Three Rules for Living

'For the Lord gives wisdom...' Proverbs 2:6 NKJV Good Morning, What a awesome day yesterday. Christmas songs, the word on Wise Men still Seek Him, touched hearts, and all of you just sticking around to fellowship with each other was so wonderful to see. I asked my self the question how do we succed in life? To succeed in life you must do these three things: (1) Decide what's important. The story's told of a family who moved to the country to get away from the city. They decided to raise cattle so they bought a ranch. One day a friend visited them and asked what they'd named it. Dad said, 'I wanted to call it The Flying-W, but Mom wanted to call it The Suzy-Q. One of our sons liked The Bar-J, but our daughter preferred The Lazy-Y. So we compromised and called it The Flying-W, Suzy-Q, Bar-J, Lazy-Y Ranch.' The friend asked, 'How are your cattle doing?' Dad replied, 'We don't have any. They didn't survive the branding.' Come on, decide what's important to you! (2) Prioritize your time. Too many of us are like the store owner who got so busy trying to keep the place clean that he forgot to open the front door. The reason you're in business is to serve customers and make a profit, not get distracted by secondary things. Base your life's decisions on your priorities. And if you need help figuring out what they are, ask God: 'For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.' (3) Learn to motivate yourself. Most times, nobody else will. When tragedy struck his life, we read: 'David encouraged himself in the Lord...' (1 Samuel 30:6 KJV) You need to learn how to do that too. Jude writes: '...building up yourselves...praying in the Holy Ghost.' (Jude 1:20 KJV) To succeed in life you must learn to encourage yourself, pray and build yourself up in what God has for you...

Change Can Happen for You! (2)

'And He...said, "Behold, I make all things new..."' Revelation 21:5 KJV

Good Morning,

When asking God about helping you make the right choices, here are two more life-changing principles: (1) You must be willing to change unconditionally. In the early stage of therapy counselors bump into the 'change-if' syndrome. The client sees change as a strategy of give-to-get: 'I'll change if they are willing to do... If not, I won't.' With God, your reward for changing is intrinsic. You get the joy of His approval, plus all the benefits that follow from being a changed person. This includes God's gift of '...salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.' (Revelation 3:18 NIV) The ability to see things clearly will enable you to understand the problem and deal with it effectively, regardless of what someone else does or doesn't do. (2) You must accept the truth that change means letting go of the past. Whatever you cling to ultimately controls you. If the offence resulted from your actions, or the loss from your poor judgment, confess it to God, receive forgiveness and leave it at the cross. If it was the other person's fault but you've held onto it because you think you're the innocent party and 'deserve your pound of flesh', the freedom you forfeit and the options you miss are too high a price for the false comfort of being right. 'Forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you' (Ephesians 4:32 NIV) will release you from the chains of resentment, giving you back your future. If you're bound by chains of regret over 'coulda, woulda', shoulda' God stands ready to make your future better than your past could ever have been.(Joel 2:25)

Change Can Happen for You! (1)

'And He...said, "Behold, I make all things new..."' Revelation 21:5 KJV

Good Morning,

On Tuesday in our Fuel Group we had the opportunity to see how God can move and change our lives; but it means we must do something? Expect Gods help because the Bible's story is one of change from Genesis, the book of 'beginnings', to Revelation, where God says: 'Behold, I make all things new.' Whatever your situation today, change is possible through Him. However often you've repented, confessed and tried changing, God can change what you can't-and make it last. But change requires understanding certain principles. Let's look at them: (1) You don't need to change others in order to change your life. 'I'd be happier if he'd stop...' 'Things won't improve for me till she...' Such beliefs make you focus on the problem and not the solution, makes us ignore realistic options and feed depression instead. 'Each person should judge his own actions and not compare himself with others.' (Galatians 6:4 NCV) Instead of trying to change others, which only produces resistance and resentment, let God show you what you need to do differently to improve your handling of the problem. When you stop doing what doesn't work and change your reactions to the problem, others often change spontaneously. (2) True change begins by addressing your relationship with God. Bitterness and frustration over problems just result in distancing from God, leaving you to handle the issue in your own strength. Surrendering to Him changes you fundamentally, challenging pride, envy, resentment, fear, dishonesty etc-characteristics of poor change management. 'Let us search out and examine our ways, and turn back to the Lord.' (Lamentations 3:40 NKJV) With 'our lives under God', we're more honest, self-aware, able to perceive realistically; we're respectful, and prepared to become God's change agents.

Just Enough

'...Each family had just what it needed.' Exodus 16:18 NLT
Good Morning,

I love how God supplies to each of us just when we need it. Exodus gives us a glimpse how God works on our behalf. In the wilderness God provided His people with manna so that they wouldn't go hungry. It appeared miraculously each morning: 'Everyone had just enough. Those who gathered a lot had nothing left over, and those who gathered...a little had enough. Each family had just what it needed.' Ever notice there are times in life when God's blessings seem to '...overtake you...'? (Deuteronomy 28:2 NAS) Your prayers are getting answered, the doctor's report is good, the bills are paid, your job is going great and your children are finally on the right track. When that happens, rejoice and thank God for His goodness. Then there are other times when He gives you 'just enough' light to take one more step. That's when He's teaching you to trust Him on a daily (or sometimes hourly) basis; to test His Word and see for yourself that '...His mercies...are new every morning...' (Lamentations 3:22-23 NCV) Bottom line: God never lets us gather tomorrow's manna today. The Bible says He will '...supply all your need according to His riches in glory.' (Philippians 4:19 KJV) He wants you to rely on the Giver and not the gift, to trust Him to meet all your needs, and to expect that He will bring good things out of bad situations. Instead of getting stressed out, He wants you to '...let [all] your requests be made known to God' (Philippians 4:6 NKJV), to stop fretting when you're alone because He will '...never leave you nor forsake you' (Deuteronomy 31:6 NIV); to realize that no matter what life throws at you, you never have to question His love because it's '...everlasting...' (Jeremiah 31:3 KJV) So stop and think before you fret...who's your Daddy?

When Nobody's Looking

'Glancing this way and that and seeing no one...' Exodus 2:12 NIV

Good Morning,

Amy & I took yesterday off so sorry you didn't get a devotional. Thanks to God and John Shane for a great message Sunday, and to our team for being faithful. What happens in your life when no one else is looking? When Moses killed the Egyptian and hid the body in the sand, he looked around to make sure no one was watching. Ever done something wrong when nobody was watching? We all have! Mark Roberts says he counseled people whose business travel made them vulnerable. 'An executive found that...away from home, she was inappropriately flirtatious, even though she loved her husband and wanted to remain faithful to him. A high-powered professional struggled not to watch pornography in hotel rooms even though he was not tempted...at home. The internet sets innumerable ethical traps... By frequenting an online chat room, a wife became entangled in an emotional relationship with a man who was not her husband. In all of these cases, the sense that "no one was watching" allowed people to sin in ways they would never have done in ordinary, observed life.' Here's what you need to realize: (1) God sees you when nobody else does. When you couple that with a desire to please Him and not grieve Him, it makes a difference in how you act. (2) 'The godly offer good counsel...' (Psalm 37:30 NLT) If you know you're vulnerable in a certain area, share it with someone who will pray for you and hold you accountable. (Nowadays there are even computer programs that will monitor your Internet activity and send a report to others). (3) Avoid situations that afford you too much privacy. One woman closed her personal bank account and opened a joint account with her husband because her spending was out of control. God created you to live in relationship with others, and the more open and honest you are, the less likely you'll be to stray.

Stop Hiding!

'The Lord God called to the man, "Where are you?"' Genesis 3:9 NIV

Good Morning,
Thanks to all those who helped out last night with the Christmas Decorating, the church looks amazing! Todays devotional asks the question; are you hiding? The first recorded question God ever asked was, '[Adam]...Where are you?' And it's a question you need to stop and ask yourself today: 'Where am I-really?' If you don't know the answer, or you do but you don't like it, then today's devotion is for you. When God asked Adam, 'Where are you?' he responded by saying, 'I heard You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.' (Genesis 3:10 NIV) It's amazing the lengths we will go to in order to hide. We'll bury ourselves in work or get involved in an affair or build a wall around our hearts-anything but face the truth. God wasn't trying to find Adam; He just wanted Adam to find himself. Until you do that, you're truly lost. And the problem is, when you hide you become a phony. Have you any idea how much emotional energy it requires to keep up a charade for others? Only two things are worse: being a phony with yourself and being a phony with God. Furthermore, you'll find it difficult to be honest with others or look them in the eye. Why? Because you'll be afraid they might look into your heart and see the real you. Is that where you are today? Afraid to look into your own heart? The good news is, Adam was naked but God clothed him; he was guilty but God cleansed him; he was anxious but God comforted him. And if you come to Him today God will cleanse you, clothe you and comfort you. He's just waiting for the opportunity to do it!

Gods Grace

'If by grace, then it is no longer by works...' Romans 11:6 NIV

Good Morning,

I love the scripture in Romans 11:6 where Paul writes: 'And if by grace, then it is no longer by works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace.' Dr. Gerald Mann tells the fascinating story of how he got his doctorate in Greek. There were only six students in his class. The professor had never given anyone an A. On the first day he held up a Greek textbook and to their amazement he announced, 'I have already written your grades and no matter how much you study or what you score, I have given every one of you an A!' Dr. Mann said, 'Out of six students, five of us learned more Greek in that class than we ever thought possible. The other fellow just got by and never really applied himself.' Understand this: Grace is the power to excel or license to just get by. Either way, you're accepted and considered righteous in God's eyes the moment you trust in Christ. Why would God arrange it that way? Because the love He gives us is unconditional, and only a response of love can satisfy Him. What an amazing truth; God makes Himself vulnerable to the rejection of people like us! Perhaps you're wondering, 'How can I prove that I truly love God?' That's easy: you'll love your brother and sister. (1 John 4:21) You'll love God's Word. (Psalm 119:97) You'll love spending time in prayer. (Jeremiah 29:12) Grace, rightly understood, doesn't prevent holiness, it produces it. 'The grace of God that brings salvation...teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives...' (Titus 2:11-12 NIV)