few were ordained by God to live with Him for eternity and those few became believers.

KEY 2: When we do receive a voice of God, we need to allow it to transform our lives.

When we receive provisions or blessings, we must not just be content with those blessings but understand that those blessings are an invitation into something deeper, an invitation to take us into a deeper lifestyle with God.

It is not enough that we stop with happiness and blessings but is that we all are also chosen for eternal life.