Be Careful

“So be careful to do what the Lord your God has commanded you; do not turn aside to the right or to the left. Walk in obedience to all that the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess.” ~ Deuteronomy 5:32-33

Living a righteous life is not easy. In Romans 7:21, Paul says “although I want to do good, evil is right there with me.” It doesn’t take much for us to fall into the devil’s schemes or our own sinful nature.

That’s why Proverbs 4:23 calls us to “guard our hearts.” And Deuteronomy 5:32 tells us to “be careful” to keep God’s commands. Jesus, in fact, said that “whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me” (Matthew 16:24). Jesus warned us that it would not be easy.

Because of the original sin, doing what’s right doesn’t come naturally. So, we must be cautious and careful to keep God’s commandments. We must be on guard at all times. We are in a battle and if we are not careful, we can do exactly what Deuteronomy 5:32 warns us not to do – that is, turn aside to the right or to the left.

Jesus tells us to walk the narrow path that leads to life – the John 10:10 life. Walking the narrow path requires self-discipline and a carefulness found in Deuteronomy 5:32.

Be careful today!

God bless,
J.W.

Be Great (Part 2)

"For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it." ~ Matthew 16:25

Life is good (Genesis 1:31, John 10:10).

So, why, in Matthew 16:25, does Jesus say that whoever desires to save his life will lose it?

Isn't it good to save something that is good? Wouldn't it be commendable?

So, why would you lose something for doing something good?

Simple.

God doesn't want you to settle for good. He wants you to go for greatness.

Be great today!

God bless,
J.W.

Be Great (Part 1)

"For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it." ~ Matthew 16:25

Because we are human, God has purposely designed us to have limits.

We have limited time, limited resources, limited energy - all because God wants us to be dependent upon Him. If we didn't have limits, we'd be God.

That said, you only have room for a certain amount of things in your life.

Don't fill it up with "good" at the expense of "great."

God bless,
J.W.

Follow The Leader (Part 3)

"Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it." ~ Matthew 16:24-25

Following God's direction has a prerequisite, and it's located in Matthew 16:24. 

Very simply, if we are to follow God, we are to take up our cross.

What does "take up your cross" mean?

Simply it means that we must die to our flesh, i.e. to our carnal nature, our foolish thinking, and our selfish desires. It means that life is no longer about you, but instead about Him.

Following the Leader is NOT easy. It's hard, because it requires certain things to die within us.

But the good news is that God promises that if we are willing to die in certain areas, He will give us life in other areas.

Will you take up your cross and follow Him today?

God bless,
J.W.

Get Busy

"Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me." ~ Matthew 16:24

On this past weekend, the Praise Team at my church sang a song that touched my heart. The words include the following:

“I give myself away,
I give myself away so you can use me,
I give myself away.
My life is not my own,
to you I belong,
I give myself,
I give myself to you.”

These words may seem very simple when you read them, but when I sung them, I began to remember that my life is truly not my own. I was bought with a price. He that knew no sin gave up His life for me and for you. He was tortured, humiliated and crucified so that the penalty for my sins and your sins would be paid. Then, on the third day He arose, so that we could have new life… eternal life with Him and our Father.

Do you realize that your life is not your own? Do you realize that we have much work to do in the Kingdom of God and that the Lord wants to use us? We must realize that our journey is about not just seeking the Kingdom of God, but also about building the Kingdom of God. We have to be about our Father’s work, because time is winding up and Jesus is soon to return.

So let us deny ourselves and live and work for the Lord on a daily basis, not just Sundays and Wednesdays. Every day that we awaken, is a day that we should be giving more and more of ourselves to God for His use, for “the harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few” (Matthew 9:37).

Elder Carol Tolbert

To Live Is To Suffer

How ironic is it that in order to live in Christ, we must die to self?

How more ironic is it that by Christ dying for us, we must now live for Him?

Most ironic, however, is that by Christ dying for us, we must now die and suffer for Him.

It’s not a message that is very popular in today’s society (in fact, most preachers won’t even preach on the subject), but it’s true nonetheless.

To follow Christ is to suffer with Him, to bear the cross, to walk the narrow path.

It requires sacrifice, obedience, and doing things you may not want to do sometimes.

But the thing about it is that the rewards you receive for your obedience makes it worth every minute of your suffering.

God bless,
J.W.

“Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 25 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” ~ Matthew 16:24-25


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4J0Pcy2GLMg