Following instructions

Following instructions is very important, especially when you are putting together a piece of electronic equipment. This is why there are instruction manuals. Often times, we look to the instruction manual after we have put something together the wrong way. God gave the children of Israel specific instructions. Joshua 22:5 says, "But take careful heed to do the commandment and the law which Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, to love the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways, to keep His commandments, to hold fast to Him, and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul." When we as Christians do exactly what the Bible tells us to do, the Lord will give us divine direction. If we do this, we will save ourselves the heartache of wondering in the wilderness.

Our wonder years

Experts often talk about the ages from three to ten as the "wonder years". This is a time when children are still loving, very helpful and incredibly curious. They spend much of their time learning everything possible about the thing they love the most. When we grow up, we are not much different. Yet, it should be that we are captivated by the Lord God in this way. The hymn writers Boberg & Hughes said it so well:

O Lord my God, When I in awesome wonder,
Consider all the worlds Thy Hands have made;
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed.

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!

God should be the one we love the most in this life. He is both amazing and deserving. Psalm 19:1-6 speak of His handiwork and the beauty of the heavens, only one of His creations. Verses 7-14 show us David's response to this realization. Take a look at Psalm 19 today. Maybe it will help you begin to refer to these years of your life as the "wonder years", when God is the One you spend much of your time learning about.

Keep on working

Are you tired? Is it hard for you to get up and go to work? Do you feel like your work is not important. Well, your work is important. And believe me, it is not in vain. Paul, when writing to the church in Corinth, said, "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord" (I Corinthians 15:58). One key thing to remember is that God is the one who sets your days out before you, He should be the motivation behind everything that you do. That includes what you do at work. He placed you in your work environment for a reason, so keep working for Him.

The Lord's battle

Do you ever take matters into your own hands? Have you ever tried to defend yourself? Joshua 10:25-26 says, "Then Joshua said to them, 'Do not be afraid, nor be dismayed; be strong and of good courage, for thus the Lord will do to all your enemies against whom you fight.'" We can get into a lot of trouble when we attempt to take matters into our own hands. We have to remember that though the Christian life feels like a fight sometimes, it is not our fight or our battle. The battle belongs to the Lord!

Mission impossible

Have you ever been in an impossible situation? Are you currently in a circumstance which seems impossible? Matthew 19:26 tell us, "But Jesus looked at them and said to them, 'With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.'" With our own finite minds, it may look like there is no hope. With our own eyes, it may look like there is no way out. But with God, all things are possible. Although things might be impossible for man, they are still possible with God's divine help.

Your desires (part 2)

Are you abiding in Him? Are His Words abiding in you? John 15:7 reads: "If you abide in Me and My Words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you." If we as Christians are not abiding in Christ, then that which we desire will be very selfish. However, if we abide in Him and His Word abides in us, then that which we ask for will not be selfish. When we are no longer self seeking, God will give us those things that we pray for and desire in life.

Your desires (part 1)

Are you desiring the right things? Is it a delight to serve the Lord? Psalm 37:4 says, "Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart." Often times, we desire the wrong things from God. One way to avoid this is to simply make it a delight to serve Him. If serving God is a delight, then our motives will be right. And we will desire the things that glorify Him. In doing so, God will give us the desires of our heart.

Need a clean up?

Are you clean? How do you get yourself cleaned up as a Christian? Psalm 119:9, 11 reads: "How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your Word. Your Word I have hidden in my heat, that I might not sin against You." God's Word is one of the best cleansing agents. Not only does it clean us up, but it also keeps us from sin. If we would read His Word and set it to memory, we would be much cleaner Christians.

Pressing On

Have you ever noticed that a runner doesn't win a race by constantly looking back. A runner cannot win by looking at what his opponent is doing. Winning only happens when the runner stays focused on what is ahead. Philippians 3:13, 14 says, "But one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." When you are tempted to look back, remember that you cannot win unless you are focused on what is in front of you.

The blame game (part 2)

If God doesn't tempt us, then who does? James 1:14, 15 tells us: "But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin: And sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death." The mistake that many Christians make is to blame the devil for everything. Although the devil is a problem, we also have the ability to sin on our own. Maybe it's time to quit shifting the blame and take responsibility for our own actions.

The blame game (part 1)

Do you ever blame God for temptation? Do you ever think God is the one tempting you? James 1:13 says: "Let no one say when he is tempted, 'I am tempted by God'. For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone." God might test you, but God is not the one responsible for the temptation. There are really three things you can narrow it down to: the world, the flesh or the devil.

Blessed assurance

Do you question your salvation? Have you received Jesus? If you have, you can be assured that you have now become a child of God. John 1:12 reads: "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name." What a great encouragement that is. When a person puts their faith in Jesus, they now have all the rights and privileges to be called a child of God.

Be ready at all times

One night, I was driving home from work when I decided to call an old friend on the phone. It was about a twenty minute drive home, so I had plenty of time to talk to him. He is a person who I have witnessed to in the past. But He never really made a commitment. As it shared with him, I felt an urgency to ask him if he wanted to accept Christ as his Lord and Savior. To my surprise, he actually said yes. Then, I led him in a prayer of commitment to the Lord. This all took place over the phone. Paul, writing to young Timothy, writes, "Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching" (II Timothy 4:2). We never know who will cross our path. As Christians, we should always be ready to share the good news of Jesus Christ.

Be who you are

Sometimes we run around in life, trying to be something that we are not. No doubt, we all have a past. And we have been regenerated. But even though we have been born again, God still wants to use our personalities to give glory and honor to Him. God wants to use our testimony to reach others for His name. The apostle Paul is a good example of this. When he was ministering in Athens, he used his personality and even his knowledge of God in order to witness to the Athenians. "For in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, 'For we are also his offspring.'" (Acts 17:28)