Doing it all…

Philippians 4:13 “For I can do ALL THINGS through Christ, who gives me strength”

Some days we think we’ve conquered the world only to discover that there’s still a long “to do” list left. It has taken every ounce of strength to get this far so the rest will have to wait for another time. Everyone experiences days like these.

Today’s verse reminds us how to achieve victory every day. You and I can do somethings & many things in our own strength but we can’t do ALL THINGS. If we want to achieve our full potential we need help. We must obtain it through Christ. He gives us the strength and ability to do ALL THINGS, even the seemingly impossible!

So, how do we access Christ’s strength to do ALL THINGS just like the Apostle Paul? It’s simple, we ensure that Jesus is the central focus of our life. We place Him above and before everything else. We honour Him first in every arena of life – private, public and personal. Jesus gets the best of our time, our resource and our relationships. We vigilantly keep every arena of our lives focused on Jesus.

As we do this the gates of blessing from heaven open and Christ’s strength floods our life. So, this week, re-arrange your life to honour Jesus even more. It takes many simple decisions throughout the day to achieve this and then the promise of Philippians 4:13 will overtake your life and joy will become your constant companion.

Heart Attack…

Proverbs 4:23 “Above all else, guard your heart, for it determines the course of your life.”

Nowadays wherever we go there are people guarding things. Wether it’s the palace, the airport or the shopping centre. People are on guard and protecting whatever they think is valuable.

Proverbs says that you and I should, above everything else, be guarding our hearts. Our heart carries our desires, motivations, and intimate purposes. So, think for a moment about how much energy, finance and time is spent protecting other things while our hearts are left open to attack. We should be guarding it ABOVE ALL ELSE.

There’s very good reason why we do this. Our heart determines the course of our life. Matthew 12:35 says that a good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart. If our heart isn’t protected and healthy then we’ll become sick and eventually discover ourselves far from God’s course for our life.

So, if life is not heading where it should, then our heart is probably under attack. This can happen through gossip, offence, anger, competition or neglect to name a few. But our heart can be made well and restored when we guard it and action Gods Word in our lives.

This week let’s check in with our heart specialist: the Holy Spirit. Ask Him to tell us what’s up and how to rectify it. Before long our life’s course will be restored and we’ll be producing good things from the treasury of a good heart. Above all we must GUARD YOUR HEART!

Happy Days…

Psalm 118:24 “This is the day which the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be happy in it.”

If we create something, we like to think that whoever receives it will enjoy it. This is not always the case. There is nothing gloomier than getting an ungrateful response from someone. The gift had no fault but the recipient did. Today’s verse shows us how we should receive the gift of time that God gives us.

Everybody has 365 days a year and God creates each one. No matter what day it is, as born again believers, we have an escape to the suffering and struggles that others accept. We decide exactly how we will live each day. My decision is always: “As for me and my house we will rejoice and be happy 365 days a year.”

Now I know you want days filled with happiness and rejoicing as well. The fact is that they are not difficult to create. Simply ensure that you follow Psalm 118’s two instructions:

  1. Acknowledge that God has made this day
  2. Make a firm decision to rejoice and be happy in it

Before you know it life will turn around. The mountains of discontent and worry that stood before you will come down. The light of a brand new day will flood your soul. You will begin to experience future and hope like never before. When this happens let others know that these happy days can be theirs as well, just like they are yours.

Jesus He’s My Friend…

John 15:14 Jesus said “You are my friends if you do what I tell you to do”

We all need friends. As life goes on we soon discover that to keep them involves investment from both sides. Deposits of time, love, wisdom and understanding are just a few things that keep a relationship healthy. Making a choice not to invest in our friendships means that they will suffer and won’t grow how they should.

Our verse this week reveals how easy it is to have Jesus as our friend. It is a simple but often misunderstood truth. All we have to do is obey what he tells us to do and Jesus becomes our friend. Nothing more, nothing less, just obey.

If we disobey Jesus our friendship with Him suffers. He is always prepared to rebuild from the broken pieces but we must make a deposit first. We must return to the Bible and resume doing what He said. Then, before we know it, He’s counting us amongst His friends again.

Now, here’s the best part… Jesus’s friends are to be our friends too. There is absolutely no reason to ever be lonely again. Jesus wants us all to get along. His intention is that we build great friendships with Him at the centre of each one.

If making friends seems difficult then pal up with Jesus first. He’ll ensure that our friendships are sorted out quickly. Life will then become easier, more productive and have greater pleasure than can be imagined.