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Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.
– Psalm 1:1-2
This first Psalm is a clear example of the difference between those who are living their lives for the Lord and those who are not. Are you conforming to the world? Who are you turning to for advice, support, and comfort? Who do you surround yourself with? Who do you depend upon for friendship and love? Turn to God. If you are truly one of God’s children, then you cannot walk with one foot in this world. We are but strangers here. Look around you. What are you associated with? Look to the Bible as your roadmap. If we are on God’s team, then let’s make sure we’re studying his playbook!
Our essential prayer should be, “Lord, if I’m not living for you, I live for nothing.”
When I was in college, I thought I knew everybody I went to school with. If a friend asked me if I knew someone, I’d ask them, “what do they do?” or “what sorority are they in?” or “what sport do they play?” We always seemed to describe people by what they did, not necessarily by who they were.
I still find that true today. If someone asked you to describe yourself, you’d most likely tell them about your physical attributes or about your profession. It becomes easy for us to hide behind a title. Mother, lawyer, coach, pastor, brother, director…these are all roles we fill. Who we are is an entirely different story. WE ARE CHILDREN OF GOD.
“to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God”
– John 1:12-13
By believing in the Lord Jesus Christ as our personal savior, we are automatically adopted into the kingdom of heaven. The only thing we need to DO for God is to love Him and love each other. When Jesus asked his disciples, “Who do people say I am?” (Mark 8:27), he got several answers. When he asked Peter, the response was “You are Christ”. Jesus then warned them not to tell anyone about Him. Are you relying upon other people to tell the world who you are, or are you living your life in a way that boldly says that you are a child of God?
Jesus Christ laid his life down on a cross for us and the least we can do is die to ourselves daily and offer our bodies as a living sacrifice to Him. My life is not my own, I was bought at a price. I want to honor God with my body physically – treating it as the temple that it is. I cannot serve Him properly when I am sick! Therefore, I will sacrifice earthly desires for heavenly treasures.
Ask God to give you strength to overcome your weaknesses, whether it be concerning what you eat, how you view your body, or your self control. Instead, focus on His sustenance and how that will nourish you. Ask for guidance in how you present yourself to others; may people know that we are Christians without ever having to speak a word.
Verses to cling to:
I Cor 6:19b-20
You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.
Romans 12:1
…offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship.
This year, and for the rest of your lives, make it a habit to read the bible every day. Many of us have been guilty of surviving on snippets of scripture or simply reading Christian books. Reading the Bible is crucial to our Christian walk. It is much easier to stray when we are not hiding God’s word in our heart. I have also come to realize that there is no better way to learn God’s word than to read it everyday. I may not be able to memorize the Bible word for word, but I pledge to know the truth and have a command of where to go in God’s word to find His promises.
A few years ago I learned from my spiritual mentor to pick up a “One Year Bible”. I figured that once I finished my year, I was done. The next Christmas, the only present I asked my mother for was another one year bible so that I could begin the journey again. For some of you, a Bible such as this may be the answer to quick-start your reading. Others of you may have a different plan. Whatever the case, don’t let planning stand in the way of action; make Bible reading your daily feast!
Psalm 119: 9-11
How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.
This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.
-1 John 3:16-18
For many of us, the first memory verse we every learned was John 3:16…and with good reason! However, have you ever taken a look a 1 John 3:16?
Throughout the bible, we are instructed to love. In verse 16 above, God clearly defines love for us; He loves us so much that he gave up His son to die on the cross for our sins, and Jesus willingly allowed himself to be crucified for our sins. If we say we love someone, but are not willing to sacrifice of ourselves for them, we are being hypocrites. Love is mentioned over 500 times in the bible…I think God is trying to tell us something.
This has become a popular catch phrase in our culture today. It’s not uncommon to see “WWJD?” on bracelets, bumper stickers, and t-shirts. However, it seems like we’ve forgotten what those initials represent. In everything we do, we should be asking ourselves, “How would Jesus act right now? What would Jesus say right now?”
A good friend of mine recently experienced some very trying times at the airport, a scenario I think we can all relate to. She could have blown up at someone any number of times, but instead she had recently been challenged to reflect upon how Jesus acted in His time here on earth. Many times we focus on what we say, but overlook what we do. As someone with a Masters Degree in Communication Studies, I can guarantee you that when our verbal and our non-verbal communication do not match, our non-verbal actions are what speak louder every time.
So I now pass the challenge on to you. You don’t have to buy a bracelet to participate in this experiment. In EVERYTHING you do today, first stop and ask yourself how Jesus would act in this situation, how He would respond to an annoying phone call, or what He would do in His quiet time. The best way to witness to someone about Jesus is by being an example of Him to them.
Walk in all the ways that the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess. – Deut 5:33
-1 John 3:19-20
Are you still having trouble resting in Him? Do you still have a restless heart? Do you want to be at peace, but something is lying so heavily on your heart that you cannot let go?
God already knows about it! Sometimes we hold on to things so tightly for fear of what anyone may think of us if we tell them, even God! The thing is…He already knows what is on our hearts and in our minds (the LORD knows the thoughts of man – Ps 94:11), He is just waiting for us to confess and release those thoughts to Him in prayer. Only then will we be at rest.
We are so blessed to have an all-knowing, all-seeing, powerful God. Take the time right now to give Him all of your heart, not just 99.9%. To truly rest in His presence, we must abandon ourselves to Him and His will. Won’t you pray a prayer today telling God that He is your everything and that you want to give Him ever aspect of your life? You’ll be amazed how peace will follow…
“Open the eyes of my heart Lord, I want to see you….” (worship song by Paul Baloche)
My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. – Psalms 62:1
I know we’ve talked about being too busy for God, but have you ever felt like you’re too busy to rest? In high-pressure situations, I actually find myself reminding my lungs to breathe! Does the following phrase sound familiar to you: “Once I finish ______, I’ll have time to rest”. If we keep waiting, we’ll never find that time. There will always be something to fill in that blank in the sentence above.
The only rest we will ever find is in Him. God alone is our comfort, our salvation, and our peace. Don’t just make time for Him, allow yourself to rest in Him. Know that no matter what may be thrown your way, nothing is too big for God to handle…so let Him handle it and rest in the promise of His love and protection!
No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. -1 Corinthians 10:13
If I were to ask you one thing you were struggling with currently, you probably would reply, “Only one?” There are many things that can draw our attention away from God, whether it is food, impurity, or even the busyness that keeps us from spending time in our devotions.
Ask God to give you the strength and self-control to overcome this weakness. If you confess it to Him and pray about a plan for the next time you are confronted with this temptation, you will be better equipped to walk away (“Pray that you will not fall into temptation.” – Luke 22:40). But don’t make it harder on yourself by allowing this weak spot to be dangled in front of you. If you have an incredible sweet tooth, don’t even walk in your local ice cream shop. If you’ve made shopping into an art form (something I wouldn’t know anything about), stay out of the mall! If you’ve found yourself addicted to lustful images, try turning the TV off for a week and stay away from the internet.
Of course, these are only suggestions. The best solution is to find applicable scripture in the Bible and memorize it so that it can be repeated over and over again when that temptation stares you down the next time…and find an accountability partner or partners! Don’t feel like you have to go through this alone. God will be there to lift you up, but it doesn’t hurt to have someone tugging on your arm down here either.
The Working Word 