Friday, June 27th - You Can Make A Difference

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5 (NIV)

Have you ever asked yourself “can I make a difference?” We all have but we can only make a difference when the difference maker Jesus is in our life. When this happens we won’t be satisfied with just making a living, we must make a life, we must feel that we're making a difference! Just bring home a paycheck isn’t satisfying. Even if the paycheck is 100,000 a month it won't satisfy. [Right now somebody is saying “I'd like to try!”) But the truth is, there is something so uniquely designed in us that cause you to need to make a difference. Jesus gives us a promise that tells us the secret to really making a difference in this world. The secret is “abiding in Christ.” What does that mean? There are 4 aspects of abiding in John 15.

· Being aware of how much you need Him.

· Allow His word to mold your life. ­ ­

· Seek to please God.

· Ask for His help through prayer.

Significance is not a contest - you don't win it in competition with others. Importance is a wonderful gift given by God's love. People who make a difference in this life are people who live the joy of being chosen by God - of being important to God Himself. You are Jesus’ friend. Jesus starts John 15 calling us branches and ends up calling us friends. When you see Jesus as a friend it turns your thinking upside down. It's much easier to face trouble when you have a friend beside you. You're likely to stay attached to someone you know is your friend. And, when it comes to asking, it's always easier to ask a friend. Your life is meant to count! You are chosen to be significant: to bear “fruit that will last.” Lasting fruit means changed lives, new hope, and real impact upon people's hurts. It is drawing people's attention to the eternal love of God, changing someone's eternal destiny by introducing them to the opportunity we all have to place faith in Jesus Christ.

Family Discussion Question: You are Jesus friend! What’s something you could do to treat Jesus like your best friend today?

Thursday, June 26th - The Purpose Driven Life Of Jacob

“By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph's sons, and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.” Hebrews 11:21 (NIV)

Jacob! Have you ever thought…it’s all in the name? His name means “schemer.” He was a brother who always had an angle. He cheated his own family out of birthrights, inheritances and land. But here he is in Hebrews 11, commended for his faith! Jacob was the man who wrestled with God. Jacob wrestled his way to a great faith. What are you wrestling with right now?

The Scheming Phase!
There were actually three phases to Jacob’s life. His early life was lived in the scheming phase. We can understand this. America is a nation of schemers.

The Wrestling Phase!
He spent his life trying to earn for himself what God wanted to give him as a gift. Then, after years of scheming and at the edge of disaster, came the wrestling phase. It lasted only one night but it changed Jacob’s life. He had a wrestling match…with God! When Jacob wrestles with God three things happen:

He brings him face to face with who he is: Jacob, a schemer. Jacob had to admit to God what he was really like. It's not that God didn’t know! He wants Jacob to confess the truth about himself.

He brings him face to face with who he can be: Israel. God changed Jacob’s name to Israel, the man who would become a nation. He was the bearer of God's promise and his descendants would be as the stars. I don’t want you to miss this so let me give it to you straight we have too many “Jacob's” in this church and not enough “Israel's.” Too many who can tell God what’s wrong with them but haven't finished the story. What’s God’s new purpose for your life?

The Limping Phase!
He brings him face to face with who he can't be. Jacob tries to wrestle with God and win. Bad idea! God leaves him with a limp Jacob lives the rest of his life with a physical reminder of the fact that God is the boss. That’s the third phase, the limping phase. Jacob's limp was an every step reminder of his need for God.

Family Discussion Question: What is it in your life that reminds you of your need for God… every step of the way?

Children’s Activity: Put a small rock in your shoe and try to walk across the room. Remind your children that since a little thing like a rock can hamper us we should never pretend that we are so smart or strong we don’t need God.

Wednesday, June 25th - Noah A Man Driven By Purpose

“But Noah was a pleasure to the Lord. Here is the story of Noah: He was the only truly righteous man living on the earth at that time. He tried always to conduct his affairs according to God's will.” Genesis 6:8-9 (Living)

Where do you find the motivation to live out the purpose of God? One of the greatest examples of God-centered motivation in the Bible is found in the life of Noah. In his life lies the secret of a man who survives the disaster of his age. What motivated him?

When Noah built the ark he showed us the motivational power of obedience.

God gave Noah the directions and Noah followed them. I believe that the ark is a huge object lesson in obedience. Arks, temples and churches are built by people who trust God. Lives and hearts and families are built by people who trust God.

When Noah entered the ark he showed us the motivational power of trust.

He walked into the ark behind all of the animals and God shut the door. He shut it seven days before the first raindrop fell. While the sun was yet shining and the sky was blue, while the people around were still convinced that nothing was going to happen, God shut the door. What do you think Noah was thinking that first week? All he had to carry him through was his trust.

When Noah floated in the ark he shows us the motivational power of faithfulness.

The Bible says that Noah floated on the ark for 40 days. The rain fell for 40 days, but the actual time on the ark until the water receded was actually… 382 days! When you feel that God is taking too long to act and yet you keep on trusting, that’s faithfulness.

When Noah came out of the ark he shows us of the motivational power of worship.

The first thing Noah does when he leaves the ark is go give thanks to God. What would you want to do first after a year in an ark? One of life’s greatest motivators is found in taking the time to say thank you to God.

Prayer: Today my Obedience to God will motivate me to... My Trust in God will motivate me to... My Faithfulness towards God will motivate me to... My Worship of God will Motivate me to... [Fill-in what the Holy Spirit whispers to you].

Tuesday, June 24th - How To Build Purpose

“Stand up! I have chosen you to be my servant and my witness—you will tell people the things that you have seen and the things that I will show you. This is why I have come to you today.” Acts 26:16 (NCV)

Do you find your longing for a greater purpose and significance in life constantly being met by the realities of the boring routine of everyday living? It seems as if we are constantly ordering prime rib... and life keeps handing us bologna. Vision vanishes... and sadly we tell ourselves that's the only way it can be or that’s the way it’s meant to be. Many never become visionary because they expect it to appear full grown into their heads. Vision must be grown...it must be built.

You have to discover your purpose. The foundation for vision is God’s given purpose. You take the first step towards building a vision when you say to yourself “God has a specific purpose for my life.” [You ought to say it as an affirmation over and over for the rest of this week “God has a specific purpose for my life.”] Your God given life purpose will include an excellence in your God given relationships and the exercise of your God given gifts. You may discover it suddenly as Paul did on a Damascus road, or the discovery may dawn on you slowly but no less brightly.

You have to dare to dream. To dare to dream you must prepare to dream. We somehow get the idea that great things done in our world are done on the spur of the moment, an emotion overtakes us and we accomplish something wonderful. It takes time to dream! Paul spent 17 years in the desert after his vision of purpose, preparing. To dare to dream you must also share your dream. God's promptings are transformed into living purpose as we dare to share our dreams.

You have to focus with goals. Goals are a means for making specific the purpose of God. One of our problems is that our faith never gets specific. “What am I going to do and when am I going to do it?” God given goals are actually statements of faith. By the way, the best goals always grow out of our worship.

Family Discussion Question: What are goals do you need to set in order for you to carry out God’s purpose for your life, today?

Monday, June 23rd - A Plan For Your Future

"I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a future and a hope." Jer 29:11 (NIV)

One of God’s most purpose filled promises is this great promise of His plan for our lives from Jeremiah 29. Purpose is impossible without a plan. A plan and a purpose are impossible without HOPE. How do you plan for the future? In order to have hope for your future you must start with God’s purpose. All the planning and scheduling in the world will not help if you do not have God’s purpose for your future right at its very root. When you start with God’s purpose you realize, “God has plans for me!”

God is planning right now for your prosperity!

That may or may not include material prosperity, the real focus here is on significance of life. Imagine God up in heaven with a sheet of paper in front of Him. Yes, that does take some imagination! Now imagine that the paper has your name on it. Under your name is the heading, “Plans for success and significance.” And finally imagine this - the paper is filled with ideas and goals and plans.

God is planning right now for your future!

Before we plan anything we should always ask “God, what are your plans for my future.” Our goal is not to get God to bless the future we’ve planned. Our desire should be to live out the future that He plans to bless us with.

God is planning right now for your hope!

However discouraging things may seem at times, God has a plan for your hope! He’s told us in advance, “I want to give you hope.” Even the worst of circumstances can give us hope by causing us to transfer our trust from this uncertain world to God’s certain future in eternity.

Family discussion question: How does this promise of God give you a new sense of hope in some particular area of your future?

Children’s Activity: This is a great verse to memorize. Why not work on it together as a family over the next week. Write it on a card and place it on your refrigerator to remind you.

Thursday, June 19th - The Servant's Survival Strategy

“You can be sure that the more we undergo sufferings for Christ, the more he will shower us with his comfort and encouragement.” 2 Cor 1:5 (TLB)

The world is full of survival manuals and instructions. You need them whenever you go into unfamiliar territory. Second Corinthians is a Servant's Survival Manual containing a Servant's Survival Strategy. Chapter 1 in the manual is, “How do servants deal with burdensome problems?” There are three steps, none of which can be ignored.

God pours out His comfort.

He cannot help Himself, it's His character to comfort. He is the God of compassion. He is the Father of all comfort. The word comfort here means “to come alongside and help.” God promises Himself to comfort His servants in difficult times.

We are filled with God’s comfort.

God makes comfort more than a word on a page, He makes it real in our lives. God's comfort comes in reaction to our circumstances. This is why worry is so devastating: we're trying to find the comfort before we've faced the circumstance. God’s comfort causes us to look back after the trouble is past and say, “I don't know how I survived that.”

Our comfort from God overflows to others.

We are comforted, so that we might comfort others. We may not always be able to figure out the reasons why a problem comes into our lives. But we can always see God work the miracle of transforming our sufferings into other’s comfort. God’s comfort is so magnificent that when He pours it out on us there is always enough that it overflows to others.

Family Discussion Question: What is one place in your life where God’s comfort has or could overflow from you to others?Family Activity: Show your children how God’s comfort overflows by filling up a glass with a gallon pitcher of water. Talk about the fact that because God is bigger than us He always has more help to give us than we will need.

Wednesday, June 18th - Becoming A Significant Servant, Pt. 2

Yesterday I gave you part 1, so here is Servant’s lesson #2: Outer victories mean nothing if I do not win the inner battle. You'd think that chapter 18 of 1 Kings contained the biggest battles of Elijah's life. He battled the powerful king Ahab, he battled 450 false prophets! But in chapter 19 he faces an even bigger battle, the battle within himself. He won the battles of 18 fairly easily, yet almost lost his life in the battle with himself in 19. In 1 Kings 19 Elijah gives clear expression to the kinds of inner battles which every true servant of God will inevitably have to face. See if you can feel Elijah...

“I want to run!”1 Kings 19:3

We often feel like running after a great victory. The combination of the physical and emotional fatigue often makes us feel like escaping when everyone else is celebrating, makes us sorrowful when everybody’s shouting. When we’re run down we want to run away.

“I've had enough!” 1 Kings 19:4

The feeling is, “I’ve reached my limit...I can’t go any further…I can’t take any more.” Often times we quit emotionally before we quit physically. We throw in the towel way before we throw in the towel.

“I'm all alone!” 1 Kings 19:10

The greatest inner battle is the battle of loneliness. When you decide that you're all alone the inner battle is lost. It is possible to have family and friends around and still feel lonely. Company is not always Companionship.

The inner victory for Elijah was won on 6 different fronts. So the next time you feel like running, feel run down or isolated. You need to remember what God told Elijah…

• You need rest! (v. 7)
• You must worship! (v. 8)
• You can tell someone! (v. 9-10)
• You need a fresh encounter with God! (v. 11-13)
• You are useful! ( v. 15-17)
• You aren't alone! (v. 18)

Here’s where I want us to hang our spiritual hats this morning on this idea of a fresh encounter with God. Elijah, who had already seen God in the fire and the storms, heard God this time in a gentle whisper. You might feel desperate to hear God’s voice right now. Keep listening! Elijah didn’t hear God the 1st or 2nd or even the 3rd time. But he was faithful to be where God wanted him to be and eventually heard God’s still small voice. What do you need to hear God whisper?

Pray this servant’s prayer: Lord, I want to serve you for the rest of my life. I pray that you would give to me the wisdom to rest when it’s needed, the desire to place a priority on worship, the courage to tell You about the problems I face, the inner confidence that I am useful to you and the assurance that I am never alone in serving you. I pray that I would regularly hear you speaking to me in fresh, new ways corporately as I sit under the teaching and preaching of my Pastor and privately as I sit quietly during my own study of scripture. In Jesus’ precious name AMEN!

Tuesday, June 17th - Becoming A Significant Servant

“Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years.” James 5:17 (NIV)

How do we live the most significant life possible? We serve our way into significance. For most of us the words “significant” and “servant” do not go together. There is a man in the Old Testament book of Kings who can show us the way. His name… Elijah! One of the most significant things about Elijah is that he was like us. He was a man of awesome miracles, of powerful actions, and the book of James reminds us that he was just yet like us. Since he is like us we can learn from him some lessons about being a significant servant.

Servant Lesson #1: God is willing and able to meet all of my needs.

Significant servants make that confidence the launching pad of their lives and ministries. God is ABLE - He has the power. God is WILLING - He has the love.

In 1 Kings 17 Elijah learns this lesson beside a brook in the desolate Kirath Ravine. In order to teach him this lesson God does for Elijah what He regularly does for His servants. He reduces life to the basics. Elijah certainly was down to basics! All he had was the water the Lord sent and the food that God delivered… via the “Raven Parcel Service.” God used a raven to bring food to Elijah. God has help where we least expect it! He provides in ways that go beyond our narrow expectations. That’s what we learn when life is reduced to the basics.

The “basics” are simply this: a place of complete and total dependence upon God. In that place God reminds us: we depend on Him alone for all of our needs. Why does God put us in such places? Reducing life to the basics helps to refocus upon God. We recognize again just how dependent upon God we really are. Not our paycheck, not partners, not power, pleasure or prestige. God is the Father who graciously supplies all of our needs.

Pray this Servant’s Prayer: Everything in my life is there because you bring it to me Lord. I'm totally dependent upon you for everything! Every drink of water, every breath, and every bite of food! I commit the rest of my life to service to you! In Jesus’ precious name AMEN!

Family Activity: Make up some “God gave us this” stickers on post it notes and have your kids stick them all over your house to look at today.

Thursday, June 12th Success – Decisions Determines Destiny

“... I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey His voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto Him: for He is thy life, and the length of thy days...." Deuteronomy 30:19b-20a

The text above is an episode in the history of Israel. What would happen to you if you were in the same valley of decision between these two mountains? Let me help by giving you some principles of choice as we look toward spiritual success.

First, You Are Free To Choose. Every day, God gives us the freedom to make choices about what we think is going to be good, or even best for us.
Second, You're Not Free Not To Choose. To decide not to choose is a choice. Am I making any sense? Let me make it very clear – to decide not to choose good is always a choice to choose evil. Jesus said, “He that is not with Me is against Me; and he that gathereth not with Me scattereth abroad” Matthew 12:30. If you do not crown Jesus, you crucify Him. There is no middle ground.

Here's the third principle – You're Not Free To Choose The Consequences Of Your Choice. Let me illustrate.

Stand beside an open window on the tenth floor of a building. You're free to jump. Now, that's a foolish and crazy thing to do, but if nobody is there to restrain you, you can choose to do so. Stay in the room or jump out. Now, if you decide to jump, then you must be ready to face the consequences of that choice.

The fourth principle is You Are Free To Choose, But You're Not Free To Achieve. Now, what do I mean by that? Well, suppose I chose to achieve as a professional basketball player. Well, you look at my frame and you say to yourself, "How can he even hope of achieving success?" And you're probably right.

You see, I can make all the choices I want. I can even have all the hopes and dreams I want. But, I have to be realistic to see that I might not achieve success simply because I have chosen to do something.

Now, the fifth choice principle – A Big Choice Will Take Care Of A Lot Of Little Ones. Let me give you another illustration of this.

I am a man who has made up his mind that I am going to be loyal to my wife. I don't have to keep making that decision to be loyal to my wife. I've made that decision and that one big decision takes care of a lot of the other little decisions.

Sixth, God Has Already Chosen You, that you might choose Him. That's why we're called His elect. "We love him, because He first loved us" (1 John 4:19). Had God not first chosen us, we would never have the inclination to choose Him. Thank God for His sovereignty!

And lastly, The Day Of Choice Is Passing Away. Don't think that you have forever to make up your mind whether you're going to be a follower of Jesus Christ or not. Make your eternal salvation secure today.

CHOOSE JESUS BECAUSE ...

You can know immediate joy. Why wait to have joy when you can have it right now? I'd be a Christian if there were no heaven or hell for the joy that I have today in Christ.

You may die tonight. These may be the last words you ever read about salvation in Jesus Christ. After you die, there are no second chances to get saved. Choose life.

Jesus Christ is coming back. Matthew 24:24 says, "Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh." If you don't think He's coming, then that is a fulfillment of this verse because He's coming when you least expect Him.

Each time you decide against Him, you harden your heart. Hebrews 3:7-8 says, "Today if ye will hear his voice, Harden not your hearts." A person becomes proficient at anything he does for a long time. You can become a professional Christ-denier.

Tuesday, June 10th Success is won in the Battle of the Mind

Let me first say that I apologize for the absence of yesterday’s blog. I was completely exhausted after a long weekend. I did make it through the Celtics and Lakers game [Go Boston], and then went off to sleep, so here enough for yesterday and today.

All of us fight battles – for some, it is the battle of the bulge; while for others, it is the battle of the wills in child rearing – and then, for some, the battle of the pocketbook. They seem to be with us always. But, did you know there is a battle much more deadly? It is the battle for the mind – a deadly war between God and Satan on the battleground of your mind. And this could be your call to arms.

If we are ever going to be successful we must understand four very important facts.

1. We Need To Understand the Warfare of Our Foe
Your enemy is not clothed in flesh (see Ephesians 6:12). The devil has secured himself in high places to war against you. And there is a deadly, invisible array of demonic hosts dedicated to the destruction of your thought life.

Satan’s desire is to conquer and control your thought life, and then make it a stronghold from which he can war against God. But, when God saved you, He gave you the mind of Christ. The devil wants to get your mind because he knows that if he can get your mind, he can pull you away from the Lord Jesus Christ.

2. We Need To Understand the Weakness of Our Flesh
We live in the flesh. We might as well admit it. All of us have problems, sicknesses, perplexities, and we suffer through the everyday things of life. Yet, we do not war against flesh and blood.

Our battle is against the devil himself and none of us can outwit or out war the devil. He mocks at our schemes. He ridicules our organization. The world thinks that education or government will win our battles. Or if we had a perfect environment in which to live, all our problems would be over.

We need to all remember that Adam and Eve got in trouble in the most perfect place on earth – the Garden of Eden. You’re not going to have a better environment than that! How did it happen? They were deceived. The devil messed with their mind.

3. We Need To Understand the Weapons of Our Fight
How are we going to pull down strongholds, imaginations, and high things like arrogance, ignorance, despair, bitterness, pride, and anger? Surely not with carnal weapons!

Instead, he tells us we are going to win because of the sovereignty of our Commander. Christ is our Commander and Chief. The devil has been trying to do all he can to win this war, but when Jesus Christ died at Calvary, he dropped the bomb on the devil. Read John 12:31

Secondly, we are going to win because we have the authority of our commission. Second Corinthians 3:8 tells us that God has given us authority. Jesus, Who’s won the war, has given us the power of attorney. Read Luke 10:19-20

Lastly, there is the certainty of our courage. Paul talks about himself being weak and his speech being shameful. He says, “I belong to Jesus Christ. He’s won the battle for me. He has given me authority, and because of that, I have courage to win this battle.” 2 Corinthians 10:8-11

Now, let me give you one final thought: Not only should you fight the battle and defeat the devil, but also you need to fill your mind with godly thoughts. Philippians 4:8-9 says, “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”

4. We Need To Understand how to Center our minds upon Jesus.
And don’t let the devil take away your pure-hearted devotion to Him. If we stay in love with the Lord Jesus Christ, there won’t be any room for those filthy, dirty, wicked, lascivious, lustful, prideful thoughts that bombard us all. You see, God made us so that we can’t think two thoughts at one time. If we’re thinking what’s right, we can’t possibly be thinking what’s wrong.

Friday, June 6th Success – Do It Like David Did

1 Samuel 30: 6 “David was greatly distressed…But David strengthened himself in the LORD his God.”

As we continue to look at this idea of biblical success, there isn’t any way around the issues of aggravation, frustration and depression. As God continues to move you from one level to another level there will certainly be new devils. So how do we handle the aggravation, frustration and depression on our way to the next level?

"When life gives you a lemon, just make lemonade”…we’ve all heard that but we all know that it is easier said than done. That’s a great way to face life’s hurts and disappointments. Though it is not healthy to be pessimistic, it is wise to realize you can’t change some things.

Even the best of well-ordered plans on our way to biblical success – don’t always work out the way we’ve planned them.

It might be that when you have done your best and given your all that someone will find something wrong with it or negative to say about it. Your good intentions could possibly be misunderstood. Or, you might sometime find yourself facing unkind people, unfaithful friends and undeserved critics – for whatever reason.

We all care about what people say and think about us. The question is do we care more about what people say about us than we do with what God says. There comes a time in everybody’s life that you have to make the decision to live your life for the King of kings and the Lord of lords! Let haters hate, let gossipers gossip and let talkers talk – YOU JUST DO YOU!

I know it get hard even when you do things right. So what do I do when I’m facing tough days, emotions and critics…Rest in the Strength of the Lord, just like David did. When you do God will overshadow you with His Love, His Mercy, His Strength, His Power and His Encouragement.

God has a plan for your life and discovering it is only the first step – you then have to be disciplined enough to see it through. Next time you feel like giving up or throwing in the spiritual towel – REST IN THE STRENGTH OF THE LORD JUST LIKE DAVID DID!

Thursday, June 5th Success – Things That REALLY Count

Do you consider yourself religious? Paul remembered the time when he was religious but he was lost. When God saved him, he discovered that in spite of his religion and legalism, he was bankrupt, blind and bound for hell. Not only did this truth change his life but he wanted it to change every person's life who counts religion as righteousness. Philippians 3:1-9 teaches us what we need to do to get our priorities straight.

The Bankruptcy Of The Religious Man
Paul took pride in his rituals, relationships, respectability, race, religion, and reputation and he discovered it was all bankrupt. Paul was proud of his rituals, including circumcision, which he had experienced to attain his religious status.

Paul took pride in his relationship with "the stock of Israel" - God's chosen people the Jews - and yet he was lost. The only relationship that will save you and I is the one we have through our Savior Jesus Christ!

The third way Paul could have had confidence in his flesh was in his respectability. Not only was he a circumcised Jew but he was also from the tribe of Benjamin. He had a family name and a family tradition to boost his worldly credentials.

The next description that Paul gives us about himself is his race. He said he was "a Hebrew of the Hebrews." That meant that his bloodline was clear of any interracial blood. Thankfully, God saves men, women, and children from every tribe, tongue and nation.

Another character quality (or should I say flaw) in which Paul could have taken pride was his religion. He said, "as touching the law, a Pharisee." The Pharisees were the strictest sect of the Jews.

And then there was the pride of reputation. Nobody in Paul's day could point a finger of blame at him. Now, he was not sinless. He was blameless in the eyes of men, but he was not sinless in the eyes of God.

The Blessedness of the Redeemed Man
The things that Paul counted as loss were not bad in and of themselves, they were mostly good. But a good thing is a bad thing if it keeps you from the best thing. The worse form of badness is human goodness when human goodness becomes a substitute for the new birth.

When Paul ceased from relying upon himself for salvation and turned to Jesus Christ, he found three things: a knowledge of Christ, a fellowship with Christ, and the righteousness of Christ.

A Knowledge Of Christ
Paul considered the knowledge of Christ to surpass anything he could ever attain on his own. But this isn't knowledge as in gaining information. Here, Paul used it to describe spiritual intimacy between himself and God.

Knowledge is more than just what we think inside our heads, it is what we experience in our heart in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Do you know Him? I mean really know Him? Not that Jesus died and rose again for people to be saved...but that He died and rose again for you to be saved and have an everlasting relationship with God.

A Fellowship with Christ
Paul said that he wanted to "be found in Him." Before Paul's conversion, he had religion. After his salvation, Paul had a relationship - the most important being the one he had with his Savior Jesus Christ.

I want to tell you that Jesus Christ is a wonderful friend. You don't have to say a word - just knowing He is there is enough. And knowing He loves you will bring inexpressible joy to your heart.

A Righteousness of Christ
The closer Paul drew to God, the greater his awareness of his own filthiness and need of the righteousness of Christ. Without the imputation of Christ's righteousness into our lives, we would have no relationship whatsoever with God. Paul understood this.

Our righteousness does not come by works. It is an imputed righteousness (see Romans 4:21-25). Imputed means to place on your account. It's like going to a department store and instead of telling them you want to charge your purchase; you tell them you want to impute it. It means the same thing - to put on your account.

When God looks at the ledger of our lives, He sees red - not in a bad way, but a good way. He sees the red, righteous, royal blood of His Son credited to our account and we are declared righteous before Him!

Wednesday, June 4th Success - A Life Overflowing

In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink. He that believeth on Me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water John 7:37-38

Do you consider your life stagnant or would you consider it overflowing? Perhaps it's time to stop enduring religion and start enjoying a relationship. You'll find then you will not just merely become a reservoir, but become a river. How does Jesus address this issue and what does He say about how to accomplish this?

The Well Of Salvation.

Jesus watched as the Jews celebrated one of their great feasts, the Feast of Tabernacles. At the climax of the festivities, the priest went down to the pool of Siloam and filled a golden pitcher with water. The people followed him leaping and dancing as the priest came back to the temple, he poured the water on the altar.

• They didn't realize that this Old Testament ceremony prophesied the Lord Jesus. In fact, Jesus Christ Himself was that Well of salvation, yet they were paying no attention to Him. In their midst was the very Water of Life, but they were too busy going through their ritual and religion to notice.

Jesus saw the ceremony and their ecstasy, but He knew it was only a ritual and religious exercise. Jesus knew after it was over-they would go back to their homes, and it would all be a memory. He could contain Himself no more, and He stood and literally shouted, "If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink."

The Well Of Life

Today, as then, we don't need religion; we need a personal, vital relationship with Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

• When Jesus stood up and cried, He said to them what He's saying to you, "Are you thirsty? Come to Me and drink." It is time we stopped enduring religion and started enjoying salvation.

It's amazing how many people today try to find their own answers. Some look for answers intellectually. Others look for answers in activity by working harder. Others search for an emotional experience but find they need more each time. Still others look for answers as the Pharisees did - in the way they live - primarily noted by what they don't do.

The Well Of The Thirsty

To find a relationship with Jesus, examine what He said, "If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink." To whom not just empty, but thirsty.¾Jesus is speaking? He's speaking to thirsty people
• There are people who go to church on Sunday morning, but they don't go seeking God. I don't know how much of God you have, but you have all you want. You don't have more because you don't want more. Pray that God would give you a burning, blistering thirst, so that you would say, "I'm done with religion. I want reality. I am thirsty today for what is real!"
You also need to understand the source of that filling is Jesus - He was talking about Himself. Don't wait until you are better or stronger. You'll be like a man in quicksand. The more you struggle, the deeper you sink. Don't work your way to Him - He is the Way.

Holiness is not the way to Christ; Christ is the way to holiness. Bring Him your weaknesses, fears, failures, and heartaches. Jesus throws open His arms to you today and says, "Are you thirsty? Come to me."

Come And Drink

Not only do you come, you must drink - by faith. Many come to this point but stop.

• They say, "Yes, Christ is the answer," but they never really believe. Somehow they get it in the margins of their Bibles, in their notebooks, or in their heads; but they fail to get it in their hearts. Don't let that happen to you! You must drink, and you do it by faith. There comes a time when we need to believe Him and say, "My heart is thirsty for the blessing. I will receive the Lord Jesus. I take Him by faith."

Don't come so close, yet miss Him. Stop enduring religion, and start enjoying a relationship. Come and drink from the Living Water. Once you drink, there will be in you a river of living water. And when the river begins to flow out of you, there will be life where there once was death. There will be fruitfulness where there was barrenness. The Holy Spirit in your life will cause you to be a blessing and to receive a blessing.

Tuesday, June 3rd Success…God’s Way

Success God's way is determined as we pursue the will of God. Steven Olford, founder and lecturer of the Stephen Olford Institute for Biblical Preaching, said "it is our duty and it is our joy to find, to follow and to finish the will of God for our lives."

The first step in discovering success is to express a FULL DEPENDENCE on the Lord. Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.”

Why do we find it difficult to trust the Lord? One reason is that we don't know Him well enough to trust Him. To know God is to love God. Then to love Him, is to trust Him. To trust Him, is to obey Him. And to obey Him, is to be blessed.

Another problem we have is that we can't let go of the situation for which we need to trust God. We want to do it ourselves. But, in order to be successful, we must turn everything over to Him. If He's worth part of it, He's worth all of it.

Let me say one final thing on this point. Don't be afraid of the will of God. But, what if He sends me to a remote village in a foreign country as a missionary? If He sends you there, then that's exactly where you'd want to be. Philippians 2:13 says “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure.”

When you fully depend upon the Lord, then He will provide FAITHFUL DIRECTION. The last part of Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “He shall direct thy paths.” Either that's true or that's false.
Now, how will He direct your path?

First, He'll do it through His Word (see Psalm 119:105). The Word of God will show you the will of God.

Second, God will direct you through prayer (see Philippians 4:6-7). Not every question is answered in the Bible. Prayer is a two-way street. Let God talk to you.

Third, God will direct you by His providence. God closes doors and opens doors (see Revelation 3:8).

Now, let me close with this final word on success. When you fully depend upon the Lord, and He gives you direction, there will be a FORCEFUL DYNAMIC. Let's review the last phrase of Proverbs 3:6 one final time: "direct thy paths." This literally means that God will bulldoze a path in front of you. Not only does God show the way, but He also clears the way.

Henry Moorehouse, a stirring evangelist years ago, had a little girl who was crippled. When at home, she would lay her crutches aside and scoot around on the floor. One day after returning from a long trip, Moorehouse stepped inside his house and found his little girl sitting near the door.

She noticed he was carrying a big present and said, "Daddy, let me carry it to Momma." He tried to convince her she couldn't carry the present and take it to her mother, but she wouldn't give in. Finally he said, "Alright, here take it." She held it in her arms and said, "Now Daddy pick me up and take me to Momma."

Has God done that for you? He has carried me many times when He has given me a message, then picked me up and carried me through it. When you fully depend upon the Lord, He will direct your life, and He will be the driving force behind your success.

Family Discussion Question: Your success and the success of your family depends on you learning how to depend upon the Lord, faithfully follow His direction and He will be a driving force in order to secure your successful future. What is standing in the way of your greatest step toward your destiny? Spend time praying as a family for His direction.

Greater Bethel Church Is A GREAT CHURCH

I really don't have word to express how awesome today has been for me. The entire family was there the level of excitement was at an all time high, it was simply breath taking. Starting with Sunday morning...now that's how people who know God ought to have church. We literally shut-down NE 23rd Street as we convoyed to our new location. And the celebration was wonderful. It was the who-who list which shouldn't be over looked those state and city official came as a testimony of who and what we've have became as a church. It is not everyday that you can command a group of dignitaries like that in one place.

I want to ask that you will join me as we continue to "build THE church while building A church!" You're growth is our goal and we will hold it as our highest achievement as long as God allows me to lead the Greater Bethel Church Family. I love you!

The previous post is Monday's devotion!

Monday, June 2nd Four Qualities of Highly Successful People

“If the ax is dull and its edge unsharpened, more strength is needed but skill will bring success.” Eccles. 10:10 (NIV)

John Maxwell, author of more than 30 leadership books and popular international speaker, spoke to 500 people at an Abilene Christian University luncheon Tuesday regarding the four things highly successful people do well.

Maxwell was the last of eight presenters in ACU's Centennial Speaker Series, which also included "Good Morning America" co-anchor Robin Roberts, long-time sports commentator Pat Summerall, and MSNBC co-anchor Lester Holt.

First, Maxwell said, people who are highly successful are good at building relationships and have a way of getting along with people.

"Good relationship skills are the foundation of both leadership and success," he said. "Successful people relate emotionally, spiritually and intellectually with others."

He said both in the workplace and in their homes, people need to understand and practice the hammer principle: "never use a hammer to swat a fly off someone's forehead." In other words, don't overreact.

The second quality of highly successful people is that they equip, train and develop people, Maxwell said.

"Successful people understand that for their success to compound, it must include others," he said. "They must have the ability to gain buy-in. One is too small a number to achieve greatness."

The third quality is attitude. "Successful people have an uncommon attitude, especially about adversity," Maxwell explained. "It's not that they have fewer problems than less successful people; they just have the tenacity to work through obstacles and problems."

Maxwell added that "attitude is not everything, but it is the main thing – the difference maker. However, a great attitude cannot make up for incompetence."

Fourth, Maxwell said, “highly successful people are good leaders. They have a vision, and they understand that leadership is about influence – not title or position.

"People can lead wherever they are in the organization," he said. "They can lead up, across and down."

He encouraged individuals to prepare for future leadership opportunities now. He quoted his friend, longtime UCLA basketball coach John Wooden, who says, "When the opportunity comes, it's too late to prepare."

Family Discussion Question: What has God promised to do for you? Write down an idea or thought. Maybe you have a dream of business ownership, a pending marriage, strenghting a present marriage or simply getting out of debt. Whatever it is write it down and discuss it with family. Then touch and agee in prayer.

Remember: “Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:26 (NIV)