Deuteronomy 6:5 - "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength."
As Christians, one of our biggest challenges is to stay focused on God. Sometimes... doing things for God can get in the way of being devoted to Him, especially if we substitute doing for knowing Him.
We were created to find our truest satisfaction in loving God first, above everything else. We need to constantly check ourselves to make sure nothing comes between us and our relationship with God. We should always remember to check our "heart."
Luke 11:28 - He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”
H - hear ... When you read the Bible for inspiration, what would happen if we were to approach a Scripture with this prayer on our lips ... "Lord, I need to hear a word from you today. Speak to me through your Word; help me to hear and to understand what you are saying to me." When you make a habit of reading God's word daily and you pray that prayer, you have the opportunity to experience the power of God's word. Then you can say, "God spoke to me through His word today …."
Romans 15:5 - "May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had..."
E - encourage ...We face so many challenges at every turn, it is important for us to have people in our lives that will get behind us to tell us we can do it. What do we need when we are struggling? Encouragement! William Arthur Ward said, “Flatter me, and I may not believe you. Criticize me, and I may not like you. Ignore me, and I may not forgive you. Encourage me, and I will not forget you.”
What can change the life of another person? Encouragement!
Proverbs 3:5-6 - "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight."
A - acknowledge God ... God has promised to direct our paths if we'll acknowledge Him in all our ways. What does it mean to acknowledge God? It means we are to seek out, consider and have respect for God. It means that we are to apply His word to the everyday decisions of our lives. This is the "knowledge of God." If we'll obey God in the small areas of our life - apply the Word - then the big areas will fall into place. For those who choose not to follow God in their daily lives ... there is no promise of divine guidance. However, God promises to lead and guide those who regard and respect Him ... "acknowledging Him in all our ways!"
1 Corinthians 15:58 - "Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain."
R - responsible ...Without question the greatest reason that we live for God is our unwavering belief in the resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ. It is through His resurrection from the grave that we have hope and the promise of life eternal with him. The apostle Paul touches on such responsibilities in his statement in the 15th chapter of 1st Corinthians. He declares that, if we really believe and if we are truly thankful that our resurrection is sure, we should “therefore” demonstrate our assurance and our thankfulness by “standing firm, letting nothing move us” and “always giving ourselves full to the work of the Lord”
The Bible teaches us that our responsibility as believers is to work as the Lord has gifted us and leads us in our lives. We must fully understand that until the Lord returns there are souls to reach and ministries of every kind. We are responsible for our money, time, energy, talents, gifts, bodies, minds, and spirits, and we should invest all that we are to the work of the Lord.
Psalm 84:11-12 - "For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless. Lord Almighty, blessed is the one who trusts in you.
T - trust me ... God wants us to trust in the Word and the truth it contains. But more than that, we are invited to put our trust in the author of that truth, the Son of God. The apostle Paul wrote, “God puts people right through their faith in Jesus Christ”. It takes a powerful person whose heart beats with infinite love to provide us with the new life we need for daily living and the hope we need for the future. The carpenter from Nazareth, the flesh and blood human who is also fully divine, is just that kind of person. It is in his character, his caring, his ability, that we place our confidence and trust. Salvation is personal. It is a relationship. We can nurture trust, but only God can place it within us to begin with. We can grow God’s gift and deepen it through Bible study, prayer, and exercising faith, but we cannot originate it.
So friends, "take heart" and I'm Just Sayin'.
See Ya Soon
Kelly
