Sail, Don't Drift

Good Morning!! Life is much like a vast ocean,...and we are like ships, just floating along,...looking to connect to the rest of the world. Each new year is like an uncharted sea, We’ll meet ships, and we'll have all kinds of opportunities, heartaches, tears and fears as we navigate through a new year. We have to decide where we want to go,...or not go. There are always forces pushing, pulling or dragging us through life. We need a sail to take advantage of the wind, a rudder to guide us across the waves, and an anchor to hold us in place once we reach our destination. We have all of that, in Jesus.
 

We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.— Hebrews 2:1 (NIV)
 

A ship never just drifts into the harbor. The most skillful part of being a sea pilot is bringing the ship into the harbor. "Let them slip" literally means drift away. You have to be careful when you enter the harbor that you don't end up on the rocks or drift past the harbor. The worst thing that could happen to us this year, is that we just drift through it,...live an aimless life,...letting this year "happen" to us rather than charting a course, and getting into God's appointed harbor. The winds of worldliness, the tides of circumstance, and the currents of the old nature are determined to cause you to drift.
 

Drifting is what happens when we do nothing at all. We will drift, unless we decide not to drift.

---

Lord, You are our goal,...help us to stay on the course that You've laid before us. As we navigate through the seas of change, let us never lose sight of You! Amen.

 

"God's promises are our birthright; standing on His promises provides the peace we long for, and the spiritual strength we need."

Self-Help, No Such Thing

Good Morning!! How Are You Doing With The Resolutions, So Far?  January is the month for "self " help and "self " serving,...you know, when millions decide to change themselves,...working so hard, only to fail. And our Spiritual journey is often no different. Envisioning God as some sort of policeman in the sky,...we follow the rules as we know and understand them, and when we find it's just too hard or isn’t getting us anywhere, we simply quit trying. Feelings of foolishness, frustration, and bitterness towards ourselves and God, can begin to settle within our very souls.

For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.— John 1:17 (NIV)

As discouraging as it may appear, sometimes there is nothing like a good fall to cause a real revelation of truth,...resulting in permanent transformation of the heart. It is spiritually healthy and an essential part for many on our journeys. In the midst of this truth, we find we are not living and growing by the rules,...but by faith in Jesus Christ.

We must have patience with those who are experiencing discouragements and frustrations,...especially ourselves.

---

Remember; It is only by God's mercy, and grace that we are.

" God is sovereign. Only by allowing Him to have free reign in our overly scheduled days, gives us the peace and joy that blesses us,...and other."

Warm Conviction

Good Morning, My Friend!! Conviction is one main characteristic of Christians. We have strong beliefs concerning God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, salvation, the Bible, heaven and hell. Such religious certainty is often unpopular today.  Paul believed with all of his heart and mind that he was commissioned by God. He was an apostle, not because some man had appointed him, but because he had been chosen by Jesus Christ and God the Father. Paul was God's special ambassador. Of this he was convinced.

(GOD)Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began.—2 Timothy 1:9 (KJV)

As Christians we have been charged with being arrogant, exclusive, insensitive and intolerant,...and it is true that conviction have at times led to wrong attitudes,...but it's not always that way. Our convictions about Jesus as the only Savior and Lord are not something we come to after some long, inadequate, effort to find God. What we know of God is not a product of our searching. Rather, it is a gracious gift of God affirmed in us by the Holy Spirit. We did not seek and find God,...on our own,....but He pursues and finds us!

" But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light." (1 Peter 2:9, NIV)

---

Sweet Spirit of God, in all ways, help us to develop and demonstrate warm conviction to the Word. In Jesus' name. Amen.

" God is sovereign. Only by allowing Him to have free reign in our overly scheduled days, gives us the peace and joy that blesses us,...and other."

We Don't Have Enough Time To Waste Any

Good Morning, And A Very Happy New Year!! God doesn’t want us to waste our latter years or spend them in superficial, meaningless pursuits. Instead, He wants us to use them in whatever ways we can to influence those who will come after us. God wants us to finish well. One day, your most precious possessions will fit inside a hospital drawer. You will leave it all behind and will enter into eternity. What kind of legacy will you leave? If you are a Christian, are you seeking to win people to Christ? Are you helping anyone to get on their feet spiritually, grow, and continue on to serve the Lord?

He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ.—Colossians 1:18 (NIV)

Someone did this for us. We accepted Christ during a church service, but afterward, felt sort of left all alone,...wondering what we were supposed to do next. But then God sent along someone to help in our walk, and growth. They showed us that we needed to go to church if I wanted to grow spiritually. He was persistent in a good way. They encouraged us to return to church, and to attend bible study regularly. Just some regular person, who showed concern for you, and invested in your Christian walk. You can be that regular person for someone else. Are you doing that? If not, will you start?

We don’t determine the date of our birth or the date of our death,...but we have everything to do with what we do between those dates. So finish well.

---

Father in Heaven, allow us to be used to bring others into Your knowledge and service. Amen.

" God is sovereign. Only by allowing Him to have free reign in our overly scheduled days, gives us the peace and joy that blesses us,...and other."

No Time To Waste

Good Morning!! In today's demanding world, priorities over procrastination are a must. We must choose what's most important, and we must neglect what's less important when there are only 24 hours in a day. As the procrastinator's motto goes, "Don't put off until tomorrow what you can put off until the day after tomorrow." But what happens if we procrastinate the most important thing of all, and fail to prioritize our eternal destiny? That leads to what I call the "standby" mistake. It sounds like the words of another man Jesus described:

“Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’ “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’—Luke 12:18-20 (NIV)

This mistake is pretty basic. It says "Yeah, Yeah, I believe that, but I'll deal with it later". I don't have to explain how foolish this is, do I? "Later" could come in an instant. If you are living a lie, disaster can strike anytime with consequences that last forever. Like most mistakes, this one dissolves with the least bit of thought. That night the man lost his life. The Bible tells us the truth: God invites us to live in Truth today..

"The safest road to hell is the gradual one—the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts."—C. S. Lewis

---

O'Lord, we know that our days on earth are numbered, and we really have no idea when our number is up. We surrender everything we have, and everything we will be, to You right now. We're trusting You to live in us, and through us today,...to Your glory. Amen.

" God is sovereign. Only by allowing Him to have free reign in our overly scheduled days, gives us the peace and joy that blesses us,...and other."

Our Time, And Boundaries

Good Morning!! Is it only me or have you found that the more we look around, the more we see that people are struggling? I have a friend that frequently says; if you are not depressed, you are not paying attention. However, with the holiday season here, we do not want our Christmas cards to be the only place where love, joy and peace can be found. So, how can we possess those three little words at Christmas time, when we cannot seem maintain those characteristics in everyday life?

Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.—Romans 13:10 (NIV)

I really believe that our anger, anxiety and depression are not only a result of our outward circumstances, but a result of our inability to draw clear boundaries in our lives. If we define boundaries as how closely we allow people or things to approach us,....then margins are those imaginary lines of how far we are willing to extend ourselves. If someone violates our boundaries of space, times, or resources,...we become uncomfortable and in some extreme cases, even violated. If we are not careful, we can become so busy that we don't make time, or even have time to give to those things that matter most,...even God.

There is a saying, "If the devil can’t make you bad, he will make you busy." ...and for most of us, this statement is true.

---

Holy Spirit, gives us the cushion we need to get a Sovereign viewpoint. Teach us to talk to You, instead of ourselves. When we find ourselves maxed out, let us pray. When we find ourselves too tired to think, let us pray. We ask that You please move in everything around us, and to move us to be of better service to our Father in Heaven, in Jesus name we pray, Amen.

" God is sovereign. Only by allowing Him to have free reign in our overly scheduled days, gives us the peace and joy that blesses us,...and other."

God Wants You

Good Morning!! There is nothing good in any of us,...apart from God. It is His perfect characteristics, working through us, that make any difference. Being Christ-like is not simply try to do things to imitate Jesus,...we must allow Him to be in us, and His love, to love through us. It has to be genuinely Christ and not us. Jesus' life on Earth was a reflection of the Father. It was His holiness, purity and love, which overflowed into the lives of those that were hurting. He brought healing and comfort to those who encountered Him.

If we love one another, God dwelleth in us and his love is perfected in us. —1 John 4:12-13 (NIV)

What motivates any of us to serve God? Is it a duty?...or is it because we desire an intimate relationship with Him, and for His love to abide within us? Can we love with His love? All we do that is pure, holy, right and good is from God. HE created us for Himself, and He desires a relationship with us. This has opened the door for us to love Him for all He is,...all He has done,...and all He will do.

The more you know of the Lord, the more you will love Him.  
Each day is a new opportunity for us to express our love to Him, and to let His love overflow from our lives to others.

---

To be Christ like we must allow Christ to dwell within us; His patience, His love, His holiness, His faith, His purity; all revealing themselves through our lives, daily.

The proof that you love Jesus is reflected in the love that you show one another."