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  • The Blessings Of Being A Believer

    Ephesians 1:3 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,”

    Do you realize how BLESSED you are by being a believer?  The apostle Paul starts his letter to the Ephesians reminding them that God has blessed the believer with EVERY – yes, EVERY SPIRITUAL BLESSING.   Now read this opening statement with great enthusiasm, with great joy.  Being a believer is to be BLESSED by God.  Let that stir your heart.  

    As he moves forward in chapter 1 he tells of the blessings that come from being saved. For instance, the believer has gone from being an alien to being adopted into the family of God.   We now call God our FATHER.  There is the blessing of REDEMPTION and forgiveness of our sins.  

    Our list can go on and on.  What spiritual blessing are you most grateful for?

    Paul is not alone in pointing out the blessings of salvation as the Apostle Peter writes in 1 Peter 1:3 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to His great mercy, He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,”

    How do we respond to the blessings we have received?  1. Worship the one who has so richly blessed you.  2. Enjoy the blessing.  3. Be a blessing! We are Blessed to Bless!

    Continue Strong enjoy the blessings of God, 
    And Remember to Date the Word

  • Filling Your Mind With God’s Word

    Psalm 1:2 “But the blessed person’s delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night.”

    Psalm 1 is one of the FOUNDATIONAL chapters of the Bible for how to live life!  One of the main reasons for learning this Psalm is that verse 1 starts with the word BLESSED as this Psalm tells what one is to be doing to be blessed by God.  After the word BLESSED, we find there are two actions that a person needs to do to be BLESSED.  There will be a NOT action and a DO action.  

    With the NOT ACTION we do NOT associate with people who will influence us AWAY from God and INTO sinful living.  Verse 1 says “Blessed is the person who walks NOT in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the way of sinners nor sits in the seat of the scorner.  I draw the principle from verse 1 a blessed person TAKES PRECAUTION in ASSOCIATING WITH THE WICKED! 

    To be blessed you TAKE PRECAUTION IN ASSOCIATING WITH THE WICKED!

    While we have a NOT action in verse 1, we have a DO action in verse 2 as it tells us the blessed man’s delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night.”  The principle I draw here is one TAKES PLEASURE in MEDITATING ON THE WORD! 

    To be blessed you TAKE PLEASURE IN MEDITATING ON THE WORD!

    One way of looking at Psalm 1:1-2 is:
    in v 1 the WORLD influences the person. 
    in v 2 the WORD influences the person.

    To be BLESSED, a person will NOT just REJECT what the world says but will REMOVE the WORLD’S influencers from their lives.  You should be asking WHO and WHAT NEEDS TO BE REMOVED from your life as we begin a New Year.

    To be BLESSED means that you BRING the influence of the WORD into your life by DELIGHTING in DISCOVERING what God’s Word says and DOING what it says.  It will be in the DOING that God’s blessing begins to FLOW and one will begin to be fruitful and flourish!

    To BRING the influence of God’s Word into your life means you will be READING IT, HEARING IT, MEMORIZING IT, STUDYING IT, and MEDITATING on it. (Meditation means to chew the cud as a cow does with her food.)  

    Decide to daily be INFLUENCED by the WORD.  FILL YOU MIND WITH THE WORD OF  GOD! 

    Continue Strong Filling Your Heart And Mind With The Word Of God
    And remember to DATE The Word

  • An Exemplary Example

    Job 1:1 “There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil.”

    As we launch into a new year, we find an exemplary example in Job of how one should live. Notice the characteristics of his character:
    He was blameless.
    He was upright.
    He feared God.
    He shunned evil.  

    Blameless speaks of the actions he takes in his personal life.  He was not perfect, but he did strive to live above reproach.  Like Daniel, you would not be able to find dirt on him.  Being blameless meant he did what was right even if no one was looking.  

    Deuteronomy 18:13 says, “You shall be blameless before the LORD your God.”

    Being upright meant he was honest with others.  He did not cheat or lie to others. Being upright meant he was not looking to take advantage of another person.  He was trustworthy.  
    A deeper study of the upright will find especially in Proverbs that the upright experiences many blessings and brings others many blessings. 

    In fearing God, he understood that there was God, and he was not.  In fearing God he acknowledged God with holy reverence and respect.  In fearing God Job acknowledged God’s authority in his life. In fearing God Job was in a right relationship with God. 

    In shunning evil Job first knew what was right and what was wrong and then he took steps to avoid temptations.  To shun is to stay away.   Based on teaching from another wisdom book, Proverbs, Job’s actions to stay away from evil would have been fueled by his fear for the Lord.

    Job was blameless. He was upright. He feared God. He shunned evil.  

    Let us begin 2025 committed to living like Job, living blameless, upright, fearing God, and shunning evil!

    Continue Strong with Job-like character, 
    And Remember to Date the Word  

  • The More Excellent Way To Live Is To Love

    1 Corinthians 12:31 “But earnestly desire the best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way.”

    As the Apostle Paul wraps up talking about spiritual gifts, he says there is a more excellent way.  What is the more excellent way?  The more excellent way is the way of LOVE.  While we might want to know what LOVE is, the Apostle Paul will tell us what LOVE does (and does not do) in 1 Corinthians 13, known as the LOVE chapter. 

    1 Corinthians 13:1 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2  If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3  If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.
    4  Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
    5  It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
    7  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
    8  Love never fails.

    Having told us what LOVE does (and does not do) he will issue a few calls to put love into action.
    1 Corinthians 13:13  And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.
    1 Corinthians 14:1  Pursue love
    1 Corinthians 16:14 Let all that you do be done with love.

    The better way, even better than the use of our spiritual gift, is to love.  So, as we end a year and start a new year let us put LOVE into action with all our relationships.  

    For example:
    John 13:34  “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
    Colossians 3:19  Husbands, love your wives and do not be bitter toward them.
    Proverbs 17:17  A friend loves at all times, And a brother is born for adversity.
    Hebrews 13:1  Let brotherly love continue.
    Luke 6:35  “But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil.
    Leviticus 19:18  ‘You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.
    Leviticus 19:34  ‘The stranger who dwells among you shall be to you as one born among you, and you shall love him as yourself; for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.

    How will you LOVE differently in the coming year?

    Continue Strong doing everything with love,
    And Remember to Date the Word

  • Top Priority: Love God! Love People

    Mark 12:30 “And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment.” 

    As Jesus is being questioned, EXAMINED if you will, by the religious leaders at the temple He is asked by a scribe WHAT IS THE GREATEST COMMANDMENT?  (Mark 12:28) This was a great question to ask as there were 613 laws or commandments and within those 613 were the Ten Commandments.  One can imagine the interest as to what Jesus would say.  

    What was His answer?  Starting at Mark 12:29 He answered, “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one. 30 ‘And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. 31 “And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”  PERIOD!!!

    What was His answer as we seek to discover truth to apply to our lives?  I don’t mean to oversimplify it, but I think we can sum up His answer with LOVE GOD! LOVE PEOPLE!

    LOVE GOD!  LOVE THE ONE TRUE GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART!

    LOVE PEOPLE! 

    Love God because He first loved you!

    Love people and love them even if they don’t love you back.  

    What matters most? LOVE GOD!!  LOVE PEOPLE!!

    As we review the past and look to the future with a new year before us what have been your priorities and what will your priorities be?  

    Where does your relationship with God fall on your list of priorities?  

    Where does your relationship with people fall on your list of priorities?

    Continue Strong Increasing In Your Love For God And Love For People
    And remember to DATE The Word

  • What Are You Striving After

    Luke 12:29 “Don’t keep striving for what you should eat and what you should drink, and don’t be anxious.”

    In the battle for WHO and WHAT will be FIRST in our lives Jesus recognized that the most basic needs of life can not only distract one from seeking first the kingdom of God but can truly drown out a person’s spiritual life.  So before giving the call to make His top priority our top priority, He addresses the internal conflicts we will have.  He says, “Don’t keep STRIVING” – being PREOCCUPIED – with the essentials of life like food and drink. 

    I don’t know about you, but I immediately bristle up and shout, “Really?”  To not strive to make sure I have the ESSENTIALS of food, water, and clothing challenges our basic human instincts. We must have food to eat and water to drink in order to survive. Yet Jesus tells us NOT TO BE ANXIOUS – NOT TO WORRY – NOT TO KEEP STRIVING for these things.  

    To be truthful this seems so unrealistic. This so goes against our human nature as it is our human nature to be concerned, yes worry, about ourselves. 

    Knowing His challenge is challenging, His teaching continues in verse 30. “For the Gentile world eagerly seeks all these things, and your Father knows that you need them.” (Jesus may be stepping on someone’s toes here.) The Gentiles are those who don’t know God. They live worried, and anxious, and preoccupied with daily life. It is about self-preservation for them.  It is about survival. They eagerly seek these things to survive. 

    On the other hand, Jesus reminds us that we have a Heavenly Father who knows exactly what we need. Hmmm. What is He teaching? He is teaching us to not forget who our Father is! 

    So, with the challenge to not do something essential but temporal comes the challenge of what to do which will be eternal. Luke 12:31 says. “But seek His kingdom, and these things will be provided for you.” 

    What then will be your 2025 priorities? Survival of self or Service to the Savior? 

    Continue Strong with Jesus FIRST,
    And Remember to Date the Word 

  • Deciding To Do Right In The Sight Of God

    Deuteronomy 12:28 “Observe and obey all these words which I command you, that it may go well with you and your children after you forever, when you do what is good and right in the sight of the LORD your God.”

    Over and over, we are instructed to Observe and OBEY God’s commands. The call to obey God’s Word often reveals the bountiful blessings that come to those who obey. These blessings not only come to the one obeying but extend to their children.  Let that sink in.  You can bring future blessings to your family with present obedience! 

    As believers, we have to make decisions about what actions to take.  As we receive the instruction from Scripture there must be APPLICATION. It is worth noting that even before deciding to make the decision, we have to decide what will guide our decision-making.  In Judges 21:25 we read that “every man did that which was right in his own eyes.”  On the other hand, Jesus said in John 14:15 “If you love Me, keep My commandments.”   

    Is your decision-making guided by what is right in your sight or what is right in God’s sight?  Does SELF guide or does the SAVIOR guide your decision-making? 

    Let’s review. The call of Deuteronomy 12:28 is a call to commit to LEARNING the Word by careful observation followed by LIVING in OBEDIENCE to the Word!  Obeying God’s requirements brings God’s rewards.

    Blessings follow obedience!

    Blessings come your way and not just to you but to your children! Your obedience today will impact far more than you! Remember Proverbs 20:7. It says, “The righteous man walks in his integrity; His children are blessed after him.”  

    Observe and obey God’s Word for there is no other way to live.  

    Continue Strong Doing Right In His Sight,
    And remember to DATE The Word

  • Possessing The Most Precious Possession

    Proverbs 12:27 “The lazy man does not roast what he took in hunting, but diligence is man’s precious possession.”

    Do you possess the most precious possession?  I do not speak of gold, or silver, or stocks and bonds nor of land.  Proverbs 12:27 says, “Diligence is man’s precious possession.” 

    This verse needs to be read often and underlined in your Bible.  It should be memorized, and then great thought is to be given to it.  Questions should be asked and answered like what does it mean to be diligent?  Why is it so important?  What is the opposite of it (lazy) and why is it to be so despised?  

    The call to be diligent is to be responsible.  Being responsible for oneself and another and for what is another’s possessions is a man’s precious possession.

    On the other hand, we are not lazy! The lazy try to get by doing as little as possible – even wasting what little work they do.  Did you notice the lazy did go hunting and kill something but then did nothing to prepare it for human consumption?  What a waste!

    Are you responsible with your responsibilities?
    The lazy are irresponsible with responsibilities.  
    The diligent are responsible with responsibilities. 

    Scripture appeals to us to be diligent, not lazy, fulfilling life’s demands!  

    Parents, (fathers especially) reading this – demand diligence, especially with your sons! Raise them to be RESPONSIBLE. Be responsible when they are irresponsible and correct this character flaw.  Don’t tolerate lying and don’t tolerate laziness!

    Continue Strong being responsible with responsibilities! 
    And remember to DATE The Word

  • Oh Be Careful Who Your Friends Are

    Proverbs 12:26 “The righteous should choose his friends carefully, For the way of the wicked leads them astray.”

    As I was growing up we were taught a song at church that told us to be careful with several areas of our life. It was taught in the form of a song that started Oh be careful.  We were to be careful with our EYES and our EARS and our HANDS, our FEET, and most of all our MOUTH. I would submit that we need to add oh be careful little ones who your friends are.  

    Our verse comes from the Book of Proverbs and one of the most addressed topics in Proverbs is friendship. It points out how TO BE a friend (a friend loves at all times, Proverbs 17:17) and the value of a friend as a friend HELPS their friend(s) to be better (Proverbs. 27:6 and 27:17). Here in Proverbs 12:26 we are reminded to be CAREFUL of who we have as friends.  

    Why the CAUTION? Because as friendships develop the friend’s influence increases.  With teenagers, a friend’s influence can easily and quickly become more important to them than parental influence.  Proverbs 13:20 provides some very valuable insight as it states, “He who walks with wise men will be wise, but a companion of fools will be destroyed.”  

    Who are you hanging around? 
    Parents reading this: Who are your teenagers hanging around?

    No matter the age of a person one must be careful with whom they associate.  A great guide for who your friends should be is found in Psalms 119:63.  It says, “I am a friend to all who fear You, to those who keep Your precepts.”  In other words, your friend(s) should be those who love the Savior, love the Scriptures and love the saints.  And to be a great friend you start by loving the Savior, loving the Scriptures, and loving the saints.

    Friends, show me your friends and I will show you your future.  Remember that friends are like buttons on an elevator – they can take you up or they can take you down.  

    “Associate yourself with Men of good Quality if you esteem your own reputation; for ’tis better to be alone than in bad Company.”   George Washington

    Continue Strong being and having friends,
    And remember to DATE The Word

  • Take Care To Care For One Another

    1 Corinthians 12:25 “That there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another.”

    As believers, we are members of the church, which is sometimes described as a body.  As a person takes care of all the parts of their body the body of Christ, the church, is to take care of each other.  We are to CARE for one another.

    What does CARING for one another look like?  While a full sermon, even a series of sermons, may not sufficiently answer the question please consider just a couple of thoughts.  

    To care for other calls and to see their needs.  James 1:27 says, “Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress… ” The Greek word translated as “caring” includes the word SKOPOS which we translate to English as SCOPE.  A scope helps you to see things better, to bring it up closer.  A microscope brings what is invisible into view.  A telescope brings something a long way off closer for better examination.  One uses the scope on a gun to bring the target into better view.  Thus, to care for a person is to SEE UP CLOSE.  It is to look intently for things that may be missing with the intent of then providing for what is missing.   

    To care for another is to take appropriate ACTIONS.  It may be a word of encouragement.  Another verse for 12/25 is Proverbs 12:25.  It says, “Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad.”  Worry weighs a heart down but a GOOD WORD – a word of encouragement refreshes and restores one to keep running the race of life!  

    As stated we can easily have a sermon series on how to care for one another.  My prayer is that you will consider the call to care for one another and be your brother and sister’s helper!  LOOK and SEE beyond the surface for the real needs of others.  Be proactive in taking appropriate actions, especially in speaking words of encouragement to others.   

    Just a reminder here: People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. 

    Continue Strong caring for others and Merry Christmas!!!!!!!
    And remember to DATE The Word