No Neglect

Consider God’s instruction in Psalm 119:1-16 (NIV)

¹ Blessed are those whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the Lord.
² Blessed are those who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart— ³ they do no wrong but follow his ways. ⁴ You have laid down precepts that are to be fully obeyed. ⁵ Oh, that my ways were steadfast in obeying your decrees! ⁶ Then I would not be put to shame when I consider all your commands. ⁷ I will praise you with an upright heart as I learn your righteous laws. ⁸ I will obey your decrees; do not utterly forsake me. ⁹ How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word. ¹⁰ I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands.
¹¹ I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. ¹² Praise be to you, Lord; teach me your decrees. ¹³ With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth. ¹⁴ I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches. ¹⁵ I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. ¹⁶ I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word.

Take this to heart and follow God's plan. Always live the Word. Amen?

Stay Faithful

I love this saying: "If God can keep a fish from getting salty, He can keep us morally pure!" In today’s world it’s hard to stay faithful to His plan for our life. We’ll take a look today at two ways that you can keep the standard and stay morally pure.

Make a commitment to God’s standard. - We need to publicly affirm God’s moral standard.

2 Timothy 2:22 - Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

Manage your mind. - Immorality starts in the mind before it becomes an action.

Proverbs 4:23 - Above all else, guard your heart for everything you do flows from it.

Be and stay faithful. Amen?

Following Commands

Jesus made three very clear commands while He was with us in his earthly ministry. These (3 Jesus Commands) are the life-blood in the life of a servant. Our purpose as God’s body is to serve God in the way He has called us to serve Him. The mission has not changed. But the approach to accomplishing that objective has changed. Time marches on yet God’s plans are timeless.

His desire to fulfill His word is the same now as it has been from the beginning that He created. And He has given you everything you need right here in His word. Take time to read and meditate on:

I. The Great Commandment, Matt 22:34-40

II. The New Commandment, John 13:34-35

III. The Great Commission, Matt 28:18-20

We as God’s church must together strive, to find God’s purpose for us, so that we may be obedient to Him in fulfilling His call to serve Him, One another, and Our neighbors.

You can make a difference, you must make a difference. God is counting on you to make a difference. Amen?

New Service

A great question to ask ourselves at the beginning of a new year is, What does God want from me, and How do I know I am doing what Jesus wants me to do?

I am reminded of the following story. A little girl had been trying for months to learn the art of tying her shoes. She finally grasped the knack and could do it by herself. Her parents expected the child to be delighted, but were surprised by her disappointment. Her father asked why she was crying. She sobbed, "I just learned how to tie my shoes." He said, "That’s wonderful, Honey, but why are you crying?" She replied, "Because now I’ll have to do it all by myself for the rest of my life."

Christ followers are like this little girl in that, now that you know the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, you have the responsibility to serve Him. His body of believers exists solely to serve the Lord our God, and to follow His command to “Go and do likewise”.

Spend time today talking with God about what steps you need to take to serve Him better this year. Amen?

Business

In the Scripture today we see the boy Jesus at the Temple. It is a story most parents can relate to. The Mom and Dad were separated and each one thought Jesus was with the other! They found him days later in the Temple! They were rightly upset, but His answer astounded them.

    ⁴¹ Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Festival of the Passover. ⁴² When he was twelve years old, they went up to the festival, according to the custom. ⁴³ After the festival was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. ⁴⁴ Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends. ⁴⁵ When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. ⁴⁶After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions.⁴⁷ Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. ⁴⁸ When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.”  ⁴⁹ “Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” ⁵⁰ But they did not understand what he was saying to them.  ⁵¹ Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. ⁵² And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man. - Luke 2:41-52

“Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” Wow! They didn’t see that coming; did they? I think people would be surprised by that answer from us as well, but aren’t we to be constantly about God’s work?

I want to encourage you to think like that this year. Ask the question every day, “What does God want me to do today?” It’s good to be at work when God is your boss! Follow His directions and you'll never go wrong.

Amen?

Promised

THE TOP TEN PREDICTIONS FOR 2017

1. The Bible will still have the answers.
2. Prayer will still work.
3. The Holy Spirit will still move.
4. God will still inhabit the praises of His people.
5. There will still be God-anointed preaching.
6. There will still be singing of praise.
7. God will still pour out blessings upon His people.
8. There will still be room at the Cross.
9. Jesus will still love you.
10. Jesus will still save the lost.

I use these same predictions every year, and know they're true because they are promised in the Bible.

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows  - James 1:17

Always remember that God never changes! Let's make changes in our lives this year to grow and be more like Jesus. Amen?

Obey and Grow

Here we are starting a new year! With it brings new beginnings and opportunities. It can be a fresh slate for our lives in some respects. For some of us it means doing new things for God. For others maybe it means returning to God’s ways. Let’s look at Matthew 2:19-23 today, and see Jesus’ family returning home, back to Israel and God’s people.

    19 After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt 20 and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child’s life are dead.” 21 So he got up, took the child and his mother and went to theland of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, 23 and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets, that he would be called a Nazarene.

Today spend some time looking back. Feel good about Godly accomplishments from last year. Thank and praise God for His provision and direction. We must also look at areas where we were not obedient. Praise and thank God for His forgiveness!

Spend time in prayer listening for His direction and will for your life. He has a special plan and purpose for all of us. Let’s make this year a great one for God. Amen?