My Hope

This Sunday we started our training for a fantastic event called my Hope with Billy Graham. It is Billy Graham’s final call for America to turn to Christ. The strategy is called Matthew and Friends. Accepting Jesus’ call to follow Him, Matthew invited friends into his house to meet the Person who changed his life.
More information: http://myhopewithbillygraham.org

This Strategy involves Looking Around, Up, Out, Forward, and After.

Look Around - Identify who in your life does not know Jesus Christ. 
Look Up - Pray every day.
Look Out - Look out for opportunities to build your relationships. 
Look forward - Prepare to share - Invite people to your home - Watch the video - Share your testimony - Ask if anyone would like to receive Christ as Savior.

Tomorrow we'll share the "Look After" part of the Matthew strategy.

Be wise today and always - be prepared to share the Good News.

Reminders

Sometimes it's easier to learn or be reminded of the things believers should do if they rhyme or start with the same letter. Today consider these five things we can learn from and encourage each other with:

Eternal Security - John 3:16 - For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Excellence - 2 Corinthians 8:7 - But since you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you—see that you also excel in this grace of giving.

Equipping - 2 Timothy 3:16-17 - All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, ¹⁷ so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Endurance - 2 Corinthians 1:6-7 - If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. ⁷ And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.

Entrusting - 2 Timothy 1:12-14 - That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet this is no cause for shame, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day. What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus.  Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you—guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.

Be wise today and always - encourage the body of Christ with your words and deeds.

Pondering

We've all read or thought of things that make you go "Hmm?". They make you ponder on why certain things happen like they do. Here is part of a list I received recently - think about them.

- I used to eat a lot of natural foods until I learned that most people die of natural causes.
- The only difference between a rut and a grave is the depth.

 - Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again.

- All of us could take a lesson from the weather. It pays no attention to criticism.

 - How is it one careless match can start a forest fire, but it takes a whole box to start a campfire?

These are fun mental exercises, but a better place to meditate or ponder is on the Bible, God's Word. Consider Psalm Chapter One:

1How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers! 2But his delight is in the law of the LORD,  And in His law he meditates day and night. 3He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season
  And its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers. 4The wicked are not so, But they are like chaff which the wind drives away. 5Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, Nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
6For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the wicked will perish.

Be wise today and always - think of the ways and thoughts of God.

I Believe

Everyone has an opinion. Many people think that truth is relevant and changing. So sharing what you believe can be a tricky subject. The first course of action is that you must believe yourself. Once you have that faith and trust in God it becomes easy to tell other people about God's truth and plan for their lives.

I believe…

•In Jesus - John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He sent His beloved Son and who ever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life.

•I will.. love God  Luke 10:27 - He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’;

•I trust… in God’s plan Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

•I am ready… Christ is coming back soon Acts 1:11 “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.

What does the world hear from you?

Be wise today and always - share what you believe about God to someone today.

I Hope

Hope is one of the strongest and most beautiful words I know. The world needs hope, and the greatest hope of all comes from God. He shares it with us in His Word. The world around us needs to hear of God's hope from our mouths.
 

I Hope…

So I praise… God - 1 Peter 1:3 - Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

So I have… Faith - Galatians 2:20 - I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

So I know… that I am bigger on the inside than the outside 1 Timothy 1:16 - But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life.

So I pray… always - Ephesians 6:18 - And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

Be wise today and always - share the hope that comes from Jesus.

I Can

Think of any statement that starts out, I can. Most of the time it's a boast about what we can do by ourselves. What people need to hear is how we can with God's help, direction, and intervention. It will always be the better way to go. Consider the following:

I Can…

•Do… all things - Philippians 4:13 - I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

•Carry out… the work He has assigned me - Ephesians 2:10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

•Love… because I was loved first - Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

•Care… about others - Matthew 22:39 And the second (greatest commandment) is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself..”

•See… the Hand of God in all of creation - Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth

Be wise today and always - "can" comes from Christ.

Words

Most believers are aware that non-believers are watching what we do and say. Our actions and words are sometimes our most powerful witness. Over the next few days we will be looking at what others should hear us Say about our relationship with God.
 

The Word instructs us; May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer. Psalm 19:14

 

The reminds me of the song we sing in church sometimes;

 

You are God in heaven, and here am I on earth.
So, I'll let my words be few.
Jesus, I am so in love with You.

And I'll stand in awe of You.
Yes, I'll stand in awe of You.
And I'll let my words be few.
Jesus, I am so in love with You.

 

Words are important. We should consider what and how others hear them from us.

 

Be wise today and always - may the words from your mouth be pleasing to God.