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1 Timothy 4:10 NASB
For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers.

Personal Challenge…
So, what is it that we are laboring and striving for? If you read the prior verses you will find that it is godliness that we are pursuing. Attempting to be more like Christ and less like the world. Sometimes this is through physical things like fasting, prayer, and worship, but it is always through fixing our hope on the living God and His saving grace.

Colossians 1:9-12 NASB
For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light.

Personal Challenge…
Isn’t it encouraging to know that nearly 2,000 years ago a man like Paul set in motion a prayer such as this for people like you and me? A prayer for us to be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in our lives, to walk through our lives in a manner worthy of our Lord, living lives that please Him. I am finding that God, as the master road builder of the journeys of our lives, sometimes brings us to an intersection and gives us the freedom to choose which route to follow. Sometimes these choices are easy and sometimes they take a lot of prayer and consideration…especially if our desire is to serve Him and to glorify Him. I am so thankful that there is such a magnificent host of saints that have gone before me that have made the right choices and that I can learn from them. I seek God’s guidance and wisdom as I stand at one of those intersections in my journey as a redeemed child of God.

Luke 14:11 NLT
For the proud will be humbled, but the humble will be honored.

Personal Challenge…
When we see verses about being proud versus being humble, by what standard do we measure pride and humility? If we measure them by the standards of the world then we will definitely miss the mark that God is calling us to. Many Christians around the world have entered into the season of Great Lent this week. For them this is a time of repentance and humbling themselves before a holy and righteous God, bowing before Him, prostrating to Him, seeking His forgiveness in anticipation of the return of the King of Life, Jesus. What position would you be in if you suddenly came into the presence of God?

Isaiah 26:7 NLT
The path of the righteous is level; O upright One, you make the way of the righteous smooth.

Personal Challenge…
Hmm…if the path of the righteous is level and smooth then maybe I need to consider whether or not I am pursuing righteousness in Christ or my own ways.

Proverbs 3:3-8 NASB
Do not let kindness and truth leave you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart. So you will find favor and good repute In the sight of God and man. Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your body And refreshment to your bones.

Personal Challenge…
As with every other trip that I have taken to Haiti I come home with more questions than answers. This trip is no different. Today, as I process these questions I am reminded to go back to Proverbs 3:5-6, which is in the middle of the verses above. God is the one in whom I am to put my trust. He is the one on whom I lean. He is the one that I acknowledge. If I do these things then He will guide and direct me, He will show me the right decisions to make, He will help me to be kind and truthful, He will heal my body and refresh my bones. Please pray with me as I return from this trip and seek Him.

Luke 6:37 NLT
Stop judging others, and you will not be judged. Stop criticizing others, or it will all come back on you. If you forgive others, you will be forgiven.

Forgive Me…
Yesterday we celebrated Forgiveness Sunday at our church. This is traditionally the last event before the kickoff of Lent. Imagine if you can…a sanctuary with about 150 people. Each person walks through the line asking every other person to forgive them. Forgiveness of things said or done, not said or not done. With the response of “May God forgive us all.” The results…tears, hugging, kisses on the cheek, rejoicing in the forgiveness of one another. My request to you…”Forgive Me!!!”

John 8:31-32 NIV
To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Encouraging Words…
America…the land of the free. Are we really free without doing what Jesus commanded us to do? We were commanded to love the Lord our God with all of our heart, mind, soul, and body and to love our neighbor as ourself. If we desire true freedom we must believe in Jesus and follow His commandments. His promise is that we will then know the truth and be set free…truly free.

Proverbs 17:27 NASB
He who restrains his words has knowledge, And he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding.

Personal Challenge…
Teach me, O Lord, to be a man that manages his tongue ad keeps his spirit calm in You.

Psalm 33:22 NLT
Let your unfailing love surround us, LORD,
for our hope is in you alone.

Encouraging Words…
Have you ever known someone that accused Christianity of being oppressive and burdensome? I have and it is so far from the truth. Being a child of the living God gives us a life surrounded and filled with His unfailing love. He is our source of hope and the One that we put our hope in.

Genesis 2:18 NASB
Then the LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.”

Happy Valentine’s Day…
What more can a man ask for from His Lord than to have a partner, a wife, a helpmate made by the living God for him personally. I fell this blessed with my wonderful and loving wife. Glory to God in the highest.