WRAPPED UP IN YOUR WORK

            If you want to be not only successful, but personally, happily and permanently successful, then do your job in a way that those who don’t know God will see God in you! Do that job in such a way that, even when you are out of sight, folks will always know which way you went by the lamps left behind.-Mc Farland

But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. James 1:25

            Every one of us has a job God wants us to do. He has this job specifically designed for you and me. He doesn’t want someone else to do it. He has equipped us to do this job. He has prepared the way of the job. All we have to do is—do it! And you know what God said about this job He wants you and me to do? He said, if you are a doer of the work, you’ll be blessed! Wait, what? Yep! If you get wrapped up in the work God has called you to, prepared for you, and equipped you to do… He will bless you!

            What has God been trying to get you to do? Well, get to it! Then watch God work in and through your life!

NAMES NOT NUMBERS

Names are written down in Heaven not numbers!

Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven. Luke 10:20

            Did you ever get the full name treatment growing up? You know when Mama called out your entire name? John Jay O’Dell, get in here right now! You knew it was on! She didn’t call out, child number three or son number two. No, she knew my name and she didn’t want me to make a mistake thinking she called someone else. She wanted to put fear in your backside before you ever laid eyes upon her! And…it did! What a privilege for my whole name being called out by my Mama! It meant she cared for me, she had a desire to see me improve, and most of all; she loved me!

            Friend, there’s a God in Heaven that loves you greater than any Mother could love her own child! He isn’t concerned about the numbers in Heaven as much as He is the names that are written there! Is your name there? Have you been saved? God cares for you so much He sent His Only Begotten Son to die on the Cross for your sin! But praise be to God He didn’t stay there—He arose so our names could be written in Heaven!

GET YOUR EYES OFF YOURSELF

In jealousy there is more self-love than love. -La Rochefoucauld

Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another. Galatians 5:26

            In the selfie world we are living in we have no time for others. We are more concerned with our next date, trip to the mall, or vacation more than we are the lost going to hell. We live for the mountain top services forsaking the learning valley services that have gotten us through time and time again!

            Oh vain man/woman… get your eyes off yourself and get them on the Lord and others. Begin to serve at home, at church, and anywhere God opens the door! It won’t be long until a peace surrounds your life like no other time in your life!

UNSHACKLED

Unnecessary burdens leads to unwanted blow ups!

Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:1-2

            Carrying around unnecessary burdens causes us to have extra stress that our Saviour never intended us to have. When we keep these burdens bottled up, sooner or later we will be like a dead carcass on the side of the road baking in the summer heat; swollen, sour, stinking, and about to be splattered!

            The Lord has made it clear in His Word He wants us to cast our burdens upon Him and let Him deal with them. When we do, we come unshackled to them! We are relieved of those burdens! We become set free! Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. 1 Peter 5:7

PUT CHRIST FIRST

He must increase, but I must decrease. John 3:30

            One of the biggest missed blessings in the Christian life is truly putting Jesus first. When we, by faith, put Jesus first in every aspect of our life, He takes cares of us in every aspect of life. Even when things seem to be collapsing around us we can always put Him first by trusting Jesus knows what’s best for us! We can faithfully serve Him watching Him work things out for His glory and our good!

WHERE DID THE TIME GO?

            To snatch the passing moment and examine it for signs of eternity is the noblest of occupations. –Halle

Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time. Colossians 4:5

            Seems like yesterday, I was holding my son for the first time. Now, he is 28 and married. Did I invest my time with my children wisely or did I waste it on things that really don’t matter? Did I invest in them in light of eternity? Did I do all I could do?

            We cannot go back and change how or what we did while our kids were growing up. All we can do is start living our lives in light of eternity—today!

LOVE LIKE CRAZY!

Faith makes all things possible...love makes all things easy. -D.L. Moody

For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? Matthew 5:46

            When you love someone like Jesus loves them hopefully sooner or later they will begin to understand the reason why you are able to do so. It’s not just because you want more friends. It’s not because you are in need of some self approval. It’s because you want them to have the complete peace of God you received when you repented and trusted Jesus as Saviour!

            How is your love life when it comes to loving the unlovable? Remember—Jesus loved you before you ever started loving Him! We love him, because he first loved us. 1 John 4:19

IN CHURCH BUT NOT IN THE CHURCH

            There have been many professions of faith but not many possessions of the faith.

And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. Matthew 7:23

            Some people have never been saved so it shouldn’t surprise those of us who are when they don’t live Godly. Lost people will do, what lost people do. They will not be faithful to church. They will not handle sin properly; confession and repentance. They will not forgive those whom have done them wrong. They will not give what God asks. What it all boils down to is— they will not be obedient to the Word. I am reminded this morning of another scripture… If ye love me, keep my commandments. John 14:15

            What are you trusting in your salvation for? If it’s anything other than the finished work of Jesus Christ—you’re still lost! You’re not part of the church… you’re just in a church!

A USE TO CHRISTIAN

What keeps you from serving the Lord like you use to?

Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth? Galatians 5:7

            I never want to be one of those Christians who say something to the effect, “I use to work with the youth”, “I use to sing in the choir”, or “I use to go to church.” If there is something you use to do for the Lord and now you are not, what is hindering you from doing so? Yes, we all get old and we may not be able to serve like we use to but there should never be a time when we just sit down and quit. We should remain faithful to the Lord until the He take us home!

            So, what is hindering you that you should not obey the truth? Most of the time I find, it’s ourselves! Get rid of self and get back to serving!

HE IS RISEN!

The hinge on which all of Christianity is hung is this fact of the risen Saviour!

            But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. 1 Corinthians 15:13-14

            There are many compelling truths of the birth of Jesus, the life of Jesus, and even the crucifixion of Jesus but the overwhelming truth in the fact Jesus did not stay dead is astronomical! The stone that was removed, the eye witness accounts from the Roman Soldiers, Jesus’ appearance to the ladies at the tomb, the appearance to over 500 in Jerusalem, and the fact He is still changing lives over 2000 years later is awe-inspiring to me!

            On this Resurrection Sunday, in the year of our Lord 2019, why don’t you give up and give in to what Jesus wants to do in your life? Why don’t you GET UP, GET READY, and GO TO CHURCH today!

WHO IS JESUS TO YOU?

            This is the very essence of true religion-personally living with a personal Saviour, personally trusting a personal Redeemer, personally crying out to a personal Intercessor, and receiving personal answers from a Person who loves us, and who manifests himself to us. –Spurgeon

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. John 14:6

            What we believe about Jesus dictates a lot of where we go, what we say, and who we are. If we believe He was a liar we will not acknowledge anything He has said or done. If we believe He was just another human that had good morals we will like as such. But if we believe He is Lord… we will live to honor and worship Him with our life.

            Who is Jesus to you? Someone once said Jesus was either a liar, a lunatic, or He is Lord. He is not only Lord to me but He is my Lord and Saviour!

GIVING IT ALL

It is possible to give without loving, but it is impossible to love without giving. –Braunstein

For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living. Mark 12:44

            How much are you giving to the Lord? Are you giving Him out of your abundance or are you giving Him your all? No need to answer the question because God knows the answer already. He knows our motives before we write the first letter on the check, grab the first dollar, or cast in our pocket change. God isn’t please when we “give what we can” and no He doesn’t understand when we give that way. What the Lord wants is for us to give it all to the point of giving out of faith. We could give every earthly possession we had but if we didn’t it in faith, God will not be pleased with it. The widow woman gave with a loving cheerful heart and God took care of her! I believe He can take care of you as well!

            Give Him your time! Give Him your talents! Give Him your treasures! Just give Him your life!

LOOKING FOR APPROVAL

Who we look to for approval, will one day be who we become.

And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Matthew 3:17

            Growing up, as with most adolescents, I strived to get my parents approval. In Middle and High School I strived to get my peers approval. But now that I am a saved old man, I should only care about the approval from One—My Priestly King- Jesus Christ. That is the One whom I should’ve been concerned with all along. If my relationship with Him is right, my other relationships will line up as well.

            Are you still striving to meet someone else’s approval? STOP! Be obedient to God’s Word and some of those relationships will fix themselves!

BIBLICAL CHRISTIANITY- BY GRACE THROUGH FAITH- NOTHING MORE- NOTHING LESS!

The egg's no chick by falling from the hen, Nor man a Christian till he's born again. –Bunyan

And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. Ephesians 2:1-3

Has what you claim to be salvation changed you? Did your prayer on the altar give you the new nature proclaimed in the Word of God? What difference has Jesus made in your life? Yes, He came to save you from Hell but He also came to save you from yourself! He came to set you free from sin and self! Have you been born again? Have you trusted Jesus as your Saviour? If you were to die today—where would you spend eternity and how do you know?

Don’t know where you would spend eternity? Send me a message and I would love to show you how you can!

UTTER FAILURE!

With Jesus we have victory. Without Him there is utter failure.      

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9

            We can no more have victory over sin by ourselves than we can fly without something aiding in our flight. We have Jesus’ Words. We have Jesus’ work. We have Jesus’ willingness to forgive us when we fail on our own. We have everything we need to have victory over sin and yet we still fail day after day. I am so thankful for Jesus’ forgiveness. This is not a license to sin but it is recognizing that without Jesus Christ making the way for victory for us we are utterly doomed!

            When is the last time you asked Jesus to forgive you of some sin you have done? Maybe it is the sin of being absent from church. Well, today would be a good day to GET UP, GET READY, and GO TO CHURCH! While you are there you can use the altar to ask Him to forgive you one more time so you will not be an utter failure!

 

A LITTLE LIGHT

            I believe in Christ like I believe in the sun, not just because I see it, but because by it I can see everything else. --C.S. Lewis

As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. Colossians 2:6-7

            Though we live in a very dark world of sin, God has given us all light in which to see Jesus. What we do with that light is up to us. Like the poorest, having the light of creation, to the preacher’s kid who has been drug to church their entire life, without repentance and saving faith in Jesus Christ we are all bound for hell.

            What light has God given you? Whatever light you have, you need to let it light up your path to faith in the only hope any of us have—Jesus Christ! A little light can take you a long way! In this case, all the way to Heaven!

WHEN THE ENEMY IS CAMPED OUTSIDE

Remaining confident in our Saviour in times of crisis is the natural thing for a Christian to do.

And for this cause Hezekiah the king, and the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz, prayed and cried to heaven. 2 Chronicles 32:20

            In 2 Chronicles 32, we have the story of Sennacherib, the Assyrian King and his army plotting to take Jerusalem. Hezekiah did not fret or worry; he prepared and prayed. He had this to say about Sennacherib, “With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the LORD our God to help us, and to fight our battles.”

            Are you facing an enemy today? Is the enemy camped outside your door? No matter what or who that enemy might be, remain confident in knowing the Lord our God, Jesus Christ, is the there to help us and to fight our battles!

STOP AND SAY THANK YOU!

So much to thank Him for—so little time to thank Him!

Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Psalm 103:2

            In reading Psalm 103, the first thing the Psalmist is thankful for is God’s forgiveness. That is where it all begins—God forgiving us of our sin! After that, everything else is a bonus! We didn’t even deserve His forgiveness but He doesn’t stop there. The Psalmist goes on and on thanking God for a list of other provisions!

            When is the last time you stopped and said, “Thank you Lord?” Why not do it now?

A HUGE HOPE

            Satan would tempt us to despair; but good hope keeps us trusting in God and rejoicing in him. –Henry

Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven. Acts 1:11

            When I start to think about when Jesus saved my wretched life I am reminded He’s coming back! I don’t know about you but that gives me hope! Not just a little empty promise like when Dad said he was going to take me fishing but huge hope like when Mom said she was going to cooking supper!

            We have a huge hope in Jesus return… are you ready for it?

WHY WORRY?

The devil would have us continually crossing streams that do not exist. –Anonymous

Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. 1 Peter 5:7

            I’ve never been much of a hunter. I don’t like to eat most of the things people hunt so I just don’t hunt at all. I have been coon hunting a few times though. But I really never got into sending dogs out to track a coon up some tree, just to shoot him out of it watching the dogs rip the carcass to shreds or skinning him for his hide.

            I do remember one time when we got out in the woods and we lost our way. There was an overcast sky and it was pitch black. We didn’t have the moon to guide us. But we continued to tread on through the woods until we came to a familiar road taking us back to the trucks.

            We could have sat and worried about not knowing where we were at. We could have sat in the woods until someone came to find us. We could’ve sat there and done nothing. But that’s not hunters do. Such it should be with Christians. We should not sit and worry when changes of life happen. We should not fret over the unknown. We should find some familiar scriptures that will take us back to Jesus. And there we should cast those cares upon Him for there is none other caring for you like He does!