Do you pray to know God’s will for our life? We need to ask for guidance as well as listen to his voice for answers as we live Each day. Each of us is called for a specific purpose. It’s true that we may never know the full extent of our purpose during our lifetime, but that doesn’t excuse us from trying and putting in our effort as we study his word to find our path and purpose . Perhaps some of you here are being called to the ministry. Most will be called to marriage. Perhaps your gifts call you to the work in the medical field, or as lawyers or teachers or waiters. Beyond that, all should consider how we are being called to serve within the community we live in. We are all called to work for Christ and showcase his likeness in us. I understand that calls to serve come at different times to different people and certainly working to provide for and care for a family is a top priority and should be. That priority includes instructing in and modeling our faith to people we meet everyday. Children need to know that God loves them and has a plan for them as well. Many families work together to gather food or clothing, and also help the poor. Parents can also help their children by pointing out the gifts God has given them and encouraging them to use them to the glory of God. We all have gifts. We won’t all be great athletes, musicians or painters. But God has a plan for us that uses the gifts we have been given. Thankfully, many are gifted as mechanics, electricians, plumber and so on. The important thing is acknowledging that God does have a plan for us that no one else can fulfill and that we seek to hear his voice in all we do as we strive to live each day and our lifestyle glorifying him and acknowledging him in all that we do. Proverbs 3:6.
SPREADING THE WORD
The first thing Andrew did after meeting Jesus was to tell his brother the good news. Were you as excited as Andrew to tell others when you first came to know Jesus? How about now? Sometimes, we lose that excitement over time. But with every answered prayer, every new beginning, God gives us an opportunity to reclaim- and proclaim- his word and our excitement all over again as we continue to spread the good news to those we come across as we go on with our daily activities in life. John 1:14.
DRAWING CLOSE TO HIM
Some seasons of life are tough to endure and walk by. When we struggle, we look to God for a quick solution, but He calls us to be patient as He builds us up in faith and in his love. So what do we do? We rest in His love, building our hope and faith in him, studying his word to give us strength to surmount the phase, and trusting that He has not abandoned us as we look forward to the fulfillment of His promise and His liberating mercy. Jude 1:21. Lord, thank You for loving us and sustaining us. As we feel the weight of our burdens, we pray that You will give us eyes to see Your hand at work. Help us to remember Your love that covers us in danger, bears the weight of our struggles, and comforts us through storms. Please keep us close to you, so that we may endure until You fully set us free by Your mercy. In Jesus’ name, amen.
RESTORED.
While we have all sinned, we must recognize that true repentance comes from turning back to God completely. For those who have backslidden or turned their backs on God, they will only find forgiveness when they return to the Lord whole heatedly. Furthermore, we cannot save ourselves. In order for our hearts and minds to be transformed and restored, we must seek the Lord, for only He can renew us. Much like we hear people reminiscence about “the good old days, ” this verse refers to the feeling one has of peace and goodness that follows once his spirit has been restored and renewed in Christ. Lamentation 5:21.
LIVING HOLY
Holiness is a lofty ideal. In fact, it is downright impossible for us to be holy on our own. Yet, God’s own holiness demands holiness of us. So how do we do it? We let God impart His holiness on us, according to His grace. Just as He called us to holiness, He supplies the holiness that we need when we surrender to His will and live by His Spirit. 1 peter1:15.
DOING HIS WILL
When we are young, people often don’t take us seriously. It can be frustrating, especially if people are telling you to act like an adult and yet you are treated like a child. Here we see Paul encouraging Timothy to be an example 1 Tim 4:12 . Instead of dwelling on the disadvantage of youth, focus on being worthy of being looked up to. Focus on maturing spiritually, emotionally and physically. Let your words and conversations reflect Christ. Pray that your character will reflect Christ, and above all, have faith in God. LORD, help us to have character that resembles You. Strengthen our faith in You, LORD. Help us to be content with our age and the stage of life we are in. Help us to do what we can do instead of focusing on what we can’t do. Conform and shape us into who you want us to be. Above all, we want to please You. We want to do Your will and live for You. Give us wisdom and insight to do so, and lead us by Your Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
WORKING IN UNITY
Most of us don’t give ants much consideration. We view them as pests to be swept aside or crushed when they show up in inconvenient times and places. But if we observe their actions, we see not only that ants are tireless workers who accomplish a great deal, but that they do so by working together in community to accomplish even greater things than each could do on their own, so as Christians we are called to work together for the advancement and growth of the church of God. Proverbs 6:6. God, we never cease to be amazed by the complexity and wonder of Your creation. Even the ants reveal Your thoughtfulness and wondrous act. Thank You for turning our attention to them, so that we may learn from them. Lord, help us to use our gifts to serve You and Your kingdom. And help us to maintain unity with our brothers and sisters in Christ so that we may do great things together for Your name’s sake. In Jesus’ name, amen.
GLORIFYING GOD
That the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and ye in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.. 2 Thessalonians 1:12. This is Paul’s prayer for the Christians in Thessalonica: that Christ would be glorified in them, and that they would be glorified with Him. We can pray that same prayer for ourselves and others. When we do things for God, even giving a cup of water in Jesus’ name to someone who asks for it, we glorify God. Doing great things for God often means living for Him in the day to day activities of our lives. Have a blessed day.
THANKFUL HEART ❤️
It’s easy to be thankful when we are comfortable, prosperous, or healthy. But when we lose loved ones, suffer setbacks, or struggle with illness and conflict, gratitude eludes us. Yet, through even these things, God does not abandon us. Even when we have nothing or nobody else, we still have Him, carrying us through our struggles, and that is reason enough to give thanks and our heart full of gratitude to our God who have loved us even in our unrighteousness, so the thing God deserves from us is worship and a thankful heart. As we step into the new week let our heart be full of gratitude onto him as we walk in faith and thanksgiving. Have a blessed week. 1Thesselonia 5:18.
FELLOWSHIPPING WITH GOD
Jesus desires to be in communion with us, not just individually but collectively as his church. Yet, sometimes we get so caught up in our own plans, agendas, and desires that we shut him out. When this happens, do we realize that he’s outside? Do we hear him knocking? Let us let him back into our lives so that he may be present with us in all that we do, and also fellowship with him as he fellowship with us. Revelation 3:20