Text Message

The Bible is God's text message to us and clearly teaches us that it's a waste of time to seek anything else if we haven't sought God first. But we get so caught up in the worries of day-to-day life that we forget that God is in control.

You wouldn't walk into your boss's office and start taking over their work because they weren't doing it according to your standards. But that's exactly what we do to God when we put other things before him. We're telling him that we can decide the order of things better than he can.

God should be the number one priority in our lives. Nothing in your world should come before seeking him. I challenge you to spend some time today seeking God.

God has sent you a text message. Are you gonna read it?

Learning to rest!

God created the world in six days and rested on the seventh. He didn't rest because he was tired or needed a cosmic coffee break. He was simply setting the example for us. He knew that we would have the tendency to overwork and under-rest. And he also knew that our tendency is a formula for frustration.

In the 1970s, leisure suits were the ultimate combination of style, comfort and relaxation. But most people would agree that wearing that suit today would be a serious fashion faux-pas. But God tells us that leisure suits us all well.

God wants us to reserve one day each week—to recover our strength, realign our lives, and most of all, remember him. It's true that everything we do should be an act of worship to God, but the Sabbath is a day that God commands us to set aside for rest.

When we make rest a priority, our lives will be restored, our priorities will be refocused, and our relationship with Christ will be re-energized. Make it your priority to wear your leisure suit and reflect on all that God has done for you in your life. It is only then that you will discover the amazing benefits that God has in store for you.

Growing through the motions!

happens... When most people think of the “gap,” they think of the popular clothing store. But there is a gap in our society that is much more common than the clothing store. It’s the gap that exists between our priorities and our commitments.

People tend to get stressed out about their priorities. But we should never be confused about our priorities. After all, they are laid out for us in the Bible. Most Christians would agree that it’s important to spend time with God, but at the end of the day, we wonder where all the time went. We say that our family is second only to God, yet at the end of the week we find our spouse and children still waiting for our attention. Our schedules are jam-packed with obligations that do not reflect our priorities.

It’s time to close the gap between our priorities and our commitments.

As you plan your days and weeks, ask yourself: “Does this activity sync up with God’s priorities for my life?” If it does, then do it. If not, then don’t.

You will then find yourself growing through the motions...

Following His Voice!

The first thing you learn about someone when you meet them is their name. Names are important not only because they distinguish us from other people, but also because they identify who we are. The same is true with God.

But because God is so great, one name could never identify all of who he is. So as you peruse the Scriptures, you will find a number of names that identify God.

Names like Jehovah Rohi, which means “the Lord is my shepherd,” and Jehovah Jireh, which means “the Lord is my provider.” These names point to his ability to meet all of our needs and his desire to be our guide.

So often in life we come to a crossroads and ask ourselves questions like: “Should I take this job?” or, “Should I marry that person?” And more often than not we rely on our own intuition and strength to make these decisions. But these are the times that we should turn to the names of God.

When you look to the names of the Lord, not only will you recognize and acknowledge his power and strength; but also you will see his desire to guide you down the right path in life.

So call on the name of the Lord whenever you have a question in life. Recognize the power of your guiding shepherd to lead you down the right path. And discover the freedom that comes from following His voice.

Water Baptism?

All you have to do is casually navigate the New Testament and you will find believers being baptized, from Jesus Christ and John the Baptist, to the Roman centurion Cornelius and his family. Baptism is a common thread that bonds new believers in Scripture, but more importantly, it is the first test of obedience for Christ followers.

Baptism is a public profession of a private decision to trust Christ. And it is commanded by Jesus. It’s when we raise the banner of victory and announce to the world, “I am a follower of Christ!”

“…for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.” Galatians 3:27

Many people still need to take the plunge of baptism. If you have trusted Christ with your eternity; if you have trusted Jesus with your salvation, don’t balk at the first test of obedience. Take that next step.

Follow Christ’s command and step into the waters of New Testament baptism!

It's all about what you wear!

It doesn’t take much time at a magazine rack to realize our society is extremely fashion-conscious. From Fossil to Fendi; flip-flops to fur coats, we love to concentrate on clothing. No matter what the occasion, we want to be appropriately dressed in the latest style. But our fashion frenzy is nothing new.

God himself has a passion for fashion. As the ultimate Designer, he wants us to be dressed to the nines in every area of our lives. And because of that, he has tailor-made a perfect garment for all of us to put on. And that garment is Jesus Christ.…"clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ."
Romans 13:14

The thread that holds the world together isn’t made of silk or cotton. It isn’t found on a sale rack or on the pages of a magazine. It is Christ!

As you continue to work on the fabric of your life, trust God. Look to Christ for his fashion advice. And discover what it means to become truly fashion conscious.

Don't make me call the fashion police:)

Satan's Plan!

There is a line that separates everything we do. It separates the moral from the immoral; the ethical from the unethical; the wise from the unwise. Yet, too many of us walk the edge of that line trying to see how close we can get before we have to face the consequences of a bad decision.

God tells us, though, in order to reach our potential; in order to gain the full and rich life that he has in store for us, we can’t walk that line. Instead, we need to get in line with his will for us. And to be in line with God we must make wise, insightful decisions. When we fail to do that, we can end up spending an insane amount of time swimming laps in the pool of regret.

"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." Romans 12:2

The best way to avoid diving into the pool of regret; the best way to make the right decisions is to ask ourselves an important and purposeful question:

According to God’s Word, and based on my past experiences and looking at my life today, what is the best choice for my future?

When you are purposeful about your decision making process, you will gain the insight needed to transform your life into all that God has in store for you.

Don't let satan wreck your life!

The Unwasted Life!

We’ve all done it. We’ve made those dumb, what-was-I-thinking decisions. We can look back through the archives of our lives and see those times when we selected the wrong answers to life’s multiple choice questions. But like anything else in life, those bad decisions don’t happen just out of thin air. Poor decision making usually stems from inexperience, indifference or indignation. But God wants us to live an unwasted life and make right decisions!

"And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best…" Philippians 1:9-10

Our lives are going by at a rapid pace. We face so many things that cause us to make split-second decisions concerning our families, our careers and even our faith. So we need to be prepared to make these quick decisions. The best tool to help us is God’s Word.

By studying what God has to say and gaining a general knowledge of his principles, we will begin to develop the spiritual insight needed to make the best decisions in our lives.

Look at the decisions you are making in a new light. Don’t just choose what feels good or looks right at the moment. Look first to God’s principles and how they apply to your life to help guide your decision making from this point on.

A life unwasted!