BE FREE

Freedom isn’t free, it always cost someone something!

If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. John 8:36

Nothing is free! The free light bulbs some people get cost someone. The free cheese that is given out cost someone. The free college cost someone. The free things you get for buying a extra value meal isn’t free, it’s included in the cost.

Not even salvation is free for it cost Jesus Christ His blood! It cost Him His life! It cost Him everything for He does everything in salvation! We get all the benefits of salvation if we live for Him! We get the benefit of being delivered from the wrath of God– Romans 5:9. We get the benefit of being delivered from condemnation – Romans 8:1 We get the benefit of being delivered from death and Hell – John 5:24 We get the benefit of being delivered from the power of sin – Romans 6:13-14 We get the benefit of being delivered from the power of Satan – 1 Peter 5:8

Have you been set free or are you still in the bondage of sin? You can be free and free indeed if you repent of your sin and trust Jesus Christ as Saviour!

BE IN YOUR PLACE

The living Church, though never neat, keeps God's world from complete disaster. –Macleod

We took sweet counsel together, and walked unto the house of God in company. Psalm 55:14

Your influence upon this old world goes further than you think! Your impact on your family, friends, and complete strangers is immeasurable. While we may not know the span of our influence, God does. He knows who we need to get to in order to share the Gospel. All we have to do is be prepared. We remain prepared when we GET UP, GET READY and GO TO CHURCH! We do it by being in our place every time the church doors are open!

BE SICK

Being sick is different than being sick of something!

Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. Romans 12:9

So, I have been sick for the past two days; coughing, sweating, the chills, headache, etc. I would lay in bed and then in my recliner. It got me to thinking about how much I hate to be sick! It got me to thinking about how much I should hate sin, reminding me of Romans 12:9.

It was for our sin Jesus died on the Cross of Calvary! It was my sin that held Him to the Cross! I should hate sin as much as God loved me, to save me from it! Do you abhor sin? Is it repulsive to you? Are you sick of sinning? You ought to be!

BE MEEK

Meekness is not a sign of weakness, it’s a sign of strength under control.

The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the LORD that seek him: your heart shall live for ever. Psalm 22:26

How many people have forgotten the attribute of being meek? I often wonder if it is in our vocabulary any more at all. With pride being in almost every TV show and music video, one cannot help to be affected by it. Pride puts self before everyone else. A proud heart puts self before the Lord. You become your own god.

Jesus was hanging on the Cross. He could have dispatched ten thousand angels to come to wipe out mankind. He did not do that because He was meek! He did that because of grace! He did that for you and me! So let us be meek in an attempt to win the lost, dying, hurting world!

BE FORGIVING

They, who forgive most, shall be most forgiven. –Bailey

Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven. Matthew 18:21-22

With seven being the number of completion, one would think forgiving someone seven times would be quite generous. However, Jesus said, “Nope!” In fact, His example of seventy times seven was just that, an example of a limitless forgiveness. Just like that of our Saviour!

Husbands and Wives, Moms and Dads, Sons and Daughters, Church Members and Pastors, etc, be reminded of how much Jesus forgave us when He saved us. But also be reminded we did not quit sinning when we got saved, we still do. And Jesus will continue to forgive you, if you ask! As He does, we should to! We should forgive those that defraud, defame, or destroy our trust! Don’t do it for them! Don’t do it for yourself! Forgive them for the Lord!

BE AN ENCOURAGER

The men who are lifting the world upward and onward are those who encourage more than criticize. --Elizabeth Harrison

But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. Hebrews 3:13

Why kick a man when they are down when you can lift them up with kind words, a compassionate gesture, or an act of pure love? Is that not what Jesus did for you and me? When we were lost in sin He gave us His Word which is the kindest thing anyone can do. When we needed hand up He lifted us up and out of the miry clay setting our feet on the Solid Foundation. When we needed redemption He shed His blood on the Cross of Calvary for our sin redeeming our souls from the very grips of Hell!

When is the last time you attempted to encourage someone you know? Start being an encourager for those in your community!  

BE HAPPY

Whoever is happy will make others happy too. -Anne Frank

The meek also shall increase their joy in the LORD, and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel. Isaiah 29:19

No one likes an old grump. You know the one that snaps at you when you call their name. Those that scream at you when you ask a question drive you nuts. The complainer that is never happy with anything management does always gets on your last nerve!

Child of God, if you are happy in the Lord, if you have been serving Him, if you have been doing things for Him and not for notoriety, if you have been serving Him in the night seasons, if you have been faithful to serve Him with a smile when one really isn’t due, He will take care of you in your time of need!

Why do you do what you do? Is it because you love the Lord? Do you smile when things get rough? Do you smile when you are serving Him in the trenches? Then look out because I have seen it too many times—you can’t out give Him! He will bless your service!

BE GRACEFUL

It may not be an easy thing to live in sweet fellowship with everyone; but that is what the grace of God is for. - D.L. Moody

Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man. Colossians 4:6

Mama use to say, “If you can’t say nothing good, don’t say nothing at all!” Some of the wisest words from a high school drop-out! Mom was one of the most forgiving, loving, graceful people I knew. Yes, she had her ways as everyone does but she knew how to get along with almost anyone as well!

Our Saviour set the standard when it comes to graceful living! He never spoke a Word out of turn. He never went beyond what needed to be said. He never said something before or after it was needed to be said. Even when He rebuked the money changers at the Temple, He did it in such a way the message was understood and many where rebuked!

How is your speech? Do you speak when you have something to say or do you have something to say so you speak? There is a huge difference! As the Proverb says… A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver. Proverbs 25:11

BE PREPARED

The future is something which everyone reaches at the rate of sixty minutes an hour, whatever he does, who ever he is. -C.S. Lewis

Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth. Proverbs 27:1

None of us know what will come tomorrow. We can prepare for whatever it may hold but we cannot be 100% sure what it will bring. We can prepare for rain tomorrow by carrying an umbrella yet, it may never rain. We can invest our money in the stock market but it may crash. There is one thing we can do for tomorrow today that will not only help us tomorrow but it will help us throughout eternity! This one thing cannot be done whenever you want to. This one thing cannot be obtained like some trophy. This one thing was done for you when Jesus got up on the Cross of Calvary, shed His life’s blood, giving His life for yours and mine, being buried and rising three days later, conquering death, hell and the grave for your sin and mine! This one thing is to be saved! Saved from the depths of our sinful nature. Saved from Hell fire. Saved from sin, shame, and the sickness it all brings!

What must you do to be saved; Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved! Then and only then will you be prepared for Heaven!

BE FREE

The God who gave us life gave us liberty at the same time. –Jefferson

Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. Galatians 5:1

One of the founding factors in our country are these three Inalienable Rights every person has; Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. These Inalienable Rights are the very thing in which many other Nations hate America for. Why, because they want control, corruption, and calamity. They want control of their people to do their bidding. They want corruption in order to fill their bank accounts. They want calamity because they know there is strength in a group of people set out for one goal. (Just ask Great Britain.)

The Inalienable Rights, like much in our government, were found in the Word of God. How did the Founding Fathers come up with such a brilliant contract of sorts? I believe many of them had tasted the freedom found in Christ and they knew the Scriptures. They knew what it meant to be free from sin and shame. They knew what it meant to chose. They knew what true liberty meant and wasn’t afraid to stand up for it.

How is your Spiritual stand? Are you standing in the freedom Jesus brought when you got saved? If not, maybe it’s time to open the Word of God and get busy reading to find out how to be FREE!

BE COMPASSIONATE

Being compassionate involves others not self.

But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. Matthew 9:36

When you and I go out to this lost, dying, and hurting world with the Good News of the Gospel, we will see the results of living in sin. It will bring you to tears. It will bring you to your knees. It will move you with compassion!

It’s easy to sit in our air conditioned homes, driving our luxury cars, eating from the drive through menus, not doing anything for the Lord! I believe that’s why many will not lift a finger or open their wallets for the Lord! They are scared God will want them to get involved, leaving the comforts of home, giving to something bigger and better, getting their eyes off self and on someone else.

When we get out of our comfort zone, getting our hands dirty doing the work of the Lord, it’s hard not to have compassion!

BE COMMITTED

I have now concentrated all my prayers into one, and that one prayer is this, that I may die to self, and live wholly to him. –Spurgeon

Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday. Psalm 37:4-6

Being committed to something or someone takes time, effort, and most of all love. Think about this for a minute; how much time has the Lord invested in you?—“before the foundation of the world” How much effort has the Lord invested in you?—“he gave his only begotten Son” How much love has He given you?— In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. 1 John 4:9

            If He has done all of this for you and I, shouldn’t we be committed to what He has commanded us to? Shouldn’t we be committed to what He has called us to? Shouldn’t we be committed to what He commissioned us to? Shouldn’t we remain committed???

BE CONSISTENT

Whatever you do for the Lord be consistent about it—it will make all the difference!

Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel; And in nothing terrified by your adversaries: which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that of God. Philippians 1:27-28

I recently heard a story about an old miner. He had been working this gold mine for many years and gave up. He sold the mine, lock, stock, and machinery. An old scrap metal man bought the mine and its contents. He was about to start scrapping the metal when he said, “I’ve never tried mining and I’ve got all this equipment, why not give it a try for a few days.” He dug three feet and hit one of the largest gold deposits ever hit. Someone asked the old miner what he thought. He said, “Don’t stop three feet from victory!”

Where ever you are in your Christian walk, don’t give up or give in! Don’t give up on serving the Lord because it is worth ever ounce you invest in Him and in others! Don’t give in to the pressures this life throws at you! Be consistent in your walk with Jesus, you never know when someone is watching you!

God has got something for you child of God! And it’s something better than a bunch of gold! So be consistent! Waiting if necessary, studying with an expectation, and witnessing to a lost, dying, hurting world to make a difference!

BE LEADING

If you want your neighbor to see what Jesus will do for him, let him see what He has done for you. -H. Beecher

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. Matthew 5:16

It is our responsibility to lead others to Jesus. We can’t save but we can be leading others by being an example. We lead when we are an example when we go through hard things but we don’t respond the way the world does. We lead when we are consistent on social media, the ones Mom and Dad see and the ones they don’t. We lead when we GET UP, GET READY and GO TO CHURCH when the church doors are open! On Sundays, for Revivals, for Jubilees, for Mission Conferences, on Wednesdays, or anytime there are special services- Be in your place and you will be leading others to Jesus!

            Will you be leading this morning or will you be loafing?

BE FOCUSED

Man was created with two eyes, so that with one he may see God's greatness, and with the other his own lowliness. -Samuel Y. Agnon

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. Hebrew 12:1-2

I am convinced many people are not laying down their weights and sin which so easily beset them. You ask, “What is a weight? What is the sin?” Well the weight is a burden or a hindrance. A sin is offence against God. Scripture says both of these are dealt with when we lay them aside. What this means is when we repent of them God gives us liberty!

When we repent God gives us liberty! We are to live life to the fullest in the liberty Jesus gives, keeping our heart focused on our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Focused on His Word, His Work, and His Way!

BE PRAYING

            The Action of Prayer Leads to Awesome Power!

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. Philippians 4:6

            Our faith in our omnipotent Saviour is on display when we pray and leave our burdens with Him. When we pick those burdens back up, we are saying God isn’t BIG enough to handle our problems. We are saying we are more capable of handling our problems more than He is. We are saying He doesn’t know what He is doing.

            Complete faith in God is making those requests known and leaving them with Him. Rejoicing before the request is made, during the period He hears them, and after the request is made. You see, when we have faith in God, we understand our Lord and Saviour knows our every need. You can rest assured He hears your prayers and He will answer them on His time table! When we put prayer in action, He gives us the power to remain faithful, remain focused, and to remain fruitful!

BE KIND

            The most important thought that ever occupied my mind is that of my individual responsibility to God. –Webster

And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. Matthew 25:40

          I’m sure you have heard, “Kindness Kills”. Well, I’m sure it used to but in the violent world today, even when you ask for forgiveness, to some, it means nothing. They can look you straight in your face and say I forgive you but you better watch your back!

            Being kind is done not just with words, it is done by action! It’s love in action! Our motivation is our Saviour was and is kind to us! He doesn’t do lips service, He does leg service!

            So get busy being kinder than you were yesterday!

BE FRIENDLY

           Friendship is one of the sweetest joys of life.  Many might have failed beneath the bitterness of their trial had they not found a friend. –Spurgeon

A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother. Proverbs 18:24

          I am thankful for the Friend that sticketh closer than a brother. It is that Friend who teaches us to be a real friend to others. He teaches us how to value them. He teaches us to invest our lives in them. He teaches us to help them. He teaches us to love them. He teaches us to sacrifice for them.

            Being friendly is much more than having conversations on social media—it is putting legs on the conversations we have! So, show yourself friendly and earn the right to have friends!

BE JOYFUL

            If you have no joy in your religion, there's a leak in your Christianity somewhere. –Sunday

Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: 1 Peter 1:8

                        A joyful spirit in some Christian’s life is missing. I don’t know why! We have a lot to be joyful for! God has saved us. He gave us His Spirit. He gave us His Word. He has Heaven prepared for us. He has given us everything we need to have a joyful life!

            Child of God, quit fretting over life. Cast your burden upon Him and be joyful, for He careth for you!

BE TRUTHFUL

            Don't you know my friend, it is not the most fluent man that has the greatest effect with a jury?  It is the man who tells the truth. - D.L Moody

Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: Colossians 3:9-10

            Anyone can tell a lie. The problem with a lie is you have to tell another lie to cover up the first one you told. Then you have to tell another and another, until before you know it, you don’t know what the truth is.

            It is honorable to tell the truth even when the truth hurts. You may lose a friend. You may lose a job. It may cost you more than you really want to pay. But in the long run, you will gain more friends being truthful than you had in the beginning.