Pursuing Our Destiny (Part 3)

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night (Psalm 1:1&2, ESV).

When I was a kid, most gas stations had road maps, and they were usually free. When I saw one I didn’t have, I’d ask my Dad to get it for me.  I had a collection of state, regional, and national road maps, and I loved opening them out on the living room floor, imagining all the places I could go and what route I would take to each of them. Later, as an adult, I would regularly buy the latest Rand McNally road atlas; the most current one stayed in the car, and earlier editions found homes in my home and office.

With the arrival of Internet sites like MapQuest and Google Maps, in-dash or after-market GPS devices, and all things electronic, paper maps seem to have lost their allure. While I use the electronic stuff, I still have a Rand McNally road atlas in the car. It’s an older one, though. I don’t upgrade paper as often as I do the digital devices.

Road maps to get from point A to point B are useful for travel. But, they aren’t the only maps necessary for our human journey. Those who walk with Jesus, those who pursue their destiny as living icons of Jesus, also need a map. God has given it to us; it’s called the Word of God.

The verses I used to begin this piece inform us that God’s Word is a map that protects those who pay attention from the detours that destroy lives—the way of sinners, the seats of the scornful, and the counsel of the ungodly. In another psalm, we are told that while thinking about his journey, the psalmist was informed by God’s Word and turned his feet (changed direction) toward God’s testimonies (Ps. 119:59). The road atlas that is God’s Word gave the psalmist direction for his journey.

I’ve invited you to think with me about your God-defined destiny based on Romans 8:29: For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. Pursuing that destiny without a road map is like deciding to travel to unknown places without directions. Just like we have optional devices/tools to get us to our travel destination, we have many practices/disciplines to help us become like Jesus.  Some are optional; others are necessities.  Regular time in God’s Word is, in my opinion, the most essential necessity.

Last week, I asked those sharing the journey with me to think about Romans 12:2. We pursue our destiny, our true self, by choosing to resist conforming to the world and by pursuing transformation through the renewing of our minds. God’s Word is the primary agent in that transformation process. – Pastor John Strain recently retired from full-time ministry as Senior Pastor First Baptist Toms River

Daily Bible Reading: 2 Kings 19-21; Matthew 15:21-39

Quote of the day: There is a fundamental sense in which evil is not something that can be made sense of. The essence of evil is that it is something which is absurd, bizarre and irrational. It is the nature of evil to be inexplicable, an enigma and a stupidity. Nigel Wright

Bible Memory: How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Through your precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way. Psalm 119:103-104

Am I adequate?

One of the things I’ve always struggled with is fear. This past Memorial Day Weekend conference Dr. Ron Cline shared a message on the need to choose joy in your life’s choices, and I want to share my own personal thoughts on this.

In my high school years, I’ve always felt the calling to work with teens but my fear always stopped me. I would think and dwell on all my inadequacies and list the reasons why God would never call me to something like this because of x, y and z. In short, I choose fear instead of choosing joy and depending on my trust in the Lord and my faith that he would supply what I would need to finish this task.

When I was twenty two the current youth pastor at my local church came to me and asked if I would help out as a youth leader in the youth group. Well, I have to tell you my stomach dropped. I would love to say that at the very moment when I felt God’s push to say yes I did… but I didn’t. Fear started to flood my mind and Satan filled my heart with all the reasons why I should say no. In which case I said the typical church answer… “Let me pray about it”.

In the middle of Dr. Cline’s message, he used the story from Matthew 28:8-10 “So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me”.

What is incredible about this section of scripture is, if these women had let their fear take hold of them, they would have missed out on an amazing encounter with Jesus! It says that even though they had doubts in their mind and fear in their hearts, fear that the disciples wouldn’t believe what they had to say or that they wouldn’t even be qualified to deliver such a message, they still went on.

Going back to my story, after taking some time to ask peoples advice and pray, I made the decision to say yes and start helping out in the youth group. Was I still afraid? Yes absolutely, but I can’t tell you how many amazing moments I’ve had building relationships with these young teens and having my own encounters with Jesus along the way. My encouragement to you is this: there is no safer place then in God’s will for your life. Will there be fear? Yes, will Satan try and discourage you and tell you all the reasons why you’re inadequate? Yes, but Jesus himself is calling you to an even greater work; He is promising to be with you in every step. Do not miss out on running your race with joy and encountering Jesus along the way. – Graeme Wilson serves full-time at America’s Keswick in the area of IT/AV and Marketing

Daily Bible Reading: 2 Kings 17-18; Matthew 15:1-20

Quote of the day: Worship in truth is worship that arises out of an actual encounter with God, a response to the experience of knowing God’s real presence and activity in our daily lives. This has nothing to do with sentiment, thinking religious thoughts or having aesthetic experiences in church buildings; any religion can give you that sort of thing.  Graham Kendrick

Bible Memory: How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Through your precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way. Psalm 119:103-104

Are We Really Pure?

Flee also youthful lusts, but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace, with those who call on the name of the Lord with a pure heart. 1 Timothy 3:22

I’m not telling you something that you don’t already know. We men have a target on our backs when it comes to purity. The enemy is “walking around like a roaring lion seeking to devour.”

We are bombarded with the images on the television, the internet, billboards – and with summer coming, we are going to have to be diligent when we go to places like the beach and boardwalk.

Steve Atterburn in his daily devotional based on his best-selling book, Every Man’s Battle, says that “you are sexually pure when NO sexual gratification comes from anyone or anything but your wife.”

He goes on to remind us that as men “we are able to draw outside sexual gratification from only two places: the eyes and the mind.”

While you might be able to boast that you have never cheated on your spouse in a physical way – can you say that you have never done so with your eyes? In your mind? In your heart?

Job was a man who was considered to righteous and blameless – he made a covenant with his eyes that he would not look upon any young woman. (Job 31:1) If this godly man had to make a covenant with his eyes – what makes me think that I could do less? Remember that for King David – his downfall with Bathsheba all started with a look.

We need to protect our minds. What are those thoughts that you might be thinking that you think no one else know about? Are you playing out dangerous scenarios in your mind? James reminds us that while the look is the first place of attack – taking it to the next step of allowing it to germinate in our minds is the next big downward step. Think about it long enough and it will eventually become a reality. That is why we need to take EVERY thought captive to the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5)

And finally, we need to guard our hearts with all diligence (Proverbs 4:23).

I would urge you to do two things to help you. Start digging into Psalm 119 and read a chapter in Proverbs every day. It will be a great way for you to safeguard your eyes, your mind and your heart. More next week.

Running the race with joy,
Bill Welte
President/CEO

Daily Bible Reading: 2 Kings 15-16; Matthew 14:22-36

Quote of the day: When the devil knocks at the door of my heart, I take Jesus by the hand. I ask Him to go with me to answer the door. When I open the door, the devil sees me and Jesus standing hand in hand and he says, “Excuse me, I must be at the wrong place.” He leaves. Herbert C. Gabhart

Bible Memory: How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Through your precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way. Psalm 119:103-104

Can You Pass the Tests?

Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, “Lord, I will follow You wherever You go.”  And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”  Then He said to another, “Follow Me.”  But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.”  Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God.”  And another also said, “Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house.”  But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”  (Luke 9:57-62)

            One of the common threads in this story is that each of the men addressed Jesus as Lord.  They used the word that means master, owner or boss.  They indicated in their words that they were submissive servants to their Lord and Master; however, they also made statements that contradicted their use of the word Lord.

Jesus gave each of the men a test to reveal to him that he did not fully understand the claims he had made.  If you call Jesus Lord of your life, then you need to be ready to take the tests that will either verify or negate your claims.

What if every Christian had to take a test to validate the authenticity of his claim?  Well, in reality every Christian does need to pass the tests Jesus gives.

The first test is the test of poverty.  When Jesus said, “Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head,” He was telling the man that sacrifice was required of those who follow Him.  This sacrifice includes the Christian’s time, talent and treasure.

The second test is a test of urgency.  When Jesus said, “Let the dead bury their own dead,” He was not being cruel or callous.  The man’s father was not dead at that moment.  He was actually asking for permission to go home and wait until his father passed away and his inheritance was in hand.  The inheritance would be his “safety net” in case serving Jesus did not work out.  He had no concept of the urgency of serving Christ.  Dr. Stephen Olford used to say, Delayed obedience is disobedience.

The third test is a test of sovereignty.  When Jesus said, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God,”  He was saying Lordship excludes other pre-occupations.  It requires singular focus.

Did you pass the tests?  It is a serious matter to call Jesus Christ Lord. Dr. Roger D. Willmore will be speaking at America’s Keswick this summer, July 14-16, 2013. If you have never heard Roger’s teaching, check out the May Discovering Victory Podcast.

 

Daily Bible Reading: 2 Kings 7-9; Matthew 13:1-30

Quote of the day: We cannot attain to the understanding of Scripture either by study or by the intellect. Your first duty is to begin by prayer. Entreat the Lord to grant you, of His great mercy, the true understanding of His Word.

There is no other interpreter of the Word of God than the Author of this Word, as He Himself has said, “They shall be all taught of God” (John 6:45). Hope for nothing from your own labors, from your own understanding: trust solely in God, and in the influence of His Spirit. Believe this on the word of a man who has experience. Martin Luther

Bible Memory: “I understand more than the aged, for I keep your precepts. I hold back my feet from every evil way, in order to keep your word.” Psalm 119:100-101

You Can Have Victory!

“But thanks be to God, who gives us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 15:57

Old habits, old fears, old addictions sometimes creep back into our lives through compromise and sometimes we even turn back to them. But, guess what brothers! I’m here to tell you what Paul is saying to us in the Corinthians.

Jesus says, fix your eyes on me! If you let me be your victory, you’ve seen the last of defeat. Please listen to what God is saying! If Christ is our victory then we have seen the last of our enemy, as he was defeated once and all at Calvary.

Oh, he may try, just as he tried Jesus in the wilderness but if Jesus is on the wall of our hearts and our lives than he himself will carry you through. Sometimes we can live in fear of habitual patterns of sin, you know, those things you might return to. Sometimes they are so close that you are gripped in fear.

But I’m here to tell you once and for all that in Christ when we put our trust in him with all of our heart than we can know beyond a shadow of a doubt that we have been truly set free. – Dan Gavin is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy and is now serving on the full-time staff at America’s Keswick

Daily Bible Reading: 2 Kings 4-6; Matthew 12:24-50

Quote of the day: It is impossible for that man to despair who remembers that his Helper is omnipotent; and can do whatsoever He please. Let us rest there awhile, – He can, if He please: and He is infinitely loving, willing enough; and He is infinitely wise, choosing better for us than we can do for ourselves. God invites and cherishes the hopes of men by all the variety of His providence. He that believes does not make haste, but waits patiently, till the times of refreshment come, and dares trust God for the morrow, and is no more solicitous for the next year than he is for that which is past. Jeremy Taylor

Bible Memory: “I understand more than the aged, for I keep your precepts. I hold back my feet from every evil way, in order to keep your word.” Psalm 119:100-101

Pursuing Your Destiny Part 2

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. (Romans 12:2, ESV)

In considering our destiny as defined by Paul in Romans 8:29: For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son . . . ., some basic steps precede the actual pursuit. If we don’t get the first steps “right,” we’ll never live out the pursuit in ways that make us living icons of Jesus.

Romans 12:2 help us see some of those first steps we take after the big step of becoming  followers of Jesus through faith in his death, burial, and resurrection. The teaching in this verse involves two steps—one we take and one we receive. One step is a rejection; the other is an embracing. The one is a rejection of our false self, the one broken and distorted by the fall. The other is choosing to become our true self, redeemed and restored by the ongoing work of God in our lives.

The Apostle instructs us to resist the world system that would press us into its mold. We’ve all experienced that pressure; a pressure to buy into all that the visible world offers us. We’re told we’ll be happy, content, and fulfilled as we pursue pleasure, wealth, health, and the next “you can’t live without it” thing that comes along.

In this world that wants to pressure us to conform, truth is what you make it. Your truth is no better than your neighbor’s truth. Your choices are just that, yours. Your neighbor’s may be different, but it doesn’t matter since this world we’re to resist espouses the “live and let live” mantra at the expense of real truth.  The world system has only one absolute, and that is that there aren’t any absolutes.

Resisting isn’t easy. While it may seem trite, it’s still true that it is easier to go with the flow than it is to swim upstream. Choosing to resist conforming to the world around us means we’ll always swim upstream. Resisting is harder than conforming, and we’d best not forget that. That resisting may be part of what Jesus had in mind when he tells his followers to “take up your cross.”

Pursuing our destiny—becoming living icons of Jesus—is also the pursuit of our true self. My spiritual director put it in perspective when he said to me, “John, you have to decide whether you want to live as John of the Flesh or as John of God.” Yielding to the pressures of the world will assure that I live as John of the Flesh. Since that isn’t my destiny, I must pay attention to the second part of Paul’s teaching in Romans 12:2.

While I choose to reject the world (a system of thought that opposes all that God teaches in his Word), I embrace God’s transforming work in my life. It’s a work that will make me John of God. It’s a work that will make me a living icon of Jesus, conforming me to his image. It’s a work I don’t do; I allow God to do it in me by yielding to him and the work of his Spirit. As I yield to that work, Paul tells me that I will experience a renewed mind. I’ll begin to think as God wants me to think. I’ll quit thinking as the world wants me to think. John of God will think differently than John of the Flesh.

So, before we think about particular practices that will change our minds and our lives, conforming us to the image of God’s Son, we have some steps to take, beginning steps on the journey toward our destiny. We choose to resist this world system that is the enemy of God and the enemy of our souls. The primary way we resist is by embracing God’s transforming work that will renew our minds. We decide we no longer want to be (insert your name) of the Flesh. Rather, we want to be (insert your name) of God. That choice is the next big step toward pursuing our destiny.  Taking these steps lead us to the practices.  If we don’t take them, the practices won’t make any difference. – Pastor Strain will be blogging for Freedom Fighter each Wednesday. He has recently retired from the First Baptist Toms River

Daily Bible Reading: 2 Kings 1-3; Matthew 12:1-23

Quote of the day: Nothing but fire kindles fire. To know in one’s whole nature what it is to live by Christ; to be His, not our own; to be so occupied with gratitude for what He did for us and for what He continually is to us that His will and His glory shall be the sole desires of our life…that is the first necessity of the preacher. Phillips Brooks

Bible Memory: “I understand more than the aged, for I keep your precepts. I hold back my feet from every evil way, in order to keep your word.” Psalm 119:100-101

The Fruit of Lips

“Through Him, therefore, let us constantly and at all times offer up to God a sacrifice of praise, which is the fruit of lips that thankfully acknowledge and confess and glorify His name.” Hebrews 13:15

So it was a Wednesday morning when I got me another one of text-votionals from my boy in Brooklyn again. When I looked at the banner that went across the top of the screen on my not-so-smartphone it was a simple message. Read Hebrews 13:11-21…so I did, in the Amplified. Sometimes the Amplified does the Book of Hebrews justice when it comes to seeking out those O.T. verses that makes this Book such a powerhouse to ALL who need their faith defined. My buddy from Brooklyn focused in on verse 15 of the 13^th chapter. So I sniffed it out…

Through Him, Jesus Christ has sanctified us by the shedding of His blood. We are privileged to receive temporal and spiritual mercies through His reasonable service as demanded by The Father. For those of us who claim Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior we are call to imitate this by the sacrifice of our self through the death of our self.(Romans 12:1) In the Levitical sense (Lev. 7:12) a sacrifice of thanksgiving went right along with the peace offerings. So as the unleavened cakes and wafers with the finest oil spread on them were offered up to YHVH they went up with a sacrifice of praise from the lips of priest. Both of these ideas are to be done on a regular basis, that’s why the word “constantly” is used in the Amplified.

But then we are to do this with mouths. Hmm…now in a very legal sense a sacrifice of praise comes from the fruit of our lips. It goes right along with the offering of the first-fruits. However, I wonder if we, at times, are able to admit that we are people with unclean lips. In Hosea 14:2 we read, ^“Take with you words and return to the Lord; say to Him, “Take away all iniquity; accept what is good, and we will pay with bulls the vows of our lips.” Would you want to say this if what comes out of your mouth only gives the sacrifice of praise when you are in the House? A vow made carelessly has it’s repercussions, so be careful, obedience is better than sacrifice.

To quote my friend Brooklyn, “The book of Hebrews was written to Christians struggling to hold on to faith. The audience seems to have had a deep knowledge of the Old Testament so they were probably Jews and Gentile converts to Judaism who had come to believe that Jesus was the Messiah. It seems that persecution had demoralized many in the group and they were considering a return to the seeming safety of their previous convictions. We don’t know who wrote Hebrews, but “the preacher” had a consistent and insistent sermon: Jesus is God’s final word. One cannot dismiss or exclude Christ and have a right relationship with God.”

Throughout the Book of Hebrews “The Preacher” would go between giving us words of warning and giving us words of assurance. He would make sure we understood we need a healthy fear of God and understood and not to take the grace of God for granted. They are important spiritual realities that both need to be acknowledged. In today’s passage of Scripture the preacher makes a clear connection between what we say and what we do. If we say we love God and confess that with our lips, let us in the same confession show it with random acts of kindness. After all, A.R.K’s go a long way on the open living waters of Jesus Christ. Amen? – Chris Hughes is a weekly blogger for Freedom Fighter and a graduate of the Colony of Mercy

Daily Bible Reading: 1 Kings 21-22; Matthew 11

Quote of the day: “I think we delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment. It is not out of compliment that lovers keep on telling one another how beautiful they are; the delight is incomplete till it is expressed.”— C. S. Lewis

Bible Memory: “I understand more than the aged, for I keep your precepts. I hold back my feet from every evil way, in order to keep your word.” Psalm 119:100-101

 

 

“Don’t get tangled in the details”

As a young guy in my twenties there are three messages I have heard over and over again… in youth group, Bibles studies and church regarding my life. One is “My identity in Christ”, two is “God’s will for my life” and three is “Purity”. All of these topics are important but lately my mind has been focused on one on these, and that is “God’s will”. I guess because of the stage of life I’m in, transitioning from a teenager to a young adult, the thought of “finding” God’s Will for my life has been a little overwhelming.

I have had the awesome blessing of growing up at America’s Keswick since the age of six. At the age of thirteen a man by the name of Glen Zigrang came to me and asked if I would like to begin training in the audio/visual department and the rest is history. Ten years later I’m still here serving, at the present time managing the AV department and I have watched how God has weaved His plan and purpose throughout my life so far. When I look back though, I can see I haven’t always made it easy for myself. There were many times I’ve decided to rely on my own ambitions and caused reasonably amount of heartache for not only myself but others.

Learning to do “God’s will” in my own life the one word that screams out to me is something I’ve struggled with “ surrender”. In the NIV translation of Acts 20:24 in says this “However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.”. The depth of the phrase “I consider my life worth nothing” is a true act of faith that you’re Holy Father would care for you, support you and protect you in everything you do in life. The second part of that verse I believe is God’s will for every Christian and it’s,” testifying to the good news of God’s grace”. That’s it. I feel as life throws questions and choices at us we are called to pray, read scripture and ask the Holy Spirit that whatever that choice may be; is it moving me towards God’s greater will for not only my life but the life of His church.

As a Christian we need to be able to get to a place where we are willing to surrender our lives to God and to completely rely on Him. In all of this, when we ask God for direction for our lives we need to not get tangled in the details but to position our choices and direction to what God’s ultimate will is. Let’s remember Love God, yourself and then others.

Daily Bible Reading: 1 Kings 12-13; Matthew 9:1-17

Quote of the day: “The will of God is not something you add to your life. It’s a course you choose. You either line yourself up with the Son of God…or you capitulate to the principle which governs the rest of the world.” ~Elisabeth Elliot

Bible Memory: “Forever, O Lord, your word is firmly fixed in the heavens. Your faithfulness endures to all generations; you have established the earth, and it stands fast.” Psalm 119:89-90

GOING HOME

“He will wipe every tear from their eyes.  There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”  (Revelation 21:4)

Our precious little granddaughter Lindsay Alice Groen went home to be with Jesus on this day in 2008. On May 15^th, this was the devotional that God used to prepare my heart for her home-going. We praise the Lord for His faithfulness to our family in the midst of one of the most difficult times of our lives. Thanks, Chris, for sharing these words. Little did you know how timely they would be – Bill Welte

I was eleven and it was my first summer camp.  We carried pup tents to the field.  My tent mate wanted to be with his friends though, so I had to be alone.  When hard rain came, the trench I had dug around my tent worked more like a funnel.  Everything was getting soaked.  So I moved into a car. I thought of it myself.  I forgot my pillow though, and when I got back with it, others had moved in.  They tossed my stuff out and locked the doors.

Sports day was my chance.  I was a good distance runner.  Things were great until I went the wrong way.  By the time I got on course it was too late.  Instead of a ribbon I received a few questions about my brain and a lot of laughs.  It was the hayride though that did me in.  Other kids were climbing on the tractor, so I thought I’d join them.  When I went to pull myself up, I grabbed the exhaust pipe.  I was badly burned but was too ashamed to ask for help.  I remember sitting through the night with my hand in a bucket of water, fighting back tears, and thinking; I just want to go home.

Sometimes life can be really hard.  We get locked out.  We come in last.  We are hurting and too ashamed to say so.  We end up all alone.

Won’t it be great to go home?  I’m not saying that we should accept defeat, or give up; or that life doesn’t have its share of happiness as well.  I’m just saying won’t it be great to go home?  It’s where you are accepted, and valued, and cherished.  It’s where all of the disappointments, and failures, and pain of this world get left at the door.  It’s where you get to hug your father.  It’s where you find out that there are a lot of people who really do love you.  The scriptures assure us that we will live one day in a brand new world with God and as part of His family.  Even now Jesus is preparing your place.  Never forget why you are a Christian.  Never forget that one day you will go home. Chris Thompson is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy and a pastor in Leicester, England.

Daily Bible Reading: 1 Kings 10-11; Matthew 8:18-34

Quote of the day: Where we cannot trace God’s hand, we can trust His heart. Dr. Adrian Rogers

Bible Memory: “Forever, O Lord, your word is firmly fixed in the heavens. Your faithfulness endures to all generations; you have established the earth, and it stands fast.” Psalm 119:89-90

Shout to the World, “He Lives”

“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.” (Matthew 5: 14)

The knowledge that Jesus Christ is alive and lives in me produces a sense of peace that passes all understanding, especially in times of challenges and trouble.   I look back over my life and see how He has taken me through difficult times and carried my burdens, made my yoke light and protected me. Without this knowledge made known to me by and through Christ, my life would be meaningless, almost unbearable at times. I can’t think of anything better to know in my life! It is a gift that I wouldn’t have today if not shared by someone else. The question I must ask myself is this, “Am I doing my part in sharing this gift of peace with others?”

When I was in the Air Force, a young Lieutenant enthusiastically shared this knowledge with me. Afterwards I wanted to tell all those around me. I joined a local church to grow in my knowledge of the Word of God, became involved in activities at church and Bible studies, made new friends and spent less time with the old group of friends. Outside of church and work, I didn’t make time to do anything else.  I steadily became critical of my old friends and the choices they made.     The tragedy of all of this was that I stopped sharing my faith with those around me. In time, I began reflecting on Christ’s great commission in Matthew 28. He didn’t say to go and hang with the disciples, but instead go and make disciples!   God made me realize that as much as I need to be refreshed in His Word, so did others and they weren’t going to automatically come to Him. I needed to take it to them.

Am I approachable to those who don’t know Christ and are searching for answers?   Do people feel comfortable sharing their burdens with me with no judgment?   Do I make myself available to those outside my group of friends at church? Is my heart broken for those lost, who live in this world without the same peace that dwells within us, whose eternal salvation is hopeless without Christ?

Church is important, a place for enrichment and growth. It is very special to Christ; it is His bride and He loves it.   Does the world know this? Or do we keep the light of the truth hidden?   Bernie Bostwick serves as Vice-President of Ambassador Advisors from Lancaster, PA. Bernie is a contributor to the daily devotional, Real Victory for Real Life

Keswick, America’s  (2012-12-13). Real Victory for Real Life Volume 2 (Kindle Locations 5169-5192).  . Kindle Edition.

Daily Bible Reading: 1 Kings 8-9; Matthew 8:1-17

Quote of the day: What we call revival is simply a return to normal New testament Christianity. Vance Havner

Bible Memory: “Forever, O Lord, your word is firmly fixed in the heavens. Your faithfulness endures to all generations; you have established the earth, and it stands fast.” Psalm 119:89-90