Useful Life

Useful Life

Titus 3: ¹² When I send Artemas or Tychicus to you, do your best to come to me in Nicopolis, because I have decided to spend the winter there. ¹³ Do your best to help Zenas the lawyer and Apollos to get started on their travels, and see to it that they have everything they need. ¹⁴ Our people must learn to spend their time doing good, in order to provide for real needs; they should not live useless lives.

 

¹⁵ All who are with me send you greetings. Give our greetings to our friends in the faith.

God's grace be with you all.

 

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Getting deeper and deeper into trouble, I found my life a mess. Even the parties and living it up seemed empty. When I looked around, I had helped no one but myself and even that was old.

 

• I tried “the good life” and that was getting old.
• I found my heart empty as I sought pleasure, but trouble outweighed my pursuits.
• I felt that there was more to life that seeking what others called “living the life.”

 

Paul sends final greetings to all believers of JESUS. In this greeting, he urges people to “do good” and “provide real needs.” He then drops a bombshell by saying “They should not live useless lives.”

 

My Observations

• GOD cursed the earth when sin entered it, but I still have to live here.
• Heaven is a destination, but earth is where I live
• Some of my life should be dedicated to serving the LORD.

 

Seeking pleasure as medicine can sometimes work, but not always. I mean, when I only seek the pleasures of life, I fond myself wanting more and more of them. Soon, I cannot discern from “needing” pleasure versus “wanting it.” When the waves of life hit, the world’s pleasures seem empty. BUT GOD’s path is full of life.

 

HE wants me to fill my heart with other people and seek HIS kingdom first. Sometimes the world’s pleasures will be included and sometimes difficulty will arise. HE opens my eyes to the fact that through it all, HE is there and walking strong with me. I am grateful for HIS constant love for me an you.

 

Challenge

• What life is the writer referring to?
• Have you been trying really hard to live life and it just does not seem to be working?
• Will you see GOD in all you do so HE can walk solidly with you through trouble and good times, so you can live a useful life for HIM without pressure today?

My Prayer

Dear LORD, please bless this reader with the fact that YOU love him or her dearly. Open eyes to servanthood and also bring servants into lives who need to be served today. Help us understand the true meaning of abundant life because the world has tried to change the definition. Guide us to YOUR plan today. amen

Alive!

Alive!

1 Thessalonians 3: ⁷ So, in all our trouble and suffering we have been encouraged about you, friends. It was your faith that encouraged us, ⁸ because now we really live if you stand firm in your life in union with the Lord. ⁹ Now we can give thanks to our God for you. We thank him for the joy we have in his presence because of you. ¹⁰ Day and night we ask him with all our heart to let us see you personally and supply what is needed in your faith.

 

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Assessing my life, I felt dead. I was in a dead end job, alone and piles of debt. No longer did the parties make me “happy.” “Is this it?” I asked myself, because at the time life really stunk.

 

• I felt like I was dead.
• I thought that there should have been more to life than a rotten job and bills.
• I had run out of options when trying to make myself “happy” during difficult circumstances.

 

Paul, Silas and Timothy were encouraged in the middle of their suffering. Timothy had brought back “welcome news” about the faith of the Thessalonians. While Paul was the teacher, he needed to hear some news that other people were standing firm. He says “now we really live.”

 

My Observations

• Hearing that other people are standing firm in the middle of their trials makes me see that I can stand firm in GOD, just like him or her.
• After deciding to stand firm for the LORD, I can praise HIM for what HE is doing in other folks lives.
• GOD wants me to also ask for HIM to supply my needs as well as the needs of others.

 

Feeling empty or dead happens to some of us. I mean, when things are not going as I expect for an extended time, I can run out of gas. BUT GOD wants me to run out of gas. Why? Because HE wants me to rely on HIS power.

 

HE brings me through trials and HE delivers others from theirs. When I see what HE is doing in the lives of others, I get encouraged to stand firm and patiently wait on the LORD. I am grateful, HE is working everything out in HIS way and time.

 

Challenge

• Why do you think the writers were encouraged?
• Have you ever felt that life was not going as well as you expected?
• Will you be encouraged by what GOD is doing in other people’s lives and know HE has a wonderful plan for you as well?
• Will yu stand firm for JESUS today?

Blessing, Love and Peace

 

Blessing, Love and Peace

Romans 15: ²⁸ When I have finished this task and have turned over to them all the money that has been raised for them, I shall leave for Spain and visit you on my way there. ²⁹ When I come to you, I know that I shall come with a full measure of the blessing of Christ.

 

³⁰ I urge you, friends, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love that the Spirit gives: join me in praying fervently to God for me. ³¹ Pray that I may be kept safe from the unbelievers in Judea and that my service in Jerusalem may be acceptable to God's people there. ³² And so I will come to you full of joy, if it is God's will, and enjoy a refreshing visit with you. ³³ May God, our source of peace, be with all of you. Amen.

 

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Seeing ants crawl on the counter made me curious. “How are they getting in?” is what I asked. I spent time looking around the edges of the house and I found where they were crawling in. It was an easy fix once I found the source.

 

• Many times I look for the source of the problem.
• Many times I seek out problems so “I” can fix it.
• Many times I find the source of the problem, but need help getting the source of the solution.

 

Paul finishes explaining his plans. After he gives this money to the poor, he planned to visit those he wrote to. He knew the roads were treacherous and laced with thieves, so he asked for fervent prayer, not just a onetime ask. He also knew he needed the prayer of many.

 

• GOD wants me to ask for prayer when HE shows a difficult road ahead.
• GOD wants me to finish the task HE gives me to do.
• GOD wants me to seek HIM for blessing, love and peace.

 

The full measure of blessing of CHRIST is the Good News that should be preached all over the world. Love should be used when praying for one another. And peace comes from the source, namely GOD. I gladly ask everyone for prayers and that you receive peace from GOD.

 

• Have the many worries of the world made you lose your focus on GOD?
• How are you seeking peace?
• Will you speak about the blessing of CHRIST and ask others to pray for you with the love that comes from the HOLY SPIRIT so GOD may provide you with peace that only comes from HIM?

Three Step Plan

Mark 12:²⁸ Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, “Which is the first commandment of all?”

²⁹ Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. ³⁰ And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. ³¹ And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

³² So the scribe said to Him, “Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the truth, for there is one God, and there is no other but He. ³³ And to love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding, with all the soul and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

³⁴ Now when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, He said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.”

But after that no one dared question Him.

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One day I woke up with a lot on my mind. As I adjusted the scattered thoughts into one cohesive list, I felt a slight bit of relief but the day would indeed be busy.

• Sometimes I get really busy.
• Sometimes I have so many thoughts running through my head that I can’t get them all nailed down.
• Sometimes I am so busy that every thought is dedicated to what I am working on.

“What is our purpose?” the church leader may as well have asked. This one church leader was truly seeking GOD and not trying to protect his status or his building. JESUS gave him a great answer that I can apply to my life.

• JESUS says to me “Believe that the HEAVENLY FATHER, JESUS and the HOLY SPIRIT are one GOD.”
• JESUS says to me “Love GOD with all your heart, with all your understanding, with all your soul and with all your strength.”
• JESUS says to me “Love your neighbor as you love yourself.”

GOD’s purpose for me is very simple, but sometimes I complicate it with the busy times of the day. I focus on the world and not on HIM or my neighbor. JESUS gives me an easy plan to follow; all I need to do is yield to HIS plan daily.

• Are you confused at what GOD wants from you?
• Do you think GOD wants you to do something extremely complex and elaborate?
• Will you yield to HIS three step plan and believe in HIM, love HIM and love your neighbor today?

Enjoy the Ride

Psalm 92: ¹¹ My eyes have seen the defeat of my adversaries;
    my ears have heard the rout of my wicked foes.

¹² The righteous will flourish like a palm tree,
    they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon;
¹³ planted in the house of the Lord,
    they will flourish in the courts of our God.
¹⁴ They will still bear fruit in old age,
    they will stay fresh and green,
¹⁵ proclaiming, “The Lord is upright;
    he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him.”

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“May I be successful” was my prayer and I was thrust into a whirlwind of huge successes. But then life became very distracting and soon I had little time for GOD. I had too many worries I had to attend to and the pressures of life didn’t seem to afford quality time to spend with GOD.

• Sometimes my trials are caused by my expectations.
• Sometimes my trials are caused by my desires.
• Sometimes my trials are caused by something I asked for.

Finally I decided to put my trust in GOD for a change. I mean I decided to go out and “street-witness” for the first time in my life. This was met with trials as well but I asked GOD to remove the barriers and people responded to our message. I realized that GOD will defeat my adversaries when I sincerely focus on HIS kingdom.

• GOD wants me to be wildly successful while spreading HIS kingdom.
• GOD wants me to understand what true success looks like.
• GOD wants me to seek HIS kingdom first and all ‘these” things will be added.

When I seek my kingdom first it seems to be a road that quickly forgets GOD but when I seek HIS kingdom first I have to depend on HIM and HIS sovereignty. I become weak and HE is made strong in my life. I can then watch HIS power unfold before me for HE is my ROCK.

• Are you waiting for the trial to end?
• Do you think you have the answer to your trial so you constantly pray for “your” answer?
• Can you ask GOD “What do YOU want me to do in the middle of this trial?”
• Will you let GOD go before you, defeating enemies and allow HIM to raise you up in HIS time?
• Can you let go and enjoy the ride?