Destination: Eternal Life

As many of us return from our Thanksgiving excursions, it reminds me of our journey through this life. With the uncertainty of the travel system in this country, it's comforting to know that we will reach at least one of our destinations on time. In John 14:16, Jesus said “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." When we accepted Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, our final destination was confirmed: eternal life with Christ.

Pray, Watch, Be Thankful

One of the most difficult challenges for a believer is to maintain the spirit of Sunday throughout the week. It's easy to praise God in the sanctuary, but God wants to maintain a relationship with us all throughout the week. In Colossians 4:2, Paul instructs his readers to "devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful." It's great to fellowship with other believers and and praise God as a community; in the meantime, to maintain from Sunday to Sunday, the answer is simple: pray, watch, and give thanks.

Give Thanks

When someone does something nice for you, it is our custom to say "thank you." The word "Thanks" appears in the Bible nearly 150 times, so thankfulness must be important to God. In 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, Paul instructs his readers to "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. "Every day is a great day to give thanks as a lifestyle, not just on Thanksgiving day.

It's Not About Us

People often mistake a miracle for an act of their own will. They are happy to boast about their accomplishments and are delighted to share stories of how the did thus and so; praising themselves instead of God, instead of telling their testimony of the great things that God has done in their lives. In Proverbs 16:18-19, the Bible declares "Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. Better to be lowly in spirit and among the oppressed than to share plunder with the proud." So many things that God does for us are not for our benefit, but to benefit the kingdom. God brought us through many hard times in our lives not so we can tell others what we did, but so we can glorify God and declare "Look what the Lord has done!"

God is an Awesome God

There are few words that we have in our vocabulary to adequately describe God; "almighty," "wonderful," all-powerful," and of course "awesome" are as close as we can get. In Exodus 15:11, Moses declares "Who among the gods is like you, O Lord ? Who is like you— majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders? Moses was aware of other gods because of his upbringing in Egypt, but he realizes that there is simply no other God like the Lord God Almighty. When we experience the same revelation, then we are able to be true worshippers.

W.W.J.D.

"What would Jesus do?" is a popular catch-phrase that we often see on bumper stickers, bracelets, t-shirts, and all sorts of other merchandise. The logo should be an outward sign of the inward conviction of the believer who wears it, but do they really consider what Jesus would do in most situations? In Mark 2:13, Jesus is having dinner at Levi's house with both "sinners" and his disciples. The religious leaders criticize him for his many interactions with those they consider as sinners, but he shows everyone the same love and compassion; both saint and sinner. That is what Jesus did and what we should continue to do as his ambassadors.

Saved by Grace

We can truly be free when we realize that there is nothing that we can do to earn or keep our salvation. We all have sin in our lives; God is well aware of that, and yet He still loves us. In Romans 5:8, Paul declares "God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Regardless of where we are in our spiritual journey, the same is true for all of us. In spite of ourselves and our sins, regardless of what they were, Christ loves us so much that He died for us, all of us.

Sombody's Watching Me

As confessed Christians, we are constantly being observed. Some are looking up to us as models for clean living; some are looking for us to minister to them in their time of need, while others are looking at us to see if we are really living the life in Christ that we confess. In 1 Corinthians 8:9, Paul warns his readers "Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak." In Verse 11, he says "this weak brother, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge." Regardless of the reason that we are being watched, we must be mindful of our conduct and demeanor in the public eye.

Live Free

Simply stated, a life in Christ is a life of freedom; on the other hand, a life in sin is a life of bondage. In Galatians 5:1, Paul declares "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." Not say that we do not sin, as we will sin daily in our thoughts, words, and actions, but we must make a decision to live free in Christ and refuse to burdened with the bondage of sin once Christ has set us free.

Community Prayer

As the body of Christ continues to grow, we have a responsibility to pray for one another. With all of the troubles that we face daily, it seems as though the world is determined to leave believers desolate in attacking their faith. In Colossians 1:9, Paul tells his readers "since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding." Just as Paul prayed for the Colossians, we must pray for one another and encourage each other in the hope that we have in Christ.

Honor

In Romans 13:7, Paul teaches his readers a simple lesson: give people what you owe them. Hes says, in verse 7, "Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor." Today, as we honor our military heroes for their sacrifice, consider all of the heroes that you can honor today and show them your appreciation.

Who's Your Neighbor?

In Luke 10:28-29, Jesus details the law to one who was already an expert in the letter of the law, but he missed the spirit of "Love your neighbor as yourself." In verse 29, the Bible says that the expert in the law "wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" Oftentimes, we are asking ourselves the same question; our neighbors are those who live near us, those who we pass by on the street, or speed by when exiting the highway. There are millions of hungry, homeless, and hopeless people in the world; obviously, we can't help all of them, but if each of us helps some of our neighbors, we can make a great impact on the world.

Come Together

Our church families are just as important as our natural families concerning our well-being. In Ecclesiastes 4: 9-10, the Bible declares "Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!" When trying to build the kingdom alone, you have no help when fall into the many snares that the world has set. The work of the kingdom is easier, more rewarding when we are able to work together instead of trying to walk this journey alone.

Testimony

Our testimony is one of the most powerful tools that we have to build up the kingdom of Christ, for which we should never be ashamed. In 2 Timothy 1:8-9, Paul urges his readers to"not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, who has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace." When God has delivered us, we should be ready and willing to share our testimony to draw others to Christ and give hope to those who are still struggling towards their deliverance.

Rejection to Direction

People are fickle. Unfortunately, rejection is part of our lives when we deal with people every day. If we are not careful, that disappointment from rejection can leave us in despair. In Psalm 94: 14, the psalmist declares "For the Lord will not reject his people; he will never forsake his inheritance." Thank God that He is not like man. God will never reject us, but he will allow people to reject us to direct us to what He has for us: our inheritance.

Stand for Something

A old adage says "if you don't stand for something, you will fall for anything." That sentiment has been true for centuries, even in ancient Babylon. While in captivity, Daniel decided to stand for his convictions. In Daniel 1:8, Daniel "resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way." Daniel made a decision to trust God instead of compromising. When faced with a situation that may cause you to compromise, consider that God is the final authority and pray for wisdom to maintain your conviction without alienating those around you.

God's Authority

As we live in this world, we must recognize and submit ourselves to the authority of those who have authority over us. In Romans 13:1, Paul reminds his readers that "everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.” Even as we prepare to vote today, we must remember that regardless of how we vote, God has the final authority and has placed each leader in position.