‎1 Timothy 6:11-12 NASB
But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

Personal Challenge…
In this passage Paul is encouraging Timothy (and us) to flee from the things of the world and to pursue the things of God. We are commanded to pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness. We are told that this will be a fight and a struggle, but it is a good fight, one that will allow us to grasp ahold of eternal life. Sometimes the struggle is within, our thoughts and desires for the world and the things of the world. Sometimes the struggle will be with those around us, our friends, our families, our acquaintances who want us to hold onto the things of the world rather than the things of God. It is good to know that we can fight the good fight because we have been called, and therefore equipped, to do it.

Philippians 4:8-9 NASB

John 15:15-17 NASB
No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you. You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you. This I command you, that you love one another.

Words of Encouragement…
I recently had the opportunity to teach a class on cultural sensitivity to a team that is heading to Haiti in March. This is one of the passages that I share in the training as a reminder that we are not slaves in Christ, but His friends. He shares His love to us much more deeply than if we were slaves. As a matter of fact, as slaves, no love is required. He has picked me so that He can pour out His love on me and share His Father with me. He then commands me to pass this love on to those around me.

Luke 2:52 NIV
And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.

Words of Encouragement…
So many religions worship a concept or an idea…we however worship a living God that became a man. He did not instantly appear as the newest and latest guru, but was born of a poor family, in poor and desolate times. His hospital room was a manger surrounded by the farm animals of the day. He also grew up like everyone of us did, facing daily challenges, emotions, and situations. We worship and serve a God that has navigated the road of a normal human life so that in Him we can find life, joy, rest, peace, love, and eternity. He knows what we are going through because He went through it as well.

Hosea 2:20-21 NLT
I will be faithful to you and make you mine, and you will finally know me as LORD. “In that day,” says the LORD, “I will answer the pleading of the sky for clouds, which will pour down water on the earth in answer to its cries for rain.

Words of Encouragement…
Sometimes we go through long, dry periods in our lives waiting for the clouds to come and bring forth life giving rain. For some of us that waiting may be our entire lives. But the wonderful thing is that if we keep pursuing God and seeking His presence in our lives He will be faithful to us and hold us as His own. We will truly know Him and in that relationship the rain will come and we will be nourished and refreshed. It is the knowing Him as LORD, on His terms and not on ours, that is the difficult part.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, 11 NIV
There is a time for everything, a season for every activity under heaven. A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant and a time to harvest. A time to kill and a time to heal. A time to tear down and a time to rebuild. A time to cry and a time to laugh. A time to grieve and a time to dance. A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones. A time to embrace and a time to turn away. A time to search and a time to lose. A time to keep and a time to throw away. A time to tear and a time to mend. A time to be quiet and a time to speak up. A time to love and a time to hate. A time for war and a time for peace.

God has made everything beautiful for its own time.

Words of Encouragement…
I have posted this one before, but is is such a great reminder of the importance of events in our lives. We all have those times when we feel abandoned or attacked or just plain out of sorts. Life has its ups and its downs. What is important is how we view the entire journey and recognize that God is always there for us and that it is He who puts the people in our lives that will always stand by our side.

Psalm 9:1-2 NASB
I will give thanks to the LORD with all my heart; I will tell of all Thy wonders. I will be glad and exult in Thee; I will sing praise to Thy name, O Most High.

Word of Encouragement…
When in the midst of those times that it seems like your hopes are gone…give thanks to the LORD. When life seems to be throwing rotten tomatoes at you…give thanks to the LORD. In all that we do we are to give thanks to the LORD, for He is great, He is wonderful, He will see us through those dark and lonely time. Give thanks to the LORD will all of your heart.

Psalm 100 NASB <>
Shout joyfully to the LORD, all the earth. Serve the LORD with gladness; Come before Him with joyful singing. Know that the LORD Himself is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving And His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name. For the LORD is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting And His faithfulness to all generations.

Philippians 3:12-14 NASB
Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Personal Challenge…
We often hear life described as a journey. Our Christian life is definitely a journey, and often one that can be filled with difficulty and challenges. It is those difficulties and challenges that better equip us for the work that our Lord has in store for us to do. No matter how far along we are in this journey we still have much further to go. And sometimes we must leave behind those things that might hold us back or distract us from our calling.

It is difficult to do this and yet it is so necessary. For me, sometimes the most challenging part of leaving these things behind is how much they try to pull me back. Sometimes its things, sometimes its people, sometimes its the institutions or organizations that we have left behind. Sometimes their need to keep us there is so strong to them that they will even do us harm to keep us where they are.

Our blessing, our prize, is at the end of the journey, but our Lord loves us so much that He will walk beside us, guide us, meet our needs along the way, blessing us as long as we stay true to Him and His calling.

Acts 17:28 NIV
‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’

Personal Challenge…
If we are truly a follower of Christ then He will permeate our entire life. It amazes me how easy it has become for us who claim to be Christians to compartmentalize our lives. We live one way on Sunday and another way at work, or at home, or in private. If we are a child of God then all of our life, all of our being is in Him.

This does take work when we live in a world that is also compartmentalized. I must constantly weigh what I think and do against His values, His plans, His truth and then choose to be obedient to Him. I am often sobered when at the end of the day I look back and ask the question, “Did people see Jesus today in my life?”