If This Was Your Last Day?

It's the end of another year. You may already be thinking about those New Year resolutions. But what if you received an official notice today that this will be your last day to live? What would you do? Would you try to make more money, or stay late at the office working hard? Would you spend time with your family, or express thanks to those who've helped you along the way? Would you seek to get right with God?

"...godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come." - 1 Timothy 4:8

 We tend to focus on the material and the temporal and neglect the eternal and relational. But none of us knows the number of days God has planned for us. 

Don't put off until tomorrow the really important things you can do today--like getting right with God. God became a man in the person of Jesus to show us how. Start there. Then show your family how much you love them. Surprise them by occasionally coming home early. Tell them you love them. Plan fun things to do with them. Help someone you care about - someone who needs you at the office, in the neighborhood, or maybe someone who needs a friend.

It may not be the last day you live here on earth, but it may become a great day for you and those you care about.

Still Hungry? Matthew 6:33, Mark 10:29, Proverbs 22:4

Finding Christmas

"...he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him." - Hebrews 11:6

It's easy to miss the real meaning of Christmas, but the story of Christmas tells us who found it:

1. The Shepherds. They were social nobodies, yet God sent them a supernatural birth announcement through the angels. They believed God's Word, searched in faith to find Jesus, and they did. They found Christmas.
2. The Wise Men. These guys were pagans from another culture. They studied the stars for insight. God spoke to them right where they were in life. They stepped out in faith to follow a star that appeared in the sky, understanding it meant the birth of a special King. They found Christmas when they found Jesus.

The shepherds found Christmas because they believed the Word of God. The wise men found Christmas because, as seekers, they found Jesus. Find Jesus as Savior and Lord, and you'll find Christmas--guaranteed!

Still Hungry? Hebrews 3:6, Hebrews 10:22

As God Leads!!

The priests will carry the Ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth. As soon as their feet touch the water, the flow of water will be cut off upstream, and the river will stand up like a wall." - Joshua 3:13 NLT

Did you know that faith requires action? After 40 years, the children of Israel had been led out of the wilderness and then found themselves on the banks of a swollen Jordan River. The Promised Land was just on the other side. Oh, so close, yet so far away! A huge obstacle separated them from the blessing God had promised. Standing on the bank of the raging river, wringing their hands and praying would not solve their problem. They had to act. But it wasn't really the river that was stopping them from crossing - it was their lack of FAITH! It was not until, in faith, they stepped into the turbulent waters that the river stood on end and the people walked into the Promised Land on dry land.

So it is with our lives. Obstacles separate us from God's richest blessings. To simply have faith that God will provide a way doesn't always make a way. To stand by until God makes a way obvious may cause us to delay His blessing. It takes both faith and action to experience God's best.

Don't fall victim to "paralysis of analysis." In other words, go for it as God leads!

Still Hungry? Exodus 15:8