CARRIED TO COMPLETION

By:  Blackaby


In the Book of Revelation, John describes Christ as the Alpha and the Omega, meaning “the beginning” and “the end” (Revelation 22:13). In other words, God is eternal; He is not bound by time. God doesn’t just see the future; He’s in the future, just as He is in the past and the present. When God begins something in your life, He already knows how it will end because He is there.

When you became a Christian, God’s Holy Spirit began the work of making you like Christ. He continues to work in your life to bring about holiness, and He will continue to do so until you arrive in heaven to spend eternity face-to-face with Him. You can be absolutely confident that whatever Christ begins in you, He will finish.

If you’ve received a word from God about something He wants to do in your life, trust that He will make it happen. Don’t let circumstances discourage you; God isn’t intimidated by your circumstances. Obey Him with confidence because God always completes what He starts. If you sensed God telling you He would make you into a missionary one day, believe that He will. He has seen the future. He knows what will happen. If you sensed God saying that He would use your life to encourage others in some way, know that God is perfectly capable of doing what He says. When God says something to you, immediately adjust your life to what He has told you and then watch to see how God makes everything He said become a reality.

Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. – Phil. 1: 6 (NIV)

UNPACK YOUR DREAMS

By:  J. Osteen


WHAT DO YOU want to do with your life? If you could write your best life story this morning, what would it say? Is your first reaction to see and describe yourself in terms of past experiences or present limitations, more in terms of losing or just surviving rather than fulfilling your dreams?

If you’ve packed away your dreams, dare to unpack them today and ask God to rekindle them in your heart and mind. It’s time to enlarge your vision. He wants to pour out His far and beyond favor on you (see Ephesians 2:7). He wants to do big things and new things in your life.

For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland. – Isa. 43: 19 (NLT)

JOY

By:  Blackaby


Whoever thinks Christians don’t enjoy life doesn’t know what the Christian life is really about! Jesus didn’t come to earth to take away your happiness but to fill your life with a joy that overflows! Jesus was not interested in the kind of joy that the world gives. In the world, joy depends on how things are going. If life is going well, then you can be happy. If life is difficult, joy evaporates. Jesus wants you to be filled with his kind of joy. His joy doesn’t depend on what is happening around you; it depends on what is going on inside you.

No one could rob Jesus of his joy. They could reject him, beat him, even crucify him, but the certainty that he still belonged to God and would be rejoicing his Father in heaven filled him with joy. Christians ought to have more joy than anyone else in the world. We know the living God! We are assured of an eternity with him in heaven!

Jesus isn’t satisfied with your living only a mediocre life. He said he came so you could enjoy life to the fullest (John 10:10). So rejoice! Celebrate! Don’t let anyone convince you that the Christian life should be dull and somber. You are vitally connected to the Creator of life itself. Focus on him – not on what people around you are doing – and you will have the same joy Jesus had.

THE WORD TOMORROW

By:  Robert K.


The most life-destroying word of all is the word TOMORROW. The poor, the unsuccessful, the unhappy, the unhealthy are the ones who use the word tomorrow the most. These people will often say, “I’ll start investing tomorrow.” Or, “I’ll start my diet and exercise tomorrow.” Or, “I’ll start reading tomorrow.” Or, “I’ll start serving God tomorrow.” And so on.

The word TOMORROW is the word that destroys more lives than any other single word. The problem with the word tomorrow is that we have never seen a tomorrow. Tomorrow do not exist. Tomorrows only exist in the minds of dreamers and losers. People who put off till tomorrow find that the sins and bad habits of their past eventually catch up with them.

We have never seen a TOMORROW. All we have are TODAYs. Today is the word for winners and tomorrow is the word for losers.

Behold, now is the accepted time. – 2 Cor. 6: 2(b)

BE BOLD FOR SERVICE

By:  E. Heramia


Since kingdom citizens are declared righteous by grace, we are suppose to be BOLD, unafraid to venture out with the, oftentimes, unfamiliar direction of God in their lives. That’s why they are in business .. that’s why they are in ministry .. that’s why they try the untried .. that’s why they blaze new trails .. that’s why they abhor the status quo, safety and mediocre life .. that’s why they are uncomfortable being comfortable in the comfort zone .. that’s why they never follow the crowd.

In exhibiting their faith, they come to realize, discover, and develop hidden talents and gifts, and untapped potentials which usher them towards serving others and their generation, significantly. 

RESPECT EVERYONE

There was once a young man, a summa cum laude of a prestigious university, who came to a remote village and crossed a wide river via small boat. While travelling, he asked the boatman, “Do you know the exact weight of your boat when it is full to its capacity?”  “I don’t know, Sir”, replied the boatman. “Well, you are a boatman. YOU SHOULD KNOW THAT.”  After a few minutes, the young man asked again, “Do you know the exact height of that mountain over there?” The poor boatman answered, “I’m sorry, Sir, I don’t know that, Sir.”  “Well, you are always here boating and YOU SHOULD KNOW THAT,” insisted the young man. Then, suddenly, after few minutes, the wind blew so furiously that it heavily hit the boat. The boatman suggested, “Sir, we need to jump out of the boat immediately and swim to spare our lives!”  The young man fearfully exclaimed, “What!?, I don’t know how to swim! I don’t know that!!” The boatman said, “But, Sir, it is the only option you can do to save your life! You should know how to swim! YOU SHOULD KNOW THAT! .. I’m sorry, Sir, I can’t save you with this kind of heavy storm, and I must now go!”

Indeed, there are things you know that others don’t, and there are things others know that you don’t. So, we don’t need to compare ourselves with anybody else. We don’t even have the license to belittle someone because of our seemingly advantage over them.

Nobody has the monopoly of knowledge and intelligences … not even the monopoly of GOD’s blessings.

GOD gives each person with skills and talents that make him or her uniquely special. That is why we do not have the right to label anyone dumb or stupid. If we help each other discover and explore our own areas of intelligence, then we’d all be happier and more content with ourselves.

Be careful. Respect everybody because we’re all GOD’s creation. You may not admire someone much but nevertheless, GOD loves him. There’s an African saying that goes this way: “The opinion of the intelligent is better than the certainty of the ignorant.”

As Citizen of the Kingdom, we are expected to use our talents, skills, intelligence, or any advantage to serve and to help each other in the spirit of warmth, harmony, and love, for one day we will face the real Judge and shall render an account.

DO MORE

By:  John L. M.


Do more than exist, live ..

Do more than hear, listen ..

Do more than agree, cooperate ..

Do more than talk, communicate ..

Do more than grow, bloom ..

Do more than spend, invest ..

Do more than think, create ..

Do more than work, excell ..

Do more than share, give ..

Do more than decide, discern ..

Do more than consider, commit ..

Do more than forgive, forget ..

Do more than help, serve ..

Do more than coexist, reconcile ..

Do more than sing, worship ..

Do more than think, plan ..

Do more than dream, do ..

Do more than see, perceive ..

Do more than read, apply ..

Do more than receive, reciprocate ..

Do more than choose, focus ..

Do more than wish, believe ..

Do more than advise, help ..

Do more than speak, impart ..

Do more than encourage, inspire ..

Do more than add, multiply ..

Do more than change, improve ..

Do more than reach, stretch ..

Do more than ponder, pray ..

Do more than just live, live for JESUS!