God has good plans for us! And part of His plan is to give us HOPE!!
life
Live a Life Worthy of Your Calling
I don’t know about you, but I can’t say that I always follow this exhortation from Paul in my life. I WANT to live a life worthy of the calling I have received. I WANT to be completely humble and gentle. I WANT to be patient toward others…especially toward others who may try my patience. And I WANT to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
I would say that most of us desire that kind of life. But, if you are like me, as soon as difficult circumstances arise… I find it difficult to get myself out of the way and live the life I am called to live.
I start to focus on everything I lack. I focus on my weaknesses. I judge my words and my actions and I come up short. Very short. It is during these times that I press into the Lord and open myself to receive what He so lovingly offers to us.
He gives us His strength for our weakness. He takes away our lack and gives us everything we need to go forward into our calling. He lifts us up when we fall and sets our feet on the right path. He walks beside us in our journey and is there with us in everything we face. Thank You, Lord!!
So! With the Lord’s help, I will continue to press into living a life worthy of the calling I have received. Will you join me?
Stir Up One Another
I know that in life and in our churches there can be a lot of “stirring up” that happens.
Sometimes this stirring is needed to bring things that have settled to the bottom back up to the top. And anything that needs to be scooped off the top as it surfaces can be dealt with.
Sometimes the stirring can be positive and sometimes the stirring can be negative. And sometimes it may seem to be negative at the beginning…but have positive results.
Hebrews tells us that our stirring should result in love and good works. We need to encourage one another – stir each other up – to love more abundantly and to serve others in greater works of goodness.
Lord, begin with me! Stir me up to love and good works!!
Relationship!
It is good to serve and minister for the Lord. But, we need to make sure we are not doing it just out of a sense of obligation.
The WHY of our obedience and ministry and serving is important. As we journey in RELATIONSHIP with our precious Lord and with others…the why is answered by LOVE.
We serve the Lord out of our love for Him. We minister and serve others because we love them with the love of Christ.
And this Love pours forth from our time of drawing near to God and from our time of talking with Him (and listening). We need to move from a place of serving and ministering FOR God into a place of serving and ministering WITH God!
Beloved! God is calling us into closer relationship with Him! Are you ready?
