Focus on God!

When you are in your home with your family, sit down and have a Bible study. Even if you only study a few verses or one chapter, this will show your children that the study of God’s Word is important to you. When you are at work, pray about your Bible studies and meditate on it so that your mind is focused on God during your day. You don’t have to do this for the entire day, but even a few minutes will keep your mind free of distractions.

Listen to Christian music during your drive to and from work or to the grocery store. This small thing will also keep God at the forefront of your day, each day. Why am I saying this? Because those who are against Jesus and His people study their “holy books” and writings much more than we do. We should be at least as versed in our Scriptures as they are in theirs so we could bring to mind any verses which will refute any of their arguments against Jesus.

Our life in Christ is given to us through faith which the Lord gives us when He draws us unto Himself. God loves every person, whether they are Christians or not, but He doesn’t approve of their sinful lives. Every person that is touched by the Holy Spirit and convicted of their need in Jesus Christ should give their hearts to Him, but if they do not then their outcome in eternity is on their own head.

By focusing your daily walk on God and His Wisdom you will keep your mind and your thoughts pointed in the right direction no matter what may be going on around you. God loves you and He does want the best outcome for you. The best way to achieve that is to follow Jesus and walk with Him on a daily basis. This will keep the “darts of Satan” away from you and help you to withstand any temptation which may come along too.

Featured Image -- 3119 Remember when Jesus walked on the water and told Peter to come to Him? As long as Peter kept his eyes on Jesus he could walk on the water but when the waves and the storm distracted him, he began to sink. That is the kind of focus we should have in our lives every day! Keep your eyes and your thoughts focused on Jesus and His Kingdom and all of your endeavors for Him will work out just fine.

In this picture, Jesus was walking on a fairly calm water but this is just an artist’s rendering of His walk on the water. Peter was walking during a storm according to Matthew’s account, so the waves would’ve been much larger and likely the reason for Peter’s fear. God can carry us through many storms in life if we will just keep our eyes and our heart focused on Him regardless of what may be happening around us or in our lives.

Remember this…

God will always be closer to you than you think He is.

Are you a disciple?

This question has haunted me ever since I gave my life to Jesus and I still struggle to answer it. The Bible calls us “saints” although I don’t feel like I fit that description either. I was called into the ministry almost seven years ago, so I actually identify with the description of a disciple more than any other. What about you?

In many ways the first time I felt a call from God was about thirty-six years ago and at that time I wasn’t ready at all! I hadn’t been reading my Bible and I only attended church services a few times during the year. I felt that I wasn’t worthy to be called into any kind of ministry so I did what Jonah did…I ran away from that calling. I ignored it for many years.

Then, I got a call from a preacher who had been teaching a Bible study in a small church close to home. He told me that he needed me to fill in for him on Sunday (He called me on a Wednesday or Thursday, I really don’t remember). Anyway, I didn’t have much time to prepare. I was scared to death. I didn’t like speeches nor standing in front of a crowd to speak and you have to do that every week if you are a preacher.

God got me through that sermon, even though it only lasted about 8 or 10 minutes! I am still preaching there and today I can speak for about thirty minutes, sometimes a bit more. Why am I telling this? Because, as shy as I was in high school none of my classmates would think that I would ever do something like this! But, I have been there for six years and nine months so far. I pray that my sermons are doing some good for the Lord.

That is why I come here to “preach”. I don’t have to stand in front of people and I can write what the Spirit gives me to say so that others might come to know Jesus as their Savior. God loves each of you so much that He sent His Son to take the punishment that you and I should have been given. In many ways, you can see in the news today what is happening in our world with all of the murders and shootings and all of the wars and terrorist bombings going on. All of this is due to people who have made God fit their image of Who He is and what He demands of them.

God doesn’t demand anything besides your obedience once you have given your heart to Jesus and decide to follow His example in your daily life. Living your life through Jesus example is the best way to live because only He could fulfill the Law and the Ten Commandments perfectly. Please seek Him out while you have breath and time to do so because there is no second chance when you leave this life for eternity.

Romans 6:22-23 says this: 22 But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.